Mediocre, overpriced service was good…read morebut not worth the money, not exceptional, bland, and really expensive. Should be 60% cheaper not recommended

Great spot for date night or a night out with friends. Grabbed a spot at the bar with a friend on a…read moreSaturday night. The staff were so friendly and nice. We got two cocktails to start. They were both delicious. To eat we got the focaccia, beef carpaccio, and meatballs. The focaccia was amazing- so fresh and soft. The carpaccio is a shawarma inspired dished and included pickles. The meatballs were cooked to perfection and paired well with the focaccia. To end our meal we got the baked Alaska. It was the perfect end to the night. I would go back on my next Ottawa visit.

Went her with a co-worker, for dinner. We both got the poke bowl and it was delicious filled with…read moreavocado and salmon ... Surprisingly well seasoned. We both had some wine ... And long conversation. We ate in the cozy front dining area, the service was friendly and quick. Love this place.

I was walking around ByWard market and decided to get a drink. I looked at their menu and walked…read morein... should have looked at their menu bit longer. I walked in and the place was empty, few tables were occupied... I sat at the bar. It was on a Saturday and they only have brunch menu until 3pm and can only order from the brunch menu... so fried foods unfortunately :( Got my drink, relaxed a bit while enjoying the drink. Didn't stay too long but experience would been better if I had come at a different time :)

We had a really nice night here. Indigo was our server and was a delight, and we enjoyed a…read moredelightful selection of small plates, all of which packed powerful flavour punches. It was a cool, hipster-style ambiance, only detracted by the easily forgiven large screen display of the World Series game 7.

I really love this restaurant. A great happy hour special! The prawns, drumsticks and tartare were…read moreall delicious. The service was also very good. For two people I recommend 3-4 plates! We were stuffed with 4! I will definitely be back.

Celebrated a birthday/Valentine's dinner here with my girlfriend and it delivered on experience…read more The industrial-modern aesthetic sets the tone immediately -- stylish without feeling overdone. Service was excellent. Our waiter was energetic, attentive, and quickly helped us switch tables when a flashing construction light outside became distracting. We both ordered the "Best of Side Door" tasting menu. Flavor-wise, I'd rate it around an 8/10, but where it really stood out was presentation and the thoughtful explanations for each course. My favorite dish was the YELLOWFIN TUNA SASHIMI If you're doing the tasting menu: * Come hungry. * DO NOT wear tight clothing. (We both made that mistake.) p.s. my pictures don't do the dishes justice

Incredible food and great service! We had the beef and fish tacos and the chicken and pork belly…read morebar buns. Everything tasted incredible! The Empress' New Groove cocktail was delicious as well, and beautifully presented. Wonderful ambiance in the sun room.

Superb food, superb service, lovely spot I really really…read morelike the Belmont I had salmon on toast with greens, both were great

Cute little spot I would recommend a reservation. This is my second time and once again I had not…read moremade reservations. (Expect 45-1h wait time.) not bad as there are a lot of cute shops around. Both me and my partner got the Belmont breakfast. Has a bit of everything ($23) I gave my partner the bread and got his salad. He said the bread was really good. I really enjoyed my salad nice and fresh not sure what kind of leaves was used. First time I see that shape. Back to salad it was light and a little bit sweet. Potatoes are the next best thing on my plate. I like them he spice that was used, I added a but more salt on mine. The breakfast sausage did not give me heartburn... not guaranteeing anything but worth mentioning. I believe they were lighter in oil simply. My partner always trades them for bacon. I only got a half sausage, he had the rest. The last thing I want to mention is less positive. I usally like breakfast beans. Got excited when I saw the black beans. However, really disappointed nothing more than warmed out black beans. Not what I would expect from breakfast beans. I expect a maple or sugar flavour. You can pay $5 to add to your breakfast... mine came with them but I would skip. Unless unflavoured black bean is your thing.

We made a reservation here for a special occasion. It has been on my list for quite a while…read more Checked in and the hostess verified the special event. We were seated on the second floor. I was a bit surprised at how business casual the decor was. It's comfortable, with lots of leather type bench seating. A good portion of the customers were business people. Our waiter knew we were there for a special occasion. He also knew the menu very well and was willing to express an opinion when asked, like what paired well, what his favorites were. All of the dishes were beautifully prepared and delicious. Thank you Play staff!

TL;DR/The Short Version: Delicious food at popular…read morerestaurant in the Byward Market. The beef cheek was melt-in-your-mouth. The Long Version: I was at Play Food and Wine Bar for a professional event that was sponsored by a pharmaceutical company. We were a group of about 30-40 people and had a section of the restaurant to ourselves. We had a set menu with a choice of mains (beef or vegetarian). We started off with a few hors d'oeuvres served on spoons. Servers were going around with them and I got to try two different types. One was a shrimp on a dollop of wasabi cream and the other was a gnocchi. Both were tasty and prepared us for the delicious meal to come. We all had the mixed salad, which was a spring mix with grapes, candied pecans, and whipped goat cheese, in a cucumber and mint vinaigrette. I loved the different textures and even though the salad came pre-dressed (I always prefer dressing on the side), the dressing wasn't heavy, so I didn't find it too overdressed for my tastes. For my main, I chose the beef cheek (the vegetarian option was gnocchi). The beef cheek was so tender and literally fall-apart. I didn't even need a knife. It was so flavourful too. It came with mushrooms and mashed potatoes. There was an olive and sun-dried tomato sauce on the beef that I found a too potent and overwhelming in flavour, but overall I still enjoyed the main. For dessert we had the chocolate tart. It had salted caramel on it and under the layer of chocolate was a layer of white chocolate fudge. It was very rich and decadent...overly so. I finished it nonetheless, lol. Service was excellent. We had several servers assigned to our group and they were attentive. They kept our water glasses and wine glasses full. Although I enjoyed the Pinot Grigio, I was driving, so had to limit myself to a glass and a half. Play Food and Wine Bar is owned by Stephen Beckta, who is a bit of a local celebrity, lol. His first restaurant is Beckta, which I have been to and while it's more upscale than Play, I actually enjoyed the food at Play more. His other restaurant is Gezellig, which is in my neighborhood (Westboro) and I've been to it a couple of times, and I definitely like Play better. I'm glad I was introduced to Play. The room we were in was lovely. It was long and narrow and had a bar. As with all restaurants in the Byward Market, parking is paid parkade parking or paid street parking only. Review #139 (2025)

I came here in a party of 3 on a weekday. The service was great and I loved some of the dishes, my…read morefavorite was the tofu sticks, salad and dessert. You can share a few plates and between the 3 of us we managed to share 4. I was disappointed they had discontinued their happy hour meal, that's partially why we went there. The dessert also took quite a bit of time too. The ambiance was superb, a very cute date spot. I'll hopefully come back and try some new dishes on the menu.

Le menu table d'hôte du mardi soir est formidable! Une série de petits plats variés, raffinés,…read moresavamment assaisonnés, en quantité suffisante pour être rassasié mais pas se goinfrer. Le service est à la fois rapide et discret, et on ne se sent jamais bousculé. Atmosphère amicale et confortable, expérience à répéter et répéter!