Where Spring Garden Road Ends: A Short Walk to Dinner in Halifax
Spring Garden Road ends at Barrington Street, at the Old Burying Ground. Here is the walk, what is worth stopping for on the way, and where to sit down for dinner at the end of it.
Barrios Restaurant & Bar
10/2/20264 min read
Where Spring Garden Road Ends: A Short Walk to Dinner in Halifax
Spring Garden Road has an end, at Barrington Street, where the Old Burying Ground sits on the corner. From that corner it is a short walk to dinner: we are a block and a half north of it.
If you are starting at the Public Gardens, you walk the full length of Spring Garden Road first, then north on Barrington for the block and a half. Check a map app for the time from where you are.
This is not a guide to eating on Spring Garden Road. We are not on Spring Garden Road. If you are looking for dinner near Spring Garden Road or a restaurant near the Public Gardens, this is where to eat when you are finished walking and want to sit down: Barrios Kitchen & Bar, a Filipino restaurant at 1571 Barrington Street.
The corner almost everyone walks past
The Old Burying Ground is where Spring Garden Road meets Barrington. It opened in 1749, the same year as Halifax itself, and closed in 1844. It has been a National Historic Site since 1991.
The stone arch at the gate is the Welsford-Parker Monument, put up in 1860. It is often described as the only monument to the Crimean War anywhere in North America.
It is right there on the corner, behind a low iron fence, and most people walk straight past it on their way to the crosswalk.
From that corner to our door
Stand at the Old Burying Ground with Barrington Street in front of you. Turn left, walk north about a block and a half, and you are at 1571 Barrington Street, on your left just before Sackville Street.
Walking east along Spring Garden takes you downhill toward the harbour, so the last part of the day is the easy part.
If you would rather not walk the street at all, Halifax Transit runs along Spring Garden Road; check the transit app for the route and times.
What is on the way
Spring Garden Road runs from Barrington west to Robie Street, where it turns into Coburg Road. Coming toward us, these are the things worth slowing down for.
The Halifax Public Gardens at South Park Street. Sixteen acres, formally established in 1867, a National Historic Site since 1984. Opening depends on the season, so check the city's page before you build an afternoon around it.
The Halifax Central Library at Queen Street. Free, indoors, and the place to go when the weather turns on you.
The stretch between South Park and Queen has been rebuilt with wider sidewalks, and it walks better than it used to.
Also along the way: Victoria Park, St. Mary's Basilica, the Lord Nelson, Park Lane and Dalhousie's architecture school.
When we are open
Tuesday to Saturday we open at 11:30 AM. We close at 9 PM Tuesday to Thursday, with the last booked table at 8 PM, and 11 PM Friday and Saturday, with the last seating at 10 PM.
Sunday is Filipino brunch, 10:30 AM to 4 PM, at $29 for adults, $15 for children 12 and under, and free for children 5 and under. There is nothing after it, so a Sunday walk has to finish earlier than the rest of the week.
Mondays we are closed, so check the day before you plan the walk around dinner.
On a Friday or Saturday evening it is worth calling 902-444-2515 or using the booking page before you set off, rather than arriving with tired legs and no table. For a group of eight or more, always call ahead.
What to order when you have been walking all day
Prices shown are from our current menu and may change.
Spring rolls, $9 for four, and pork barbecue skewers, $15 for three, for the table. Our spring rolls are lumpiang shanghai, filled with seasoned ground pork and vegetables. The skewers are gluten free.
Pancit bihon, $17, for the middle of the table. Thin rice noodles with vegetables, with your choice of grilled chicken, crispy pork belly or shrimp at the same price.
Pork sisig, $20, if you want the loud one. Chopped roasted pork with soy sauce and chili, sizzling on cast iron with a raw egg on top and steamed rice. Mix the egg through while the plate is still hot, then squeeze the lemon that comes with it over the top.
Crispy pata, $27. Pork hock, simmered in spices until tender, then deep-fried, with a homemade soy vinegar dip. Add rice, $2.50 steamed or $2.75 garlic.
If someone at the table is vegetarian, the pinakbet at $14 is made without shrimp paste or fish sauce, the torta at $12 is an eggplant omelette, and pancit bihon or guisado can be made with vegetables and tofu if you ask.
Halo-halo at the end, if the chef has it on as a special that day. It is the Filipino shaved ice dessert, and it is not on the regular menu, so do not count on it.
The rest is on the menu.
Quick answers
Where does Spring Garden Road end?
At Barrington Street, at the Old Burying Ground. It runs the other way, west, to Robie Street, where it becomes Coburg Road.
How do I get from Spring Garden Road to Barrios?
Walk east to the end of Spring Garden. At the Old Burying Ground, turn left onto Barrington and walk north about a block and a half. We are at 1571 Barrington Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 1Z7.
What is the stone arch at the Old Burying Ground?
The Welsford-Parker Monument, built in 1860, often described as the only Crimean War monument in North America.
Where can I eat near Spring Garden Road and the Public Gardens?
Barrios Kitchen & Bar, 1571 Barrington Street. Filipino food, open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:30 AM, Sunday brunch 10:30 AM to 4 PM, closed Mondays. Call 902-444-2515.