In no particular order:

The Coburg Coffeehouse, on Coburg Road near the university, is a great independent spot with free wi-fi and good (slightly pricey) sandwiches.

Steve O'Reno's Cappuccino, on Brunswick Street, is another great indie coffee place. It's closer to downtown, opens way early and does good breakfast.

Bob and Lori's Food Emporium, on Gottingen Street just north of downtown (near the Commons) is a hippie joint where I cooked/waitressed for a summer. The food is unbeatable and its way cheap for what you get, too. The bread is home-baked each morning as are all the squares, muffins, etc. (Try an oatcake!) All the soups are amazing - soup and sandwich combo is a big filling meal, my fave sandwiches are the tofu salad sandwich or the hummus sandwich (hummus also made on-site) but I hear good things about the ham and cheese too, and all of them really. The vegan chef salad is another treat. I think Bob's only open for breakfast and lunch these days.

I Love Sushi is my sushi place of choice (with a great, affordable veggie combo) but Dharma Sushi is a fan favourite too. I Love Sushi is on Blowers, Dharma practically across the street on Argyle, both downtown.

Ray's Felafel is in the basement food court of Scotia Square, an office tower / shopping center downtown. The pitas are worth going into a mall for, though.

The Ardmore Tea Room is an institution, an old truck-stop diner on Quinpool Road just west of Oxford Street with dirt-cheap greasy breakfasts.

Pizza Corner is the name for the intersection of Blowers and Argyle - there are take-away pizza places on three of the four corners and around 2 or 3am on a Friday or Saturday the lines from all three meet in the middle of the road. It's quite the late-night watering-hole type spot, there's always something exciting going on. I usually go to Sicilian - the slices are basically a quarter of an extra-large pizza.

The Split Crow, downtown near the Historic Properties, is your best option for a rowdy Maritime pub with live music and lots of drunks who'll want to be your friend. If you can possibly get there on a Thursday, test yourself at "Power Hour" - 3 beers for $5 (including tip) from 9 til 10. Cover was $3 last I heard. Slightly more laid-back fave pubs include Maxwell's Plum (huge number of beers on tap and unlimited free peanuts, on Argyle at the top of the hill near downtown) and Your Father's Moustache (good food, great rooftop patio - on Spring Garden Road). The Old Triangle (near The Split Crow) has live Irish/Nova Scotian folk music most nights and The Lower Deck (on the waterfront in the Historic Properties) is another option for rowdiness and traditional music. (The drunken jig is the dance move du jour.)

Halifax also has more than its share of big clubs, meat markets and martini bars - try The Fireside on Martini Mondays for a cozy unpretentious option. The Palace is the classic skeezy club, with dancing cages, wet t-shirt contests and best legs / hardest abs competitions. It's an institution. The Dome is huge and is actually several bars in one (live music in The Attic, karaoke in Cheers). Pacifico is classy (or at least trying to be - no jeans, no sneakers) and Tribeca is where all the twenty-somethings are partying these days.

Almost without exception, Halifax bars offer a "Power Hour" or "Happy Hour" at least one night of the week - this usually means $5 cover (at most) and $1 shots or $1 beers once you're in. Ask around - the deals fluctuate, but the students know where they're at.

See "Nightlife".