I was really excited to see something open up where Anna Thai used to be, since the spot was vacant for a couple of years. I was even more excited when I discovered that a Filipino restaurant had opened up in the space! They opened December 2023. My husband and I got takeout at Sanduk for lunch, about a week or so after they opened. Overall the food was ok, but the noodle dish was a bit too salty and the packaging was not ideal as the spring rolls got very soggy. The rice was clumpy and tasted old, but the BBQ chicken leg was great. We ordered from their lunch menu and got the Pancit Guisadu ($15.99) which came with 3 spring rolls, and the BBQ Chicken ($18.99) which the menu said came with greens and fried rice, but it only came with rice (unless they consider the sprinkling of peas, carrots and corn on top of the rice, "greens."). The spring rolls came in a plastic container with the Pancit Guisadu, sitting on top of the noodles, so they were quite soggy when I got home. I would recommend that the restaurant package them separately, in a paper bag to keep them crispy. Despite being soggy, the spring rolls had good flavour and they were filled with ground meat, carrots and onions. They would have been much tastier had they been crispy. The Pancit Guisadu was vermicelli noodles stir fried with chicken, sliced fish balls, cabbage, onions, carrots and snow peas. It was tasty, but too salty for my liking. The container was lined with banana leaves, which I thought was kind of cool. The BBQ chicken was a drumstick and a thigh and came with rice topped with peas, carrots and corn kernels. I was expecting a salad as well since the menu said it came with "greens" but maybe that was my misinterpretation. The vegetables were a bit cold, so I think they are from a frozen mix. The rice was a bit clumpy and didn't taste freshly made to me. I was expecting garlic fried rice, so was disappointed with the rice. The BBQ chicken though was delicious. The flavour was a bit sweet, but mostly savoury. The chicken was tender and moist. The accompanying dipping sauce was good as well and added additional flavour. Service was friendly and welcoming. I called my order in and went to pick it up. My order was done 10 minutes before they quoted, so they called me and I gladly headed over. The restaurant is beautiful inside. They have regular tables and chairs, but also have some tables at the front that are low to the ground and you sit on cushions on the floor. They also have a private room upstairs for parties. I am so happy to see more culinary diversity in Westboro/Wellington West/Hintonburg. Realizing that they are a new restaurant, I might give them another try after a few months. Hopefully, by then they've ironed out some of the wrinkles. Street parking only. (7) read more

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4 stars out of five for: - feels like home ambiance with the earthy decor and plenty of live plants - the adobong puti with white rice tasty (it's inside a palayok ) - the pancit canton was on the salty side - the bbq pork chop with garlic fried rice is ok would prefer different side sauces for options - there was complimentary soup of the day (mungo with ampalaya & bagoong alamang - friendly & welcoming staff - dishes are on the mid-range pricey side $$ read more

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I came there last weekend after the snow. It's a nice place and I like the decoration there. We liked the floor seats next to the window, but it was a bit cold. They provided blankets there, which is really cool. However, it took 20 mins to prepare food. The complimentary soup was salty (as salty as miso), and I smelled the raw green onion from my bowl which was very strong. Anyway, it was fine. Then they served us Aligui, Lechon Pawsik, and Gatang Susu which were our orders according to the waitress's suggestions. They were plated nicely with banana leaves and a wooden big spoon. However, the taste was awful for 2 of them and all 3 were just a bit warm, not hot. Only the Lechon Pawsik tasted fine. The other 2 were super salty, and fishy. Aligui and Gatang Susu were seafood, and they weren't hot at all. The crab didn't have really any meat inside, the shrimps were unfresh, squids were undercooked, and the snails were fishy. When we were almost done with the meal, the waitress came to check on us if everything was fine. I asked her about the taste if it was supposed to be that salty and if the food should be cold like that. She said no and asked if we wanted them to make another one. But we were disappointed about the temperature of the food, so we denied her offer. And then there was no compensation coming, we just got an apology from them, and that's it. It's as pricey as fine dining in the area, but the portion was very small and the quality was terrible, and for sure, a nightmare for the taste. Also, the service was unsatisfactory. We tried to finish all the dishes but were still hungry. They own a parking lot, but that day we couldn't access their parking because they didn't remove the snow. The waitress told me to drive through the alley next to the restaurant to get to the back of the restaurant, while snow was all there. So how could I make it? They even didn't shovel the snow on the parking lots I can say I'll never come back here. It wasted my money and my mood. We were excited to try the food here that day. read more

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Went here for my birthday on Jan 19th 2024. Small and unique lil place, gets a bit crowded and cramped when busy, but had an overall fun, intimate, lively ambiance with some cool decor inspired by Filipino culture. It's a good idea to check out their menu online before going at Sanduk.ca, especially if you are not familiar with Filipino cuisine. They currently do not have photos, so Google search or watch a video to get an idea of what you expect in terms of portion, plating, and ingredients. Seems to be a few inconsistencies with their in-restaurant menu and online menu - some dish descriptions I read on their site didn't match the in-person menu at the restaurant. We had reservations, and there seemed to be no front desk where someone would come and serve you or wait. Lobby was very crowded since they were busy that evening. Very confused on where to go and who to talk to. Chef/waiter seemed unsure and preoccupied when I asked. I eventually just spotted one of my family members and seated myself. My step-mom was waiting for us to arrive, and said that they didn't seem prepared for our reservation of 3. Service was kind of slow. Took a while for servers to get back to us even after just ordering some drinks, as they seemed understaffed. My Ginger Ale came in a can for me to pour out into my own glass. A bit odd to me personally, but not really an issue in the grand scheme of things, just a small gripe. Maybe give customers a heads-up, or specify that soft drinks come in cans next time on the menu? Appetizers were good. Here's what we got: Lumpiang Shanghai (6 spring rolls): came with some kind of sauce similar to sweet Thai chili. Paired very well with them, but I wish there was more sauce in the ramekins, which were pretty shallow, especially since we were sharing. In the future, I'd suggest serving the Lumpiang Shanghai with deeper ramekins that can hold more sauce. Very yummy, wish I could've had them all to myself! Panara: Also very good. Chopped Upo (bottle gourd), minced tofu, and shrimp wrapped in wontons and deep fried. Main Course: I cannot speak much in terms of my family member's experience, they ordered the Kare Kare, and complained that there was too much sauce compared to the amount of meat the got. However, I personally LOVED the pork Sisig. It's minced/diced crispy pork on a sizzling plate like you get at Lone Star. If you are a meat-lover like myself, try this one out. It was seasoned just enough to enjoy the crispy meat and pork fat flavours, but not overpowering or bland, just right. Slight citrusy flavour from what I believe is Kalamansi/Filipino Lime, which was nice and not too much at all. Like I said, definitely search this dish up online before ordering so you know what to expect. Lots of different textures, loved the crispy bits and melted pieces of pork fat. Very fun dish to eat, good portion, and especially filling with the little pot of rice they give you on the side. Wish I lived closer so I could order it again, maybe I'll take the trip just to have it. Been craving it ever since I left! Overall, give Sanduk a try, and be patient with them, as they are a new restaurant. Familiarize yourself a bit with the menu items before going. Suggestions for Sanduk to improve as of Jan 2024: - Have someone greet guests at door, or have some kind of large, clear, and easy to read sign indicating where we should wait to be served/greeted. - Look for ways to be more well-prepared for reservations. - Include your own photographs of dishes on your website. Make sure they look professional, well-lit, etc. - Make sure dish descriptions on website match menu exactly, have no typos, and are more detailed. - Hire more staff if possible to lessen wait times. Not sure how your restaurant operates, so it's up to you to find out what's best. - Make restaurant accessible to disabled customers - I know it's small, but maybe include ramps that can easily be used by wheelchair or mobility aid users. Consider adding Braille to menus. - Specify what drinks will be served in (glasses, cups, cans, bottles, etc). - Deeper ramekins for sauce. read more

Poor service. Took them 1.5 hrs to serve our food. We are only a group of four. Not spacious. Nothing special in the food they serve. read more

I came here last february 14 with my family. I notice that they have floor seats however it's is very dirty so we decided to be seated in the main hall. The services is quite slow, they're understaff. And there's the petite old woman who looks like their leader/boss na napakasungit. Sinungitan niya kami like she doesn't want to accommodate us kasi sobrang busy sila. Hindi dapat siya ang nasa front counter because she doesn't look like friendly at all. She looks strict kaya yung ibang employee parang stiff mag work around her. Sobrang bagal ng services nila, hindi naman na sila bago para sabihing nag-aadjust pa sila. Yung food is okay, nothing new. Yung kare-kare, tinipid sa laman pero nasobrahan ng sauce. Yung pancit, masabaw pero okay na din. read more

Great food and service. Have been to a lot of Filipino restaurants around Canada and this has to be one of the most authentic flavors that I have had. Great decor and very clean read more

I went there cause they had really good reviews on IG. I hope I can have a great meal with my hubby and friend but I've never had that bad experience. After taking orders, they served us a bowl of soup, it's warm and salty. My friend had to add a half of glass of water into soup. Then after 15-20m, we had 3 meal served. It looks great at the beginning, but I made me disappointed at first bite. We ordered Aligui, lechon paksiw and gatang susu with white rice. Everything is just warm and salty. Im ok with salty cause they're busy so they can seasoning not properly. But FOOD is just warm not hot as we expect. Servers I guess she's busy so she didnt check on us, we almost finish the meal, she came to our table and ask "how's everything". After giving feedback to her, she offered to exchange the meal but we're so disappointed and just wanna leave. By the way, is overprice as well. 3 meals are small portions but cost us most Cad 100 before tax and tip. read more

Sanduk - a dining area with tables and chairs - Filipino Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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What great authentic food at Sanduk! Everything we tried was delicious and service was friendly and paced well. The aesthetic feel is very pleasing and relaxed. We will go back. Thank you for a great experience at Sanduk. read more