The Bicycle Thief
$$ • Italian Restaurant
Most Recent Reviews
Staff is always so helpful and knowledgeable!
The gluten free foccacia was incredible. However, I found regular gluten pasta in my GF pasta dish. They were very apologetic but it made me scared to continue eating anything there.
Super busy spot, make sure to book a reservation well in advance if you want to eat here! Definitely a bit noisy just because of how packed it gets, so if that's something that bothers you, this may not be the place to go for you. Definitely on the more expensive side, but definitely worth it in my opinion.
They had lots of options on the menu and it was all delicious. The bread they bring you is the *best* gluten free bread I've ever eaten. Completely indistinguishable from regular bread and so warm and fresh and springy. I would've been suspicious of it (it was THAT good) if it weren't for the fact that my parents (who are not celiac) got the gluten bread and it was very obviously different from mine. My parents actually tried some of mine too and were super impressed with it.
We all shared one of the salads (I can't recall which), the Lobster & Corn Chowder, and I got one of their pasta dishes (I also can't recall which, but it had some kind of red cream sauce on it). Everything was fantastic and it was definitely one of my favourite spots I went to while visiting Nova Scotia.
Photos
More Reviews
I was so grateful for the GF lobster roll here. Even had the fries on the side because of their separate fryer! Highlight of my trip. They make their own focaccia bread at a separate GF bakery. It’s amazing. Having a meal here is a must!
My husband and I recently ate here on a business trip. Everything was so good! The staff are very knowledgeable about gluten free. I got lobster pasta with a gluten free penne that was superb. They brought out focaccia and hummus for both me and my husband (regular bread for him and a warmed gluten free one for me on a separate plate. We got the tuna tartare for an appetizer and they brought cucumber slices for me and crostini for my husband. Service was wonderful and everything was delicious!
The service was excellent, going beyond our expectations. The location is waterfront and perfect. The food was absolutely delicious and gluten free choices were plentiful. I’m looking forward to my next visit!
Excellent service and delicious food. We loved our meal so much we went back again two days later.
Great service. Took great care to provide a gf meal. I felt assured that my meal would be completely gluten free.
I had the lobster roll . The roll was the best gf bread I have had yet! Service fabulous.
absolutely amazing! their GF bread is some of the best I’ve ever had. They take celiac seriously here. I recommend the lobster roll! 10/10
Most of the menu items can be made GF. They were extremely accommodating, and the food was delicious. I had the Frutti De Mer pasta, and it was incredible. They even had GF bread and house made roasted red pepper hummus for the table. The cocktails were great as well, and they have an extensive wine list. Our server was lovely. Very highly recommend The Bicycle Thief. We will be returning before our trip is over.
As a celiac, I still love my carbs and the Bicycle Thief does a wonderful job preparing these substitutions and making it still taste like it was made with gluten! They take celiac disease extremely seriously here and there is a variety of safe options to choose from (my favourite is their pasta 🤭)!
The Bicycle thief is really yummy especially the warm GF bread that you get to eat by yourself as your family will get their own non GF bread. I ate the burger with the GF bun and it was yummy. They did warn me that the sauce in the burger had gluten in it but I was ok with that. A little more expensive but well worth it.
A little pricier but really good food. Had the steak sandwich which came with gf bread. Bread brought to the table and I had my own plate of delish gf bread. Knowledgeable staff. Cute location.
Options for both gluten and gluten free. Lobster pasta was great, homemade gluten free focaccia was delicious.
Fantastic knowledge from staff regarding a gluten allergy. Both the host and our server had a great understanding of gluten allergies and assured us that some menu items would be able to be modified.
Our server went through each section of the menu and explained to my partner which items could be modified and which could t which was extremely helpful. She also went through any desserts my partner could have as well. They also mentioned that all gluten-free items are made in a dedicated space.
They even served gluten-free bread to the table as a small appetizer before the meals. My partner did have a stomach ache later that evening however we’re unsure whether it was from the restaurant or other factors.
The staff were highly knowledgeable of gluten free knowing exactly what was GF on the menu but also ingredients in the meals eg not able to have meatballs as has nonGF ingredients even though spaghetti was able to be GF. We had complementary bread both GF and 'normal'. GF bread was homemade focatia wand was delicious. I had the burger - this was phenomenal with burger and bun GF. Chips on the side were also GF and yum. A fantastic choice for lunch bit any time of day. View of the board walk also complimented the lovely experience. Well done The Bicycle Thief. Next time I'm in Halifax it will be on my meal stop again 👍🏼🥳🌻
The GF bread! That’s all I need to say. My GF pasta entree was also delicious, but the bread was incredible. It was the best bread I’ve had since being diagnosed and eliminating gluten. I’ll think about it often. A must if you’re in Halifax.
I loved the atmosphere and environment. 1920s ish decor. knowledgeable staff regarding allergies and menu choices. We have dairy and gluten restrictions and lots of options. The gf bread was delicious. Mussels soo delicious. We had the lobster roll and pistachio encrusted salmon ad well. We will be back.
Easily able to adapt menu items for an amazing dining experiences and GF bread to start
Hands down the best gf bread we’ve had in Canada. We sometimes go and get the charcuterie board just for the gf bread. I’m not gf but my wife is and I actually like her bread better when we go! That’s NEVER happened!
The staff here are SO great and can answer every question about GF you may have for them. Although there are no GF markings on the menu, they are willing to make almost all items into GF options.
My mom and I ordered the antipasti board and the staff made sure to separate all of the items that were not GF on a separate board and provided me with GF focaccia bread to use instead of the breadsticks that came with the board.
Would highly recommend!
Second time around was even better. Loads of GF substituions and wonderful gluten free bread. Wait staff are knowledgeable. The food is just amazing. My favorite restaurant in Halifax. Highly recommend
This was by far our best GF meal in Halifax & knowledge staff
Server was incredibly knowledgeable about gluten free options. Had the lobster and corn chowder and the shrimp. They also brought me gluten free focaccia. Great experience and food.
I have been wanting to try this place for years and I think I may have had impossible expectations. I also am getting very tired of restaurants who can't put "GFO" next to items I can eat on their menu. This review rating may be reflective of these things.
I looked at the menu before attending and chose plan A and plan B since I didn't know what I could eat. When the waiter greeted us he said I could eat most of the menu. (I should note the menu changes seasonally, so just because we can't eat something on this menu, it can change). He said he'd tell me what I couldn't eat because it was easier. Ok. Some of my plans changed. No biggie. Placed order. Can't have that appetizer I want either actually. New plan. Waiter returns. I actually can't have the main I chose either. Ok. New plan. Returns with food. Sets down plate. Immediately picks back up. Not gluten free. I watched husband eat while mine remade. I was really excited for dessert anyway. Photos looked amazing.
Dessert options were sorbet or Gelato, so I didn't bother.
Food tasted really good. Cocktails were amazing. The true highlight was focacia bread made in-house. Bread was delightful. View was gorgeous.
Not saying I won't return but for the price and hassle of being gluten free here I don't understand the great recommendations. There are so many better places nearby. Maybe we just went on a bad night.
Highly recommend this restaurant. Our server was very knowledgeable about the gf options on menu. A lot of their menu can be done gf although it’s not marked (pet peeve of my daughter). She enjoyed a delicious pesto pasta as well as amazing gf bread on table before hand. She has never really craved bread but said this was amazing.
We had a wonderful dining experience here. The scenery is spectacular, our server was wonderful and they had a large offering of gluten free items and even gluten free bread drizzled with olive oil and served warm with a hot pepper hummus. There were gf desserts as well. There was not a specific gf menu but the server was easily able yo answer our questions and tell us what we could have.
Amazing experience at Bicycle Thief! Staff was incredible and very knowledgeable and were able to offer most menu items with a gluten free option. Everything, including the gf focaccia, was so delicious! Highly recommend!
Homemade GF bread. Dedicated fryer with fabulous fries. Many GF options including GF pasta. Servers very knowledgeable and your dietary specifications are confirmed when food is delivered to the table.
Waitress was very knowledgeable about gluten free and celiac options. Food was very well cooked and tasted amazing.
Delightful and delicious!! I had a lobster roll on a gf roll and they can alter many dishes. Gf pasta on request.
Food is good. Issues recently with carelessness - you need to confirm that the GF pasta dish you ordered is indeed GF when it arrives. There have been errors with our orders lately.
I was told by my server that cross contamination is possible.
Very little GF options. No gluten free bread or burger buns and when I asked for the burger without a bun I was told it had gluten in it.
Really good food! Super nice restaurent and fancy! They had a lot of gluten free options! I really recommend!
Staff was very knowledgeable but I still had a minor cross contamination reaction. If you’re extremely sensitive, I would stay away.
Had to rate a 1. It deserves no stars! I was told not to even come here for dinner with a severe wheat allergy. They had no guarantee of contamination. Not sure why it is even listed in this app!
Everything here was SO great. GF items are not indicated on the menu, but lots of things can be made GF with a few substitutions. I had the lobster pasta and it was great, the only thing that needed to be switched out was the noodles. I also had a crème brûlée and it was fantastic. The cocktails are also very good, just be warned that they are $12 each because they’re 2oz and handcrafted.
All I can say is wow!!! We went to the Bicycle Thief restaurant in Halifax last night and it was worth the $100 bill . It was so good we barely talked lol . For my appetizer I had herbed pita bred with roasted red pepper and garlic hummus (finger licking deliciousness), for supper I had pistachio crusted almond (melt in your mouth), the chef added extra green beans to compensate on the changes to have it gluten free. And for dessert some kind of mango ice cream . Everything was custom gluten and dairy free down to my drink . The ambiance was amazing too , they lend you blankets if your cold and had soft music in the background from a local artist thanks to the buskers . On top of that the servers was knowledgeable and service was crazy quick even tho we went 5 minutes to closing. Even my husband’s food looked amazing. We will definitely go back !!
Wonderful location along the harbour front and our table had a stunning view of the rain soaked day. We didn’t have a reservation (I would recommend as the hostess inquired), but we did get seated mid afternoon on a Sunday. The server was incredibly knowledgeable. They brought gluten free bread with a sweet potato hummus. My gf pasta was delicious and perfectly sized for this small eater. If you’re used to larger portions, you’ll have room for dessert. Highly recommend.
Staff were able to tell me what options were gluten free, and they had a lot on the menu that could be made gf. I had pasta, cooked perfectly. Great meal overall.
Knowledgeable staff and fantastic food. Tons of choices can be made GF.
Totally accommodating for celiacs. Server was extremely knowledgeable. Food was excellent.
Jumbo shrimps, seafoods penne, gluten free seasoned flat bread, crème brûlée and half a bottle... Worth every penny! They know about celiac and made me feel very confident!
Great restaurant right on the shoreline. Staff is knowledgeable in regards to gluten free items that can be made or modified from the menu.
Amazing food, very knowledgable, definitely safe.
Staff is AMAZING and friendly, very knowledgeable about celiac. They made my food in a seperate space in the kitchen. They even put my food in a different type and color dish as my sisters as we got the same dish and she is not GF. They brought out GF garlic flatbread, it is a little pricy but totally worth it for the quality of food, the service, and the piece of mind that you will not get sick. Love this spot.
Great food. Servers are knowledgeable and helpful. They were able to make one of the pasta dishes with gluten free pasta in a separate area to prevent cross contamination. Will definitely return!
