My daughter turned 18, and where's a better place to celebrate than Restaurant E18hteen. I booked a table a week before to make sure we have a table. Thankfully, there were 2 spots left. The place is very elegant inside out. The service was perfect, music was very classic, food was delicious. An amazing fine dining experience on every level. I felt that their menu is limited. We ordered the following: Grilled Octopus with mint chermoula, roasted chickpeas, 'nduja aiolo, blistered tomatoes & chicory. The Octopus was cooked to perfection & the flavors were amazing. Vol au vent d'escargot Puff pastry stuffed with braised escargot l, goat cheese crumbled, spinach, Parmigiano & mizuna My daughter loves escargot & she enjoyed it very much. Halibut with shrimp & Octopus escabeche, shishito peppers, stewed lentils, butter braised asparagus, garlic parsley oil, cilantro mojo & watercress. It was so good, each component was delicious, when you eat them together it was heaven. Two, 7 oz angus reserve tenderloin it comes with two sides, and a sauce. We had one with mashed & mushroom, the second fries & Ceasars salad. Both steaks were a perfect meduim rare! Mushrooms & Ceasars salad were so good. The mashed lacked seasoning & the fries were too salty. For dessert, they celebrated my daughter with a complimentary pavalova which I thought was so sweet! It was a wonderful surprise. We also ordered pistachio chocolate and it was OMG! The perfect ending. read more

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What a disappointment last night. We clearly informed the restaurant about my wife's gluten and dairy allergies. As well we indicated that subbing cow cheese with goat cheese would be great. Upon arrival our waitress told us she had read the notes and was aware. Much to our surprise, they served her a beet salad....with cow cheese!! Later that evening she became ill as a result. But that wasn't the worst of it. We waited 1 hr and 15 minutes for our main meals. Leading up to that moment they also forgot to serve her gluten free bread, which was store bought and like cardboard. That was 20 minutes after I had finished mine. At this point we had had enough of this atrocious experience. Rather than wait longer, we spoke with both the waitress and maitre'd and asked for our bill. They both lied and told us it would be ready in 2 minutes. Ten minutes later, they showed up with it as we were in the process of leaving and had our coats on. We agreed to sit back down and try the mains. My wife had a sablefish meal that was flavourless and not fresh to say the least. I had a lobster tail meal whereby the lobster was watery and not fresh. Needless to say 1 bite of each meal and the coats were back on and we were settling our reduced bill and leaving. What a disappointment for our special Valentines outing. Never will we go back, and I advise people to do the same. read more

My husband and I went a while back and we are returning customers! We've been a few times already and each time the experience has been great. The atmosphere, food, and service has been great! This restaurant is a great place for date night. The appetizers are my favourite and I'd try them all if I had the money haha. I highly recommend the steak tartare and grilled octopus. It's definitely a more expensive venue but worth the treat. read more

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From start to finish this was definitely a experience to remember! Felt like a king, would definitely recommend giving 18 a try. Everything was cooked to perfection and drinks were on point Thanks again to the team at 18 read more

Restaurant 18 - Tomahawk steak - Seafood Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Classy. Friendly staff. High end menu you wil pay for, and still love the experience. The ribeye was succulent and perfect medium rare 5 stars, complimentary dessert for birthday yay, awe shucks the oysters were top notch, and the duck was OMG. Only reason gave this gem of a restaurant 4 stars is smaller portion sizes, and wine list was OK, but profit margin a little too much compared to competitors and lacking in single glass variety. Either way, will definitely be back for the amazing food and ambience... not everyone is a wine snob. read more

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I really was surprised by the portion of the steak. It's huge. And the squid was delicious. Came here after a very long day. Had meeting with the government and I was staying at the Sheraton, which is not very far away, but considering it was 3 degree weather, it was worth packing your gloves. I liked the winter cold as it's crisp and it makes you want to eat warm food. I understand this is one of the top end restaurants in Ottawa and was glad to come here for a quick meal. The service was impeccable. The wine selection was beautiful, and I was very happy to enjoy a very large size steak on a very cold winter snowy day. I would absolutely recommend business travelers to come to this restaurant to dine. A great local favorite sine 2001. read more

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This restaurant is just full of wows. Service first and foremost was absolutely incredible. They were friendly, accommodating, prompt & efficient. Food was incredible. The food was fresh and delicious. Ambience was great with a gorgeous interior. Their craft cocktails were amazing. I got a classic gin & tonic made with Hendricks gin and hubs got the Grand Budapest. We are very excited to come back and try some other things on their menu. read more

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Wife and I ate at this gem in Ottawa Canada. The Lamb leg was cooked well with lots of flavor. Also enjoyed the Canadian Shirley Temple. Wife enjoyed her Seafood pasta dish. It was a large portion. Beautiful restaurant and excellent service. read more

Restaurant 18 - Seafood pasta dish. Flavorful and filling - Seafood Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Fine dining in Ottawa has come a long way since I lived there in the late '90's... and one of the stars of the show is 18. I go to Ottawa once a year for work and it has become a bit of a tradition for our group to have a big dinner here at the end of the meeting. The restaurant is in the byward market and is a beautiful modern space with high ceilings and stone walls. Service is always top notch, and they are very patient with us as we tend to be a rather disorganized group constantly changing our group number and seating arrangements. Cocktails and wine are very strong here, they have an encyclopedic wine list and knowledgeable staff to help you navigate it. I have spent far too much money on excellent wines here and never regretted it for a second. Last time I was here I started with a very nice French 75, nothing out of the ordinary but well done. For appetizer I had the steak tartare, which was amazing, one of the best I've had. Great presentation and flavour. Definitely the star of the night and quite filling. I might actually get this as a main course next time as it is a very generous portion. Quite full from the tartare, I nevertheless continued with the duck duo, which was very nice but paled slightly in comparison to the tartare. We had an excellent bottle of Oregon Pinot noir for the table. Looking forward to continuing the tradition next year! read more

Restaurant 18 - Fantastic steak tartare! - Seafood Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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We had made reservations and heard wonderful things about the food. We do a lot of fine dining and different cuisines. When we walked in the door, the waitress was talking to another server in an empty restaurant and didn't acknowledge us until she was done with her conversation about her plans for the weekend. We sat and presented the menu. She did not explain the specials or items of the day and left. Fine. It happens. Not everyone can be amazing at their job. But then, throughout the entire meal, a back of house employee kept coming to fill our water and / or bring bread or amuse bouche. He would glare at me and give me dirty looks at cut eye every time he came by our table. He would only address my Finance and would ignore me if I asked a question. It got to the point that I told my fiance I didn't want to wait for our main course and wanted to leave. He watched put for the behavior and noticed this as well. We explained the situation to the waitress and asked for her to keep him away from our table. He was just so rude. I left sick to my stomach and was very disappointed. I did not finish any my meal we got the bill and lef5. I had wanted to get out to that restaurant for about 5 years, and I don't think I would ever return. After we left, we went over to a nearby restaurant and had a proper meal with proper service, and had a much better experience there overall. I would give zero stars if I could. read more

This place is worth breaking the bank for! The food is delicious and beautifully present it. Everything is fresh! In all honesty the place is expensive but worth every penny. The service is extraordinary! Parking: well it's the market, good luck! Hehe read more

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I have been to 18 countless times over the last decade and it was my wife's and my go to Valentines Day destination for years but we started trying other places around town for variety. We popped in for drinks and I brought my work posse there for happy hour (yes, they have a deadly cocktail bar) bur we took the whole family there for the kids' grads.... 12 of us. The service was outstanding excellent given the size of the group, the server gave me some fantastic wine choices, and the food was - as always- simply phenomenal. This is easily one of the finest restaurants in the city. We will be back. read more

Restaurant 18 - Bone-in veal chop...... simply fantastic - Seafood Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Excellent food. On the pricy side but worth it. The bread was provided with three spreads. Totally unexpected and delicious. I had the duck and my husband ordered the cod. We were very happy with the food and whole experience. I'll go back next time I am in Ottawa. read more

Loved this place. Food and the service was great. Our server was so friendly and helpful. read more

This restaurant has some really good seafood. I've been here on a few occasions and the food has always been really good and the service has always been solid. My most recent trip I had the crispy octopus with a friend of mine who had never eaten octopus and was always afraid to try because of how it looked. They absolutely loved it and honestly I don't think I've had better octopus. It was cooked perfectly and had a hint of sweetness to it with a crusty exterior without being burnt or charred. For the main course I had the arctic char which was also very good. I'd like to give this a 5 star but honestly I love the seafood more at Whalesbone. I'll update my review if I ever try the steak in case it boosts this rating over the top. read more

I came after work with 3 other girlfriends to try out their Happy Hour! Note that to partake in happy hour, you cannot sit in the regular dining area in the lower portion of the restaurant; you have to sit at the bar or at the upper area, so we were seated at a high table. The entire bar menu is half off the price that is posted, and they also had $5 drink specials (white wine, red wine, and beer; ask your server as these are not listed on the menu)! Two of us got the Chardonnay, and the other two got the Riesling. The Riesling was fine, but could have been sweeter. We each had a beef tartar and a tuna tartar, and shared the remaining bar menu items. The beef tartar was by far the better one; we all had difficulty finishing the tuna tartar as sadly, it tasted and smelled very fishy which was a turn-off; the texture was not in chunks like the beef and was more like a spread...not recommended at all! Fries with aioli: the fries were well done and not too soft, and the aioli was surprisngly garlicky which was delicious! Beef chimchurri: the fried strips of beef went really well with the sauce and we finished this fairly quickly! Good portion for the price as well, considering it was half off! Charcuterie: this was a major disappointment; "charcuterie" consisted of two slices of what seemed like paté with olives; it was much too salty, and the paté tasted like mock meat so all of us left it almost untouched after trying a bite. They need to get better meats such as sausages and sliced meats! Cheese plate: the cheese chosen which I believe was a goat/sheep one was very delicious and I enjoyed it. Presentation: all of the dishes were put on the exact same plate...it would be better if they used different plates so pictures of the food could be prettier. :P Last time I came to sample all 4 desserts, I recall each plate being different which elevated the experience. Price: overall, it was about $25 for a drink, two tartares (slightly small), and sampling all the other bar menu items, which was fair. I hope they come up with new innovative menu items as that would increase the value. Service was attentive and professional, and the atmosphere is comfortable and feels upscale. Enjoyable experience, but I would stick with the higher quality food items from the bar as it's really a hit and miss! As such, I would recommend for happy hour: beef tartare, fries, beef chimchurri, and the cheese. Therefore, 3 stars because it did not blow me away and I left feeling the experience was average given the hits and misses. read more

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Not worth the price, I waited an 1 1/2 for my meal for it to come out cold. The customer service was horrible. Our waitress rolled her eyes at us when napkins were requested. I must say by far the worst experience I've ever received at a restaurant. I was empathic towards our waitress at first because the restaurant was busy. Still I found it unprofessional.I was expecting the price to match the service. Lastly, I wasn't charged for my meal because it was cold. The waitress shared that if I would like a fresh fish it would take 15-20 mins. I declined and stated it could be microwaved. I was over it by that point . Still it wasn't tasty nor pleasing. Hoping I didn't get spit in my food lol for stated the fact. Anyway, I was not charged for my meal at the end. Glad they acknowledged my feelings and noted I was being truthful. Still, it was still very disappointing. I was really forward to it. My friends that were with me that frequently go to 18 shared that the treatment yesterday was different. Food was bad and so was the customer service . I would not recommend honestly. read more

This restaurant/lounge is very intimate - small space, but upscale with stone accents and soft lighting. I came here for a wedding and thought it was a perfect venue. The food was selected by the couple, so I can't comment on their regular menu, however, the quality and flavors of the dishes we had were fantastic, and I suspect the same would go for other similar items. To start my meal, I chose the salt roasted beets with ricotta, toasted granola, and maple vinegar, and the BC albacore tuna tartare with avocado, a yuzu emulsion, and puffed rice. Both were fresh and had fairly simple ingredients but great tastes and textures. Portion size was just right. I chose the roasted Alberta beef tenderloin for my main, with Le Coprin mushrooms, truffled potato, and demi-glace. I originally thought the size of the steak and amount of potatoes were a bit small, but it ended up being more than enough. Full of flavor and on the rarer size of medium-rare, which I love. Overall fantastic meal and warm atmosphere. Would love to come back here for a date night or special occasion! read more

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Went here last Dec for my birthday. We didn't know what to order, so we did the Tasting Menu. The best decision of my birthday! Everything is very spontaneous. They just kept coming. Different meat, cheese, salad, refreshments, desserts... We were overwhelmed, the good ones. They have very classic services and waiters. We enjoyed them veey much. The manager even come to greed us and chat for a bit. Best place to enjoy creative cooking and classic environment. read more

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Great service and good food, slightly slow and the food was slightly overvalued but overall great experience.

I brought my partner here for her birthday and we were not disappointed. It was such a treat, from the ambiance to the service to the food. Definitely a dress up kind of place. Would go again! read more

Restaurant 18 - Seafood Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Unpopular opinion, but I strongly dislike this restaurant and will never return. A friend of mine really wanted to try this place, so I treated her one night. We didn't make a reservation and only 3 tables were full, so the restaurant was almost empty but we still had to wait an hour and a half to be seated then another hour for the food to be served. We ordered oysters and scallops to share, and both got a steak with lobster, which came to a little over $200. The food was good, but nothing special and definitely not worth the price. The portions were so small that I left hungry and bought a second meal elsewhere. The only thing that stood out was the extravagant display of service. read more

I found this chic little place tucked in the market and decided to pop in and take a peek at what looked to be upscale in Ottawa. I was greatly amused, this place was a hit. The atmosphere is nice, with well spaced tables and decent seating arraignment. I must give the manager and my waiter serious kudos for dealing with an unruly child and the family, seldom do restaurants seem to care that I didn't order a side of 'screaming brat' with my meal. I started with Oysters and I can happily say that the Kusshi oysters served here were fantastic, firm (properly so) and salty (briny). Served with fresh horseradish, a nice spicy cocktail sauce and a mostly unused oil (unused by me). I followed that with the beef short rib and Yorkshire pudding. While well prepared and tasty this was my least favorite dish of the night. I would eat it again but not order it. To my taste it was a bit dried out, but overall flavorful. Next was the Caesar salad, something I am seriously critical of in most reviews. This one was really nice, excellent quality greens, fresh bread croutons, and proper oil-and-egg dressing. they served toasted Prosciutto rather than anchovies as top garnish and bacon (fancy named or otherwise) is hard to knock. Finally came the main course, Ostrich steak cooked to chef's preference (medium rare). This my friends was a mouth orgasm, fantastic melt-in-your-mouth meat covered in a salty, peppery, herb rub that left you craving more. Just when you thought it was safe to take another bite you got a hint of the cherry glaze that adorned the plate (resting under the whipped potatoes) or one of the cherries them selves. Utterly fantastic main dish, I recommend it to any and all that would seek red meat and a great meal. I did settle my evening with Espresso and the 'Split Truffle' dessert. The Espresso was tasty but improperly shot (not a good crema). The truffles were quite good, one however had been exposed to more heat than the others and melted a small amount on one side (I know I am picking nits now). Overall great restaurant, I would return for sure. read more

Nice and quiet environment but we waited almost an hour for just our appetizers and the restaurant was not busy at all. There was probably only 5 other tables there that evening. Our waiter and waitress would ask if we wanted a water refill then come back 15 minutes later, only to forget about our water...twice! For the portion, price, and service; it probably won't be at the top of my "go to" restaurants. read more

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There are a lot of nice places to eat in the Byward Market. But, one of the coolest is Restaurant 18 (did they open 17 others first?). The decor is very hip and modern. The food - all gourmet. No cheeseburgers here! All their entrees focus on the usual suspects - chicken, seafood, beef, etc. But, they do all sorts of good things to these staples. For instance, the chicken is grain fed and comes from a local farm. The ostrich (yes, ostrich!) is espresso roasted. I opted for the striploin steack that came with blue cheese...yummers!!! 18 also prides itself on its wine menu - which is to die for. And why not - they do have a sommelier on staff! Try the Malbec - bone dry and yet fruity. You will become a fan. read more

Restaurant 18 - Seafood Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

On a cold rainy November evening, our spirits brightened upon entering Restaurant 18's gorgeously decorated dining room with a mix of rich fabrics and standout art. And our spirits were furthered enlivened by the delightful and innovative menu (when was the last time you had ostrich?), and a well-informed wait staff that toured us around the locally-sourced fare. One of the most unexpected delights? The fantastic recommendation for our wine - a Canadian (BC) Cab blend. Perfect! Stand outs for our evening - the foie gras and steak tartare for starters. Mains included the aforementioned ostrich which I had rare based on the recommendation of the chef - very flavorful and well paired with fall vegetables and the cab blend. My dinner mates all enjoyed their entrees - from duck to lamb to the hanger steak encrusted with blue cheese. Restaurant 18 is the kind of unexpected gem that I adore on my business travels. read more

My boyfriend and I went here for a late night dinner at 9PM. Service was out of this world... Incredible servers, amazing food, and great wine. Our steak was cooked to perfection (Angus AAA Ribeye) all the sides complimented it very well, very flavourful. The ambiance was great, had a modern look in an older building which gave it a unique touch. Would definitely recommend and the price isn't too bad considering what you get! It's more than just a meal, it was an experience read more

Restaurant 18 - AAA ribeye wish mashed potatoe and salad - Seafood Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

This place deserves 4 stars by Ottawa standards, but if it were in the TO scene, the quality wouldn't justify the price, thus the 3 star review (more like 3.5 stars). That being said, it had good quality food and tasty dishes and was one of my best meals while visiting Ottawa. Upscale but you don't need to be super fancy. We came in jeans and nice shirts and weren't out of place. Service really friendly and wasn't snotty as I had kind of expected it to be. Great atmosphere - dim inside with modern dark decor, fireplaces, big comfy tables.. We had the mushroom risotto (amazing), the crab cakes (so juicy with a thin crispy exterior and filled with real pieces of crab) and the dried dahl fritters and black cod as our mains (both were really good but had room for improvement, but still good enough that I would have no reservations about ordering again). Cost per person including a $60 bottle of wine came to about $110 including tax and tip. When I am in town again I would consider trying their tasting menu. read more

Went here for valentines day menu, it was fantastic and luxurious. A long review is not necessary for 18, suffice to say that one of the dishes I ate included boar which they purchased whole and cooked for a week. It was delicious and worth every penny. Expensive as f*** though. read more

I got oysters as an appetizer and the beef tenderloin. Everything was delicious. The service was also really good. The creme brulee was good, we also odered a greek dessert wine which was the best dessert wine i tasted! (It was a suggestion from our waiter!) Expensive but really good! read more

Restaurant 18 - Really good dessert wine! Higly recommend! - Seafood Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

I'm balancing my ranking based on the quality of food served alongside the service. A group of us had reserved in advance for a bachelorette dinner, which was communicated to the staff in advance. We were certainly not a rowdy bunch, simply seeking to have a tasty dinner before moving on to a second event. We ended up with a bit of an earlier reservation, so the restaurant was pretty quiet. I felt the staff were quite professional, but a bit frigid. Amongst our group of six, we each ordered mains and then some. I have no issue paying a premium for quality food, but I found that, in general, it lacked creativity and punch. We began with a peanut butter & jam amuse bouche, which just fell flat. I tried some of my friends oysters, and the accompanying sauces were just fine. We had ended up bringing cupcakes in for the ladies, and were about halfway through them when the server ran over and chastised our party for bringing them in, saying she is supposed to charge us a plating fee. That's an absolutely fair thing for a restaurant to do, but it could've been done in a much more private manner... or mentioned to us when the reservation was booked. We ended up feeling pretty embarrassed, despite having spent a good sum of money to eat dinner there. We awkwardly sat there and finally, someone piped up and asked if we should even finish eating them, to which the server replied: "yeah, just eat them quickly." Ouch. To top it off, the kitchen sent out its own dessert after the cupcakes. While I appreciate the thought, it was some bad timing. I think it's a beautiful spot and it serves quality food. Is it worth the price and stuffy service? I suppose that's your call to make, based on what your needs are. If I pay a premium, I expect food with unexpected flavours and risks, and none of the dishes ordered amongst my party of 6 displayed that. read more

Book early. While having to book weeks in advance doesn't alway mean quality, in this case, 18 Restaurant's reservation wait list is well earned. We visited the restaurant for my birthday, and no, I'm not saying _which_ birthday. All of the staff were friendly and welcoming without a hint of the snobbery and arrogance you can sometimes find in places like this. Having an unexpected 3-year-old with us was the biggest test, and while they don't have a kids' menu (nor would I expect them to), our server was extremely accommodating. Anyway, onto the food... The 3 guys decided to round out their Steak section. I, personally, had the Striploin (the Cognac sauce called my name). It was grilled perfectly, the sauce was incredible - even the whipped potato side gave the steak a run for its money. I enjoyed that combination (Steak, sauce, and mushroom side) more than steaks I've had that cost 3x what this one did. The Ribeye and the Tenderloin steaks around the table were met with similar approval. The real winner was the Roasted Black Cod that I played the birthday card to get a taste of. It was so flavourful and tender that, I kid you not, we still talk about it today. I've never had a piece of fish melt onto my tongue like that one did. My bias for truffles is apparent (truffle popcorn, truffle eggs, etc), and the dashi truffle sauce was wonderful. All things considered (including generous portion sizes), the prices were right where I expected them. The brithday dessert didn't hurt my opinion of them either :) read more

Simply amazing!!highly recommend this place to anyone in the city and people from abroad

Since moving to Ottawa, I have been rather disappointed with a lot of restaurants. I went to Restaurant 18 last weekend and enjoyed the experience from start to finish. Server was great and knew his wine. Also, the time between our apps & entree was spaced well and we did not feel the least bit rushed. Food was exceptional. I had the beet salad with smoke cheddar foam and it was amazing. Beef tenderloin was seasoned well and cooked perfectly. Mashed potatoes were average. Great atmosphere and a really great looking restaurant. Price point is quite high but you get what you pay for. I will definitely go back. read more

One of the worst service that I've ever experience. Food came a hour late and not many options for a "high class restaurant ". I had a server that had a very bad attitude and didn't want to serve us anymore afterward all our orders (group of 10) are food was very cold and not with the price also the small portions. I would recommend STK for a fancy outing with friends. Very disappointed because I've been waiting to try it. Hopefully this help you guys! read more

I took my girlfriend here for our one year anniversary and we were treated like royalty for the whole night. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. read more

Restaurant 18 - Seafood Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

My favorite Market restaurant. A mini vacation! Amazing food. Top service. Gotta get back, soon! read more

My favorite upscale restaurant in Ottawa by far! Love the atmosphere and our waiter Adam was awesome. My friend and I decided to split everything, so I ordered the tomato salad and she ordered the mushrooms soup which was very unique and delicious. I ordered the angus beef (med-rare) and I swear I didn't need a knife. Can honestly say the best steak I've had in Ottawa, if not ever. My friend ordered the cod, which again, might be the best fish dish I've had at a restaurant. Cooked to perfection and had this wonderful flavor that I will surely try to replicate. For dessert we shared the crème brulée and they topped it with a moka whipped cream. MMMMMM read more

Had a tasty dinner with three others and picked up the $200 tab. This is an important point because the restaurant charged my credit card twice -- once for $200 and once for $1355. I called the restaurant to have them fix the problem and they did nothing and did not call back. My credit card company will gladly refund the charges but that process will take 6 weeks. Lucky for me I still have room on my card even with the $1355 lingering on there. What would happen to someone not so lucky? 18 doesn't care. There are lots of other tasty options in the market where you won't be billed an extra grand for the privilege. Stay away. read more

OK, to be fair, I loved what I ordered. The foie gras was generous and delicious, the prawn pasta lovely. My notes to the staff -- it should not be an hour and a half from placing an order to receiving the food. Seriously?! Then one dish was undercooked (seafood) and when asked to be replaced, the diner was given a hard time about it and blamed for the problem. Epic fail! read more