- A Day at Iconic Halifax Diners
- My Take on……A Day at Iconic Halifax Diners
By Jim David
The iconic Armdale Rotary brought customers to three of Halifax’s iconic Diners since the 40’s. A total of 218 years of serving generations of Haligonians with “diner comfort food fare”.
Let me take you to three well-known Halifax diners. We’ll have breakfast at the Ardmore on Quinpool, lunch at the Esquire on Bedford Highway and dinner at the Armview on Chebucto.
Breakfast at the Ardmore Tearoom:
Arriving at Quinpool Road’s Ardmore Tea Room (1958), I had no problem finding parking a minute away on Rosebank Avenue. There were 10 patrons already lined up outside. (a line-up that didn’t diminish in the 45 minutes while I ate breakfast).
Ardmore Tearoom at 6499 Quinpool Road since 1958 – Photo by Jim David
I’m sure there are long line-ups on Saturdays and Sundays, but I’m here on a Thursday and I feel lucky to be seated at a table for four with a perfect view of the comings and goings of the busy kitchen.
Having lived in Halifax since 1970, I’ll confess this was my first visit to the Ardmore. The original owners, the Cormiers, opened in 1952 and moved to this location in 1958. The current owners, also with the last name Cormier (not related), bought in 2012.
Pictured here is Tennyson Cormier, the original owner.
Once seated, I couldn’t help but notice the clientele diversity and age. There were university students and young couples with some 50-60-year-old retirees representing the diverse nationalities of our city. Prior to COVID, the Ardmore was open from 5 am-8 pm. These days it’s open daily only from 7 am-2 pm. There’s a sixteen-item breakfast menu plus a few burgers, the popular clubhouse and classic sandwiches, coconut cream pie, house-made cheesecake and a popular $6 milkshake. Eggs are the stars of the menu. I’m told they buy 3500 eggs a week. You can even buy a flat of fresh local eggs for $11.75.
My most excellent waiter, Stacey, now in her 23rd year at Ardmore, told me the most popular menu item is the Lumberjack Plate, $10.50 (2 eggs, sausage, bacon, ham, hashbrowns and toast). While many customers know Stacey, she wouldn’t claim to be as well-known as Gertie Poole, who started in 1958 and was there until her retirement in 1985. Gertie lived in Ketch Harbour and was on duty every day from 3 am-11am.
My breakfast choice was the Double Sausage Waffle Burger $11.50 (2 sausage patties, a fried egg, American Cheese slice, tomato, garlic mayo sandwiched between two waffles and a side of hash browns) – Photo by Jim David
Stacey brought syrup for my waffles. Ketchup and hot sauce were already on the table. I’ve had waffle breakfast sandwiches elsewhere for almost twice the price, which were not half as good.
Two guests sitting next to me allowed a photo of their choices.
The Ardmore’s Traditional Clubhouse $9.50 – Photo by Jim Davidd
The Ardmore’s Eggs Benedict $10.50 served with spiced hashbrowns – Photo by Jim David
I couldn’t help noticing two booths had seated mannequins occupying coveted space. Stacey told me that this goes back to the days of Covid seating, and now if they are short of staff, they will close off a few booths with t-shirt-clad mannequins.
I asked owner Mike Cormier about the Ardmore secret for success. He simply said, “quality food at reasonable prices”.
Next: Lunch at the Esquire Restaurant, 772 Bedford Highway
This landmark sign has been welcoming guests for 77 years. Photo by Jim David
The Esquire opened in 1948 as a takeout on the busy Bedford Highway, the only route into Halifax. From what I’ve determined, the original owner was a Hartford Horne. Mrs. Horne wanted to be a waitress, so two tables were set up for inside service. Then in the early 50’s, prominent Bedford businessman Arthur Hustins bought the business (his son Art Jr. continued the legacy), built the Esquire Motel across the street, and the rest is history.
Gary Hurst of Grafton-Connor fame entered the scene, and the Esquire Coffee Shop joined his hospitality group. There are over a dozen restaurants, bars and nightclubs in the Grafton-Connor Group, from the Five Fishermen to the Dome. In Bedford, the Esquire nicely complements Sunnyside, Brewsters and the True North Diner all within a few km of each other.
When we arrived at the Esquire, we were fortunate to nab a booth-style seat without any wait. Our server was Michelle, who has waited there for 38 years. She has even Gertie Poole at the Ardmore beat. How special is that!
Just as the Esquire sign made them a legend, they proclaim that the chowder made them famous, so their chowder was my choice.
The Esquire Chowder ($18) has lots of haddock, a few scallops, shrimp and small canned clams. Photo by Jim David
Since my wife makes “the best chowder”, I knew I wouldn’t be able to give this one a 10. I added a bit of salt and pepper to the cream/blend broth, and it was more than filling. The large bowl comes with a soft roll and crackers. A biscuit would have given it a slightly higher rating, which Michelle said she would have served me, had I asked. I hope you’ll still be there on my next visit, making everyone feel special.
My wife’s main was the “Grilled Haddock Sandwich” $17. Photo by Jim David
A piece of lightly dusted fried haddock with tartar sauce, lettuce and tomato on a kaiser bun is served with an order of their home fries. From our booth, I saw quite a few breakfast plates come from the kitchen. I know from experience that their hot turkey sandwich and other daily specials keep the loyal customers coming back. Michelle told me their best seller is Thursday’s Corned Beef and Cabbage.
For dessert, I couldn’t resist a piece of their coconut cream pie ($7.50) for dessert. It’s made in-house. Cheesecake is also a very popular choice. It’s sourced from Antoinette’s across the highway. Esquire adds their own toppings according to the customers’ wishes. Photo by Jim David
Surveying the Esquire crowd, ages ranged from 20 to 90, leaning mainly 75,+ unlike the Ardmore, where the 20 to 30 year olds reigned.
The Esquire does lots of takeouts. On a warm day, you can enjoy patio seating. Photo by Jim David
As their branding says, “Our sign made us famous…..our service made us family”.
Next: Dinner at The Armview Restaurant & Lounge, 7156 Chebucto Road
First incorporated in 1951, this diner may very well be the city’s oldest. It was opened in the late 40’s and sold a few years later to the Tsuluhas Brothers, who operated it until 2006. Peter, a nephew who was a Toronto lawyer at the time, decided to buy it and invited two of his friends, George and Billy, to join the business. They did a major renovation and expansion. True to multicultural Halifax, they kept the best of the ”Greek favourites” and added Mexican, Latin, Italian and Asian spins to the menu.
This photo shows the Armview viewed coming up Chebucto Road. There is limited parking up the side driveway. Photo by Jim David
My first visit to the Armview was around 1974 after seeing a movie at the Odeon Hyland Theatre, its backyard neighbour. The Hyland burned down in 1992 as a result of a faulty popcorn machine.
My original plan was to have an evening meal, but we found ourselves in the neighbourhood at 11:30 am. The only empty table was at the front entrance with a great view of folks coming and going. Unlike the young clientele at the Ardmore and the retirees at the Esquire, Armview attracts a middle-aged demographic who appear to be employed in the surrounding businesses. There is seating for 100 inside but as the weather warms up, the patio and park will accommodate many more. On the day we visited, I counted at least fifteen customers not willing to wait for seats inside.
Emily, our server, was training a new employee as well as attending to many other customers. She told the daily special was Beef Tacos with Salad or Fries. After taking time with the menu, we decided on their popular sandwich, the Rotary Club ($15.75) and the Beef Tacos ($14)
The Rotary Club is made with grilled chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo on grilled buttered toast. There was a nice-sized serving of their own very tasty fries. Unfortunately, the fries were a little cool, but nonetheless pretty good. Photo by Jim David
The Tuesday Daily Special, two beef tacos with a side of green salad and a tasty lemon oregano vinaigrette dressing. The hamburger meat was nicely spiced and topped with chopped tomato and sauce. A third taco would have made my meal complete; otherwise very much enjoyed it. Photo by Jim David
The menu has a variety of “diner favourites”, handhelds, salads, soup, burgers and seafood. There’s something for every taste that no doubt brings customers back day after day. I like the names of some items such as the Dingle Tower (a four-patty burger), the Armview Dagwood and the Nashville Chicken Burger. And yes, they also have an “All Day Breakfast” called The Big Arm.
The Armview is a diner in every way. Tiled floors, booth and table seating, vintage chairs and note the tiled wall to the right with the name of the Armview. Photo by Jim David
George Kapetanakis, Armview’s operating partner, spends most of his hours on site growing the business. He is now seeing a generational change with the children and grandchildren of the first customers still enjoying the place.
This wall mural was originally going to be a floor design that ended up on the wall. He credits Halifax film set designer Ian Greig with the masterpiece behind the prime booth in the restaurant. Photo by Jim David
That’s my day at three well-known Halifax diners. In many ways, each is very similar with experienced, friendly staff, and all businesses have withstood the test of time going back to 1948, 1951 and 1958.
The owners all maintain strict community standards and attract loyal clientele seven days a week. The hours differ at the three locations, with the Ardmore only open until 2:00 pm, the Esquire closes at 7:30 pm, and the Armview closes its kitchen at 10 pm. Their Lounge stays open til midnight.
