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The Split Crow is a dive.
I will, of course, qualify that statement. To begin, the beer selection is... well, not really much of a selection at all. To give you an idea, when I asked the server what stouts were on tap, he replied "uh.... Keith's Red?" This isn't a problem if you just want to pound back stale Keith's IPA all day long, of course. Even then, however, the beer isn't served in a proper beer mug, as it would be in a proper bar.
If you do need to visit the Split Crow, I wouldn't advise staying there for long, and here's why. The men's bathroom consists of two urinals, two toilets, and two sinks squeezed into a very small area in the basement. This becomes a real issue when the bar fills up to the brim with people (as it often does) - every time I've been there, there has been so much urine on the floor that it has spilled out into the hallway. The toilets are usually clogged, too.
As for the food, since there is no real kitchen in the bar, it is all just deep-fried finger food, such as deep-fried pepperoni and mozza sticks. It's loaded with salt and grease, and not even good by the standards of pub food.
Despite all of the aforementioned issues with the Split Crow, the poor quality of the staff is really what has made me decide to never go there again. In addition to a general attitude problem that they all seem to have, at least one of the door staff looks for excuses to get into brawls with customers. Because one of my friends got into a verbal argument with the other door staffer because he wouldn't let him back in to retrieve his jacket, the violent one (whom no one was even talking to) came over, kicked my friend out, and actually started swinging at us outside the bar. The door staffer in question is a short, bald, white man. He eventually backed down when he realized that there were eight of us, but the fact that the Split Crow employs door staff who are actively looking for a fight is enough to
Overall, this is the second-worst bar to which I have ever been. In the worst, it was common for people to snort cocaine off the tables, and it was unusual for a Friday to pass without the ambulance showing up to tend to a stab victim.
The good thing about Halifax is that there are many, many other bars from which to choose. I highly recommend bars such as The Foggy Goggle, The Red Stag, the Lower Deck, and, best of all, the Henry House.
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Just around the corner from O'Carroll's (see my reveiw), the Split Crow is located in the Historic Properties area on the pedestrianized Granville Street, at the sign of the two-headed ("split") crow sits this convivial martitime-themed establishment. According to them, Brewer John Shippey opened a tavern by the same name 250 years ago; in any case, this pub claims some history to it, though not this particular location.
That said, it is a split-level pub with a dining area and bar complete with outdoor seatings that is a nice place to hang out on a nice day. Great people watching and beer drinking.
The beer selection consists of domestic (the ubiquitous Alexander Keith's), import (Guinness), micro (Halifax's own Garrison) and several taps of John Shippey ales (IPA, Amber, Red, etc.)
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