Halifax Restaurant

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Nova Scotia State of Mind on the Hudson

Halifax Restaurant sits inside the W Hotel at 225 River Street in Hoboken, and its identity is rooted in a very specific place: the rugged coastline and farmland of Canada's Maritime provinces. Chef Seadon Shouse grew up in a small fishing village in rural Nova Scotia, harvesting wild mussels and fishing for mackerel outside his front door while his parents grew their own food. That upbringing shaped a professional philosophy built around sustainability, hyper-local sourcing, and making as much as possible in house — values that run through every corner of the menu.

From the Hill by the Sea

The restaurant's name nods directly to Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, and the sourcing follows suit. The vast majority of ingredients — where not produced in house — come from farmers, fishermen, and artisans spanning Delaware north through New England and up to Nova Scotia itself. It is a form of Canadian cuisine grounded in the Northeast American corridor: coastal and agricultural, precise about provenance.

Chef Shouse smokes meats and seafood on site, dry-ages steaks in house, and produces his own vermouth. He even makes sea salt from water drawn straight out of Montauk. These are not decorative touches — they are the backbone of a menu that moves confidently from raw bar to charcuterie to composed plates.

What to Expect at the Table

The menu spans breakfast through dinner with the same thread of craft running through it. The raw bar features local oysters, bluefin tuna crudo with kelp emulsion and puffed rice, and Maine mussels with crème fraîche and white wine. A Cured & Smoked Fish board brings together maple smoked salmon, smoked trout, smoked mussels, and smoked pollock rillette — a concentrated expression of what the kitchen does best. Larger plates include pan-seared salmon over black lentils and asparagus, smoked Amish chicken with house-made bacon and red wine jus, and rigatoni bolognese made with fresh saffron pasta.

The beverage program earned Halifax a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2024 — recognition that reflects the depth and care applied to the wine list alongside creative cocktails and an extensive spirits selection. Chef Shouse also produces his own authentic vermouth, adding another handmade element to a bar program that takes its cues from the kitchen.

The Bigger Picture

Halifax has also published From The Hill By The Sea, a cookbook that extends the restaurant's story beyond the dining room. For private events, the space accommodates a wide range of occasions. Whether you come for a weekday breakfast, the family-style Sunday brunch, or a full dinner, the through-line is the same: Canadian coastal cooking made with conviction, sourced with care, and executed without shortcuts.