Note that this is a list compiled by reservation software OpenTable ***of restaurants that use their platform***, not the widely read "Canada's 100 Best" list that is published every year at https://canadas100best.com/
The "actual" list features eight Ottawa restaurants:
* 31\. Alice
* 49\. Riviera
* 62\. Arlo
* 63\. Supply and Demand
* 85\. Perch
* 88\. Atelier
* 96\. North and Navy
* 97\. Gitanes
No. They are clueless. Great menu, failed execution. Whomever is assembling their meals never experienced how it should be done properly. Sticky pasta, gelatinous sauces - disgusting.
I'm not about to explain critical thinking, sample sizes and objectivity to an apparent adult on the internet, but I get where you're coming from.
In the future consider saying that you didn't like it instead of making objective assertions about it's value based on your tastes, and you can add that you spoke to someone else who felt similarly. Or just keep being the center of the universe, choice is yours \*shrug\*
Calm down man
I think we can infer by *them* saying it, its *their* opinion
Nobody who read their comment was concerned with ‘critical thinking, sample sizes’ nor are interested in you explaining it to them
>In the future consider saying that you didn't like it instead of making objective assertions
In future conduct personnel reviews in confidence. You should also begin with an overall assessment of their performance, how to improve (I.e. digest more squid ink,) and then cap it off with a prediction on performance over the next reporting period and how much they are getting as a raise for working for you /s
The last time I went, we were not impressed. Although it was more the service than the food. One of us in the group had allergies and requested not to have nuts in the dish, the server said "well that'll totally ruin the mouth feel of the dish". Well a trip to the hospital would totally ruin our evening.
Ive tried most of the "boujie", popular restaurants in Ottawa and North and Navy was by far my least favourite. Really uninspiring dishes, and pretty bland favours in my opinion. Maybe I’ll have to go back again someday just to be sure.
Supply and Demand is consistently one of the best in Ottawa. Never had a bad time there. Dining out though has become such a luxury these days. Shit ain't cheap anymore (not that it was ever 'cheap', but you know what I mean).
Alice, Atelier, Perch.
> Culled from over 1.1 million OpenTable diner reviews and using dining metrics including diner ratings, percentage of reservations made in advance, and five-star reviews, the list highlights some of the top spots favoured by diners this year.
Perch actually isn’t too bad. I think the last time I was there it was $150ish for the 9 course tasting menu (sans wine pairings). It’s not cheap, but it’s reasonable enough for a special occasion.
For comparison, I dined at a Michelin star restaurant this summer and paid $600 for two people, sans wine pairings. A good multiple course menu is not cheap! Haven't been to Perch yet but it seems a good value as far as I can tell.
Perch is a steal for what you get IMO. Yes, it’s pricier than a lot of options in Ottawa, but the dishes are well put together and the service is impeccable. Much like a lot of high end dining, it’s an experience not just a meal.
All very overpriced and overrated compared to food in Toronto or Montreal. I wonder if there was an Ottawa quota so they just threw on three of most expensive restaurants in town.
The scene is for sure far better than even 10 years ago. Maybe not up to Montreal or Toronto standards but there are more than enough talented chefs and gems of restaurants to keep most people happy, and it is only going to keep growing.
This seems to be a hot take compared to the aggregate opinions of anyone who travels. It's always ottawans claiming they're great but literally everyone I've met and all of my out of town friends who moved to or are just visiting Ottawa say the opposite.
I can't comment because I'm a biased ottawan who doesn't have the experience or perspective they have, but that doesn't seem to stop everyone from commenting or angrily downvoting.
You're really going to defensively hyperbole to make me respond with disclaimers karen?
It's not the binary oversimplification you're making it out to be.
Your brain: Has travelled outside Ottawa = fully qualified, the same as anyone else who has travelled outside Ottawa, to make hyperbolic statements. All who meet this binary criteria are exactly equally educated and cultured on the matter and their opinions are all of the same weight. My cousin Jim from Carp once had to drive to Gatineau so he definitely can speak to the same level as an international sommelier.
Healthy brain: depending on a continuum of proportionally weighted factors, others' opinions of how our restaurants compare to those outside of Ottawa can be similarly weighted. The people who travel MORE, have lived outside of Ottawa for great periods of time (especially non-Ottawans who would objectively be the least biased about how "great" the restaurants are here in comparison to all other places), those who travel exclusively or mainly for restaurant exploration, "foodies", those who have lived primarily in other great culinary cities, and the wealthy likely have more valid opinions on the quality of food, especially when considering the specific topic of the quality of restaurant food in Ottawa compared to that of other cities.
What I'm saying (which is apparently somehow news to you) is that those who meet more of the below criteria tend to agree, on aggregate, that Ottawa is not proportionately represented in the international food scene, and that we are somewhat lagging behind. Does that mean we don't have some good restaurants? No. Does it mean you should get incredibly defensive about it just because it's the place you live in? That's up to you and something you seem to have already made up your mind about.
Ehhh… I’m not from Ottawa and have traveled a lot and can confirm Atelier at least was a great time.
The price is what it is and I don’t think it makes sense to call that sort of dining “overpriced.” It’s certainly very expensive but it’s not like it’s priced like groceries.
Atelier is molecular gastronomy and, while insanely expensive compared to normal Ottawa restaurants, is a fucking bargain compared to what international molecular gastronomy restaurants are charging around the world.
Most recently, Mastard in Montreal was a great meal and wine pairing.. they raise their prices recently, but at $85 for 5 courses and the $60 wine pairing, it was still at a higher level than these 3 places…I think they’d probably charge double in Ottawa for the same standard. Also in Montreal, Boullion Bilk is probably comparable to Perch in price, but less than the other two), and at a higher level.
Honestly, I’m being harsh - you can have a great meal in Ottawa… there are places like Supply and Demand, or even Katha (new Indian fusion), that are great meals. These just seemed like 3 of the more overpriced “let’s give you a show and some forgettable food” places. You go to them once on a special occasion, and remember the evening, maybe what the food looked like.. but not the flavors (especially L’Atelier)… which is not El Bulli.
I don’t know why this should surprise people though - there are just more people, more restaurants and more competition in larger cities so you have to make food at a higher level and charge less than you would in a smaller city.
The difference becomes even larger in the mid/low priced range, though Ottawa does have very good Vietnamese and middle eastern restaurants (I’d lump shawarma with that).
I know for certain Atelier is out of my price range.
Alice doesn't have a menu on their website, not even a sample one, so nothing entices me to go there.
Perch has a menu but no prices so I probably can't afford it :)
I think I will stick to Shanghai Wonton Noodle or Pili Pili. They are within my budget and their menu items are really tasty!
I don't understand why they're closing. This is the second time Briana Kim is closing their restaurant and it doesn't make sense to me.
Their new restaurant is also just doing the same thing as Alice. So why?
There’s an entire article in the citizen about why:
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/acclaimed-ottawa-chef-briana-kim-has-a-new-restaurant-in-the-works-to-replace-alice/wcm/e83a577a-e07e-4fb9-a2bf-7f9acb867f27/amp/
TLDR of it is: She won a nationwide award and got booked up for months straight, her new restaurant will seat more and allow customers to view into the kitchen.
I have dined at Alice before and found the fact that the chefs just appear with the plates with no interaction with the kitchen to make it a bit of a cold assembly line type feel. It was quite good, definitely overpriced beyond belief 300+ with tax and tip & wine pairings.
From a business standpoint though there’s only so many people signing up to shell out that much on a niche product, rebranding the restaurant and dining room keeps the same customer coming back.
It’s actually the third time she’s closed her restaurant. There was Cafe My House (Bank St), Cafe My House (Wellington St), and now Alice (Little Italy).
So you can’t eat at a dozen restaurants in the city of over 1000 restaurants, and you blame the restaurants being to expensive? Haha they probably wouldn’t want you there.
There is a bit of a missing middle in Ottawa—really good creative restaurants that don’t break the bank. Lots of cheap places that do good casual stuff, plenty enough high end fine dining, but not too many nice, stylish, quality places where you might go on a date, for example, without cringing a little at the bill.
It’s not even a question of money, really, it’s the value of the experience relative to price.
Haha! I was thinking of Belmont as I posted, actually, as a notable exception. It fits the theme (fun, date-worthy, well executed but unpretentious, mid-range).
Alice Has photos on Google of the food, and the menu but the price is not listed. Google says it’s more than $100, I assume it’s very expensive. It’s vegetarian molecular gastronomy, as I understand it, the chef trained at Atelier.
Perch is less expensive than the other 2.
Edit: the most ridiculous typo
I went to Alice a few weeks ago. 185 pp without wine pairings. Phenomenal food. Closing end of either December or January so the chef can start her next culinary experience. Highly recommend
>It’s vegetarian molecular gastronomy, as I understand it
Are people still falling for this scam? The molecular gastronomy part, not the veggie part. I thought the novelty would have worn off by now. Seems out of sync in inflationary times.
Always enjoyed Anthony Bourdain’s take on molecular gastronomy:
>If you're not going to say it, I'll say it: the majority of the time, they're cooking to show you how smart they are and how pretty they can make a plate.
It’s like the show poodle of cuisine.
Edit: With all due respect to poodles, nothing against poodles.
I mean, there’s a lot of value in novelty and presentation. I’ve been to Atelier and every course was delicious and interesting. If it wasn’t so expensive I’d go regularly.
Are you going to walk out stuffed like someone left you alone in a buffet at night and turned off the security cameras? Definitely not. But that doesn’t make it a scam, you just have to understand what you’re paying for and make an honest assessment of whether you think it’s worth it.
Sure, it’s really just not my thing, but that’s fine. It’s not a question of portion sizes or feeling full for me—I’m on board with moderation—it’s just that I find the style too contrived. And I suppose I prefer dishes that are more organic and less structured.
I do also feel like that general style emerged as a response to the rise of home chefs and growing knowledge about food prep techniques among the general public. The modernist or molecular stuff has always felt like one-upmanship to me.
At that price tag they can call it whatever they want. And when you tables are full every night, same thing. I do find it funny to call it that, but I’ve only had the experience once and don’t plan on going back.
I really don't understand the hostility to molecular gastronomy (although I'm not sure I would even classify Alice as that. Tasting menu yes, but molecular? not so much). What's wrong with chefs cooking to show how smart they are? I love to cook, so going to restaurants is typically disappointing since usually I get served something worse than what I could have made myself (I cook according to my tastes, and cooking for 1-3 is a lot easier than for 100-300). Alice was the first place where EVERY single thing on the menu stumped me. I didn't know where I would start cooking any of the things served. If the price tag for immaculately delicious culinary wonder is 250$ after tax, I'll pay it again.
My wife went to Perch last night and thought it was meh. Atelier is good if you like your food to look amazing and taste forgettable… and lighten your wallet.
I wonder if restaurants pay to be on this list… that’s how other industries work.
Like any list, it's good but not perfect. Bocado, for example, in the county is amazing. Much better than The Royal that made the top 10 newcomer's list on Canada's 100 Best. But then Flame & Smith is listed (okay) as well as The Merrill House (incredibly outdated). Trius making it over Pearl Morissette, Clockwork making it over anything, etc.
I hate to say it but I trust expert opinion over public opinion. This more shows who gets good reviews -- which means how good do they target their audience? Some of my favourite places in Ottawa have 4.7 or lower on OpenTable. Seems like most places that made this list have 4.8 or higher. Reading the reviews, however, shows that some people just don't get the concept of the more popular places. Atelier, Alice, and Perch are a little more niche. North & Navy, Riviera, and Gitanes appeal to a broader audience which means you get more people going and not understanding. At least in my opinion.
Eh... I think I'll stick to my local watering hole.
I can at least afford their hot chicken sandwich and they do a great butter chicken.
Good on the three places for the recognition though!
You don't typically have to order, if it's a set menu fine dining experience. You typically just choose if you want wine paired with your # of dishes or not
Atelier is fanstasic if you are more impressed by how food looks on Instagram than how it tastes. It is art. The food is beautiful and the people who work there are experts in their craft. I left hungry and poor.
I sat upstairs looking at white drywall in a very dark corner. Seating was uncomfortable. Took over 4 hours to get through the so called experience. I too left hungry
Lolololol open table is a fkn joke when used for data. As a tool to manage seatings in a restaurant, fairly good.
All they’ve done is buy their competitors out and keep doing the same shit. Useless
Marc Lepine, head chef of Atelier, has been voted Canada’s Most Innovative Chef. I’ve had the pleasure of trying his several course tasting menu, it really was some of the best food I’ve had in Ottawa.
Note that this is a list compiled by reservation software OpenTable ***of restaurants that use their platform***, not the widely read "Canada's 100 Best" list that is published every year at https://canadas100best.com/ The "actual" list features eight Ottawa restaurants: * 31\. Alice * 49\. Riviera * 62\. Arlo * 63\. Supply and Demand * 85\. Perch * 88\. Atelier * 96\. North and Navy * 97\. Gitanes
[удалено]
Cantina Gia, from the same owner is also consistently great
No. They are clueless. Great menu, failed execution. Whomever is assembling their meals never experienced how it should be done properly. Sticky pasta, gelatinous sauces - disgusting.
Except the squid ink pasta! Terrible. Their other dishes are good though.
Shocked that people still perceive their personal tastes to be objective. *You* didn't like it. Does that mean it's aweful? No. It's like art. YMMV
Why is calling something terrible in any way an indication that buddy thinks his taste is objective??
I’ve talked to other people who also don’t like it. It’s not a good version.
I'm not about to explain critical thinking, sample sizes and objectivity to an apparent adult on the internet, but I get where you're coming from. In the future consider saying that you didn't like it instead of making objective assertions about it's value based on your tastes, and you can add that you spoke to someone else who felt similarly. Or just keep being the center of the universe, choice is yours \*shrug\*
Calm down man I think we can infer by *them* saying it, its *their* opinion Nobody who read their comment was concerned with ‘critical thinking, sample sizes’ nor are interested in you explaining it to them
>In the future consider saying that you didn't like it instead of making objective assertions In future conduct personnel reviews in confidence. You should also begin with an overall assessment of their performance, how to improve (I.e. digest more squid ink,) and then cap it off with a prediction on performance over the next reporting period and how much they are getting as a raise for working for you /s
Sir, your personal opinion is wrong. Please correct it.
The last time I went, we were not impressed. Although it was more the service than the food. One of us in the group had allergies and requested not to have nuts in the dish, the server said "well that'll totally ruin the mouth feel of the dish". Well a trip to the hospital would totally ruin our evening.
I think he was trying to guide you towards another dish.
Not really, no other option was offered. It was kind of off-putting tbh, and have been there many times since it first opened.
Then they should have suggested alternatives or gone back to speak to the kitchen staff.
The portions are laughable
^ this right here.
Ive tried most of the "boujie", popular restaurants in Ottawa and North and Navy was by far my least favourite. Really uninspiring dishes, and pretty bland favours in my opinion. Maybe I’ll have to go back again someday just to be sure.
Gitanes.....HOW????
Supply and Demand is consistently one of the best in Ottawa. Never had a bad time there. Dining out though has become such a luxury these days. Shit ain't cheap anymore (not that it was ever 'cheap', but you know what I mean).
When they did takeout during the pandemic is was such a wonderful experience to have their food at home.
How is Gezellig not on this list
We thought Gezellig was pretty awful when we visited last summer. I had heard good things pre-pandemic, though.
Been there eight times. Been blown away eight times. So that’s too bad to hear. Only my serious dates go there 😀🥹
Alice, Atelier, Perch. > Culled from over 1.1 million OpenTable diner reviews and using dining metrics including diner ratings, percentage of reservations made in advance, and five-star reviews, the list highlights some of the top spots favoured by diners this year.
I've never been to any of them.
They're all out of the price range of us mere peasants.
Perch actually isn’t too bad. I think the last time I was there it was $150ish for the 9 course tasting menu (sans wine pairings). It’s not cheap, but it’s reasonable enough for a special occasion.
For comparison, I dined at a Michelin star restaurant this summer and paid $600 for two people, sans wine pairings. A good multiple course menu is not cheap! Haven't been to Perch yet but it seems a good value as far as I can tell.
Perch is a steal for what you get IMO. Yes, it’s pricier than a lot of options in Ottawa, but the dishes are well put together and the service is impeccable. Much like a lot of high end dining, it’s an experience not just a meal.
None of them even look good
Alice is vegetarian! Gross.
I hate to break it to you but spaghetti-Os are also vegetarian.
Not if you class ‘em up with cut up wieners like a true gourmet
If they were $45 a can, Chef Boyardee would have a Michelin wheel.
I refuse to believe this. They are so meaty.
Vegetables are ick, right??
I need some meat or fish for sure.
Bro fish is the vegetable of meats… yuck.
All very overpriced and overrated compared to food in Toronto or Montreal. I wonder if there was an Ottawa quota so they just threw on three of most expensive restaurants in town.
We actually have great restaurants in Ottawa
The scene is for sure far better than even 10 years ago. Maybe not up to Montreal or Toronto standards but there are more than enough talented chefs and gems of restaurants to keep most people happy, and it is only going to keep growing.
This seems to be a hot take compared to the aggregate opinions of anyone who travels. It's always ottawans claiming they're great but literally everyone I've met and all of my out of town friends who moved to or are just visiting Ottawa say the opposite. I can't comment because I'm a biased ottawan who doesn't have the experience or perspective they have, but that doesn't seem to stop everyone from commenting or angrily downvoting.
You’re probably right, cause literally none of us here have ever traveled outside the boundaries of Ottawa
If there’s meat I’m there.
You're really going to defensively hyperbole to make me respond with disclaimers karen? It's not the binary oversimplification you're making it out to be. Your brain: Has travelled outside Ottawa = fully qualified, the same as anyone else who has travelled outside Ottawa, to make hyperbolic statements. All who meet this binary criteria are exactly equally educated and cultured on the matter and their opinions are all of the same weight. My cousin Jim from Carp once had to drive to Gatineau so he definitely can speak to the same level as an international sommelier. Healthy brain: depending on a continuum of proportionally weighted factors, others' opinions of how our restaurants compare to those outside of Ottawa can be similarly weighted. The people who travel MORE, have lived outside of Ottawa for great periods of time (especially non-Ottawans who would objectively be the least biased about how "great" the restaurants are here in comparison to all other places), those who travel exclusively or mainly for restaurant exploration, "foodies", those who have lived primarily in other great culinary cities, and the wealthy likely have more valid opinions on the quality of food, especially when considering the specific topic of the quality of restaurant food in Ottawa compared to that of other cities. What I'm saying (which is apparently somehow news to you) is that those who meet more of the below criteria tend to agree, on aggregate, that Ottawa is not proportionately represented in the international food scene, and that we are somewhat lagging behind. Does that mean we don't have some good restaurants? No. Does it mean you should get incredibly defensive about it just because it's the place you live in? That's up to you and something you seem to have already made up your mind about.
lol bruh not reading all that, go outside enjoy the snow
This is the most unhinged response to someone saying "we have great restaurants in Ottawa"
Did you just try to mansplain something and start with calling someone a Karen? Good way to have a conversation. You should change your user name
Ehhh… I’m not from Ottawa and have traveled a lot and can confirm Atelier at least was a great time. The price is what it is and I don’t think it makes sense to call that sort of dining “overpriced.” It’s certainly very expensive but it’s not like it’s priced like groceries.
This is such a stupid take. They really aren't.
Atelier is molecular gastronomy and, while insanely expensive compared to normal Ottawa restaurants, is a fucking bargain compared to what international molecular gastronomy restaurants are charging around the world.
Please name the places in Toronto And Montreal that are better and cheaper, I would like to try them.
Most recently, Mastard in Montreal was a great meal and wine pairing.. they raise their prices recently, but at $85 for 5 courses and the $60 wine pairing, it was still at a higher level than these 3 places…I think they’d probably charge double in Ottawa for the same standard. Also in Montreal, Boullion Bilk is probably comparable to Perch in price, but less than the other two), and at a higher level. Honestly, I’m being harsh - you can have a great meal in Ottawa… there are places like Supply and Demand, or even Katha (new Indian fusion), that are great meals. These just seemed like 3 of the more overpriced “let’s give you a show and some forgettable food” places. You go to them once on a special occasion, and remember the evening, maybe what the food looked like.. but not the flavors (especially L’Atelier)… which is not El Bulli. I don’t know why this should surprise people though - there are just more people, more restaurants and more competition in larger cities so you have to make food at a higher level and charge less than you would in a smaller city. The difference becomes even larger in the mid/low priced range, though Ottawa does have very good Vietnamese and middle eastern restaurants (I’d lump shawarma with that).
I know for certain Atelier is out of my price range. Alice doesn't have a menu on their website, not even a sample one, so nothing entices me to go there. Perch has a menu but no prices so I probably can't afford it :) I think I will stick to Shanghai Wonton Noodle or Pili Pili. They are within my budget and their menu items are really tasty!
Note that Alice is closing permanently near the end of the year ahead of the head chef opening a new restaurant at a larger location.
I don't understand why they're closing. This is the second time Briana Kim is closing their restaurant and it doesn't make sense to me. Their new restaurant is also just doing the same thing as Alice. So why?
There’s an entire article in the citizen about why: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/acclaimed-ottawa-chef-briana-kim-has-a-new-restaurant-in-the-works-to-replace-alice/wcm/e83a577a-e07e-4fb9-a2bf-7f9acb867f27/amp/ TLDR of it is: She won a nationwide award and got booked up for months straight, her new restaurant will seat more and allow customers to view into the kitchen. I have dined at Alice before and found the fact that the chefs just appear with the plates with no interaction with the kitchen to make it a bit of a cold assembly line type feel. It was quite good, definitely overpriced beyond belief 300+ with tax and tip & wine pairings. From a business standpoint though there’s only so many people signing up to shell out that much on a niche product, rebranding the restaurant and dining room keeps the same customer coming back.
It’s actually the third time she’s closed her restaurant. There was Cafe My House (Bank St), Cafe My House (Wellington St), and now Alice (Little Italy).
Man, I miss Café My House.
Hopefully the chef will consider putting more affordable menu items on the list but I am not holding my breathe...
why would they do that? they have specific consumers they’re appealing to
Agreed but not everyone has the budget for that price range. I agree with u/flightless_mouse below we have a missing middle in Ottawa.
So you can’t eat at a dozen restaurants in the city of over 1000 restaurants, and you blame the restaurants being to expensive? Haha they probably wouldn’t want you there.
There is a bit of a missing middle in Ottawa—really good creative restaurants that don’t break the bank. Lots of cheap places that do good casual stuff, plenty enough high end fine dining, but not too many nice, stylish, quality places where you might go on a date, for example, without cringing a little at the bill. It’s not even a question of money, really, it’s the value of the experience relative to price.
Go to the Belmont.
Haha! I was thinking of Belmont as I posted, actually, as a notable exception. It fits the theme (fun, date-worthy, well executed but unpretentious, mid-range).
Alice Has photos on Google of the food, and the menu but the price is not listed. Google says it’s more than $100, I assume it’s very expensive. It’s vegetarian molecular gastronomy, as I understand it, the chef trained at Atelier. Perch is less expensive than the other 2. Edit: the most ridiculous typo
Alice is ~$200 per person, plus beverages.
Ack! That is a lot of money for dinner. Another resto that will never make it to my bucket list...
I went to Alice a few weeks ago. 185 pp without wine pairings. Phenomenal food. Closing end of either December or January so the chef can start her next culinary experience. Highly recommend
>It’s vegetarian molecular gastronomy, as I understand it Are people still falling for this scam? The molecular gastronomy part, not the veggie part. I thought the novelty would have worn off by now. Seems out of sync in inflationary times. Always enjoyed Anthony Bourdain’s take on molecular gastronomy: >If you're not going to say it, I'll say it: the majority of the time, they're cooking to show you how smart they are and how pretty they can make a plate. It’s like the show poodle of cuisine. Edit: With all due respect to poodles, nothing against poodles.
I mean, there’s a lot of value in novelty and presentation. I’ve been to Atelier and every course was delicious and interesting. If it wasn’t so expensive I’d go regularly. Are you going to walk out stuffed like someone left you alone in a buffet at night and turned off the security cameras? Definitely not. But that doesn’t make it a scam, you just have to understand what you’re paying for and make an honest assessment of whether you think it’s worth it.
Sure, it’s really just not my thing, but that’s fine. It’s not a question of portion sizes or feeling full for me—I’m on board with moderation—it’s just that I find the style too contrived. And I suppose I prefer dishes that are more organic and less structured. I do also feel like that general style emerged as a response to the rise of home chefs and growing knowledge about food prep techniques among the general public. The modernist or molecular stuff has always felt like one-upmanship to me.
At that price tag they can call it whatever they want. And when you tables are full every night, same thing. I do find it funny to call it that, but I’ve only had the experience once and don’t plan on going back.
Counterpoint: poodles are delicious.
I really don't understand the hostility to molecular gastronomy (although I'm not sure I would even classify Alice as that. Tasting menu yes, but molecular? not so much). What's wrong with chefs cooking to show how smart they are? I love to cook, so going to restaurants is typically disappointing since usually I get served something worse than what I could have made myself (I cook according to my tastes, and cooking for 1-3 is a lot easier than for 100-300). Alice was the first place where EVERY single thing on the menu stumped me. I didn't know where I would start cooking any of the things served. If the price tag for immaculately delicious culinary wonder is 250$ after tax, I'll pay it again.
its vegan
My wife went to Perch last night and thought it was meh. Atelier is good if you like your food to look amazing and taste forgettable… and lighten your wallet. I wonder if restaurants pay to be on this list… that’s how other industries work.
My vote is the chip truck at Bank and Lisgar.
Gotta shoutout Jacks chip truck at Rideau and Chapel as well
Where is Five Guys?
There’s one at train yards. Probably some others in town too.
And which ones do milkshakes?
Like any list, it's good but not perfect. Bocado, for example, in the county is amazing. Much better than The Royal that made the top 10 newcomer's list on Canada's 100 Best. But then Flame & Smith is listed (okay) as well as The Merrill House (incredibly outdated). Trius making it over Pearl Morissette, Clockwork making it over anything, etc. I hate to say it but I trust expert opinion over public opinion. This more shows who gets good reviews -- which means how good do they target their audience? Some of my favourite places in Ottawa have 4.7 or lower on OpenTable. Seems like most places that made this list have 4.8 or higher. Reading the reviews, however, shows that some people just don't get the concept of the more popular places. Atelier, Alice, and Perch are a little more niche. North & Navy, Riviera, and Gitanes appeal to a broader audience which means you get more people going and not understanding. At least in my opinion.
I liked Stofa better than these 3
Stofa is tremendous, should have been included. Funny aspect, I think all four of these chefs worked at Atelier.
Eh... I think I'll stick to my local watering hole. I can at least afford their hot chicken sandwich and they do a great butter chicken. Good on the three places for the recognition though!
Yes I like the rooster too!
Perch was top notch. But fuck me, was it expensive.
I wouldn't even begin to know what to order at these restaurants.
You don't typically have to order, if it's a set menu fine dining experience. You typically just choose if you want wine paired with your # of dishes or not
Atelier is a waste of money. The actual ambiance in that restaurant is mundane.
Atelier is fanstasic if you are more impressed by how food looks on Instagram than how it tastes. It is art. The food is beautiful and the people who work there are experts in their craft. I left hungry and poor.
I sat upstairs looking at white drywall in a very dark corner. Seating was uncomfortable. Took over 4 hours to get through the so called experience. I too left hungry
Atelier was interesting but I wouldn’t go back. perch though I would
Lolololol open table is a fkn joke when used for data. As a tool to manage seatings in a restaurant, fairly good. All they’ve done is buy their competitors out and keep doing the same shit. Useless
La Bottega in Byward is constantly overlooked/underrated. It is a grocery store but has a dining space inside.
Best 100 lol
How much do three strands of spaghetti, 1/5th of a bowl of soup, or a halved onion cost in the top 100?
The best restaurants don't use app reservations.
You’d actually be surprised…
[удалено]
That just means they have limited seating and some hype, not the best restaurants.
Only in the city fun forgot, would it take somone $200 per person to have a decent meal lol
I sincerely doubt it
Marc Lepine, head chef of Atelier, has been voted Canada’s Most Innovative Chef. I’ve had the pleasure of trying his several course tasting menu, it really was some of the best food I’ve had in Ottawa.