The best food and drink of 2025

Good morning!

As the holidays are almost here, this will be the last newsletter of 2025.

I want to take this moment to say thank you for all of your support. This has been a wild year for The Coast, and we appreciate you sticking through it with us. I only started writing this newsletter in September, but the responses I’ve received since starting have been so kind, and I truly appreciate the readers who took time out of their day to send us a compliment. Thanks so much.

Our next newsletter will be on Tuesday, Jan. 6. In the meantime, please let me know what your plans are for the holidays. I just returned home from visiting family and friends in Newfoundland, and now my partner is taking a flight back to The Rock to do the same. My holidays will be spent with my three cats and plenty of video games. Just the break I need.

Until next year, please stay safe. Happy Holidays!

– B

📷 @creamy_yet_smooth

🌡️ Traffic & Weather

Today: 🌤️ -6°

Tomorrow: 🌨️ -5°

Next Day: 🌨️ -5°

7-day forecast

🚗 Driving, biking or busing today? Check out the current traffic conditions and ongoing road closures.

FOOD + DRINK

Mark DeWolf's favourite food and drink of 2025

If there is a common thread running through my favourite food and drink of 2025, it is intention rather than excess. Like many people, I have felt my discretionary food and drink budget shrink as global pressures continue to push costs upward. That reality has meant eating out less frequently and thinking more deliberately about where I spend my dollars — and, increasingly, about keeping those dollars in Nova Scotia.

The Coast’s culinary critic Mark DeWolf offers his best food and drink of 2025 in this year-end list.

🤔 Need To Know

🏛️ Despite a rocky start, Halifax mayor Andy Fillmore says he and council are in a positive place one-year into his tenure—the city spent $22,500 to hire a facilitator to improve this relationship.

🚨 Nova Scotia’s police watchdog cleared a Halifax officer of wrongdoing in the death of a man in Bedford in February—the man was experiencing a mental health episode after taking cocaine, and died while being restrained by seven police officers.

🏥 The Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation has received a donation of $5 million from Lisa O’Regan, wife of late O’Regan’s Automotive Group CEO Sean O’Regan—the hospital will be naming it’s west wing the Sean O’Regan Wing in tribute.

🎭 Follow the Yellow Brick Road to The Wizard of Oz at Neptune Theatre! This family-friendly musical features your favourite songs from the movie and is guaranteed to be a wickedly good time.*

🚙 Halifax riders: Lyft is here. Your first five rides? 50% off. No fuss. Max $10/ride. Terms apply. Tap the link, enter your phone number lock in the discount.*

☃️ Happy Holidays from Symphony Nova Scotia! We look forward to welcoming you in 2026 for more spectacular concerts and inspiring music. Book your 2026 entertainment!*

🧑‍🌾 Complete our NS Food & Farming survey and be entered to win a $500 gift certificate to your favorite farm, farm store, or farmers’ market!*

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY CANADIAN MUSEUM OF IMMIGRATION AT PIER 21

Last chance to visit!

The donair was invented in:

a, Toronto
b. Calgary
c. Halifax

Discover the surprising histories of Canadian foods we love and so much more in this interactive exhibition. Don't miss out on eat make share: a taste of immigration open at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 only until 18 January 2026. Plan your visit today!

🗞️ In Other News

🏒 Cole Harbour’s hometown hero Sidney Crosby made hockey history Sunday night when he broke the Pittsburgh Penguin’s franchise scoring record in a 4-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens, beating out former record holder Mario Lemieux—Crosby is third-place for the NHL’s all-time scoring record.

🎁 A Halifax-area professor says it’s likely gift-buyers will focus more on thoughtful gifts than those of higher monetary value as the cost-of-living crisis continues—business associations and chambers of commerce across Nova Scotia have been urging customers to keep their money within their communities.

🥅 Truro’s Rath Eastlink Community Centre continues to face uncertainty as both local governments struggle to find a method of governance—the centre consists of an NHL-sized hockey arena that hosts the Truro Jr. A Bearcats MHL hockey team.

SPONSORED BY LYFT

50% Off First Five Lyft Rides

Lyft is now live in Halifax. To celebrate you can get 50% off your first five rides when you sign up through the link in this newsletter. Max $10/ride.  Terms apply.
Claim your rides.

🗓️ Things To Do

Looking for something to do this week? Check out these Coast picks:

🗓 Knots and Knits: Bring a knitting or needlework project you’re working on and hang out with like-minded crafters in a quiet space with hot drinks. Happening at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. | Dec. 23 | 1PM |

🗓 Tuesday Night Jazz at The Shoe: Join The Shoe every Tuesday night for three sets of live jazz featuring Leo Cox (Bass), Dante Kierstead (Drums), and Ben Tucker (Guitar). Happy hour is from 4pm-7pm. | Dec. 23 | 7PM |

🗓 Neptune Theatre: The Wizard of Oz: Get ready for the classic tale of Dorothy’s travels in the magical land of Oz on the Neptune Theatre stage. Featuring all your favourite songs from the movie. Family-friendly. | Nov. 4 - Jan. 4 | 7:30PM | From $40 |

Have an event to share? Let us know at [email protected].

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🚢➡️ The Algoluna tanker arrived in Halifax from Sarnia at 12:14am and departs for Sarnia once more at 6pm.

🚢➡️ The One Ibis arrived in Halifax from Norfolk at 4:45am and departs for Singapore at 4:30pm.

🚢➡️ The Nolhan Ava container ship arrives in Halifax from St. Pierre at 1:15pm and departs for Argentia at 3:30pm

➡️ The AS Felicia container vessel departs Halifax for Kingston at 3pm.

🚢➡️ The Morning Pride roll-on/roll-off vessel departs Halifax for New York at 3:30pm.

🚢 The Oceanex Sanderling container ship arrives in Halifax from St. John’s at 6:20pm.

➡️ The Federal Tokoro bulk carrier departs for Quebec at 10pm.

SPONSORED BY DOWNTOWN HALIFAX BUSINESS COMMISSION

New Year's Eve in Downtown Halifax

2026 is just around the corner! 🎉 

Looking for the perfect way to ring in the New Year? Celebrate in Downtown Halifax!

From the free annual celebration in the Grand Parade to dances, live music, special dinners, and more, Downtown Halifax is the place to be.

Start planning now!

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🥪 This is your last chance to grab a Salmon Lox sandwich from Larry’s Sandwiches and Sides in Dartmouth before the holiday break.

🍪 ORI is offering cookie boxes before the holidays while supplies last. Includes plum thumbprint, oat chocolate, cardamom vanilla spritz, pistachio milk chocolate, gingersnap and yuzu earl grey sable.

👀 In Case You Missed It

🎭 British-Canadian comedian James Mullinger has made people in both of his homes laugh on and on, but his bests crowds have always been in Halifax. In celebration of the city that helped make his journey in the comedy world possible, Mullinger will be filming his next comedy special at the Rebecca Cohn Theatre in Halifax on April 17, 2026. The Coast’s Brendyn Creamer gives details on James Mullinger’s upcoming performance.

🏛️ Halifax is looking to buy back the historic Khyber building from the Turret Arts Space Society after staff report threats to safety and the society’s inability to fundraise the $18.5 million needed to renovate the building—the society purchased it for $1 in 2018.

💵 Nova Scotia’s deficit has only increased, with Finance Minister John Lohr announcing it has grown to nearly $1.3 billion—Lohr says spending needs to be reined in while the province looks for new ways to generate revenue.

That’s it!

Thanks for reading The Coast Daily today.

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