Best Cidery

Make that four Best of Halifax golds in a row for Dartmouth’s Lake City Cider. The Portland Street cidery and taproom has made quite the name for itself since opening in 2017 as a “living love letter to Dartmouth.” Ask general manager Russel Layden, who has been with the cidery from the very start, and he’ll tell you it’s the “innovation behind the ciders” that makes them special.

“When you think of commercial ciders, a lot of them are very sweet,” Layden tells The Coast. “We wanted to come out of the gate with more dry products.” In time, that has evolved into experimenting with different apple varieties for its ciders—including Lake City’s most famous offering, the semi-dry Crisp Apple cider made with McIntosh, Cortland and Northern Spy apples. All the drinks are fermented, filtered and canned on site.

And while some may long for a storefront in downtown Halifax, owner Poet Comeau told The Coast she sees the Portland Street location as an opportunity: “I get to be the only Dartmouth cidery.”