If you have not yet stepped inside Water Polo, it is worth knowing what you are walking into. The restaurant opened in August 2024 as the latest addition from The Bertossi Group, the Nova Scotian hospitality outfit behind The Bicycle Thief, Ristorante a Mano, and La Frasca Cibi & Vini, and it has quickly earned its place as one of the city's landmark seafood spots. It sits at 1341 Lower Water Street in the Cunard District, just steps from the ocean on the Halifax Waterfront, which is the obvious reason for the name.
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The room is the first thing that hits you. The design takes its cue from the handcrafted Riva yacht, and it shows in the deep mahogany tones, polished brass and a dining room that feels both vibrant and elegant. It is the kind of space that leans into the occasion, and the Bertossi Group's reputation for open-arm hospitality carries through here. Owner Hakan Uluer, who spent three decades in the industry with training at the Conrad Hotel Istanbul and Royal Caribbean International, has built a group that now includes Water Polo alongside The Bicycle Thief, Ristorante a Mano, La Frasca Cibi & Vini, il Mercato Trattoria, Via Condotti, Matadora Tapas Bar and Pane e Circo.
The menu is built around seafood sourced both locally and globally. The Barra Cruda raw bar is the obvious place to start, with East Coast oysters at C$24 for a half dozen, complete with French mignonette, homemade spicy sauce, fresh radish and citrus, alongside a C$22 Siciliano Crudo, C$22 beef AAA tartar, a C$22 giant shrimp cocktail and a C$22 ceviche. For a table to share, the Water Polo Signature Seafood Tower comes in at C$155 across two levels of Atlantic lobster, a dozen lobster, giant shrimp, bluefin tuna tartare, marinated mussels and assorted sauces. Small plates like the C$18 baby gem Caesar, C$20 mussels and fries, C$26 Spanish grilled octopus and C$20 lobster bisque round things out.
For mains, there is a clear Italian thread running through the room: C$30 rigatoni alla vodka, C$34 spaghetti alla chitarra and C$38 lobster mafaldine sit alongside a C$32 Nova Scotia lobster roll, C$26 fish and chips and a C$30 beef AAA burger. At dinner, a Prime Cuts menu adds a poached halibut at C$46, miso black cod at C$42, blue salmon Wellington at C$44 and a whole roasted lobster at C$64. On the weekend, the Best of Brunch runs Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM with omelettes royale and crêpes suzette.
Drink and dessert are not afterthoughts. The cocktail list runs from the Salerno Spritz to the Montauk Sour, with non-alcoholic options like the C$9 Afterglow, and the wine cellar is deep, from Champagne and Chablis to Brunello di Montalcino and Amarone Zenato. Dessert finishes on a sweet note with a C$15 chocolate and passion fruit tart, crème brûlée or pistachio cheesecake. One practical note before you go: Water Polo is closed on Thursdays, so plan around it. Otherwise, it is open most days from 11:00 or 11:30 AM until 11:00 PM, with a weekend brunch that gives you a reason to show up early.
