I checked the websites and reviews of many restaurants in Ottawa to find an interesting place for…read moredinner my first night here. Apothecary Lounge seemed to have many things I knew I'd enjoy, such as the menu items and the atmosphere. It surpassed expectations. Upon entry, going down the stairs, I noticed an enjoyable aroma, but it took me a minute to realize what it was - cocktail smoke from the wood chips used to smoke many cocktails. That eventually included my first drink, the Mortician. Later in the evening, I took advantage of the Dealer's Choice menu option, to have the bartenders craft a drink to my whim. I requested a variation on an Old Fashioned using Canadian Rye and something other than simple syrup as the sweetener. My drink was interesting and complex, including Amaro Nonino (a favorite of mine) and yellow chartreuse. Well done! We ordered both small plates and entrees while there. Everything came out really quickly, everything was fresh and full of flavor. Of everything I ordered, my favorite was the Bang Bang Shrimp. Unfortunately, the wonderful lounge mood-lighting made it difficult for me to take good photos using my older phone. But the highlight of the evening was the service. We could tell we were going to be in for an enjoyable time the minute he greeted us, wearing a tiara, and joking about how he got it and why he wore it. He was friendly and chatty, while being very knowledgeable about the menu, and attentive, checking on us every few minutes with more banter. he had an infectious laugh that he brought to every table, and it was clear he was enjoying what he was doing. I've had probably thousands of meals out over the years, and most service blends together. This waiter, this service, will be memorable, which helped make the entire experience memorable.

We arrived in Ottawa late last night was was ready to grab small bites and a cocktail…read more Unfortunately, the kitchen closed a few minutes before we arrive but we stayed for the drinks and I'm happy we did. They have a late jappy hour special from Sunday-Thursday which included 1/2 price martinis and other drinks. We had espresso martinis which were amazing!

Great service , great ambience! Beautiful layout on the plate…read more Fruit was plain and not fresh, said "it is not in the right season". I hope they can keep up with their quality of food.

Breakfasted here twice during a weekend trip to Ottawa in November 2014. I was staying at the ARC…read moreHotel and my reservation included a daily breakfast credit at the ARC Lounge. I went pretty early both times and I was the first or second table there. I ordered the Trio Sante (a combination of yogurt, fresh fruit, and house-made granola) on my first visit and the ARC French Toast on my second. Both were excellent - I even dreamt about the french toast for awhile after =P There was just something about the contrast between the soft, rich, custard-like interior and the crunchy, oat-encrusted exterior in combination with a delicate spice, warm maple syrup, and tangy citrus butter... yum. To drink, I tried the drip coffee and a latte - both were average. The decor is modern and clean lines, with some elements from nature. It's bright and sunlight streams in from the windows. Basically, a great setting for a relaxing breakfast. Keeping in mind that both times I was one of only a few people there, service was appropriately attentive - i.e., there when it was necessary and not over bearing. Prices were on the high side, but probably on par with what would be expected in a hotel restaurant. I would come here again if I were staying at the hotel but, truth be told, there are other breakfast/brunch places in Ottawa that are higher on my list of places to go.

Grow theirs own cocktails herb and flowers…read more The patio is charming and so is the interior. The staff is very knowledgeable it's very pleasant to know more about the dishes.

Really cute and cozy. Very good cocktails Staff is very nice and attentive. Space is clean and…read moreconvenient right off Preston street. Easy to find.

The Short Version: Spacious and beautiful restaurant…read more Delicious food. Service was pleasant, but a bit slow. The Long Version: I had dinner here as part of a professional continuing education event sponsored by a pharmaceutical company. We had a section of the restaurant for our event and it was nicely set up with space for a screen and a projector. Even though there were other patrons in the restaurant we could still hear the presentation and our little nook felt private. I started off with a mixed greens salad and it usually comes pre-dressed, but I asked for the dressing on the side and this was accomodated. Vegetables were fresh and it was a mesclun mix, carrots, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and radishes. The lemon honey dressing was light and not too oily, although I only used about a fifth of what they gave me. For my main I had the salmon which came with a delicious fried polenta cake. The outside was crispy and delicious while the inside was creamy. The salmon was moist and delicious. It came with kale, a tomato confit and an olive tapenade. The flavours complemented each other well and did not over power the salmon. The menu price of the salmon was $39. For dessert I got the gluten-free chocolate brownie, which I was told was made of almond flour. It was a bit crumbly and had a grainy texture. I did not love it. Many others at the event had the Steak Frites and this looked delicious. I was debating between the salmon and the steak and while I enjoyed my salmon I wonder if I did not make the best choice, lol. The menu price of the steak was $49. The other dessert option was a creme brulee which also looked good. And given I wasn't thrilled about my brownie, I felt I should have gotten the other option. Service was pleasant. The wine was flowing freely, lol, but the courses took a while to come out. For these events, the dinner is usually fully served by the end of the educational session presentation, but when the presentation ended they hadn't even served the main course yet. We were a large group of around 30 people. And I don't know if they had their full staffing complement. Attendees were getting antsy towards the end and were asking for their desserts to be packed up to-go. Staff seemed a bit flustered but got the job done. Overall, a beautiful restaurant that is very spacious with multiple sections to the restaurant. Great environment for an event. Food was delicious. Service wasn't as timely, but still courteous and pleasant. Street parking only. Review #83 (2026)

Back in Ottawa for our annual colleague dinner on the first night of CMPA's Prime Time conference…read more The food was great, I had the best wine... A red blended wine, a Syriah-blended with a grape I have never heard about. It was a fixed prix menu for our large group. Lovely steak frites main, cooked perfectly. And a stunning creme brule. Always a great atmosphere and music is always on point. Our service had the most charming, attentive and helpful attendant. Great place.

We came to the Rabbit Hole on a Friday night for after-dinner drinks. It was quite busy so we opted…read morefor a seat at the bar. Here, we got to see the bartender crafting cocktails which was pretty cool. We ordered two cocktails, both which were delicious and, very pretty. Inside of the restaurant was warm and cozy; I especially like the mosaic flooring.

Great food, abysmal service, which was too bad. This was…read moreanother stop for dinner on my birthday trip. I was really looking forward to this one. We have six houserabbits, so the bunny decor was a touch I loved. The hostesses outside were very nice and professional. There is an outdoor seating area with super nice furniture that looks very comfy. I was a little early for my 5 o'clock reservation, but they let me come in and sit down about 10 minutes early. I want to make it clear that I did not expect service until opening. I had a tall table at the bar. The decor is a combination of woodsy and steampunk. Metal on the walls and a chandelier that looks like a log with branches. Two rabbit portraits just inside and tiny lights that look like fireflies covering the ceiling. The table was beautiful with a really nice little light that flickered like a candle. I don't know my server's name, it is not on the bill, and if I were him, I would be embarrassed to have it on there. Male with close cut silver hair and I believe a moustache...he wasn't around enough for me to notice much. The bartender did speak to me when i was navigating that stool. My server asked if I wanted to start with anything. I ordered a drink and he ran away. He was always in a hurry to get away. No small talk, no attempt to get to know his customer. As someone who worked as a waitress in my youth and all through college, his lack of attention was a bit stunning. When he brought my drink back, the Flower Child, which was incredible--looked and tasted like rainbow sherbet, took me back to my childhood and is now in my top three cocktails ever, he tried to run away immediately. I caught him by asking if the Wagyu burger could be made with a gluten-free bun. He said no but they could do a lettuce wrap. I told him that would be perfect and was surprised he didn't ask me how I wanted it cooked or check with me on anything else, didn't tell me what it came with. I wasn't sure he even took my order for a few minutes. The burger came out soon though to my relief. He set it down and ran away, I mean *POOF* gone. I wanted another drink. Now, I was annoyed. The restaurant was not busy. Luckily, there was a server, dark hair who was watching and she stepped toward me and let me order another drink. Original server dropped it off without speaking a word to me. Didn't ask how anything was...nothing. I wondered if this was yet another case of solo diner syndrome. You know that saying you can tell who someone is by how they treat service persons, well, you can tell a LOT about a restaurant by how they treat their solo diners. Luckily, there was nothing amiss with the meal. Wonderful salad with cute little half moon cut veggies. Fries and the dip they came with were phenomenal. Burger was tender and delicious. Guy never showed up, but I could hear him talking to the bartender behind me nearly the entire meal. Felt like I'd stepped into an episode of Vanderpump Rules. I had to get the other brunette server to get him to bring my bill. He had stopped to pick up my plate and then asked how everything was. I told him, "Finished." Then, I waited while he milled about with no bill forthcoming for a good while before I asked the other server. The lowest tip percentage was 18%. I did that but regret it and wish so much I'd hit custom and given him $5. The bill for only me was right at $100, which I never mind paying if the food and service are good... and my server was so amazing the night before, I tipped her 30%. He didn't deserve what he got. I found the other server and pulled out $10 for her help. She was so sweet and asked me if I wanted her to give that to my server. I said firmly, "No, that is for YOU." The food here is awesome and the atmosphere very cool, but the service was so bad that it wouldn't be worth it. Too bad.

From the moment we walked into Joey Rideau, we felt welcomed and appreciated. Our experience…read morestarted off on a high note with a complimentary glass of non-alcoholic sparkling wine. What a thoughtful touch! Our dining experience was more on the expensive side this time around. However, you can most definitely get away with spending little due to their amazing happy hour options. We ordered the steak with lobster, lobster spaghetti, truffle parmesan fries, and their signature sangria. The steak was cooked spot on: medium rare and just a touch on the rare side, exactly how I wanted it and mentioned from the get-go. Everything arrived promptly, which made the whole experience feel smooth and well-paced. We placed 4 happy hour sangrias, which were perfectly balanced and refreshing. What really stood out was the service. Our server, Ace, was wonderful, attentive, friendly, and genuinely engaging. She even surprised us with a complimentary dessert to celebrate, which made the evening feel extra special. The restaurant itself is immaculate: spotlessly clean with a smart, stylish setup that immediately catches your eye. The ambiance was electric, creating the perfect backdrop for a memorable night out. Overall, Joey Rideau exceeded expectations in every way. I would come back in a heartbeat!

Joey Rideau, a restaurant that's part of the Calgary Joey chain of restaurants, is located on…read moreOttawa's yeah, Rideau and Nicholas. For those not from Canada, it's a chain of casual restaurants with all sorts of foods from Canadian to Korean. There are locations in multiple cities of the United States including Santa Clara, which I've actually been to. I wouldn't type that Bridges is a good Bay Area comparison, but there are similarities. (Yes, it is a real restaurant, and the Hillard family in "Mrs. Doubtfire" needs 45 minutes to get there from their house.) What did the places get right? We had good times for sure. The staff members were energetic, and they had checked up if we're okay. I believe both times, I ordered something Japanese, though the first time, I also tried other foods I can't remember anymore. What's noteworthy is that one of my brothers likes the truffle udon carbonara I had the first go around, and he likes that udon the best, but of course, it has truffles. The second time, I had the flan cheesecake cake. What did the places get wrong? Not a lot. The 3 dollar signs should make people twitch. So, you should come only if there's a special occasion. The other issue I have is what I typed is an issue I typed in another Canadian spot's review, Boston, as in having their food carry too much spice. It's actually bothersome more so in a Joey's spot than a Boston's because Joey's spots carry Japanese food, and most of their Japanese foods carry the spice I'd rather avoid. I know you can remove the spicy ingredients, but they're still a bother. Joey's is a good spot. It may be pricey, but it's good never the less. I may not be close to Ottawa's location anymore, but I for sure can just go to Santa Clara if I want that Canadian flair of Joey's again. +/Joey's is a jiving spot with that energy and tasty food and drinks. -/It's pricey, and the batch of Japanese foods makes me twitch internally.

This place has a lot of potential. The food was actually pretty decent, a little over priced but I…read moredon't mind that. The Short Rib Bao was the best item on the menu, I loved the meat and how soft it was. The ambiance was a little weird, but that's an Ottawa thing, it was very dead. The service was awful! We waited 10 minutes to be seated in a place that had 3 other customers. We were given menus right away but then the server disappeared for about 20 minutes. We ordered our drinks which took 35 minutes, and I couldn't even find the server to flag her down. The food came out fairly quickly and I asked for the bill right away. Service needs work but could be attributed to Covid-19 aftermath. Keep Eating, Angela

My friends were interested in a nice girls night and selected Savanna Lounge. After reviewing the…read moremenu and Instagram I could instantly see that this spot was a vibe. We made a reservation and our table was ready for us upon arrival. The ambiance was certainly grown and sexy! I ordered a glass a white wine and the King salmon dinner. My food was delicious however, the portion size was extremely small considering the price. I was definitely hungry after which always sucks when you put time and energy into going out for a nice meal. I kid you not, I probably had four potatoes and four brussels sprouts. If I can count the sides, that means there wasn't enough. If the owners see this review, I hope they take note and make adjustments to the portion sizes because this spot has a lot of potential. Cheers!

We headed to Ottawa for our anniversary and decided to take a risk on level one game pub we weren't…read moreexpecting the food to be super spectacular, but it was pretty good. We really like the atmosphere for gaming and the many options that are available to for all types of people. They had a game master who taught us games and we ended up playing for about four hours. The service was excellent. We will definitely be returning again.

We had a great time here, we came to play some games. There are three floors, the main level has…read morethe video games, upstairs has a bar and seating area. The bathrooms are located in the bathroom. They have an organized system, you scan the QR code there are categories for how many players,types of games to choose from. If you have a hard time finding a game, they will help you. There were so many options for all ages to choose from. There was a bit of wait for the video games, but our name came up fairly quickly, we were escorted to the video game section. There are several tables with different consoles. You choose the game, staff sets it up. This was so much fun, there are food/ drink options as well. Staff was friendly!

Cute cocktail bar/lounge with a very instagrammable bathroom, if you're into that :) the drinks are…read morestrong and tasty. The bites are vegan but still so delicious. The broccoli was perfectly charred and came with a vegan spread that was yummy.

Such a fun spot on Elgin St. Love the lounge/living room vibe. Ample seating and nice ambient…read morelighting. Very aesthetic. Nice drinks but on the pricier side.