Just hit up this place last night, pretty cool crowd and the owner is pretty chills. Definitely…read morecoming back again!

Was in the area and stumbled into this place with my girlfriend on a friday night. Food portions…read morewere generous, service was great, and the beer selection was plentiful. Will definitely come back again.

Friendly staff, chill atmosphere, delicious food. Seems to be pretty popular with local folks and…read moreregulars

Really good food and informal atmosphere. The service was beyond excellent.!! We had a recommend…read morethis restaurant for low-key and good food!

Vintage. Grandma's house. Cutest place! Friendly staff, warm…read more& welcoming. Comfy & cozy. I ordered pierogies Very good, a little crisp to pierogies, bacon jam perfectly made and a nice creamy sauce and the bleu nuit cocktail.

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!

TL;DR/The Short Version: Delicious Piri Piri Chicken at this…read morePortuguese restaurant in Blackburn Hamlet. The Long Version: My family and I were celebrating Lunar New Year a bit late and we made up for it by having an epic feast. Our theme was East meets West. My brother got a dinner for 6 at The Mandarin and I got the Combo 6 at Portugalos. The Combo 6 ($69.50) consisted of 1 1/2 chickens, a rack of ribs, a box of fries, a box of rice, 2 boxes of salad, 8 buns and 3 small containers of Piri Piri sauce. I loved that the chicken was already cut into pieces. The meat was tender and fall off the bone. The seasoning was delicious and had a bit of a spicy kick. I also loved that the ribs were also pre-cut. The ribs were also fall off the bone and had good flavour. The fries were shoestring fries and were good. My little neices loved them. The rice was soft and fluffy. It had a tomato flavour with herbs. I liked that the salad came with the dressing on the side. It was romaine lettuce, baby spinach, kale and shredded carrots. The dressing was a creamy green dressing. It was good. The buns were soft and fresh. The sauce was a bit on the oily side, but it had a fiery kick to it. The food was a big hit at the get-together. We got takeout, but they have a spacious dining room. I called in my order the day before and I was able to pick it up right at opening. Service was pleasant. There free parking in the plaza parking lot. Portugalos is where Olito's Cafe used to be. Portugalos has a location in Gatineau as well (which was their original location, this one in Blackburn Hamlet is their second location). Review #53 (2025)

I have tried Portugalos few times at the Gatineau location, and noticed we have one in Blackburn…read moreHamlet now, so my wife and I went last night to try it out. The service is good, the server is friendly. The restaurant decor is nice with the pictures of the various places in Portugal The food is not as good as I have tried before at the Gatineau location. Not sure they are the same owner. Cataplana is very small and the sea food is not at the best in terms of freshness, I know it is difficult to have fresh seafood in Ottawa especially in the winter time, nevertheless, it certainly can be better for what we had. The steak is ok but it is not a steak house quality, this is something they should look into, perhaps go for some fine quality filet mignon and raise the price so people will appreciate for the quality of the food and would not mind of paying extra for the quality. The owner is a young couple and I think people in Blackburn Hamlet should go there give it a try to support the local business. Good Luck Portugalos hope to see you again later on in the year.

Their beer may be good but the food sure isn't…read more Walked in and the place looked totally desolate except for a table of elderly men. After eating there, I now know why. I split a chicken fajita wrap and got about a tablespoon of thinly sliced chicken in mine. Peppers, onions? Barely any at all, just mainly lettuce. It was so pathetic I complained to the waitress who was very nice and brought me a new one. Unfortunately the new one with "more chicken in it" wasn't much better than the first. My brother ordered the Irish stew. There wasn't one chunk of meat in it - just traces of fine strings of lamb and he said it tasted like it came out of a can. The waitress was apologetic and even took 5 dollars off our meal which was kind of her. Overall, it was pretty disappointing and I would not go back.

I was on a geocaching activity with friends and we stopped here for lunch. This is a lovely pub…read morewith a great selection of beers and snacks. Apparently, they also have cool events here so it is worth checking that up. I would have given this place a much better rating but: 1. I ordered a soup which was a very tiny portion for what it cost 2. Beer prices are slightly above average 3. This is the main reason- Service. There was only one waiter during this shift and the place was almost half full (or felt like that) so she tried her best but since the place was under-staffed the service was extremely slow. If I am in the area I will give it a 2nd chance to fix this initial expression but I won't come here intentionly.

Really love the interior- although it was so loud in the restaurant that it was difficult to hear…read morefolks from across the table. We got the nachos to start, and i got the cobb salad, while my partner got the ribs. the nachos were good, although they were a little too salty. but i can appreciate that the chips seem to be fried in house, which is a bonus for sure. My partner said the ribs were fantastic. He really enjoyed the sauce. The cobb salad, while I really enjoyed the jammy egg, was really annoying to eat. It comes deconstructed (although i'm not sure that's the right word) and the lettuce isn't chopped.... which i found to be a bizarre choice. It's also garnished with what seemed to be a handful of dill. wasn't a huge fan of that.

I highly recommend stopping in during happy hour. It's on the quieter side and the happy hour menu…read moreis one of the better ones in the neighborhood with some great options. We came here with the kids last week, and it was a great time. Service was fast, and again, it was quiet. I got the vegetarian power bowl, which I had before, but I didn't end up finishing it this time around, I found it lacking some pazazz! Hubbies chicken burger was great. Happy hour sweet potato fries and dip were amazing! Bite of brownie is always delicious.

Superb food, superb service, lovely spot I really really…read morelike the Belmont I had salmon on toast with greens, both were great

Cute little spot I would recommend a reservation. This is my second time and once again I had not…read moremade reservations. (Expect 45-1h wait time.) not bad as there are a lot of cute shops around. Both me and my partner got the Belmont breakfast. Has a bit of everything ($23) I gave my partner the bread and got his salad. He said the bread was really good. I really enjoyed my salad nice and fresh not sure what kind of leaves was used. First time I see that shape. Back to salad it was light and a little bit sweet. Potatoes are the next best thing on my plate. I like them he spice that was used, I added a but more salt on mine. The breakfast sausage did not give me heartburn... not guaranteeing anything but worth mentioning. I believe they were lighter in oil simply. My partner always trades them for bacon. I only got a half sausage, he had the rest. The last thing I want to mention is less positive. I usally like breakfast beans. Got excited when I saw the black beans. However, really disappointed nothing more than warmed out black beans. Not what I would expect from breakfast beans. I expect a maple or sugar flavour. You can pay $5 to add to your breakfast... mine came with them but I would skip. Unless unflavoured black bean is your thing.

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.

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.

I was SO stoked to finally visit the Moonroom after seven or so years of wanting to go!…read more After a Saturday night at Bluesfest, we waited somewhere else for about half an hour before they told us the kitchen was backed up, so we walked down Preston and I was so glad the Moonroom was still open. We didn't get there until about 12:30am and it was pretty full. We didn't leave until maybe 2:30am and it was still pretty full considering the time. They're not normally open this late, but it seems like a lot of the businesses on Preston decided to stay open later to catch the post-Bluesfest crowd. Good call! We decided to sit inside since there was an empty table, otherwise I would've liked to sit out on their back patio, which looked really pretty with the lights. Inside was a nice vibe though, too. It's small/narrow, dimly lit, with sheets covering the different coloured ceiling lights, and candles on the table. It's very intimate and pretty romantic. We sat close to the bar and there was another party of two beside us. The music was a bit louder so we couldn't really hear the other table's conversations, but not so loud that we couldn't hear each other. They were playing the Bee Gees when we walked (danced) in, so we were really about the jams. My husband got a rotating draught IPA by Daft Brewing, can't remember which one it was. I got the Jill Collins, which had Tanqueray Gin, Affino Limone, fresh lemon and mint, cane syrup, and a Moon soda top. It was super refreshing, bright, and not too sweet, which is exactly what I wanted. We shared/I mostly ate the "OG Grilled Cheese" and "Panzanella-esque Salad". The grilled cheese had aged Balderson and cream cheeses in a crunchy baguette smothered in toasted garlic butter, served with Moon ketchup. It was exactly as described, with very crunchy, buttery garlic bread and creamy cheese. The Moon ketchup is made in-house, thinner and chunkier than processed, store-bought ketchup, with stronger flavours. It was okay, but I didn't need to dip much in the ketchup because I really enjoyed the sandwich and it was on the saltier side itself. Because it was a lot creamier than gooey, I'd say it was more of a sandwich than a grilled cheese, but still very tasty. I really am not a huge fan of salad in general, but I can't complain when it was burrata on top. It also had salty bread, arugula, roasted tomatoes, fresh peaches, herbs, and honey. The peaches were more firm than ripe and juicy, which was good for a salad, though I wish they were a bit sweeter. The burrata wasn't creamy inside like I expected, but I love cheese in any form. I really don't know what possessed me to get salad, especially after a bunch of drinks in the wee hours of the night, but my body thanked me later. Salty, bitter, a little sweet, fresh, and not heavy, even with (more) bread and cheese. It was great. They unfortunately ran out of the affogato, which probably would've convinced my husband to stay longer. Too bad. The vegan dark chocolate gelato from Farinella that they put in it sounded amazing. The beer was $10.50, my cocktail was $19, grilled cheese $16, and salad $17, which was pricey. BUT, the fresh herbs are from their garden on the back patio, they make their own soda and ketchup (among other things), everything was delicious, and even late at night the cocktails and dishes were still well put together and tasted great, plus I finally came here after so long. No regrets! Our server was super nice, same with owner and one of the bartenders, who even popped over and sat with us for a bit to chat. And not in a weird/creepy/in-your-face way lol she was cool. She was the one who greeted us when we came in and said bye to us on our way out. There's no flash photography (I forgot to turn my auto flash off for my salad, sorry!). They're open all week from 5pm to 2am, no reservations, no large groups, and no phone (just stop by). I wasn't sure if it would meet the high expectations and hype I had built up in my head after waiting so long to visit, but it totally did. It's such a nice spot, we had an amazing time, and we will definitely be back!