From the entrepreneurs who brought you Manual Food and Drink Co.’s doughnuts and the Dairy Bar’s frozen delights comes Dartmouth’s newest heartthrob, Cafe Good Luck, a 1,000 square foot “culinary-powered cafe” opening early this summer at 145
Portland Street.
“I think what I love as a diner is when I go into a place with a lot of character and regular customers and it caters to the needs of the neighbourhood. When we’re thinking about where we want to be, the first thing we need to do is think about what sells and what’s missing,” says Emma Adamski who’ll open the spot that’s jokingly dubbed itself a “hangover palace” with her husband/business partner Sonny Adamski and Graham Read.
In the same vein as casual American diners, Good Luck will serve all-day brunch and a selection of fresh-baked pastries and low-key beer and wine (“like, table wine and lagers”) and bar snacks at night. Of course, there’ll be some soft serve and coffee will be taken very seriously, with homemade syrups and tonics elevating it to a more “culinary-inspired” hot beverage. And before you pack up your laptop and start running—there won’t be wifi.
Fear not, the Dairy Bar will be back for its third summer of service, with the cafe being its mothership for prep.
“Dartmouth is having a bit of a moment with new businesses opening on Portland Street—there’s just so many new residential things happening and niche businesses—and most are family-owned and small. It feels to me like the ideal spot to be,” says Adamski, who settled on the spot on the ever-growing strip after three years of searching. Her aim is to offer up food and drinks that are approachable and to create a space that’s a neighbourhood hangout, accessible enough for folks to frequent.
“What I want in my own community is a local watering hole that you can drop in to and have a snack that’s affordable and casual,” says Adamski. “It’s not about us showing how good we are at doing the things we love, it’s about providing something we think is missing.”
