On the waterfront, lovely restaurant, great food, closed on Saturdays for lunch. I think it is time to get with it. Locals are out and about looking for something to do on a Saturday and tourist walk by the restaurant in droves. Quite disappointing! Sunday one can accept but really closed for lunch on Saturdays!

Last night I went to the Bicycle Thief. Now, Ill be honest and say it is definitely benefiting from comparison to my meal at Vinnies Pasta Bar 3 nights earlier (more on that in my review of Vinnies) but, nonetheless, I think I can say with certainty that this has to be among the top restaurants in Halifax. I am smitten with The Bicycle Thief. Ive been a couple of times and each time walk away more taken than the last. I truly like everything about it the atmosphere, the food, everything. Actually, I take that back, last night there was something I didnt like the guy sitting at the next table had some fabulous looking french fries which he didnt eat at all. From what I could see not a single one! It was very distracting. Now, before I turn into a certain local restaurant reviewer who seems to be driven by french fries, let me tell you about my meal. My mother and I split the polenta. I get the polenta every time I go. Its done with two sauces one a meat ragu and the other a mushroom sauce. Both are fantastic. This is also a dish you could walk away after and feel quite satisfied that you had eaten enough. Following this, I had the spaghetti with snow crab from the 2nd gear menu and my mother had the lobster ravioli from the 3rd gear menu. Wow to both. Now the 2nd gear menu is supposed to be lighter but I have to say the portion was more than generous! And the amount of crab was phenomenal. The sauces on both pasta dishes were delicious and, more importantly, not overpowering which is very easy with shellfish. There was plenty of sauce, but not too much. Really everything was delicious.

Bicycle Thief is definitely a welcome addition to Halifax's lagging top tier restaurant group. There are only a select few (maybe 2 or 3) restaurants that have everything...a great atmosphere, amazing food top to bottom (app, main, dessert), and they have an extensive wine menu. The only area they lack in is their beer selection. If I remember correctly I don't think they have anything other than Bud or Coors on tap and their bottled selection is pathetic to say the least. I love a good imported beer selection and if they added that the Bicycle Thief would be my favorite restaurant hands down.

I love the way the Bicycle Thief mixes classy with casual- the atmosphere is welcoming and cozy, yet it still feels like an upscale restaurant. The food was delicious! Great presentation, and delicious sauces on shrimp, scallops, and pasta. I tried the lobster ravioli, and next time i'll be trying what my friend ordered- the pistachio glazed salmon; both were so tasty! I can't wait to return!

First off, I have to say how much I love the cozy, upscale-relaxed atmosphere at this restaurant. The Bertossi's definitely know how to take a concept and turn it into a phenomenal dining experience. Big thumbs up to whoever executed their concept into a design.

Food wise, The Bicycle Thief has an impressive, yet not overwhelming menu, with many options for most tastes, with everything from seared scallops, and a melt-in-your-mouth crab and fish cake, to lobster-stuffed ravioli, rabbit, and filet mignon. The food portions are generous without being obscene, and creatively plated without being intimidating. The flavor of my calamari dish was not quite mind-blowing, but delicious nonetheless, and the special, mushroom risotto was perfectly seasoned and steaming hot.

I love the waitstaff's casual-chic uniforms of black trousers, long aprons and long-sleeved black or white t-shirts printed with the bicycle logo. Service was prompt but not pushy and our waiter masterfully handled our table of fifteen in a jam-packed restaurant while being both knowledgeable and friendly.

All in all, entering The Bicycle Thief makes you feel as though you've transported to another place, if not another time... and I'm eager to go back.

Great food,great atmosphere,excellent service.We have been there several times now and will return,Very reasonably priced.
John M.

I have to admit that when I first heard that the well known upscale restaurant Bish had changed its theme name and vision. To the now current Bicycle Thief I was Sceptical .

Let me be the first to say that I have since thrown my Scepticism out the window. After two outstanding meals at the Bicycle Thief I whole heartily recommend this place. From the tasty sausage polenta to their fish cakes and ribs everything was excellent.

The new decor gives an comfortable yet upscale feeling almost creating an ambiance of dining in hugh hefners smoking room / Library.

But through all this the true gem on the menu is their burger. Easily the best Burger in Halifax their burger stands up to designer burgers created at places like the "Burger Bar" in San Francisco, Las Vegas and comes in at around 1/4 the price of what you would pay at those locales.

Long Story short The Bicycle Thief is good really good and is definitely a place I will be sneaking off to for lunch regularly.

The Bicycle Thief exceeded my expectations: great decor, comfy tables and booths, an open spacious feeling, and of course, excellent food. Dubbed the "Italian soul" restaurant, there are certainly many authentic Italian ingredients on the menu, but we opted for other fare: sweet pepper pan-seared fish cakes with homemade tartar sauce and frites; and the char-grilled steak sandwich with roasted garlic mushrooms and frites. To top it off, we shared the most amazing version of lemon meringue pie made with custard and brown sugar, and a fresh & fruity glass of the new Benjamin Bridge Nova7 wine. Our server was young and eager to please, but he did a good job; and all the waitstaff and hosts were friendly as well. I would definitely go back to try other items - the ribs looked delicious, as did the pasta. I think this will become a waterfront hotspot and is much better suited to the area than Bish had been.