Reviews of The Carleton (Optics Shop)

josh Haslam

Beautiful and classy. Great to hangout with a few friends.

Sarshar Dadashzadeh

Happy hour price is equal to NSLC ! Bartenders and servers are almost as friends of yours and crowd is Atlantic Canadians, meaningfully nice and friendly. This place is located exactly what it is supposed to be, heart of downtown but away of rushes.

Rick D

I have been here multiple times for local live music or show's & every time is better than the last. Great menu & drinks.

stefanie dobo

Great cocktails and a nice people watching spot. Oysters during happy hour were fantastic. Great spot on Argyle street. Patio, for some reason not as busy as other venues but a good spot for tasty cocktails and good oysters.

Todd Miller

Delicious food and drinks. The music is a bonus. Wonderful spot.

Ron clarke

Great atmosphere, service was a bit slow but still good

Laura Smith

This is a great place to perform in where you can meet your fans over a fabulous supper or share drink at the bar before showtime. Shows start early and/or late, depending on the act... Mike and his staff really, really care about your presence here.. My favourite venue in Halifax.

Xiaohui Liu

Great atmosphere but very expensive menu

maitland roblee

Fantastic service. Fair prices. Great live music, was here during Nova fest. Located right in the heart of downtown Halifax.

Janis Wall

Great spot for music!

Zoe Laisnez

Very good appies

Katelyn Sullivan

Owners are amazing

Charles Malloy

Great scene

Em Go

Great atmosphere and even better food. Wait staff were polite and attentive. Decent prices.

Brent Andrews

Best live music in Halifax. Can be crowded, but is always fun.

Kelly Lauren Smith

The renovations look good, drinks are lovely, the live band was a salsa band and they were fantastic. Would have given 5 stars if the staff were a bit more interactive.

Ken Saunders

So nice after a year to get to enjoy live music. Symphony Brunch was fun

Sarah Levy

I went last night for a show, and the service I received was amazing! Our server Jerry was great and would check in to make sure we were doing alright and while I was indecisive I never once felt pressured or rushed to make a decision. It was a really busy night and the entire staff kept their spirits high, one of the best experiences I've had at The Carleton.

Todd Maye

Overpriced, not good value

Cam Hartley

Great spot in the heart of downtown. Craft beer, live music, great sound, atmosphere, and service. Ill be back.

KAREN JOHNSTON

Great place for food and entertainment

Rob Hutten

Good music venue. One of the few real listening rooms around, with a nice mix of local and touring acts. Solid kitchen with a small, interesting menu. Staff are excellent.

Linda Mac

First time there (tonight) since new reno.. even MORE comfortable now. Service consistently excellent. Love the burger. Cannot comment on rest of menu.. Quite different from the former one and have to say that we miss some of the old appie choices. Have lived in Halifax for 35 years, and this is my fave place for live music.

Aaron Miller

What an amazing music venue. The City is lucky to have it. Small intimate space whit great sound and sight lines to the stage!

Elizabeth Randell

Needs Nachos! The Carleton is a great place, but the lack of nachos means it's not my go to place after work.

Emily Matheson

Beautiful atmosphere, live music and great beer.

Gary Fahie

Awesome evening

Ryan Sull

Nice upscale food and great spot for live music

Jennifer Carter

Such a cool spot.. please go every chance you get for live music!!

Michael Harris

I never come to Halifax without a visit to the Carleton. Known country wide for the music it is becoming equally know for its food.

Warren Robert

Staff was so friendly. Had a great time.

Andres Dauyon

Good music with the life band Son Latinos.

Ryan Maynard

Great spot for local music

Nick Hudson

Pricey drinks, but great atmosphere and live music

Laura Loiseau

Great venue for music, a bit tricky to navigate when busy

Ryan Keddy

Excellent food, drinks and live music.

Jodie Holman

beautiful venue loved seeing driftwood people here. Also have fun new events here often like the songwriter circle.

Barry MacDougall

Excellent venue for live music an food cannot go wrong with that combo and also host to music festivals.

Nick Rudnicki

Ambiance was perfect. Live music was excellent but did not make conversation impossible. One of the freshest cocktail menus in town.

Brad Rivers

The Carleton Experience was a great band.

Gary Hunt

The best entertainment period. Wicked good food and great staff. Awards won are deserved

Greg Slaney

nice cozy spot with great music acts

John van Gurp

One of the best music venues in the region. I love shows at the Carlton. The artists get a lot of respect and the crowd is always attentive.

Giuliana De Carli

Amazing night with live music! Great service and food!

Dwayne Hayes

Great Venue for live music

Owen Caldwell

We had a fantastic time; friendly staff, great food, mighty fine entertainment.

Johanna VK (Jo)

Love this place. Great music, great food, great staff, great atmosphere... Everything about it is awesome.

Malusi Mabaleka

Cozy atmosphere.

Kevork Peltekian

Almost like the old days with amazing music from David Gunning and JP Cormier. Smaller crowd with COVID-19 but louder audience than the usually

Efthymios Drymonas

Nice music and band but you have to do something with your cocktails, variety and taste. Tried two , both disappointing

Shannon Harvey

Love this as a music venue!

John Maisey

Great live music venue.

Michael Thompson

Great music venue but the food leaves a lot to desire.

Rebecca Mason

The Carleton is the best music bar you will find in Canada. Always a blast with great food and the best live music shows around.

Adam Durling

Excellent venue for hearing live music.

Royce Macrae

Really like this spot after the renovations. Clean, modern and a good spot. Great job supporting the local music scene as well.

Anastasia Gvozdeva

Great place, happy hour is a pretty good deal, quality music and sound

SToddG

Always great atmosphere The support to the local music scene is the best... The food is also top notch

Niloufar MP

I would give it 5 star if it wasn't for online reservation. The food is amazing!! Delicious and priced well. Music is good. However I don't recommend making an online reservation. I did it once and not only my name was not on the list, but there were no tabels available. Anyways I will go back there definitely because of the food! Burger and steak are amazing!!

Nate Appel

Love dem movie-thingys!

A Johnson

An absolutely perfect stop in. Every time I've the chance I'll make sure I drop by. The food, entertainment, staff, and facilities were all top shelf.

troy berlinghoff

The best bar/listening room in Nova Scotia, nay, the universe!

Kara Baisley

Small but mighty. Love the atmosphere, a GREAT house band and friendly service.

Don MacKenzie

Dropped in for the first time in 30 years. Very friendly waiter. Great selection of local beers.

Benedicte Franquien

Great food, amazing staff and fantastic music, highly recommend ❤️

Graham Brownlie

Totally redone venue (for the better), great acts, prices aren't steep, staff friendly, bands awesome

Gary Gallant

Music experience (Meatloaf Tribute) was excellent. Food was tasty but the three scallop appetizer was difficult to share amongst friends!

Edgar Tarozo

(Translated) Very nice, cozy place. Good service. Ample space. Clean bathrooms. Disabled access. (Original) Lugar muito agradável, aconchegante. Bom atendimento. Espaço amplo. Banheiros limpos. Acesso para deficientes.

bri

Great atmosphere, and the food is also really good. A great place to sit, relax and enjoy the live music. The service here has always been great, everyone seems so friendly and happy. The crowds really make the atmosphere that much better with the cheering and happiness.

Malcolm Gardiner

Great spot to catch live music!

Mary-Jane Wells

Good service! Their happy hour is great! $5 glasses of wine and they have 3 apps for $20 and they are great shareable plates to enjoy with friends! Would definitely recommend!

Kevin Callaghan

Great evening with Danny Banfield and the Songversations. As usual, marvelous music and awesome ambience at the Carleton!!

Aaron MacDougall

Great on the patio until the loud music began.

Brett Bowness

Went during St Patrick's day, had a great time. Good music. Good staff.

지나가던 멍뭉이

Goos place

Darryl Wright

Great local music venue with a good selection of craft brew and by high end pub fare. The music and performers are well-curated intimate performances.

David Boyd

Great live music

Dave Mackenzie

Intimate setting, great live music and drinks. One of my favorite spots downtown.

Karen S

Went for brunch on Canada Day - excellent service and food. Scotch Eggs, fried chicken and carbonara all wonderful. Will be back

Liz Sdraulig

Best live music venue I've ever been to. Great staff especially John and of course Mike Campbell. A hidden treasure that shines like a diamond. The talent that has passed through the doors is a virtual who's who of music...especially Canadian music.

Brandon MacGregor

lovely environment. excellent food and drink. great staff and excellently curated events! always a pleasure!

Savi Houldin

Great live music

Bill Morrow

Always good food, and top notch musicians. The Carleton really knows what they are doing.

Neil Lai Fatt

Staff was extremely rude and very slow service.

Francis Bout

Fries were amazing. We went on a Friday night where they had a musician play. The atmosphere was lovely.

Alva-Marie Pailer

Awesome place great entertainment, atmosphere and refreshments. On the expensive side but worth it.

Black Void

Cozy place with great staff and music.

Pooyan F.

The burger was so gooood. Staff are really nice. Good location as well. Music is alright.

Steve Renner

An excellent venue. Staff were very friendly.

Andrew Clarke

Great venue. Interesting drink options and a small but excellent food menu.

Jennifer Swain

Intimate and comfortable venue.

Robert Campbell

Great venue for live music with nice renos. Decent food.

Chris Meunier

Great food and nice atmosphere

Mila McKay

Pretty good. There was a guy that made me and my bestie feel uncomfortable, I didn't tell the staff though, so they didn't know. Saw my old roomates band. The other two performs were also great. Bathrooms are gender neutral! Which is great. I wasn't drinking but my bestie said the drinks were really well made.

Kyle Bonnar

Fantastic drink menu, great atmosphere and quite centralized in the city

Allison MacEachern

Food portions were too small and one person in our party had undercooked main course. Entertainment was awesome. Good drink selection. I like the atmosphere.

Stacey Ross

Went into the downstairs bar for a late night pint on a weeknight. Place was lightly attended and really laid back. Ambiance provided mostly by Blue LEDs was a little off putting. Bartender provided friendly service and some recommendations and stuff to do around town. Would definitely drop in again, but one star held back for the imperfect decor.

Kim Salter

Great place. Service is wonderful and the food is superb. Love the skinny fries. Wonderful venue for entertainment feels like you are at home with the performers as it's cosy and close to the musicians. Will be missed if it closes.

Steve W

Can't beat this place for live music and great atmosphere. The new construction might not be as cozy as previous, but it accommodates more people. Gotta pay the bills.

acedast

Just had one drink

Rebecca P (LovelyCreatures)

Modern Classic.

Anthony Wight

The stars are for the music venue only, at the night the bar is understaffed and it takes forever to get a drink!

Fraser Muir

Great food and entertainment

Brian Girard

Friendly staff and a comfortable environment. Priced slightly higher than average but good value for money.

R Brocke

Luckily, got in Post Mooseheads hockey game... enjoyed the last set of the band playing..

Corey Theiss

Great music, cocktails, and live music.

Pat Traynor

The food was good but the portions small. The staff was excellent, friendly and helpful. The venue is small and was packed for the entertainment so a reservation is nessasary.

Paula Fredericks

We love the The Carleton for their varied live music. Never a dull moment. It is still relatively quiet during performances. Recently renovated it is very smart looking and they've managed to maintain the view of the stage from every part of the room - and in an L shaped space this is challenging. The new menu keeps some favourites but offers a much wider selection of small plates. Great burger remains our fave with a local red ale. Staff is always very helpful and efficient.

charlene Okeefe

Great music and overall good atmosphere

Findlay Hilchie

Amazing staff, new face lift. One of the best venues in the city.

Kayte McLaughlin

Excellent happy hour specials. The newly renovated Carleton is fantastic!

Karen Brault

Nice place! Had the fish sandwich and salad, totally worth 18$. Crispy and tasty, that was good! They did not have *3 things on their menu, I was sad, but good food anyway. *no fish cakes, no korean coliflower and no kofta. Out of stock and no replacement.

Merlin Watt

Historic Halifax dining and live music venue. Under new ownership, with recent renovations and a great new chef and menus have uplifted this Halifax landmark. Check their live music programming for which it is commonly known. But definitely check out their new menus for dinner, lunch, and brunch (Saturdays and Sundays). Brunch recommendations: Scotch eggs, omelette and the banana bread french toast are outstanding. The housemade yogurt is also shockingly good! Lots of changes, keep an eye on this spot. And they just opened the summer patio! Great spot for an afterwork drink, a business lunch, informal or romantic dinner, a concert. They also have a private room for events.

Stephen Cooper

On August 9th, we went for dinner and the Amy Helm concert. The meals were fabulous. The concert was a magical night of awesome music. What a beautiful intimate venue to see any artist. Cannot wait to go back!

John A. MacDonald

Love atmosphere, music and staff.

Owen Lee

I love it here! Intimate environment, friendly staff, great entertainment, and tasty food.

Nigel P. Jenkins

One of the best live music venues anywhere.

akajeremy777

Quite pricey so keep that in mind when planning an evening here. They don't give off the impression that they are a "cheap" venue so can't take away any stars for this fairly. Really cool atmosphere in here to watch live music/performances. Came here the other weekend to see a friend's band perform, they went above and beyond and actually made a custom cocktail for the band! Despite being incredibly busy I was able to get my drink orders in as I needed them. Very very friendly staff.

Greg Duncan

Was great entertainment, and food was four star. Overall would come again. Stellar guitar player. Daniel champagne.

Paul Meagher

Great St. Paddies day entertainment and food.

David Moriarity

A gathering place for music lovers.

Alex Graham

Well kept lounge with a rockin' house band. This place is designed for live music. Great bar service.

J.B. Robertson

We had a great time enjoying the Happy Hour with great drink prices and great appetizers. The service was excellent.

Rahul Jain

Great atmosphere

Kayla Covin

Love seeing tevon tynes and the superstatics every Saturday night. Carelton has great service, and the fries ARE AMAZING

NiceWishes

The guy who was greeting people was very nice, very friendly, and very accommodating. When I found out that they were hosting a show only few hours after I came in, I was going to leave since my plan was to only eat but he was kind enough to allow me to have dinner few hrs before their show and that is probably the reason why my server seemed reluctant to serve. Their deal for thirty-five dollars was well worth it! The food I had was delicious, the pakoras, risotto, affogato. I ordered cappuccino and it wasn't bad.

Devin Farrell

One of my favorite venues in nova Scotia. A must stop for live music enthusiasts to check out a show and have an incredible meal.

George Seto

Great food and entertainment. Social Distance in place

BohoBabe

More for uni students, but us seniors had a good time. Excellent wines, we didn't eat there... yet!

Dave Mabey

Great venue. Caught the fantastic Garrett Mason here. Nice feel to the place too. Definitly one of my fav bars in Hali.

Darrell L

Small cramped place, totally sucked, never go back. $20 cover, the band was "hiphop" yet not a single song had lyrics. Way better venues down the street. Must have went on a bad night cuz it was packed n recommend...

Torre Eaton

Every show I've seen here has been great. Awesome venue and staff!

Tracy Ross

Great food and Venue. Wigs and waffles was a blast!

Eileen MacDonald

Great food and really enjoyed the Newfoundland show there in February.

Michelle Chiasson

Great music love the home wreckers .. food was delicious

Sam M

The restaurant was AMAZING. We we’re kindly welcomed by name, the food was absolutely out of this world - DELICIOUS! The wait staff were so fast, kind, and thoughtful! There was live music that was local and divine (Kristen Martell from Mahone Bay)! There is a Private and cozy tone to the dining room. I will be recommending this spot to all of my friends and family! Thank you everyone who made our night so special! ????

John Frampton

The food, drinks, music and atmosphere are always superb. This is one of my favorite places to visit in Halifax.

Terry Mitchell

The staff are terrific and the menu is “out of the ordinary”; the venue for live music cannot be surpassed; we’ve introduced several people to the Carleton and everyone has appreciated our recommendation - if you haven’t experienced “the Carleton”, to paraphrase Nike...just do it!

Travis O

Fun place to listen to live, local music and enjoy a few beers.

Toby Mandelman

Amazing meal! Chef was superb.

Kim MacIntyre

Attended a CD release event for Paul Lamb music was great, the food was very tasty and the drinks were even better. Cozy atmosphere and our server Victoria was over and above amazing!! She was very attentive and kept everything flowing for our group for the night, great time!!

CorteZ DelKarrr

Terrible steak. Could hardly cut it, let alone chew it, it was so tough. Complained, and was basically told to f myself. Not going there again

Colleen Putt

Great venue for music, but was disappointed in the food.

Randy Smallwood

Didn't eat, but enjoyed some fine ales and great music. Wish we had come here for dinner instead of the lobster joint down the street.

Amanda Vaughan

Attended a private event and had a wonderful time. Food was wonderful.

Monica Townsend

Always a great venue for a night out

Kyle Brodie

Nice chill setting. Really awesome events. One of the best venues in the city to me, would recommend.

Seafoam Arts

My first visit since the renovations. Awesome food. Great acoustics.

Marci Sanford

Love the new look, menu and drinks!

Sreejata Chatterjee

Great food, updated interiors, good drinks. Perfect for the grown ups night out!

ben nichols

Nice place. Great live music. Can be loud

Jeffrey Nichols

Q: Where in Halifax has better fries? A: Nowhere!

Michael Miller

My wife and I had the pleasure of attending the In Concert with Dinner event. The food was superb and wine pairing was excellent.

Amanda Moulaison

One of my favorite spots in the city! The inside looks incredible after the facelift - bright and open, perfect for the great music venue it is. We went to the jazz brunch last weekend and it was awesome - we shared banana bread French toast and the fried chicken... Oh. My. Gosh... Just go and eat it, you won't regret it! Tonight we each had the burger and I thought it was good before, but it was definitely the best burger I've ever had! Also, the staff is so sweet and friendly and brought out some asparagus for our little one to munch on! Can't wait to go back!

Amavesta B

Some of the best fried chicken in the city. Pasta tasted like it was made in house. Great experience!

Vicki Paddick

love the atmosphere and staff were awesome!

Tillie Cox

Waitress was not great..hate to see if it was really crowded!!

Lisa Arseneau

Great entertainment!!!

chris martin

Good food good drinks great live music

Mat Elliott

There is always fantastic live entertainment here, the food is phenomenal, and their sound system is state of the art- not to mention the staff is professional and well-equipped to handle large crowds. If you're visiting Halifax, don't miss out on this gem- if you're a local and haven't been, it's absolutely worth making your new regular watering hole.

Catherine Johnson

Great music, food good too!

Abby van der Jagt

Friendly service great food we had the wings which were to die for! The falafel was my least favourite but if you like quinoa and falafel then you might like it! The sauce for the pakoras was amazing! Great seating options and perfect patio for events on Argyle!

Cara Jones

Food, which was all small appetizer size, was over priced. Service is good. Ambiance is nice for a drink. If going for entertainment and drinks, great spot!

terry carrier

Show was great. Service excellent. Food just ok

Roch Chiasson

Super cool to get in this pub with a local singer/band while on a business trip. Lovely atmosphere!

Anthony Rogers

Great live music venue Varied menu great service

crobaricus

The Carleton is my favourite place to hit up when I'm in Halifax. Great drinks, food, and live shows.

Lesley MacIntosh

This is an amazing spot to go listen to live music.

John Robinson

The staff. The GM, Lisa, is absolutely lovely.

Donna Sheehan

Not worth my time to comment worst experience since I’ve lived in Halifax

Mat Jones

Had the burger and it was decent but the fries were very over cooked. Service was not the best seemed like the wait staff we inexpereinced although nice.

Roddie Dennis

Very nice

Andrew Deacon

Great music good service

Amanda Smith

One of the best live music venues in town!

Steve C

Not the greatest place to go for lunch/dinner, but this place lights up on Saturday nights with incredible live music. Fun place for some weekend drinks with friends.

Conor Meagher

Great food great service

Janet Francis

Great live music

Jacqueline De Leebeeck

Great venue for amazing local talent. Food is good too!

Anne Peltekian

Love this place. One of the best spots in Halifax. music..food...patrons

keegan sheffield

Music was great. They always have a good selection of small time local bands. The drinks where good and the staff made a heroic effort dealing with a overflowing bar. This is my second time visiting and it has always been a good night. Seating is limited and the area in front of the stage is small so if you don't like been crowded come before open.

Succ Succ

pretty sick spot

Dave Kawatra

Great show

Larry Rhindress

What a wonderful place to hear our great maritime music. It was as good as it gets! However, the food menu could use some fine tuning. Get rid of the wanna be french frys and the $18.00 burger. If the menu was as good as the venue you would be in a world class place. There were 11 of us who shared similar opinions. The service was also as good as it gets!