One of the best Sazeracs I've ever had. This place is really good. Cocktails are on point.

Visited Absinthe recently with my girlfriends for a nice dinner out and we were all pretty impressed. Lovely hostess took our coats, deliciously made cocktails weren't soon after that-the service was good and food was terrific. I picked the burger-it's not a huge menu but really great set up with wine pairings and table d'hôte was very reasonable but once I heard the burger was two patties and three buns dessert and an appetizer were out the window but many of the girls went that way. Steak frites was a big hit amongst the girls and big kudos to the chef who whipped up a delicious salt free pasta for my salt sensitive friend who didn't call ahead-well done! Only comment-it is a bit wide open which doesn't give it a warm cozy feel, add in a table by the window on a cold night and it feels a little chilly. Pretty sure we'll be back-I want the steak now! read more

Amazing meal, a true hidden gem. Thank you Marshall for the welcoming charm and your anazing recommendation.

A solid three star establishment. The thing that makes this place great is the vibe - dim lights, cool music and nice decor. The food is just ok - the hubby loved his burger and duck confit poutine. My duck duo dish (duck confit and foie gras) was bland and not memorable. The service is good and the wine list is decent. The absenth liquor is served in a really cool device (you'll see what I mean when you order it)! We had a good overall experience here but won't rush back. read more

Winner of Ottawa Magazines September 2009 issue of "101 Tastes to Try Before You Die", Absinthe Cafe is located on what has become foodie central, Wellington Street. I opted for the steak frites, which was highly touted in the magazine article and while a well prepared and delicious dish, I was left feeling that this dish could have been prepared at any decent french restaurant, as there was nothing that really distinguished the dish as being a Absinthe original. My choice was the three course dinner selection which included an starter, appetizer and main course, although a complimentary cup of French onion soup was provided in the cutest and smallest of dishes that I had ever been served food in. Service was prompt and cheery, the surroundings warmly lit but the centerpiece was the large mural in the back of the room which gave the effect of absinthe as it is being served in a glass - green and cloudy, it is a very cool mural. read more

It was my first time there and will be the last. We went on date night and you can barely have a conversation because of the noise and proximity of the neighboring tables! I found the appetizers ok. Both of our main courses were good. The server was addressing us as 'Bro' and 'Boys'. For the price we paid for the dinner and being served by waiters in T-shirts... It's was worth it ($200+). Why I deducted more stars was both of our desserts were not appetizing. My profiteroles where overbaked (dark and hard) and the lemon tart was underbaked (runny and raw meringue). It's a no go for me. read more

I had a three course meal here, which included scallops for the appetizer, a salad and duck breast for the entree. First the scallops were cooked very well and in an amazing sauce. I at first wasn't sure if I'd like the salad as it had a lemon parmesan dressing but I actually really enjoyed it. The duck breast was cooked medium rare and had a nice crust on it that was very tasty. With the duck there was a bed of mashed potatoes that was whipped to perfection and had a ragout of mushrooms on top, really enjoyed the mushrooms. Servers were really nice and very attentive. read more

Atmosphere, service and food was amazing. Also feel safe with distance between tables during Covid. One of my favourite Ottawa restaurants.

So I came here for my birthday with my parents. Now if you are bringing picky eaters they will not be happy. However for those with refined palates and enjoy to adventure into new flavors this place is amazing. If you want food you could not possibly recreate at home . This is the place for you. Also the best tartare I've ever experienced. The steak comes medium rare. My father cannot stand uncooked meat so we specifically asked for his to be medium. It came out rare. They took it back and threw it in the oven. However at the end of the meal. The waitress took the steak off of the bill without us evening asking for that. It was very great gesture and made us happy she took that step. All in all we loved the meals . And the service!!! Recommend to those that are not picky eaters !! read more

Had a really nice lunch here. I ordered the snapper and quinoa and their signature Hard Lemonade. I really enjoyed the lemonade, although I did find that 14$ for a cocktail was a bit steep for Ottawa. Even in Vancouver a cocktail generally doesn't go over 10$. They also (surprise,surpise) have a great selection of Absinthe. I would have loved to try more of them had it not been 1:00 in the afternoon and the popular liquor not been around 70% alcohol. The snapper and quinoa salad paired really well with my lemonade though and had lots of great flavour to it. The fish was cooked perfectly. As well, the presenation was great. My only complaint would be that the snapper was a touch on the salty side. I recommend checking this place out. read more

My wife and I took our son and girlfriend there for an early supper before the rush on Sun Dec 30th. This was not our first time at Absinthe. We were greeted by the staff and taken to one of the few non-reserved tables. The staff asked if they could take our coats to their coat closet/room. They took all of our coats. After a lovely well served and delicious meal I paid and we were ready to leave. When my son and I went with the staff to collect our coats, the staff member was all flustered as to which cabinet the coats were in. After being home my sons girlfriend was aware of missing her keys and wallet from her coat. My son made a phone call the next morning back to the restaurant. The answer had turned up nothing but the person that answered finally said that the key was there. My son and girlfriend went back to restaurant to pick up the keys and were greeted by who seemed like the Chef. He was very abrupt and defensive. He said there is no wallet and that was the end of conversation. Really it would just been nice to have had this issue dealt with by a sympathetic helpful staff and not an arrogant unapologetic person . Needless to say we will not be back to this restaurant. read more

The food is absolutely delicious which makes me so sad about the waitress and the fact that I have to give this restaurant a lower rating. I've loved everything I've eaten here, but now I've had staff ignore special instructions for an order (I expect better from a high end place) and as of my most recent experience, be downright rude. The server was standoffish to me and made me feel unwelcomed in the restaurant, took away my water away when she sat me, brought out my bread rather late with just oil instead of oil and vinegar and then took ages to bring me my bill (it wasn't busy and I saw her drinking and chatting with someone at the bar after I'd asked for my bill for about ten or fifteen minutes), she then took her tip when I asked her for change without asking me how much I'd like to tip her (I didn't notice this until after I left, so I ended up tipping her twice and she definitely didn't deserve the amount that she took in the first place). read more

Really great food. The goat cheese tart with the beet salad was amazing! Great service. Pretty plain decor, but the food definitely is anything but plain. read more

Excellent food and good service, must try the burger. To die for. I really like the industrial chic ambiance. read more

Absinthe Cafe - Canadian (New) Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

We celebrated a birthday at Absinthe - what a great experience! The waitress was attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. The menu is more pricey but matches the quality of what you receive. The kitchen staff were amazing, they split my aunt and mom's burger in half in the kitchen since they wanted to share, they both received beautiful plates. I had the burger with salad and poutine (must-have!). The kitchen staff were kind enough to bring the salads from our meals at the same time as other's family member's appetizer so we wouldn't be just sitting there as they ate. I found that very thoughtful. They even bring a small plate of their house foccacia as you wait for the first service. I have nothing negative to say about Absinthe!! So glad we have a place like this in Ottawa. read more

I am currently sitting here for 90 minutes after ordering and am watching others receive their food. So far the appetizers have been on point but the disorganization has been impressive. read more

Fantastic food, great wine selection and wonderful service!

Food ok. Service terrible. Went there recently for a nice dinner out and went home disappointed. The food itself had moments of being decent, but sometimes was pedestrian. It was as if the restaurant couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a 'foodie' place or a 'neighborhood place'. It was sometimes stuck in no-mans land of french fries and ranch sauce. But the complaint of the evening was the terrible service. The staff was polite but simply unable to attend to details quickly and smoothly. In other words they were untrained. We spent several hundred dollars for our meal, and tried the best the kitchen could offer, but the wait staff under performed and left us cold. The drink service, for example, was atrociously slow. We had a multi-course meal and were pairing the wine with the course, but twice the wine arrived after we have completed the course. It shouldn't take 15 minutes to get a bottle of wine in the middle of the meal. Check please! I mean really. Other issues: we had some fondue and the burners went out and were not attended too. Inexcusable. Upon departure, they failed to return our checked coats within a reasonable time - we finally had the whole party stand around for 5 minutes before the wait staff decided to attend to us and fetch our coats. The meal took 2:45. Ridiculous. Should have taken an hour. In the end the food was ok. Had some nice elements and some mundane ones. But the poorly trained or poorly managed service absolutely killed the experience. I hope they clean up their act. read more

A great evening at Absinthe with our friends to celebrate the New Year. The menu was fun and tasty. I loved the little soldier with the tomato,soup, a little throw back to childhood. Of course my duck was scrumptious! Service was right on time, friendly and helpful. We will be back! read more

I found this one of the best places in Ottawa. The food was great, the atmosphere was also great. The biggest point that I found that made this a Five star location was the service. Our server Nag(?) was amazing. He made the evening an experience. He actively engaged us about our food and drink. He told us the narrative of the place, the food, and our drinks. He had amazing suggestions on combinations, also, he was super hilarious. It was a nice change to have a server that actually talked you, asked your name and remembered it for the evening. read more

We decided to try this place, based on the positive reviews. It was an extremely disappointing dinner. From the start, service was slow and indifferent. For our starter, we ordered the beef tartare. Instead, we got a mouthful of anchovies. When we pointed this out, they did substitute for an ok butternut squash soup, but also argued with me that the tartare was made as it should be. I've eaten a lot of tartare, and if that's the way it's meant to be made, then I'm glad for everyone else who makes it incorrectly enough that I can actually taste the beef. As for our mains, half of our dishes were pretty good...but the rest (salad dressing and mushrooms in the agnolotti) had so much salt that it was borderline inedible. read more

We were extremely satisfied with everything from the greeting, the service, the food and the special birthday acknowledgement for my aunt. Everything was classy. Even after we were finished our meal and paid, our server continued pouring water as we continued our conversation. We didn't feel rushed and had a wonderful time. We enjoy good food and are often not satisfied. However this time, everyone loved their meal and we each had a different appetizer and a different main meal. Even the drinks (dirty martini) was the most delicious I've had. We have never been to Absinthe before but have a reservation for fondue and thought we'd try it on a regular night as my aunt lives close by. Well there is nothing regular about Absinthe - everything is exceptional and we are now looking forward more than ever to our fondue dinner. read more

We had a wonderful meal at Absinthe, the food and service were impeccable. The amazing thing is our party of 5 included all ages from an 11 year old all the way up to a 75 year old and they all found a dish that they absolutely loved. read more

Very average and super over priced. This restaurant seems to think they are gourmet and charge as if they are...but they are definitely not. Portions are very small, flank steak was overcooked, salad was salty, fries are good, but the poutine is a major let down. Burger was ok but terrible at $24. The desert was disappointing and it's priced at a premium but served at corner store quality. Overall very expensive, menu is uninspiring, save your money there are much better places to eat in Ottawa. read more

I will start off by saying I was there as part of a party of 7 and as far as I could tell, everyone else mostly enjoyed their meals (my boyfriend and I found the burger very greasy). The drinks were good and they gave us free dessert as there was a long long wait between courses each time. I personally had a very bad experience with the lack of care from the serving staff. I expressed to him I was lactose sensitive, and doing my best to avoid higher acidic food due to stomach issues. He seemed uninterested, and explained no substitutions under any circumstances. I said fine. I asked him questions about a few meal choices and he seemed annoyed after my third question so I just picked the least risky seeming choices. I ordered the beet salad, and the soup ("there's a touch of cream in it but not a substantial amount") and the burger with a salad and poutine, which he says I could have just as fries. Beet salad was alright. Soup arrived with a bunch of extra cream drizzled on top. I would have asked not to do that if he'd told me that. He never thought to mention it. The burger arrived with cheese on it although I specifically chose it as the menu had none listed. He served me a poutine and the other side, the house salad, also arrived covered in cheese (as well as a lemon salad dressing). A good server would've taken the time to point out these things. I ate the soup unhappily, and had to pick apart my burger at the table and chose to not eat the salad. Another person ordered steak frites and offered to trade me her side. We had the exceptionally long waits or I would've sent both the soup and the main back. The experience was frustrating and disheartening. read more

Excellent spot for a nice dinner date, but expect to have a bit of a wait for your food. Absinthe drink experience was truly unique!

We unfortunately didn't have a great experience. The food was good. However, our waitress certainly didn't make us feel welcome. Based on bad customer service, none of us want to go back there. We also had a reservation set and the night of we ended up with tables set-up in a crammed up corner and it was freezing. read more

I had the seafood trio, two of the trio were excellent, the third was OK. We also got a cheese plate which was quite good. Friendly service. Nice decor, although if it's crowded there's not a lot of privacy; we went when it was empty. read more

As a previous reviewer stated... solid 3 stars I started with the tuna scallop appetizer and was shocked when i saw the dish. these little crisped rice things were visually UNAPPEALING they looked like little meal worms on my plate, I pushed them aside. I had to ask what the pinkish gray - white looking stuff was on the plate..... it was the tuna. I thought it was supposed to be a beautiful pink color... the plate gets an FAIL for looks but the taste was decent and the candied jalapenos were delicious! I then had the arugula salad which was bitter but then again arugula is, the dressing set it off perfectly, I just wish there had been more of the dressing on my plate. The salad was appealing and delicious! my main was the steak frites.... the fries were very nice and not overly salted then the haricot verts were yummy and my hanger steak was perfectly cooked. Not much going on flavorwise.... just bland.... Problem is..... i could get this meal anywhere. Nothing made it stand out from the rest.. The atmosphere in the restaurant was very clean, it wasn't loud, it was pleasant. I cant say the restaurant was bad because it wasn't at all. It wasn't special either. it is a "neighborhood joint" I feel that it is a little pricey. If the prices were lower I may return but otherwise i wouldn't make a special trip to go there. read more

I've been here many times, sometimes a quiet dinner with my husband and other times, a gathering of many friends, and we have yet to be disappointed. It wasn't until we started going to restaurants that are of the same calibre (same price, same kind of food, same kind of ambiance) that I realized how great Absinthe truly is! From the food to the service, from the cocktails to the ambiance, everything and everyone has gone above my expectations. What really made this place stand out for me were the impeccable service and the consistently good food! The service staff is warm, friendly, informative, efficient and again, I can't use this word enough, consistently so! The food was delicious, plentiful and again, consistently good. Every time I've gone there, I've been supremely happy about the quality of the food. The restaurant itself reminds me of something out of a Parisian movie, and for some reason, we've never found the restaurant excessively loud. We've always been able to have a normal conversation without shouting, which is something that I can't say for many other restaurants in Ottawa. I've always been too full to attempt dessert, so I can't say anything about the sweeter side of Absinthe. But if you are looking for a good date night restaurant, I suggest you give Absinthe a try. read more

I have eaten here in the past and was very impressed so I took a friend last night. First without a reservation we were given the least desirable table in the entire restaurant. When asked we got a pompous reply if that's all they had despite being there for 2 hours for dinner and not seeing a single other table seated. I never understand why restaurants do that but that set the tone. Our waiter could not have been worse. The service was un attentive, arrogant and when our waiter did interact with us was like he was speaking to children in a play ground. One tired exasperated woman served us our food and she not only didn't crack a smile but made our dinner down right uncomfortable.The food was decent. Nothing more. Pretty common for the genre. We had one appetizer a moderate bottle of wine and 2 main course and our bill was over $170. not even a starting cocktail. It's places like this we've all seen get too arrogant forget they are actually in the service industry and that their business is built on people wanting to come back that fail time after time. Start big.... act way too big. I will not go back. There are tons of great restaurants in Ottawa absynthe ... judging by all your empty seats last night I'm not the only one you put off. Next time treat a customer like a customer. It's a privilege to have us not a privilege to there. read more

Told we had a table asked to wait for it to be ready to then be told another reservation of two turned into a reservation of four and they were getting our table instead. No solution given had to find somewhere else to eat. read more

Nice restaurant the food was excellent and service very good. The only fault is the acoustics we were placed at a table for four in the middle of the room and literally could not hear the person across the table. I see that other reviews comment on the noise level next time we will try a table along the wall. read more

I ventured to Absinthe after hearing praises by many; although a chef friend of mine warned that the Absinthe star has dulled in the past couple of years. For the price, I was somewhat underwhelmed. The restaurant was at about 3/4 capacity, and the service was painfully slow. The Charcuterie and Seafood Trio were average at best. Romaine Salad was terrible. Steak Frites and Wild Boar Loan were great. I will consider returning, the cocktails are a highlight, but my first experience was a tad disappointing. read more

Ate here on Friday night, and was one of the best restaurant experiences we've had in recent memory. I travel a ton for work, and hence eat out probably 50% of the time. The experience at Absinthe was (almost) flawless from start to finish. 1. The food: We (four of us) each order a 3-course hote d'table tasting menu, and everyone was blown away. I started with "Korean quail," which was amazing--"chicken-fried" quail legs, korean bbq style quail breasts, all serves on a kim chi and apple salad. Amazing. Main course was halibut, which was done perfectly. Finished with creme caramel which was also amazing. 2. The wine: Each course was paired with a wine, all of which were superb. Mine came with a Rioja (with the quail), and Sancerre (with the salad), and a dry rose with my halibut. All were wonderful wines. And the staff were all so knowledgable about wine as well. 3. The service: This was really the best service experience we've had in a long time (maybe years). Our server's name was Patrick, and he was spectacular from start to finish. I worked in and ran restaurants for many years, and this guy was really amazing. His knowledge of wine and food was impeccable, but his enthusiasm for both was infectious. Even when the kitchen slightly overcooked one of our party's lamb, he dealt with the situation in way that left us all feeling cared for. He also made sure we were having fun from start to finish. We live in Toronto, but will definitely be back to eat here--A+! read more

Put the fork down and walk away. It appears that the chef thinks only salt exists to flavour food...and dumps about a kilo of it in every dish. The duck was mediocre (and VERY small), the steak was pure salt and complimented with a pitiful mayonnaise, and the prices are ridiculous for the poor quality of food. Wellington Street has some great places to eat, this is NOT one of them. read more

Had a great experience here. The tomato tartar is a must try. Our server Erin was professional and friendly. Would recommend it any day.

My friends and I had a great experience at Absinthe yesterday evening. The service was always timely and very friendly and the food was delicious. I had the duck breast as part of the three course option with the escargot and salad; it was perfect. Three out of the four of us opted for the three course dinner, but the chef also sent out a salad for the friend who opted not to. How nice!! In the end we spent three hours at the restaurant over food, drink and conversation; we never felt rushed or pressured to leave. We were given sufficient time between courses to really enjoy each one. We did not have dessert but tried the absinthe taster which was also really fun. I would definitely go back and recommend it! read more

After reading good reviews regarding the food a friend and I went to Absinthe for dinner on a Sunday night. Since it was a Sunday night the restaurant was fairly slow and we had one whole section to ourselves. I can imagine that it would be much more lively on a Friday or Saturday. It was also pouring rain which probably scared a few people away. As it was, the food was terrific and the service was great. I had the beet salad which was probably the best beet salad I had ever had. For a main course I had the Mahi-mahi which was prepared perfectly with a Brussel Sprout coleslaw that was a bit bland but did not detract from the experience. We had the banana sticky toffee pudding for dessert which was a great punctuation to the meal. Our server, Lisa, was great and did a wonderful job of explaining everything on our plates. Absinthe is a bit of a culinary journey but it was well worth the effort and was a nice way to cap off a wonderful few days in Canada's beautiful capital city. read more

Oh mon dieu. This resto is amazing. A Hintonburg gastronomic resto that's worth the splurge!!