It's a bit tucked away, but still central downtown. It's attached to a hotel near Elgin St. You'd…read morebe surprised to know that they sell Venezuelan food here. They have arepas! We went with the Alembic Poutine and the Pabellon, something we know and something different. It was all super tasty! The meats were the best part as well as that crispy plantain! And the black beans, wow! It's different than the usual black beans you would get. They've added some spices in there and other veg to really make it flavourful. A unique experience in Ottawa!

Because of a death in the family we have to stay in a hotel in Ottawa to settle Estate affairs in…read moreAylmer QC. We chose Cartier Suites and were happy that there was a restaurant on site. Initial impressions on food quality were very good, however our last visit Aug 26 was disappointing. While the garlic shrimp was excellent the french fries were very disappointing. On initial visits they were top notch, very crispy and soft inside - Aug 26th they were very poor. It seemed that they had used frozen potatoes? Please go back to your original fries!! Bill Hennessy, Carrying Place, Ont

We came for breakfast, I've added so many photos though that it won't allow me to add more lol…read more I had the huevos con chorizo and my partner got the huevos rancheros and oh my god. The huevos con chorizo came with 2 cheese quesadillas which I immediately stuff with eggs and beans and new favourite food!

Incredible small restaurant with authentic Mexican food. We did take out and put out a diverse…read morespread of food from appetizers, nachos, tacos... EVERYONE was happy! Service was great with recommendations for a group. Going back!

Someone please send me a trolley to roll myself home in. This food is so filling and fast I can't…read morewalk. The owner was an absolute delight and so friendly. We were a group of 10 on our lunch break and even though they were down a couple of staff members, they were still quick and friendly. I got the pulled beef arepas and the empanada. I couldn't even eat the empanada because I am so full! The rice is a bit more on the bland side but still tasty, I just prefer a good amount of beans in mine. Their guac was fantastic and I'm not a fan of guac usually. Next time I will be sure to order the plantains as they looked delicious as well. Overall a small family owned business serving up quality foods with love! His passion really shows through in his cooking. If you get the chance to eat here I really suggest you do

I love arepas, but they are hard to find here in Ottawa. The only place that I knew that sold them…read morewas Gooneys Sandwichworks, and in the last few years, some arepa vendors have popped up at Farmers' Markets, but I was thrilled to discover a more permanent place that specializes in arepas. Toasty Arepas is located inside Goodies Fine Catering. Toasty Arepas has a sign on the side of the building, but the main signage is Goodies Fine Catering. There are some bistro tables out front where you can eat, but it's mainly a takeout business. My husband and I got takeout and took it to nearby Strathcona Park for a picnic. We got the Mini Arepas Trio ($15) and the Single Combo ($18) to share. The Mini Arepas Trio consisted of a pulled pork and cheese mini arepa, a chorizo and cheese mini arepa, and a pulled beef and cheese mini arepa. It came with a side of creamy cilantro sauce. The Single Combo consisted of a cheese arepa, 2 empanadas (your choice of beef, chicken, vegetables or cheese - we got a beef and a chicken), a strip of chicharrón, some yucca fries, dipping sauce, and a can of pop. (Note that as of August 2021 this is the updated Single Combo. I saw some older menus where the Single Combo came with 2 cheese arepas and also a rice pudding. The price is still the same, but it only comes with one cheese arepa now and no rice pudding). The mini arepas were tasty, but they were a bit too oily/greasy for my liking. I liked the pulled beef the most, followed by the pulled pork. I liked the chorizo one the least, as it was the most fatty tasting. The creamy cilantro sauce was good. I'm glad it came on the side because my husband hates cilantro, lol. The cheese arepa in the Single Combo was good. I liked that it was flatter. It tasted a bit like a cheese pupusa. The empanadas were good, but not as flavourful as I had hoped. The chicken one was mostly potatoes. The beef one just had ground beef as the filling. I found the flavours too subtle. I'm not a huge fan of pork belly/pork fat, so my husband ate most of the chicharrón. The yucca fries were delicious! Very crispy on the outside, but soft and fluffy on the inside. They are heartier than regular fries. I loved dipping them in the sauce. Service was friendly. It took about 30 minutes for our order. There's a 10% off Yelp check-in offer, which we took advantage of ;) Street parking only, but the place is in a residential area, so street parking was easy to find, and it's free around there too. Toasty Arepas is very far from where we live, and it's not an area that we frequent, so it's not really a convenient location for us, but we are really glad that we tried it and we enjoyed our meal :)

The place is small and cute. Very clean and the menu is very easy to read…read more We tried a cappuccino, a cookie, an Argentinian empanada, and another empanada. All the food was really good - but the coffee was AMAZING. They sell their coffee as well and if I wasn't moving, I would have definitely gotten some. They do not have decaf. But they do have a few tables to sit at. It was a cozy sweet place. The service was also very nice, they were informative with all my questions, and they were just kind people. Parking was challenging - you will have to just find some parking on a side street to try this place out.

My Colombian ex boyfriend recommend our group of friends to come support a pretty new small…read morebusiness. The environment is a tight space but overall the food was good! This was my first time trying Colombian food as I didn't know what to expect. The drink is good but can't taste the chai or the caffeine. The staff is friendly in giving service but not really social with customers.They would play African music which I don't mind but it doesn't fit the vibes of the place. They do have wifi but it's staff only.

I've been fighting jetlag and was at the Rideau Centre on the way home when I looked up if there…read morewere any new chicken spots in the area. Barrio came up with some Peruvian chicken. I haven't had this since this pop up at some club by Lone Star a few years ago. I decided to drop in to grab some take out. The person at the door said no problem, brought me to the bar and said the bartender could take my order. I had a look at ordered a chicken breast which comes with a side of fries or salad. I decided to opt for the fries this time. The bartender poured me a glass of water and we had a brief chat. I looked around the space and it has a nice ambience to it. It's not to bright or dark in here. People were coming and going but it was still early in the evening. It didn't take long and I was brought my order. Staff were really friendly here but I went home with dinner as I was pretty hungry. When I got home I popped open my meal and saw the nice crispy skin chicken I remember from a few years ago. Decent looking fries and 2 sauces. I popped both sauces open. The red one was a bit spicy and the yellow one was a mellow sauce. I tried the fries in both sauces and would go with the spicy sauce for them. Fries were decent. I took a bite of the chicken. Really nicely cooked. Skin thin and crispy. Chicken was good, not mind blowing or anything and if you like your chicken with a bit more flavour, this wouldn't be it. You'll want to use the sauces to get those extra flavours. 3.5 on the food and 5 on the service.

All fried dishes we ordered were served over fried. The chicken tasted good, but was chewy like…read morerubber. The guac tasted like it came from a package. The gnocchi sauce was tasteless. Almost no kid options on the menu and very, very few options for vegetarians. For a Latin fusion eatery, they missed many staples - rice, beans, chicken empanadas, maduros, flan, any tapas, sangria, etc. Nice space though. Richard, our waiter, was great. Live Latin music started as we were leaving. If I ever go back, it would be for live music, drinks and atmosphere - not for food.

I wanted to support a Latinx-owned business during Latinx Heritage Month and saw this gem was…read moreoffering delivery. Plantain Cartel is sort of an extension of the Soca Kitchen (same company, same location) that serves plantain montaditos and patacones. I originally thought it was the Holland location, but it was actually the new Beechwood location that just opened up last month. I might be wrong, but I think everything under Plantain Cartel is only available for takeout or delivery. All of the plantain sandwiches are gluten-free. I got the pulled pork sandwich and the yuca fries. The sandwich had braised pulled pork, roasted ham, pickled onions, mustard, ketchup, garlic aioli, feta, and house pickled slaw in between two large, smashed and fried plantain slices. The plantain was salted and the edges were crunchy, but the middle less so. The pulled pork was tasty, especially with the pickled onions, garlic aioli, and pickled slaw. The sourness of the pickled veg really complemented the pork. I was a bit worried that it wouldn't be as crispy/crunchy by the time it got to me, and, unfortunately, I was right, but that didn't make it any less delicious. I'd like to try it again, but closer to the location, as it started to get even more difficult to eat about halfway through. Super messy and a five-finger, full hands kinda sandwich. Plan for lots of napkins! The yuca fries had a sweet sugar cane glaze and shaved Parmesan. It was sweet and salty and the flavour reminded me a bit of Filipino ensaymada, with the sugar and salty cheese on top. The flavour was good, but the yucca was sliced so thick that it wasn't crispy at all. The photo made it look like they were almost deep fried and crispy all over, but that wasn't the case. Still good, but I was craving the crispy texture, so I was a bit disappointed. I was tempted to also order the ceviche with plantain chips, and the Iberico ham-flavoured gourmet Spanish potato chips. Next time!

This review is for delivery only…read more My friends and I were supposed to go to the Elmdale for patio oysters, but it rained so we had to cancel. My friend recommended we get delivery from Soca Kitchen, which was an amazing suggestion. We ordered a seafood tower. It arrived in about 40 minutes and was fresh, well packed and delicious. All of the dishes were well insulated and remained the correct temperature. All dishes had the right sauces and accoutrements. Soca offers a fancy but delicious seafood. If I have another special occasion, I will order from them again.

I discovered this place in the most random way and I must say it's worth visiting. I cannot believe…read morenever heard about this place before, it's so good , everything is dished beautiful and they're fair with their pricing. Our favourite was the sopa azteca and the salmon , so well cooked and so many rich flavours. The churros were tasty but I must admit they do not look good in the pic . Service was a bit slow but it was only one girl taking care of pretty much everything, she would make the drinks, take orders, bring the dishes pick up the dishes so I understand, they may have been a bit understaffed. We had a few vegans in our group and they were very accommodating, not to mention they do offer a few vegan/vegetarian options in their menu . If you love latin food this is a great place to have some .

Wow, I am not coming back here. I was looking forward to going here for so long, but after the way…read morehe spoke to me, I am not going back.

My go-to spot for authentic Latin American goodies! Warm vibes, friendly staff, and a great…read moreselection. Highly recommend!

This place is such a gem. Absolutely delicious, and clearly made with love. Great prices. The owner…read moreand workers are lovely people. My partner and I have been to this place many times, and often take friends with us.