We always come here for dinner as we like to gamble but last night's special was surf and turf on fridays ...you have to ask the waitress for the steak and lobster tail in order to get it as it's not on the regular buffet pick up zone To be quite honest with you, my steak was a bit dry and I'm not a steak eater either so as soon as I bit into my steak I had to give it to my husband who also confirmed with me that it was a tad chewy. The lobster tail was a bit overcooked as well and chewy but it still was very flavourful I don't know if I would recommend it or eat it again but it was all right The service as usual is always splendid we got a table pretty quickly as the place was quiet this entire time as we were here around 6:30-7PM I was a bit nervous as to why there was not that many people here today it is the Friday night so I expected to see more people but to my surprise it wasn't that busy. The dining room is quite spacious and very clean The staff is always very friendly and cater to our needs really like their service a lot and the rooms ambience. The food however was hit or miss with some things rather than other things. For example: I had her baby back ribs which were very delicious and tender I had to go back to get some more as they were succulent and very much recommend it. The potatoes were not seasoned properly and did not taste very well the pasta was bland and dry my potato leak soup was very flavourful and really enjoyed it but their bread was not fresh today and it was quite bummed about it. I also tried their quesadillas and it was missing flavour and quite very dry! The pierogies as well was very dry and overcooked it was very hard to chew I think they even burnt a few. Pork tenderloin the salmon and chicken potatoes were all quite overcooked unlocked a lot of flavour The salad bar however was very delicious fresh and tasty. I even enjoyed their sushi bar it was very delicious and fresh so depending on who cooked it or prepared it I'm sure it varies in chefs lol. Overall, we definitely enjoy this place as we like to gamble afterwards so we always come here to dine before we start earning some jackpot money LOL Unfortunately last night's food was quite lacking in flavour and I am not happy with that as the price still stays the same and I was also very disappointed that they charged for refills of soda like come on really that's totally greedy for a Buffet read more

See all

So despite living in Ottawa for over a decade now, I had never been to the Rideau Carleton Raceway until tonight. Why not, you ask? Well, I'm not much of a gambler. However, life is all about experiences, right? So I decided that I was going to go to the RCR! Yeah, that was like 3 years ago. Then last week in our community newspaper there was an ad for the RCR with a 2 for 1 coupon for the restaurant. I like deals, so my husband and I decided to finally go. I figured I'd watch some horses, eat at the restaurant, then play some slots. Well, I guess it was very naive of me to assume that there were horses racing there all the time, because as it turned out there weren't any horses there tonight :( You can see the racetrack from the restaurant though, so I was able to see the empty racetrack during dinner, haha. The dinner was a buffet. It's usually $19.99 per person. Apart from the staff we were one of the youngest people there. I felt like I was dining in a retirement residence cafeteria, lol. Just an observation. Staff were incredibly friendly and very efficient and competent. My husband's beer came out very promptly and our waters were automatically refilled as soon as they were empty. Plates were cleared quickly as well. The food was good enough for the price and excellent for half price (with the coupon). I think it's comparable to Tucker's Marketplace. There was nothing exotic, and I wasn't wowed by anything, but I've had much worse at sit down/full service restaurants for a much higher price. The roast beef was tender and the carver gave me a huge slice. Many people would probably consider it too well done, but I thought it was fine. The stir-fried shrimps were good and I was pleasantly surprised that they had a spicy kick to them. The ribs were fall-off-the bone, although a bit of the fatty side. They had a kale salad with beets, chickpeas and radishes. I had some to add some vegetables to my meal. The vinaigrette was little too vinegary, but otherwise the salad was great. The baked fish was meh, very bland. They had sushi, believe it or not. Only maki, and no raw fish -- so California rolls, shrimp rolls, shrimp tempura rolls, and vegetarian rolls. The quality was similar to sushi at grocery stores. Not awesome, but very edible. No fishy smell and the avocados were nice and green, not all brown and rotten. They also had open-ended egg rolls. They were very crispy and filled with ground pork, cabbage and onions. They tasted very similar to egg rolls you'd get at a food court. They had lots of items that I didn't try like roasted chicken, roasted pork, lots of different types of pasta, chicken quesadilla, rice pilaf, loaded baked potatoes, clam chowder, cream of chicken soup, steamed vegetables. They had a salad bar too with the usual salad bar ingredients. They had a lot of different cakes for dessert, lots of different cookies, butter tarts, chocolate dipped meringues and cream puffs. I found the cream puffs terrible. The choux pastry was so dry and the filling was more like a whipped cream, while I prefer more of a custard filling. However, the chocolate dipped meringues were excellent. The meringue was light and crunchy on the outside yet still slightly moist and chewy on the inside. I wish I had saved more stomach room to eat more meringues. The slots were ok, but I always feel a sad vibe around casinos. Slot machines are slot machines, what can I say? They only have slots here. They don't have blackjack, roulette, or anything else. There were a lot of people out gambling on a Friday night. The parking lot is huge, and self-parking is free (they also have valet parking). The RCR is kind of in the middle of nowhere though. It's south of the city. A bit further south of Findlay Creek. It's not really my kind of place, but I'm glad I went so I know what it's all about. I might return one day when they actually have the horses racing, as I've never been to a horse race before. Maybe I'll wear a fascinator and pretend I'm at The Derby at Epsom, yeah or maybe NOT! Lol. Oh, it's actually harness racing here, so the jockeys don't ride the horses, they are in a little cart and the horse pulls them around. read more

See all

I cane here the other day for the all you can eat buffet breakfast. The selection was good & the chef making omelette your way was nice. He did eggs as well. Options available: bin of scrambled eggs, Beans, ham, sausages, bacon, Mac n cheese, fried chicken. Also fruit, pastry & cottage cheese. Juice & coffee were included in the price. 2 for 1 coupons are available daily. I spent $13.55 taxes in for two people to eat breakfast. Fantastic value in my opinion!! I'll be back. read more

See all

What better way can you think of to spend a Sunday night with the parental units? We decided to check out their race night, and hit up the buffet. The food was tasty, and there was a variety of hot and cold options (and desserts!) though, for the price I would have hoped for a bit more selection. That being said, they did have several protein options as well as pastas, veggies, and other sides. The quality was pretty good for a buffet, as well! The horse races went smoothly, like a well-oiled machine. I'm not much of a gambler, but it was kind of fun to try something new. My only complaint/wish is that there could be some more info given about the horses and riders like they have at some other places... but it was a cool experience anyway! The Rideau Carleton Raceway has recently undergone some changes. I'm pleased that they now have table games, rather than strictly slot machines, and they have got a couple of new restaurant options as well. Overall, I'm glad that we have this entertainment spot close to home, as it saves us a trip to Gatineau, and I will likely be back again! read more

With this buffet claiming to have over 100 items to offer their customers, I found the selection to be lacking. My hubby and I decided to go watch the horse race and grab a bite to eat at the race track. Knowing that it was a Friday night, and the cost would be $19.99/per person, we thought they would bring out the "good" stuff tonight. What they had were: -steamed veggie -rice with raisins in it -meatloaf -poached salmon -ribs -potatoes -roast beef, cooked ham & baked chicken ...and their usual's at the salad & desert bar The ribs were dry, with hardly any meat on it. Basically I grabbed a rack of ribs, and it was just bones covered in sauce. The potato's were good; only because I covered mine in full fat sour cream. The salad was the highlight of our dinner and the pickles that they serve their are delicious (the restaurant style, that you cannot find in the grocery store). On to the deserts. They had everything from: -mini donuts -butter tarts -chocolate mousse -ice cream -cheese cake -cheese cake tarts and a variety of cookies. The cheesecake was heaven as well as the chocolate mousse. Overall,wont be back until I hear of some improvements. If you are thinking of going, I would not go unless it was a $9.99 buffet night, even then, do not expect the greatest food. If you do decide to go there remember, the three things to try are the pickles, cheesecake and chocolate mousse and avoid the shrimp and ribs!! read more

What a fun place! I really enjoyed my visit here. We of course can to try our luck with the horses and see if we can win any money, may be win enough to retire on. But no such lock for us! I am not very lucky any way. We stayed to have some dinner then we hit the slots just for fun. Shortly after we started playing the slots a live band started to play it was mainly a mix of rock and country music, two genres I don't really care for but I had a few drinks and it all seems fine. We stayed a few more hours to listen to the band did a little dancing and had a great time. The building is very modern and has lots of amenities, the restaurant serves up a great meal and the buffet during weekdays is a great deal. I really enjoyed my food, I got a club sandwich with fries with is nothing fancy but it was not a fancy dinner night. Got several drinks form the bar it's a great selection of spirits, wines, and bears it is a bar first of all. It was a great place to visit and spend a few hours. Having some drink and gambling away some money. read more

I have read about and watched horse races on TV, which seemed really exciting, so I wanted to see what it was like for my self. You can purchase a program for $2, which lays out the odds of winning per horse, and includes a lot of statistical data about the horses. There are different ways to bet (offering different payouts) at $2 per bet. The winnings are quite minimal since you're only betting two dollars. We won a race, and won a hefty 50 cents. We chose to watch from the patio outside. On the patio they offered the basic hamburgers and hot dog BBQ which did smell great, but their selection of beers were minimal (only bottles, nothing on tap), and were $7/bottle- there is also a restaurant upstairs with no patio. The decor of the casino is old and looks run down- definitely not the quality of Lac Leamy. Overall, it was fun when you're betting, but the atmosphere and menu were lacking. It was nice to experience once, but will likely not go again. read more

Rideau Carleton Raceway - Raceway - Race Tracks Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

See all

Review is mostly for the restaurant: I must admit it, the buffet is pretty decent. It's inexpensive, and there is a vast array of food choices available that differ each time you visit. There are options for everyone with all sorts of food preferences, so everyone in our party had options to eat. The majority of people here are not attending for the buffet though, it's all about the horses. I have mixed feelings about the horses: we placed a couple bets based on the information in the betting guide, and we never lost - even took a bigger risk (a whole $6) and won about $40! The thrill was quite exciting. I felt a little like a hypocrite though - I feel bad for the horses that race as I have heard they don't have great lives as racers (but I don't know this for certain). Overall, I don't think I would head here just for the food, and I'm not sure I want to participate in the races again, but if you are in to that kind of thing, it makes for a fun night out! read more

Do not come here for a fun casual date! I came here recently to have a fun date night with my wife (this was something new for us). We ended up at one of the Roulette tables where I bought $15 worth of chips thinking that we could just sit there and play a few relaxed spins. Well, I was basically forced to throw all my chips down on one spin, which then came up "0" and they were gone after 2 minutes - how fun was that, eh!! read more

The food there was pretty good, but the waitress, Kim, who served us tonight was very rude. The only reason I can think about was that we didn't purchase a drink. She treated us differently and rudely for the whole night. She filled up the water and cleaned away the plates for the other customers quickly and timely. However, she never fill up my water unless I ask her to do so. I sitted quite close to her, but she always ignore our needs and never serve us unless we ask so. I really want to know why she will behave like this. Am I wrong when I didn't feel like drinking any beverage? I won't go there or recommend any of my friends to try buffet there unless I receive a response from you. read more

Dear Readers, I write this review from a rare stance of a hugely opinionated point of view. I only will review the Dining facilities (though there are other forms of entertainment -see the web site). The dining facilities are clean, classy, professional, consistent, reasonably priced and bilingual service. The only drawback but it's unique to me only is the location is a bit far. Deep South End between Letrim Rd and Albion Rd. A view of the planes landing is guaranteed. Now on to the food, the place opens up at 5:00pm for the dinner service. It's accessible for physically challenged patrons. Reservations are suggested. The seating is good but at times a little crowded. The buffet food ranges from Beef-Pork-Chicken-Seafood, Veggies, Bakery and deserts. The presentation is very good and generous. The salad bar is well arranged and is always fresh. The cold foods are always cold and the hot foods are always very warm, but could be hotter. My favourite item is the Louisiana style Ribs. Always leave room for the desert's. The pastries appear and taste professionally prepared. The only item I don't like there is the soup trough. This part crosses the line into standard cafeteria fare and not worthy of the overall buffet quality. They do have a birthday desert menu -(PRE-ORDER THIS). I love this place. read more

This is now the Hard Rock Ottawa casino and racetrack or racetrack and casino. It doesn't matter much as they have really lost their breakfast diners. What was a nicely priced eggs and bacon breakfast for many years increased in price shortly after Hard Rock took over and is now double the price for the same meal. Where there used to be perhaps 5-6 waitresses serving 50-100 diners before the 11:00 am brunch, there was one waitress and no more than 10 diners this morning. Brunch buffet prices have also increased by close to 40% but our waitress mentioned the amount of people coming for the brunch buffet hasn't decreased that much. For the price, you can find better breakfasts at a lot of other restaurants in Ottawa, some are even cheaper. Obviously they want you to spend your money (or lose your money) on the slots and gaming tables but many people would spend extra money for a breakfast or lunch and all I see is less staff working and being employed and less tips and hours for current staff. And almost all of the staff were amongst the best around who had worked at the restaurant for years Definitely a #fail read more

My wife took her friend rcr for her birthday and sat at table 251 , we had a male server and his behavior was reprehensible. We had no drinks served to begin with , we had to constantly flag him down to bring coffee and fill our water let alone refill it. This man was rude, belittling and with snide comments as to what we should or should no eat . My wife is a diabetic and had a cookie in a napkin to eat while she is walking around so sugar levels didn't drop. He approaches her and confronts extremely rudely and with snide remarks as he will charge extra for that cookie, she told him she needed a cookie for a boost of energy later and was diabetic . He answers, "well I'm diabetic too and why are you eating a plate of desserts" I really don't think it is any of your staffs business to be telling patrons what or what they shouldn't be eating. This waiter was rude to everyone as well. The whole atmosphere in the restaurant tonight Friday may 10th was really one of total insanity from staff behind desserts table talking about rabid dogs, the chef who was extremely pushy and telling people when they ask for a slice of roast beef that "no I'm not giving it to you". What has happened to your establishment? Rideau CarlEton raceway was our go to place to gamble, now most definitely I will never go there or take my friends or relative when they come to visit from out of town and we will spend our money at the casino de hull. You can choose to ignore the email that was sent to you general manager, but we are not finished with this horrible service and behavior done to us and other patrons around us today , we will be writing review on every review site like yelp and trip advisor, advising people to stay away from this joke you call a casino. Restaurant read more

Buffet: 9.99$ plus a beverage 2.69$ If you don't buy a beverage they charge 2.00$.. Weird? The food sucks now. Rice was undercooked. Ribs were so tough I couldn't cut into them. Chicken dry. Desserts not very impressive ; no chocolate mousse anymore!? It's really tasteless mush sometimes. Servers were good actually. No complaints there. read more

Sunday is the one night they have live horse racing. So I recommend you make reservations. It took us about an hour 15 to be seated. We walked around and played some slots while waiting, they provided us with a buzzer. The buffet was good, food was hot and lots of choices from roast beef to shrimp, pork, chicken rice veggies salads. It was all pretty good. Wide range of desserts and watched races while we ate. Reasonably priced at $19.99 for Sunday buffet. You can find coupons in newspaper. Or I think if you sign up at casino you get a voucher as well. Nice evening with the family. read more

Tried the Monday Buffet Special (Ribs & Beer). Only one beer brand available. Ribs were tasty. Vegetables were not fresh (likely frozen) and the local strawberries were mushy (like they had been frozen and sat out to thaw). There were fruit flies around and on some of the desserts. Oh and the plates. Every second or third one was dirty. It was like the bottom of the plate was never washed and food particles transfered to the next plate when stacked. Extremely disappointed. For a world class city there should be world class dining. I will not go back. read more

The cafeteria in high school had better food. Wouldn't recommend it to a starving Somali child.

The majority of the slots at this casino are 1, 2, and 5 cent machines. A lot of the slots are very interactive allowing you not only to win, or lose, but also enjoy yourself at the same time. Many other slots are available including 50 cent, 1, 2, and 5 dollar machines. Many of those the max bet for the jackpot is 3. You'll find some with a max bet of 2 but they are very rare. Their machines I find are not as tight as the Casino across the river. Having said that, don't expect to walk out a winner every time lol. No table games however you have virtual table games such as Baccarat, Roulette, and Blackjack. The admiral's corner is the "high roller" of slots section. There is a smoking deck located outside for the smokers. One thing I notice is that drink carts, at least for me, are never around or rarely come by. Its too bad its not like other OLG casinos that have self serve stations for coffee, and pop. A bar area with televisions allow you to enjoy your winnings or just have some down time. Winner Circle is their rewards program and to sign up for a card visit the counter to your left as you come in. As with other OLG run casinos I found the decor conservative. All you can eat buffet is available. I have not eaten there in a long time however when I did, I found the selection boring and minimal. The do have specials at times including Lobster fest. All you can eat steamed lobster so expect it to be busy. Service the last time was horrible however the other times was just ok. The busier it is expect a slight decline in service unless you have an exceptional server. The Raceway was a harness racing venue prior to their almost to expire partnership with the OLG slots and still goes on. They also offer a frequently running shuttle service from the South Keys transit park and ride. You have to be 19 years or older. Website for more information http://www.rcr.net/index.html read more

Very clean, busy even on a Tuesday afternoon, bar service was very fast & friendly. AND ... they have the latest "Jackpot Party" slot machine ("Super Block Party" or something like that.) A personal favourite. We had fun; other people around us were very pleasant and seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. read more

Love their buffet, great price too. $9.99 is what I paid for an all you can eat buffet. Definitely going back.

Bruh. Just waited 45 mins to get a sandwich at the café. Walked up to the café in the back, and there were 2 people in line ahead of us, so we thought we would get some quick din. Not a chance. We done had to wait forever for the one guy working to even take our order, let alone for him to actually make the sandwich. Even once he finally started our order, he stopped halfway through and started making a wrap for the lady behind us. And they literally don't even have to cook anything, yet it's faster to order actual dinner food at the restaurant. Thought this was a quick way to avoid dinner rush, but we were clearly mistaken. Starving rn. Take my advice, just pay $20 for the buffet, the sandwiches are $10 anyway. I can't even say if the sandwich was good or not cause I haven't eaten it yet, writing this while I'm in line cause I'm bored af. Update: the sandwich was decent, but the guy had to remake it (adding on 15 mins) cause they screwed it up and gave mine to the lady behind me. Update a few months laterI returned to the café cause my grandmaw went to get her free bathrobe. Realizing my mistakes from last time, I skipped on getting a sandwich and got a simple donut and hot chocolate on a cold winters day. This time I would've appreciated the service taking a bit longer, cause the hot chocolate was literally a nestle packet with boiled water dumped on top for $3. I could've made a better one at home for free (Swiss miss got nothing on nestle) and they didn't even put whipped cream or anything that would somewhat justify the price. The cashier was trying to be all sneaky about it too, trying to hide the packet behind her back after pouring it, as if I wouldn't notice by the rotten taste alone. They have all their fancy Starbucks looking coffee machines, which tricked me into thinking the hot chocolate might be decent. Guess it worked, but I won't be ordering any nestle from them again. The donut was ok, only because it was from Suzy Q, although it tasted like the donuts my brother leaves behind in the box for a few days. All together, my order was $7 and I basically could've had a better snack by staying at home having chicken Alfredo. Also, on a side note, I'm really confused if this place is ever turning into the hard rock? They have a random gift shop full of overpriced hard rock tshirts, but that's literally it. Everything else is still trash, and they have put in no effort to change anything since I was here a few months ago. read more

Go there often but noticed lately people are complaining that it is hard to win, and I happen to agree. Love the atmosphere, the people who work there are very friendly, but as I said, hard to win. Probably the same at most casinos. read more

Just finished dining at the Rideau Carleton Race Track and was given service better than many of the 5 star restraints I usually frequent. Cathleen (our server) made our night by being incredibly friendly, efficient and cheerful! Please seek out her service if dining there! read more

I was at the slots with my husband on Saturday and he tried to cash his ticket for $295.00 and got $.10 (ten cent) out of there money machines and there was no one that would believe him because they said their screen said (ten cents) that amount and they would not open machine to verify that maybe something was stuck together. They would not even take his name so when machine is balance that it might have made a mistake. read more

Been to the buffet a few times. Go on the discount nights because you don't want to pay 19.99 per person. Mon to wednesday it is 11.99 plus a drink or 13.99 if you don't get a drink.. They give you water if you like.. There were 4 or 5 meat dishes, The ribs were delicious but not too much meat on them and the breaded chicken also great.. Loved the roast beef there was a spicier chicken which wasn't too good it was too dry.. Bread rolls are small they have a small selection of salads and veggies..The rice is good and. they do have couple of pasta dishes.. There definitely was not 100 items not on the cheap nights but it was ok.. I like to go to buffets that have canadian food becasue most buffets are chinese.. There are not too many options for canadian buffet but this was worth a try.. by the way there won't be any horse races during the cheaper buffet nights.. if that's your plan to watch the races. But the dining room is right next to the track and you would get a good view if you were to do that.. read more

We have been mainly to the restaurant as a couple and with family/friends at least ten times in the past couple of years. For the price it is a deal but never expect a $150.00 meals. So far the food always been good and the service excellent. If you treat your server properly you get good results. We stop a few times at the Casino which is enjoyable. read more