The Short Version: Ok eatery with the usual pub favourites. The Long Version: I had a late lunch here with 2 girlfriends. One of my girlfriends really wanted to try Big Rig. I had never been to this Ogilvie location before but had been to the one on Iris out by Ikea many years ago. I thought the food ranged from ok to good, so while it wouldn't have been my first choice, I was open to trying out this other location. The decor is typical brewery pub, as is the menu. I got the Big Capn Chicken sandwich ($22). I asked if they had a half fries half salad option for the side (I was willing to pay extra for it) and I was told no, so I opted for the garden salad for my side (which cost an additional $2. The sides included in the base price are fries, mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes). My friends got the pulled pork tacos ($19) and The Killer Bee burger ($23). My sandwich was ok. It was a piece of breaded and deep-fried chicken breast with coleslaw, lettuce and tomatoes in a ciabatta bun. The chicken breast was really thin in comparison to the thickness of the bread and toppings. I also found the chicken was fried too much and it was too brown for my liking. I asked them to hold the mayo, which I felt was a good move because the coleslaw made the sandwich plenty moist and I think it would have been overly wet and messy with added mayo. The lettuce was shredded iceberg, my least favourite type of lettuce, but at least it was fresh. The coleslaw was a creamy coleslaw, which I generally like less than the vinegar-based coleslaw, but admittedly, the cream based coleslaw likely worked better in this sandwich. The garden salad had leaf lettuce, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots and red onions. I asked for the dressing on the side and it came as requested. Vegetables were fresh. And I was happy the lettuce wasn't the dreaded iceberg lettuce. My sandwich also came with a small cup of coleslaw, which was similar to the coleslaw in my sandwich but the one in my sandwich had some grainy mustard in it. Service was courteous and efficient. We had a very late lunch so the restaurant was practically empty. There were maybe 2 or 3 other patrons in the restaurant. I feel the same about this Big Rig location as I do about the Iris location. I would not object to going here if someone really wanted to go, but it would not be on MY list of suggestions if someone asked me where we should go eat. I do not drink beer, so the fact that they are a brewery makes no difference to me, but if you like beer, then perhaps coming for a pint might be a draw. The restaurant is in the Gloucester Centre so there's lots of free parking in the mall parking lot. Review #162 (2025) read more

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I used to be a huge fan of The Big Rig, but slowly started backing away as prices went up, but quality and service went down (this was also pre pandemic mind you). The last time I dined in was in 2019, for brunch with a girlfriend. I ordered the french toast and upgraded the dish with cream cheese and strawberries (see pic). It was a while ago, but I remember being blown away by the price. The service was also non existent and pretty stand offish, so I never went back. Present day: My hubby brought home a large cheese pizza yesterday night for dinner ($25.00). If you like THICK cheese on your pizza, this pizza is for you. It was a little too rich for my liking. Their pizza sauce was on the watery side, and there was also a lack of pizza sauce on the pizza, so it was pretty much just cheese and bread. I understand this is a brewery, but, there are better pizza joints where you get more bang for your buck in the neighborhood. read more

Big Rig Kitchen and Brewery - Large cheese pizza. It was basically all cheese, no sauce. Thumbs down. - Breweries Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

We had a large group (12) have lunch on a Thursday. The service was ok as was the ambiance. There were 4 vegetarians at the table so their only choices were a salad, nachos or pizza. No vegetarian sandwiches, burger, house favourites, etc. It seems like it would be easy to at very least offer a sandwich without meat. I had the fish tacos in lettuce wraps and they were ok. A bit over cooked and the pico made the lettuce soggy. read more

Ordered takeout. Overall it was good, however a few things were missing like napkins and utensils. Maybe they don't provide them....but that's pretty standard for takeout so I think we should have at least been asked if we wanted them. Also, no salad dressing on the $20 salad. Annoying. The chicken wings good tasting but over cooked. Pizza was good, Fish sandwich was greatly enjoyed, and the chop burger was consumed with relish. So, a little hit and miss tonight. Would I return? Would try in restaurant in the post pandemic era. Would I recommend? Yes, but if doing takeout, thoroughly double check your order has everything before leaving the restaurant, as they don't seem to have that quality control step in place. read more

Six of us dined here for dinner on a Saturday night and while the service was "ok", the food was not. The fried chicken was bland, and strangely....was cooked through, but was cold (frozen cold) in the middle. The smoked prime rib had very little smoked flavour, was super greasy and less than 1/4" thick; I expected more for $40. The poutine was more like poutine soup - there was SO MUCH gravy! And lastly, the Mac and cheese (a whopping $7 up charge) was as bland as it gets - not even hot sauce could help it. Our server was friendly and proactively removed the poutine soup from our bill, but that still left us with a $200 check at the end. Not even remotely worth it for a mediocre (at best) dining experience. read more

Dined here on Saturday August 29 for the first time. I love breweries and comfort food so the menu was a match for me. Lots of options in terms of appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, pizza and more unique dishes like korean salmon bowl or jumbalaya. Our table got the pulled chicken nachos, philly steak pizza, turkey club sandwich and the pork belly grilled cheese. The nachos were stellar, for almost 20$ this could be eaten as a meal and is large enough for the table to share. There are loads of toppings, cheese, little bits of green onions, corn and bean salsa and a generous amount of chicken. It comes with guacamole, sour cream and salsa for dipping and best of all they didn't charge us for extra guac or sour cream. The pizzas seem to be a popular fixture, they are "Montreal" style which translates to a thicker crust, again loads of toppings and a greasy delicacy. Sandwiches were tasty too but for the price, 18$ or 19$ for pork belly grilled cheese, the portion was very small. I expected thicker slabs of pork belly but this looked just like regular thin slices of bacon pressed together in bread with a smear of apple jelly. For the same price, you are better off getting a juicy burger or even a turkey club which was at least 3 inches high. We sampled a couple different types of beer which were great - overall the food and drinks can be very delicious, just depends what you get. Prices are on the higher side. It's a nice restaurant, with super comfortable and spacious booths, ideal place to hang out if you want beer and comfort fare. read more

great food and service . The pizzas , Craft beers are my favorites. read more

Big Rig Kitchen and Brewery - Mykonos chicken - Breweries Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

It had a big chain restaurant feel to it. Service was fine and fast. The restaurant was clean. However, the food was mediocre at best. The burger I ordered was dry and I would recommend avoiding the coleslaw. I probably won't be coming back. read more

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Ordered from Uber eats, to only receive half our order. Called the restaurant to be told,yes, the rest of your order is here if you'd like to pick it up. If we wanted to pick it up, we never would have ordered through Uber eats. What a joke. The supervisor was absolutely useless and didn't care that it was there fault. read more

In the not accurate words of Tina Turner - Absolutely the WORST. The wait time for our order to arrive was over one hour. Burger tasted like sawdust. Not a place for a return visit. read more

Standard brewpub. It was fine, busy and maybe a bit too bright for dinner. The beer was fine, burger was fine, service was fine. All of it was pretty forgettable. read more

I was here for a friend's birthday last night. It's very spacious and there is a ton of parking outside, so it's great for groups. Their birthday gift is a giant shareable chocolate cookie with "Happy Birthday" written on it. It was warm and gooey, and very sweet. In terms of food, I had the sweet potato fries (pretty good and filling) and the colossal burger (pretty solid!). Service was fairly slow though, and the waitress was very slow to fill our water. The water also had a ton of ice in it so there wasn't much space for actual water in my glass... I felt thirsty most of the time there. Overall, it's a pretty average place. read more

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Mmmm big rig brewery!! The boys from work set up a Christmas dinner here my first time. Zero disappointments?? Buddy had some calamari bites had a few those were great!! I wasn't sure what to take so I just went with the fish and chips which comes with their homemade tartar sauce and the portion was huge almost couldn't finish but mmm mm mmm!! And the presentation made me feel like I was having a fish and chip by the seaside it was great!! To top it off i had a crafted big rig Gold and that was also pretty good!! Definitely recommend this place to anyone!! read more

I've been meaning to visit here since they opened last spring. Finally, this past Saturday evening, we went. We expected it to be busy, since there was a Red Blacks game on and a Sens game later on, but we were willing to wait. Upon arrival we were told it could be up to half an hour, and we were welcome to sit at the bar and have a beer while we waited. We decided to stand near the entrance. 10 minutes later, our table was ready. We both ordered the Big Rig IPA. Our server warned us that it could be more bitter than the past, but we love IPAs so that was not a problem. We didn't find it really bitter. We both ordered the Classic Burger, with bacon and cheddar. Our meals arrived before I had finished my first beer. The portions were big. If you love fries, you won't be disappointed with the quantity. :) The burgers, fries and coleslaw were all hot and great tasting. Our server was attentive and observant so we didn't have to wait to order our second beers. It was like he could read our minds. When we were ready to leave, he brought us our bill immediately. When we were ready to pay, someone else picked up our bill and payment and thanked us on the behalf of our server. Overall, a very good experience. We will certainly be back. read more

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Definitely a restaurant to visit if you're living in Ottawa or just visiting. Their menu offers a wide range of foods and beers. For food, I've tried the pizza, fish tacos, fish sandwich, and deep fried pickle and I'd recommend them all. In terms of beers, the Big Rig Gold is my favourite. read more

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Stopped by here on Saturday early before heading out. Split a medium pizza and had a Big Rig gold to wash it down. The pizza as always was outstanding and the brew matched it. Restaurant was fairly empty for 6 pm on a Saturday but it was early after all. The best value items here are for sure the pizza. The Reuben is delicious as well but not nearly the value. I'll be back again. read more

The beer is good. The food is fine. The service is consistently subpar. You're taking your chances.

Overall great place for food and drink. Restaurant is clean and has a good layout for any sized party. In my experience the service has always been very good. I have tried many different things but feel their sandwiches and sides are what they do best. The Reuben is my favorite. Good amount of smoked meat and real cheese. Bread always good and their fries are really good too. My wife gets the club which I have eaten half of a few times and it's really good. Fresh cranberry bread with thick sliced real turkey. Can't go wrong with it. They have changed their menu a bit since they first opened, but have kept the stuff we like so they must be fan favorites. I have had the pizza a few times and found the crust, cheese and sauce to be pretty flavorless vs. what I am used to. I never have high expectations for anywhere other than a known pizza joint to be able to create a pizza worth writing home about, and this one is no different. It's ok at best. I tried the meatloaf and it again was flavorless and actually the gravy was cold. I wouldn't take off a star based on this cause it is really the only thing I have ever ordered from here that I would say was bad. Now onto the beer. Good selection of regular stuff you would expect from a micro/craft brewery. They have good seasonal stuff and you can tell it's made with solid ingredients. Always cold and fresh tasting. It helps if you know a bit about what you like because the last thing any of these servers will do is educate you. I just ask the name and style and take my chances from there. They will always give a taster of something free of charge if you ask. I usually do a flight (4 tiny beers I believe) then order a pint or two of whatever sample I liked the most. They have a great czech pilsner (called premium pilsner maybe?) and if you like hoppy the alpha bomb is decent. Yes of course if you go around the holidays they will have some sort of gingerbread or pumpkin spice in the fall usually. The only one I'd stay away from is there go to Big Rig gold. It's just the typical lager that can be had elsewhere for way less. Ordering something like that to me is like going to Baskin and Robbins and getting vanilla. Not that there's anything wrong with that. read more

Wife and I stopped in for a late lunch/early dinner. The restaurant wasn't too busy at this time and they seemed to have a large amount of servers on. The service was great, we were greated shortly after sitting and our order was taken promptly. The server quality checked multiple times throughout the meal and was always up beat. Went with the pizza as it's one of the best items on their menu at the original location but it wasn't quite as good. It was still a good pizza overall but not quite as good as the other location. Beer was good as always. It's kind of in a weird spot, not where I was expecting but it's big inside with a nice open concept. read more

What an interesting place! But bring yesterday's and today's appetite! The food and service are great! Had some pretty good vittles and brought home a t-shirt and a really neat cookbook. Their beer selection is eclectic so if you're a beer connoisseur you'll be happy. I wouldnt go out of my way to go there, but if I'm in the vicinity you can bet I'll be sitting there having a nosh! read more

I found Big Rig bittersweet. While the food is excellent, especially the pizza which is one of the best in the East-end I would say, the beer is sub-par for a craft brewery. Every time that I have been there, which is more than a few times now, my friends and I are often left disappointed by both the costs per pint of beer and the flavour/consistancy of the beer. At 8-9$ per pint, which is pretty average for craft beers (but very good ones), one would expect an excellent drink. However, I found, and so did others that I have spoken to, that the beer seems watery or lacking of flavour/traits of each brewed style - which I experienced last time with the IPA I ordered (coming in at around 9$). Go check it out. The venue looks awesome and the food is great. Just be wary of the beer and make sure to try some tasters of the different styles before you order one. I'll still go back. read more

This place is a bit hit and miss for me. I have been a few times and most of the time it is great. The space itself is good and accommodates large groups easily. Their patio is great for drinks and lunch in the sun. I tried the chicken caesar which was good and their burger and fries are also great. However, I tried their chicken quinoa salad which lacked any sort flavour. Good place for traditional pub food. read more

I've been here several times and tried various items from the menu. Pizza here is as good as any. Crust is great and cheese is generous. Fish tacos are good. Nice flavours. Wings are good but a wing night would be better. Service is usually pretty good. Ambiance is great. Beer is beer to me so I can't really speak to it. Tastes ok though. read more

I came here with mixed expectations. Now I leave with a bad taste in my mouth both literally and figaturaly. I had the Big Rig club sandwich. As for the sandwich I would give 5 out of 10. The side salad tasted like the weeds I removed from my lawn only more disgusting. My wife whom has like 60% of the population has an alert to nut could not eat anything but the pizza cause as the server said " I'll check but don't think they have a safe area for alergies. As for the serving staff, I had no idea who to ask for something because in a group of 15 we had from my last count 9 service staff and I believe because of this they messed up half of our orders. read more

Great place for a burger, beer and the game. Thanks for putting the game and sound on! read more

Big Rig Kitchen and Brewery - a glass of beer - Breweries Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Saw this place on the morning news and decided to give it a try. Was pretty spot on. Walked in and was seated right away at a booth by the bar. The service was a bit slow ( i believe this was because of us being at the bar and only one server there) Food was really good. We split the smoked meat poutine, killer bee burger and the cocktail flight. Nothing to complain about! We will be back read more

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Tried here for breakfast.....slowest service ever. Had to get our own utensils and napkins....and had to chase after coffee refills. Never again. read more

Really nice place to gather with friends for a party. Great menu and wine list. Ample parking, read more

Big Rig Kitchen and Brewery - Angela's going away party - Breweries Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

If I could give this place SIX stars, I would. No joke. Here's why: My six-year old daughter, my husband and I were heading out to see a movie. We went early enough to grab a bite at Big Rig in Gloucester Centre... our first time there but highly recommended by friends. The place is nice! Spacious. Lots of wood and silver with plenty of TVs on the walls if you wanna catch the scores of a game or two. So we got a booth and ordered our food: spaghetti for my daughter, poutine with smoked meat for myself, and my husband ordered a burger. The food arrived VERY quickly (to our delight!), and omigosh, the portions were huge! I knew my daughter wouldn't be able to finish her spaghetti, and I also knew after one bite that my poutine was smashingly good but there was no way I could finish it all. My husband tucked into his burger and fries (with a side of super smooth coleslaw... not vinegary at all!) and we chatted. After a few moments, we saw our daughter slurping down her milk, and she said that the spaghetti sauce was too spicy for her. I tasted it... and she was right. It was a little spicy; great for an adult but likely too much for a young child, unless they're REALLY into spicy dishes. So instead, my daughter made a meal from bits of mine and hubby's plates, and when our waiter (Michael) came to the table to take our dishes, my husband indicated to him that we really enjoyed the delicious meal but he had a comment for the kitchen that the spaghetti sauce (on this particular night) might be a bit too intense for children. Michael took that info to the kitchen and when he brought back the bill, he indicated that the manager had removed it from our costs. I was surprised; I figured we'd have to pay for it (of course, like you would) but the manager had graciously removed it. I was super pleased. Michael said, "Anything to make a good customer experience." I said to pass along my thanks to the manager and Michael said, "I can get him for you if you like." Soon enough, a gentleman by the name of Matthew came by and I thanked him profusely. Honestly, you never really know when you make suggestions to the kitchen how they will be taken. This gentleman and his staff were most kind and quite willing to listen. My daughter piped up to him, "It was just a little bit too spicy for me," and he grinned. I have to say, for the incredible service, this place gets raving reviews from me and it is more than worth it to go back to try some of the other, very tempting looking dishes. Congratulations to Big Rig at Gloucester Centre for making our first experience there quite incredible! I'm happy to recommend this restaurant to one and all! Kudos on a job well done folks... you certainly don't see customer service like THAT everyday! read more

Pretentious bar-tending. Was cut off after 2 drinks so she could make room for the lunch crowd that orders food. Wasn't impressed. Food is often good, but the pizza topping aren't cooked properly which allowed the vegetable juice to soak up into the crust. Beer is good though. Very hoppy! read more

Always good food, great service and the beer is outstanding! Spacious setting with a very friendly staff. We always make a point of stopping when in Ottawa. read more

Ate at the Gloucester location tonight, a miserable meal, but since we were under a deadline (8pm movie across the street) I didn't ask to mention it to the manager, though I might call tomorrow. Menu advertises 'Texan style' grilled flank steak, 'A BIG Yorkshire bowl filled with goat cheese mashed potatoes or fries, grilled flank steak, berry & beet demi and broccolini.' I figured I'd get some kind of goofy oversized Yorkshire with some mash inside, and then steak, demi-glace, veg, alongside. What showed up was a saucer-sized 'Yorkshire' that felt and tasted like Bisquick, with a half-inch lip, mash slopped into it, 3-4 stems of broccolini that made me wish it was either asparagus or broccoli, and slices of steak, smothered in a 'demi' that looked and tasted like the gravy from a can of Chunky soup with a palmful of extra salt; I guess there might have been berries or beet somewhere, how would you ever know? All served on a large plate with two thirds white space that could have been put to use presenting the beef and veg. I ate a few broccolini, all of the steak, but only after scraping off the noisome gravy with my knife, putting that white space to use. The steak was a perfect medium rare, but I can't imagine the eldritch horror I would have experienced had I opted for the fries. I'll never know, this place is on my shit list. Never again. read more

We first started coming to the Ogilvie location when it opened and it's been a stay decline in the quality of the food. Tonight is probably our last visit. It's no one thing, just consistently mediocre food, called off tonight by some burned, thrown together nachos, which up until today were just about the only thing they still did decently. Clearly not a place interested in putting out quality food. Still good beer though. read more

Came across this brewery on a tour with Brew Donkey. Great beers and highly recommend stoping by. Favs were the Canadian Amber and the You're So Last Saison! Hubby loved the Black IPA. read more

The beer was great, but the food was lacking. I asked the waitress for her recommendation, and was left deciding between the pizza and a burger. I ended up going with the Killer Bee burger that was recommended. The burger was well done, and it looked great when it arrived, but the onion rings on the burger were soft and soggy with oil -- so much so that they ruined the rest of the burger with their layer of mush. The wait staff didn't seem to care when I pointed out the problem, and nothing was done about it; this leaves the impression they know the kitchen has issues, and don't really care to address it. The rest of our group found their food okay, but not great. It's a shame, if the food was as good as the beer, this place would be amazing. read more

Came in here with a group of people for lunch. Walking in was greeted by the hostess by the door and showed us to the reserved tables we book for our big group. The service was excellent and waiters were attentive. The atmosphere was loud and buzzing. The food was okay, I ordered the mac and cheese could use a little more cheese, it was more so like Alfredo pasta than mac and cheese. read more

Awesome food. I was not expecting great things from a pub... but it was good. My meatloaf was very bold and almost too savory. The portions are hardy and very very big. read more

Went to big rig for lunch. Atmosphere was nice. However wait time was a bit long for soup and salad. Had the chicken Thai salad. It was terrible to say the least. Chicken was over cooked and hard. Not sure where the Thai comes in as it was a simple salad only chopped finer with a hint of cucumber ranch dressing. There were cold noodles on the side. Soup was on par with Tim Hortons along with the Cesar salad. At least with Tim Hortons you get a donut. read more

Big Rig provided an excellent venue and menu for our hockey team between tournament games. They prepared 22 player breakfasts and meals for our parents in a timely fashion and at a great price. I had called a week ahead to arrange this and everything went exactly as planned. Thank you!! read more

This place is absolutely solid. I was looking for a brewpub close to my hotel and this one caught my eye. Modern, trendy, looked like they had a good menu, so I was in. I wasn't absolutely wowed, but I was definitely not disappointed. The beer selection is good, but everything tends towards lagers and there's nothing in the way of a true IPA with a hoppy flavour. I know it's a chain, but wish their brewmasters would try more variety. I made the mistake of ordering the Big Rig Chop Chop Burger. And I say mistake ONLY because I've been back twice now and I can't bring myself to try anything else. Ground beef and brisket, and it's absolutely amazing. But the best part is their house-made steak sauce. I don't know what's in it, but it's like crack. The bun could probably do without butter, and they give you twice as many fries as you need even for a healthy appetite, but I'm still going to order it again and again. The price is decent, the servers I've had have been attentive, and the location works for me. Check it out. read more