Aaron A.

Some really nice vibes coming from Datsun. As a restaurant, it is a very interesting take on Asian cuisine. They have lots of creative items on the menu. The venue felt cool with some nice music. Service was top notch, fast and attentive. Chicken wings - Almost like viet style sticky chicken wings with loads of flavour. Birds Eye chilis as spice, garlic and soy sauce was excellent. My only complaint was the fried onions felt stale and were not crispy. Would recommend. Shrimp dumplings - My least favourite dish of the items I've tried. Dumplings were small and flavour was lacking. Usually it would be coupled with some soy sauce, chili oil or vinegar mix. Would not recommend. Fish Bao - Bao was really good, it was light fluffy and sweet. The cod was deep fried in the light tempura batter that was absolutely amazing. Highly recommend. DanDan noodles - These nods were cooked perfectly and had some amazing texture. The dandan sauce was also perfection, the perfect blend of spicy, and savouryness. Would come back just for this!

Ian B.

This was our second visit to Datsun, the first coming perhaps eight years ago on an Ottawan friend's strong recommendation. This visit was a family meal in the course of dropping our eldest off at residence at U of O, and it lived up to our memories and the occasion. Order lots of dishes to share. The bao are of course a highlight, but I was particularly impressed with the plant and seafood-based fare for those of us who aren't as carnivorous as the rest. Lots of pan-SE- Asian variety to choose from. A favourite in the 613.

Sheree Z.

This place deserves to be in New York. EVERYTHING was absolutely mind blowing. My team and I went here to eat after work and we practically had everything on menu. 1. Chicken Karaage (MUST GET) - I get it, you don't want to order it bc it's just a simple chicken nugget dish, right? NO. It was so tender, crispy and flavorful. One of the best I've ever had. I don't care who you are, get this. 10/10 2. Cauliflower dish (MUST GET) - it was sweet and flavor. Very unique. 9/10 3. Squash dumpling (green sauce)- the filling was a paste like. Very Thai focused flavors so think curry + dumpling having a baby. Texture might not be everyone's favorite since it's a paste but we enjoyed it. 9/10 4. Pork dumpling were good but I've had better 7/10 5. Shrimp and chive dumpling - flavor is a bit stronger 8/10 6. Cabbage dish - didn't like it as much bc it was spicy but my friends liked it 7/10 7. Ramen - so so flavor. Umami journey all the way. 8. Bao buns (MUST GET) yeah it's a tad expensive ~$9 for one but I thought it was worth it. 10/10 chicken and pork belly are both strong choices. I had the pork belly and it was 10/10 The vibes are great. A tad bit loud but a great spot after work. Even though it was super busy, we felt like our waiter was super attentive and alert. 10/10

Vincent S.

It is a trendy bar like spot in the city that is a great spot for drinks or food. The food is asian inspired but is a good combination of fusion and authentic flavors. They have the trendy baos topped with high quality ingredients and meat. The chicken was very dill flavored id that is something you dont like beware. the chicken karage was satisfactory and was tasty with a good portion size but was not the traditional style i expected. The dan dan noodles were my least favorite, very fishy flavored, overpowered but an uncertain flavor profile. Would not eat it that one dish again

Mai T.

When my friend invited me to this restaurant, I instantly said yes! You may miss it if you are in a rush since you have to walk down stairs. It is highly recommended that you make a reservation on their website or else they may not be able to accommodate you. The interior of the restaurant is sleek, modern, and very clean, which I appreciated. My friend and I started off with the pork belly bao buns. The bun was soft and the pork had a nice crispy exterior which is how it should be. Instead of ordering the dandan noodles with pork we opted for the eggplant dandan noodles. Let me tell you those noodles did not disappoint. The smokiness of the eggplant mix with the cumin was a complete banger I would 100% order this again. The seafood laksa was delicious as well. The broth was extremely flavourful and the seafood was not overcooked. The cocktail menu does change from time to time. For cocktails, I had the Umeshu Gimlet which is how I like my drinks: alcohol and lime. My friend had the Meet your Matcha which was matcha forward and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The Dragonvall D was on the smaller side and not my cup of tea. I will take away a point as I found the waitress pushy always asking if we wanted a drink.

Rohan S.

ambiance I can't comment too much on as we were seated outside near Elgin Street. service was really good, waitress was really helpful in suggesting dishes and explaining the restaurant. she was also really sociable and friendly which was nice. the cauliflower wings were really good! so crispy and such a good mild spicy sauce. the pork dumplings were really good too, the vinegar dipping sauce was nice, I just wish there weren't sesame seeds on the bottom of the dumplings. now the DANDAN NOODLES?? AMAZING they were so good like I want dandan noodles at all times now. they were phenomenal. definitely somewhere I would return to, really fun place, great food

Bee C.

Had a great time at Datsun once again- one of my fave spots in Ottawa! Asian fusion at its finest , I don't think there's anything on the menu that I haven't LOVED. we were accommodated on a Saturday evening with no reservation which was super luck and nice of them to squeeze us in! Everything we had was delicious- I particularly loved the squash dumplings! My only tiny critique is that our plates came out really quick and it felt a bit rushed but given it was a busy Saturday night I do understand a restaurants need to get people in and out but sometime it is nice to take a bit of time and just enjoy. Overall I highly recommend Datsun- it's a perfect place for sharing super yummy dishes!

Gladys C.

I came on a Saturday night around 5pm and there were a few tables seated but it wasn't too busy. We sat at the bar and service was very quick and friendly. My friend and I got the fried chicken baos, fried cauliflower, papaya salad, charred salmon, and dan dan noodles. The bao was good - crispy chicken, and interesting sauce. The bao was very soft. However, the sauce wasn't exactly what I expected and I think the pairing could have been better. The fried cauliflower wasn't really that well seasoned but it was very crispy and the sauce helped. The papaya salad was yum! I think it's the same one as el camino's papaya salad. Love the mix of tartness and herbs. The charred salmon was a bit too cooked for me and the apple slaw with it was good but nothing special; this dish could've been better in my opinion. The dan dan noodles were pretty yummy - perfect chewy texture, a good amount of meat and the flavour was excellent. However I think the portion was a little small. Overall, the food was very hit or miss. Some dishes were good and others were medicore. I think I expected it to be more on par some of the asian fusion restaurants in Toronto and it fell a little short. I prefer the baos at gongfu...

Emma N.

So my friend and I wanted to come here because it looked really good. It's a small place tucked away on Elgin beside its sister restaurant, El Camino. Very aesthetically pleasing interior, it definitely makes you feel like an NYC elite when you're seated. The menu is quite small, with dishes being quite pricey. The food comes out once it is ready instead of all out at the same time, so my friend was awkwardly waiting with their bao while we were waiting for one of my dishes to come out. Food wise, very tasty. The kabocha squash dumplings were soooo good, and the pork lace dumplings were good too but in my opinion they needed a little bit more salt. The Dan Dan noodles were definitely the highlight. The noodles were chewy and thick and the flavour was subtle but amazing. The pork mince was good too but the chunks weren't very big so I didn't really get any noodles + pork in one bite together-- I ended up having to use a spoon to get the pork. I didn't try the bao but it was super small for such an expensive price. Overall, I won't be coming back. The food was great but as stated previously, super expensive for such small portions. A great place to try atleast once though if you're into the tapas vibe (I learned that I am not). Similar to SideDoor. 6/10.

Jennifer P.

Asian fusion hipster restaurant. This in my opinion sums up Datsun. The food was great, and service was excellent. It's just really pricey as dishes are tiny yet run $10-$18. We ordered a bunch of stuff, but I didn't eat everything as most items contain sesame seeds (but staff were super good about telling me what I could eat and what I couldn't eat). Fried Cauliflower ($12). Battered fried cauliflower on a curry mayo sauce. This was good. It tasted like a cross between tempura cauliflower and pakoras. Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Spicy Chicken Wings ($13). We got 11 pieces. Not too spicy, with a hint of fish sauce. They were slightly sweet and really sticky. They were good, but I could do without the fish sauce taste. Beef Ramen ($14). The serving size was really small. The beef brisket was super tender, and slightly fatty. The poached egg was delicious. Ramen noodles were springy and chewy, but very little in quantity. There were fried shallots and I believe chopped up raw Swiss Chard, or similar green. Broth was so thick and rich. This was tasty but I don't want to think about how much saturated fat it contained, lol. Others ordered the Shrimp Burger (more like 2 sliders) ($13), Tuna Tartare ($18), Dumplings ($10), Beef Brisket Bao (was super tiny) ($6). Everyone enjoyed the food. I also had the Geisha Lemonade ($10). Delicious! Not too tart, nor too sweet. It also had a nice lychee flavour to it. Our server was Marshall and he was fantastic. Friendly without being creepy and attentive without being intrusive. He had a really good approach to everything. He answered questions, made good suggestions, and was all around great. Food did come out sporadically with long waits between dishes, but we were warned about that. The decor is hipstery. It's crowded and loud. This place is already cool, it doesn't need me to say so. Y'all know I love mom and pop joints, places struggling to make a living, and hidden gems. Datsun is none of the above. Datsun is owned by the same owners as El Camino (which has 2 locations now), and Riviera, the swanky place on Sparks St. Everyone already knows about them, most people already love them, and there's usually waits for a table. I can see why though. Their food is delicious, albeit pricey (unless you eat like a bird).

Kaitlin E.

Had been hearing about this place for a while and finally went! As a very picky eater myself, I have to say that this place had something for everyone! Delicious cocktails, dumplings and many other savoury dishes! Best to go in a group of 4 or more so that you can order a bunch of different dishes and share them amongst yourself. The service was also super friendly and the decor in the restaurant was very picturesque! Highly recommend checking this fan favourite for Ottawa locals out!!

Amy Yu T.

Ambiance: cool place to hang out, the decor is stylish and the service is great! It's crowded but arrive a bit later in the evening and you'll get a seat. I would describe the decor as industrial/ modern. Food: this place offers Asian fusion food, tapas style. The concoction is quite unique and surprisingly delicious. I tried the fried chicken bao and the beef one: it was innovative and tasty, soft and tender! I also ordered the Laksa ramen and I loved it!!! The coconut/ salty blend is perfect, combined with the ramen. Also got the eggplant lettuce wrap. This was not as good as the other dishes, but it might just be because I prefer the meat choices. Finally, we had the banana pudding. Just the right sweetness and creaminess. Just note that their menus change, so it's another reason to come back again and again.