The Short Version: Their claim to have the best Happy Hour in Ottawa is true! Great drinks and tasty small bites in a posh environment that won't break the bank. The Long Version: My husband and I stopped by Al's Steakhouse for Happy Hour. Their Happy Hour is Monday to Friday 3pm-6pm and only available on their front patio or lounge, not their main dining room. We sat in the lounge. I got the feature cocktail ($8) which happened to be a Peach Bellini that day. My husband got the Al's Lager ($6.50). We shared the Calamari ($10) and Sliders ($13). My Peach Bellini was delicious and was served with a slice of dehydrated orange and a paper straw. The hubster thought the lager was ok. The sliders were excellent. There were 3 sliders and they were a good size. The bun was a plain brioche bun and was lightly toasted. The beef patty was flavourful. It came with cheese, pickles and burger sauce. I would get these again. The Calamari were good, although not particularly unique in taste. They were battered and tender, not chewy. They came with seafood sauce. Service was courteous, although the server came back twice to verify our order, lol. Our order was correct in the end, so no big deal. The restaurant ambiance is poshy but not pretentious. Their regular-priced menu is on the expensive side, but their Happy Hour deals are awesome. I will definitely be returning for more Happy Hour adventures here. Street parking only. Review #195 (2025) read more

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Had a reservation mid week 5pm. Nice servers. Nice place. Been to happy hour in their lounge before and thought it was great. First time to dining room. Sticky goo on 1/2 of table, but when asked they cleaned it. Ordered 1/2 carafe house red wine, good. Table bread, butter & salt, good. Ordered appetizers crab stuffed mushrooms were good. Warm mushroom toast....I sent it back, the tiny crustini bread coukdnt hold the toppings, and bread was stale, break a tooth tough.... Dinner: mushroom ravioli...not good at all, I wanted to send it back too, but since I had already sent back my appetizer, I was too embarrassed! But it truly was awful. Very little ravioli and you actually could not find the pasta squares under the slippery shitake mushrooms, the tremendous amount of oil and butter, the cream sauce was so overly done and sickenly rich. Why add so much to a what should be a simple pasta? I had a couple of bites and then boxed and brought home.....picture of all the toppings, too much, and look at that oil and butter! Still couldn't eat it. I should have known better; I went to a steakhouse and ordered pasta. You should always go with the specialty.... lesson learned. My companion had steak and baked potato, and enjoyed it. read more

Al's Steakhouse - Excessive toppings on the mushroom ravioli, could not eat, ....too much, too rich, too oily. - Seafood Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Absolutely loved the steak at Al's Steakhouse. We got two tomahawks and the wagyu beef. Both cooked to perfection. The bread was also warm and the Caesar salad was very tasty. Great service and a nice ambiance with moody lighting. read more

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10/10 food was awesome, service was superb, owner was attentive. Go there for steak. Have the blueberry cheesecake for dessert! read more

Al's Steakhouse - Seafood Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

The food was very good, the service was great. A Thursday evening. It was crowded and VERY loud. You could hear the thump of drums, but not the music. We had to do a lot of lip reading to communicate. That spoiled the meal for me. Calamari appetizer. One 8 oz Filet, One lamb chops. 2 glasses of wine. No dessert. $250 + tip. I would give 3 stars, my guest gave 4. read more

Came here for a birthday dinner - we were visting from Montreal. After googling some steakhouses in the rea, Al's seemed like a top contender as it had the most reviews and mostly favorable experiences. We dined here on Saturday April 6, 2024 - we made reservation for 5PM, the restaurant was still pretty empty at that time but we undersood most tables were reserved for the later hours. The location has lots of free street parking options on the weekend, it did not take long to find a spot. Upon entering, the restaurant is a decent size - classy looking interior, carpet, mix of booths and tables. The lighting is dim, there are candles, a waterfall and nice bar area. Service was amazing - we were greeted and seated right away, server was consistent in taking our orders, refilling our water multiple times and we had at least 3 people ask us if our food was to our liking. I presume the managers/owners walking by as these were men dressed in suits. We tried the ribeye and the pepper steak entrees - opted for a side of stuffed baked potato for an additional charge ($5). These came with Al's house side which had a delicious garlic/italian type dressing. Very fresh and unique. The steaks were cooked well however perhaps not seasoned as generously as other steakhouses I've been to. I noticed that they placed a small bowl of rock salt or fleur de sel type salt in the middle of the table for us to sprinkle ourselves. I found this a nice touch but wish the steaks did come a bit seasoned as is. As far as steakhouses go, food size and pricing was a bit on the higher end but still fair. One thing I didn't really like was the way the floor kind of bounced or shook as people walked by. Probably due to this being an old building and the fact we were seated in the middle of the restaurant - perhaps those sitting closer to the walls or other corners didn't have this issue. The constant "shaking" and vibrations of the floor can be annoying. read more

I had dinner at Al's yesterday on a Thursday evening. My friend and I have been eating at this restaurant since 1968. We met in the bar and found it difficult to chat as the music was too loud, the bar was busy so people had to talk loudly to compete with the music. The service at the bar was excellent and the 1855 beer equally good. The dining room was very busy and we were seated next to a large group who needed to speak very loudly to make themselves heard by all their table mates. My friend had a small filet which I considered overpriced at $60. It came with a house salad (too much dressing for my liking, my friend actually asked for extra) and my friend was happy with his meal. I ordered the green pepper steak which I previously enjoyed many times at this restaurant. I was disappointed. My food was swimming in oil, the rice was tasteless and the vegetable side was a few spears of tired looking broccolini which were cold. The service was excellent and perhaps a little too solicitous. How many times does a patron need to be asked how is the food? We shared a small carafe of the house red wine which was very good. read more

Service & Ambiance: This was a cute, moody steakhouse. The lighting was low, but the overall vibe was relaxed and quiet. Perfect spot for a date night! Our waitress was Sarah and she was great. Knew everything about the menu, was attentive, and kind. She really enhanced our dining experience. 5/5 Drinks: Flower Child: A delicious, refreshing cocktail that isn't too heavy. I had to get 2! 5/5 Smoked Old Fashioned: I'm not usually crazy about smoked cocktails but this one came with the decanter filled with smoke. You had the option to pour your beverage when it reached the level of smokiness you wanted. 5/5 Food: Caesar Salad: A basic caesar salad. Only negative were the croutons. They were incredibly oily. I was not a fan, but it was overall not too bad. 3/5 10oz Filet: This filet lacked flavor. I'm glad it came with a side of salt, it was so necessary! The cut was great, but needed a little more seasoning in the cooking process. 4/5 Seasonal Veggies (Broccolini & Carrots): Yummy. 5/5 Mashed Potato: Bland. Literally gave nothing. Boring. Should've gotten the baked potato. 1/5 read more

The Moody Foody - Overhyped & Overpriced Went here for a date night, ready to splurge on what I *thought* would be the best steak of my life. My coworkers raved about this place, so expectations were *sky-high*. But honestly? Just **average**. I've had better steaks at spots that cost a third of the price. That being said, the service was great, the ambiance was beautiful, and the food came out fast. But when I'm dropping serious cash, I want my taste buds to be blown away--not just *satisfied*. Good? Sure. Worth the hype? Not so much. If you're looking for pure luxury vibes, it delivers. If you're looking for *mind-blowing* flavor? You might leave disappointed. ‍ read more

Seldom go into the city but we decided to celebrate at Al's last evening. The food was fantastic as it has been in the past. From the gentleman helping in the parking lot to the hostess the servers and the bus boys everyone was friendly and so helpful. They were pleasant to deal with and could not do enough to make our visit so worthwhile. It has always been my favourite and never disappoints. The restaurant was very busy but the staff met everyone needs. Beautiful interior. Will not wait as long to go back. Cheryl Keaney read more

My husband and I went here on a snowy night (12/23/24). Such a great experience! Steak was perfect. Service on point. Thanks to Al's for making the night memorable read more

Food was amazing. We were a party of 5 and we were so full when we left. Don't skip dessert!

Nice ambiance, good food, and good service. To start, we got crab cakes and calamari. The crab cakes were a little different in texture than most other crab cakes I had in the past, and I didn't enjoy it that much. The calamari was good though. We ordered the porterhouse steak, medium rare. It was well cooked and even had a nice char on the outside, but for some reason they didn't season it with any salt? I'm not sure if it was a mistake or if they leave it up to you as there is salt on the table but I thought that was odd. It was served with some potatoes as well. We also had the Caesar salad, which was good but nothing special. The service was very quick and attentive, but I do feel like it was a bit rushed as everything came out really fast. read more

Al's Steakhouse is hands down one of the best spots in Ottawa if you're looking for a solid, old-school steakhouse experience. The vibe is cozy and classic, the service is always on point, and everything from the cocktails to the sides feels thoughtfully done read more

Amazing steak, probably the best in the city. Has decades of proof of service and ambiance read more

Al's Steakhouse - Seafood Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Restaurant was busy on the 20th of May, however, they still found a comfortable table for me. I pretty much ordered with a photo of last year's birthday meal, which I am sure made staff happy seeing that I came back again a year later for another meal. I have tried several Steakhouses in Ottawa and I must say Al's is my favorite! The chefs' certainly know how to work their talents in the kitchen. Food has always been cooked to my liking and tastes phenomenal. This is what I come to a restaurant for. Will absolutely recommend Al's to everyone who wants a better meal! read more

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Very consistent quality and pleasant service with an upscale vibe. My go to steakhouse!

It is my favourite steakhouse in Ottawa. I came years ago but had a huge fight with my husband who thought it was fancy and not that great. I disagreed then and still maintain after this visit that it is the best steakhouse in Ottawa. Yesterday, hubs admitted that it is a really good restaurant. We came for my dad's birthday. Everyone enjoyed their experience and food. The wine list has a good selection and had reasonable prices. The appies are really good. Complimentary warm buns and butter are served upfront. The house salad is fresh and tasty with a light house dressing. The escargots au gratin is the best I have had in town. The cheese on top is a generous portion and heated to a nice crisp. For mains, people had a variety of meals. A few of us had the filet mignon which is the best in town IMO. It is a way better than Baton Rouge or the Keg. The garlic rice was flavourful. The side of mushrooms was tasty. The striploin was just ok but that is a function of the cut. Others had the seafood medley and vegetable strata and all thoroughly enjoyed it. My dad had a complimentary slice of coconut pie for this birthday. Service was on point too. read more

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I recently ate here for the first time on my 50th birthday. I had made a reservation for 2 of us and they sat us in the bar area which was more casual and did not have a celebratory vibe. We asked the hostess to move to a nicer table in the main part of the restaurant. They were able to accommodate us which made the biggest difference for both the ambience and noise. In any case, the service was great as was the food. We will definitely go back in future! read more

Went here for family celebration. Wonderful beef steaks. More than a human needs to eat grilled perfectly. Ambiance: Seating was comfy but sound level did get a bit loud. Service: very attentive waiter host and high attention to detail. Be prepared to empty your wallet but worth the price for a special events. read more

5 years ago we had our wedding reception here. We went back tonight for our anniversary. The food was AMAZING and I can not say enough good things about our waitress. Weird though was a guy who came up to us in the parking lot gave us a ticket thing for parking and said to have restaurant stamp it. We didn't bother. It's a free parking lot. read more

Al's Steakhouse - Carrot cake with a special added touch of a candle as it was our anniversary - Seafood Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Great flavours and welcoming staff. We certainly enjoyed the food. But I am hoping management reads these reviews and addresses two things. 1. You need a better system for keeping orders straight. The escargot and the stuffed mushrooms were switched. Because neither knew what the dish would look like from the top, they did not realize until already started. Not great if a customer were to have allergies! Two people also were given veggies when they asked for fries and no veggies. I was given fries when I asked for no fries, but veggies. One of us asked for a second beer 'same as the first', and was brought a different beer. So this certainly does not lend confidence that a customer will be brought the actual cut of steak they order. If staff so often mix up the appetizers, fries, veggies and drinks, there is no doubt they are just simply mixing things up and not keeping orders straight, and its hit and miss whether they bring the right cut of steak to the right customer. Also, just order the house red. The house red is great and no sense risking a more expensive order when staff are not delivering the correct dishes and drinks. 2. Als is on the expensive side which makes sense given the food selections. Nonetheless, for those prices I would prefer a quieter room so that we could have heard around our table. Ceiling acoustics? A few more partitions? I'm no engineer but but when paying a healthy price for a meal I want to be able to talk to my companions. read more

Great back patio this past summer! With heaters during early spring! Friendly and efficient staff. Only wish it could have stayed open longer. As Canadians we don't embrace our winters outdoors as we should. (Paris in the bitter cold has outdoor seating for coffee and cocktails with heaters and wool blankets!) It would definitely add to the atmosphere! Inside restaurant is great too! I've been going for about 35 years and always a good experience. I miss the large pond in the dining area but understand the need for more seating. read more

Had filet mignon here and it was great. I enjoyed the meal very much. I also enjoyed the soup of the day. We were a group of 6 and none of us had any complaints except for the overpriced asparagus. $10 to add a few asparagus to your meal, which were not great. Overall, I would return and recommend. read more

Just moved back to Ottawa after 22 years away.. Time may have affected my memories from the 80's an 90's but I anticipated better food. The young lady serving us was very good, prompt, attentive. Not her fault that my 14 oz bone in rib was luke warm and the brocolini was undercooked tough and just warm. the fact that both sat on a cold plate probably did not help matters. The house salad with the "famous" dressing was ok. you can find a better version of Als dressing online and make your own. For $49 I expected more. This was the 2nd eatery in a week where my food was not hot and I just could not be bothered to send it back. What were they going to do re-heat the steak? Plenty of other venues to visit and eat better. We will continue our search elsewhere for a good steak dinner in Ottawa. read more

I loved my meal, which is great because it was one of the only things that could be made vegan on the menu (I got the chopped salad - it's not initially vegan, as I believe there is cheese in the original dish). However, I shared some brussel sprouts with a friend and the waitress assured me that she triple checked with the kitchen that they were prepared with olive oil instead of butter, which was great! Also, the fries are SO GOOD. I was there with a rather large party, and I think we overstayed our welcome, but we never felt pressured by the staff or managers to leave. Very nice experience! read more

We went to Al's steakhouse after a month long course was done and we figured we deserved a treat. It's a real old school steakhouse with all the looks of a real vintage steakhouse. I am more used to a modern look to a high end restaurant and I can see how some people might be put off by it... I thought it was fine. The service was outstanding, which is always a huge part of a great restaurant experience. Our drinks were well made and came out regularly. The food was outstanding and although the portions are a little more modest for the price you pay, I can't complain. If I could give this place 4.5 stars, that would be more accurate. This place is outstanding. read more

Al's Steakhouse - Ribeye steak with Bernaise sauce and garlic mashed potatoes - Seafood Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Been meaning to try Al's since moving to Ottawa. Finally tried it last nite, reservation at 6:30-finally served at 8:20 Great steak but did not compensate for the non existent service! Not the servers fault, she never stopped running but just way too few staff. If you cannot find servers then take fewer reservations-having a harried young lady drop off an expensive meal as she sprints by does not lend itself to fine dining. Again, beautifully done meal, just crappy execution and thus not worth it. That said, the Coconut shrimp appy were the best I have ever tasted-and we did not have to wait for them! Overall definitely want to experience the food again but will probably wait for a while and hope they get their labour situation figured out! read more

I was lucky enough to get the restaurant entirely to myself one weekday afternoon and the ambience was great - excellent service and the best steak I've ever had, hands down. I ordered a 6oz filet mignon with the salt seasoning, which was just the right mix of flavor I wqw looking for. Whoever the chef is, they get the cook exactly right! I have been back many, many times and will continue to do so. read more

Al's Steakhouse is what you would expect it to be. It's a steak house, it's kind of fancy but probably not as fancy as you might think it is. Dined at Al's with a party of 8 on Saturday night. We had a reservation. It was quite busy. If you didn't know, there is a parking lot behind the restaurant! It was full so we had to drive around to find street parking. The waitress was friendly, efficient and knowledgeable. The service was great! I had the green pepper steak medium rare, it was good. I had choice of sides and decided to go for mashed potatoes but when my plate came I had both rice and mashed potatoes. There is a salad that comes with majority of main courses prior to the meal, we all had house salad with Al's "famous" house dressing which tasted like a mix of ranch and ceasar but with a stronger hint of garlic, very delicious. There was also bread served while we waited for food, it wasn't warm but didn't taste or feel old. I was full and satisfied at the end of the meal, and the rest of my party seemed to all feel the same as well. I'm not a steak expert so it's hard for me to judge and compare. I would return to Al's Steakhouse to have a more casual dining experience rather than The Keg, The Keg definitely is on another level in terms of food and menu. read more

Al's Steakhouse - Green pepper steak - Seafood Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

The service was excellent, very friendly. It was nice to see the owner walk around to ensure good service and food. Their signature garlic home salad was excellent. Their bread was good, but would have been better if it was warm. I ordered the Steak & Shrimp, with a load baked potato upgrade. The loaded baked potato and shrimp on rice was delicious, but unfortunately the steak was bland. The server was very accommodating and offered some peppercorn sauce, which also was bland. read more

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My wife and I visited Al's Steakhouse on a whim on a Friday evening. We actually started out at another restaurant nearby (which shall remain nameless), but we weren't thrilled with the atmosphere or menu, so we went for a walk and found Al's. We were able to get on a table on their makeshift back patio, which is actually quite nice. Al's is a classic, old-style steakhouse. We both had steaks, which come with a small salad. There was also warm, fresh bread brought to the table. The food overall was very good. Our server Calyanne was excellent, and always made sure we were taken care of. I would recommend this restaurant highly. read more

Good steaks north of the border in Ottawa. I'd call it a 4.5 on Yelp's ratings. The smoky old fashioned was killer good.

We were staying in Ottawa for a few days and the concierge at the Lord Elgin hotel not only recommended Al's but made our reservation for that evening. A beautiful restaurant and very nice waitstaff. I had the fisherman's stew and it was wonderfully fresh, filling and aromatic. My husband had the filet mignon and it was a perfect medium rare. Great wine selection and the cocktails are on point. Will eat there next time we're in town try it you won't be disappointed. read more

All I can say is that I'm so glad I had a gift certificate! This place is a disappointment, which isn't shocking given the other reviews here. However, gift card in hand and braced with low expectations, my husband and I figured we'd give it a shot. As far as the ambiance is concerned, there isn't any. It would be lovely if the 'soft lighting' didn't leave you squinting to read the menu. Speaking of lighting, the light over over our table desperately needed a cleaning. There was what appeared to be the shadow of a dead fly shining down over us. When I mentioned it to the server, she got the manager. He told me he could clean it, but that it could result in a large mess over our table, so did we want to move to a different table. Ummm -- yes please.The dining room is dated with older fixtures and some genuine need of upgrades. Also, the atmosphere would have been livened up by some music. The food was mediocre. I started my meal with a winter daiquiri which I will describe as liquory sweetness. My husband ordered a ginger ale. I offered him my drink as well. He poured the two together. The liquory sweetness was greatly improved. This was accompanied by cold dinner rolls and packets of butter. I ordered a shish kebab with rice and side salad for my main. We also got side mushrooms and mashed potatoes for the table. My husband ordered a steak and shrimp main. The side salads were very good. The house creamy garlic dressing is delicious. My main came with cold rice, which while not hot had a decent flavour. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the steak which had no flavour. I will give credit to the fact that the steak had a nice texture, it's too bad that this could not make up for a lack of seasoning. The rest of the kebab, including the mushy tomato, would have been much improved by a balsamic glaze or even salt. We informed the server that our food needed a flavour boost and she kindly offered to bring us a sauce. We got a peppercorn sauce, which definitely had lots of pepper. What I can't figure is how something with so much heat can still manage to be bland. The side mashed potatoes were perfect. Mashed potatoes are one of my very favourite foods and these were the third best I've had in a restaurant (for the best try the Pour House in the Market). The mushrooms were also nice. I took home half my dinner and hope to be able to liven up the steak with something. When I asked for a takeaway box and the cheque, the server told me she'd heard it was our anniversary and that normally we'd get a dessert to celebrate. I told her that was very kind, but that we were running tight on time as we were headed to a show at the NAC. She said she would box it up to go. That was very nice of her. In fact, despite everything that went wrong, she was very pleasant throughout. I was interested to see whether the fly incident or the fact that our steak was flavourless would have an impact on how we were billed -- it didn't. We paid our bill, left, and will not be returning until we are like the rest of their patrons and well into our retirement. We got home after our show and tried the chocolate cake, it was sawdust and I don't think they used cocoa. Alas. read more

Al's Steakhouse - Steak shish kebab on garlic flavoured rice - Seafood Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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This is your granddad's steak house - no, come to think of it, it's more like your grandma's steakhouse. The portions aren't too big and service is attentive without being particularly friendly. If you had to take a mixed family group for a steak dinner, and somebody else was paying, then you would go to Al's. Question to hostess. If restaurant is not full - and neither is reservation book - why seat patrons at the table right beside the servers' station where wait staff are blasting by at full speed? Floor is quaking? Generally not conducive to a relaxed meal. (We moved) Food was good enough. Nothing stood out as terrible but nothing stood out as very good either. Menu is straight from 1976 (steak, mashed potato, shrimp cocktail, iceberg lettuce salad, cold rolls and butter). Service was very brisk. Lotsa wait staff but nobody stopping to chat. No recommendations. Small special requests seemed to confound. Nice elderly guy walking around. Perhaps Al? Coconut cream pie was a standout. Been there once. Feeling no need to go back read more

The most beautiful out door dining in town. The lighting colours flowers and design are perfection. The food is excellent and served promptly with excellent service. Your every wish is granted. read more

Don't order the salmon!!! Worst ever:( Friendly service. And other diners were good with the steak. read more

Being advertised as a steak/seafood place I expected much more. I had the New York strip and it was unremarkable... Just meat cooked properly. There was no sauce, no flavour just meat. The included bread was stale and the mashed potatoes were simply mashed potatoes... Once again nothing exciting. Oh wait, no... I'm mistaken... They added a pickle on my dish for to spice things up! The service was sufficient and the staff was helpful. For the price... I would have been better off at the Keg. Sorry Al's but everything was just basic. read more

I'm really surprised at some of the reviews here. I have always found the service here to be quite good and the food is exactly what one would expect. A good steakhouse, especially now that Hy's is no longer here. Definitely worth the visit. read more