A group of six of us colleagues visiting Ottawa for a conference had the pleasure of dining at…read moreAroma Meze on a Monday evening. I typically do not write reviews but feel compelled to here. What an incredible experience. The food was on point, delicious and the perfect quantity. The presentation and food recommendations by our wonderful, personable and helpful server, Valeria, was a 10 out of 10. The prices were reasonable. The vibe and atmosphere was cozy and welcoming. And they offer halal options to boot! It may sound hyperbolic, but this was as perfect a dining experience as I can remember having. Will make it a point to come back here next time in town, and will be my first recommendation to others. Special thanks to Valeria and the young friendly gentleman (I am sorry the name is escaping me ) for providing such great service! Bravo!

I was so used to Mediterranean as a comforting cuisine that was rarely great; I would like to…read moreapologize for my folly. This place singlehandedly raised my ceiling for this cuisine so high that I've got a new lifelong sidequest I must attempt to fulfill. I gotta learn more and hunt for what else might come close to matching the perfection they conjured for me here--and without a hint of pretension, too! There's room for fancy, but to achieve such greatness while keeping everything simple and uncomplicated is amazing. Every bite is as good as you might imagine it could be--in my case, everything was even better. The pitch perfect acidity of the merguez shakshuka is something I'll remember forever. The richness of the avgolemono sauce with the meatballs made me smile and sigh. It's nice to reminded sometimes that you don't know everything and that food has an infinite potential to surprise you.

We've always wanted to try a small plates/tapas place. My search brought me to The Belmont. The…read moremeal was without fault. The service was excellent. The atmosphere is cozy and relaxed. Highly recommended. Mocktails to start, and then we indulged in the Family Style. I've captioned each dish.

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.

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!

Spainish food in Ottawa. Tapas are very tasty and generous in portions. I had a little bit of…read moreeverything honestly. I really enjoyed the octopus. It was quite flavorful. Came on a bed of vegetables. Oxtail also came on a bed of vegetable. I think this one was my favourite. We had some cheese croquette. Olive cheese... I should've written down the name to make this review. Server was really kind and she was very helpful. Left very full and happy.

We came here as a large group for a friends birthday. We ordered calamari, zucchini fritters,…read morepulpo, shrimp, and a few other things to start. Everything was pretty good. We also got 3 traditional paellas to share. It was very flavourful but the rice is cooked very very al denté which I'm not used to. I'm not sure it was cooked this way even when I had it in Barcelona. Overall though the flavours were there and the portions were good. However, we ordered 3 of the same paella and we noted to them that one of the three was a lot smaller for some reason. We weren't sure if they had made a mistake. To our surprise, the server (maybe owner?) was not surprised at all and brushed it off, staying that it is the same portion in a much smaller pan. Honestly we had more than enough, but it was kind of awkward that they serve different size paellas for the same price. It seems a bit sketchy like they would change the portion on you depending on the group size? Usually when you order something for a set price, it's a standard size. Besides this, the service was good.

This place came highly recommended. Now I were to rate them…read morejust on apps they would be a 4 star. The main fish was just OK and the pasta being overly oily. The scallop crudo being on best app IMO. The tuna was OK and so was the welk which surprised me as being a menu item. Service is decent but being priced at this level I think 3.5 stars as the mains didn't do it for moi.

We had to book our reservation 3 weeks in advance because of the time slot, and the day. Saturday…read moreat 530. I guess itsya popular time to eat! 3 weeks was worth the wait, as the anticipation of what we were about to enjoy grew stronger. Bread to start, with whipped butter. Hot from the oven. Soft, pillows of carb goodness, with a touch of salt. We started with the TOMATOES WITH FIOR DI LATTE AND RICOTTA STUFFED ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS which was devine. My main was the ROASTED RAINBOW TROUT WITH BOILED POTATOES, PASTIS HOLLANDAISE AND SEA ASPARAGUS and hers was SWEET CORN AGNOLOTTI WITH BUTTER, PECORINO AND JALAPEÑO. Both dishes were faultless. We finished with Eton Mess with meringue, whipped cream and stewed rhubarb for dessert. It looks like a LOT, but the meringue is mostly air, so we tackled it with ease. And, it wasn't as sweet as expected. Americano to cleanse the palate. Fortunately, we found a parking spot right around the corner, so our full bellies didn't have to go too far.

Mediocre, overpriced service was good…read morebut not worth the money, not exceptional, bland, and really expensive. Should be 60% cheaper not recommended

Great spot for date night or a night out with friends. Grabbed a spot at the bar with a friend on a…read moreSaturday night. The staff were so friendly and nice. We got two cocktails to start. They were both delicious. To eat we got the focaccia, beef carpaccio, and meatballs. The focaccia was amazing- so fresh and soft. The carpaccio is a shawarma inspired dished and included pickles. The meatballs were cooked to perfection and paired well with the focaccia. To end our meal we got the baked Alaska. It was the perfect end to the night. I would go back on my next Ottawa visit.

We really enjoyed the food. The small charcuterie board was a great way to wet our appetites. The…read moremicro greens and caramelized peaches elevated the Burrata plate. The flank steak was a very good dish, the chimichuri had a good kick, but did not overwhelm my palette. The deconstructed key lime pie was unique and a reason for me to go back in the near future. A few reviews on Yelp criticized the strip mall location/gas station in the parking lot. Sorry, I did not notice because I was busy enjoying the great food and chatting with my wife!

Great food, service and ambiance Fabulous spot for a quiet…read morecozy dinner Friendly service and the owners are on site and in the kitchen

We made a reservation for brunch on Sunday at noon and it was no issue making a same day…read morereservation. When we got there, it was pretty busy both inside and on the patio. We sat on the patio. Service was really friendly. Their brunch are small sharing plates, like tapas. They recommend 2 per person, but we just shared 3 between two people and it was enough. We got the chicken and waffles, duck breast with egg and potatoes, and French toast. The chicken and waffles came with sautéed corn and kale and hollandaise sauce. It was tasty, but there was also a lot of different flavours going on at the same time. The duck breast was cooked medium but it was a little bit on the dry side. It came with roasted carrot and bok choy, an egg, and potatoes. Lastly, the French toast was yummy, with chantilly cream and berries.

I have never had such a great dessert in my all life…read more The restaurant is cozy chic. The staff are knowledgeable and so attentive. Must go!!!

Honestly love this spot! GREAT edamame (still thinking about it) & love the pizza croissant rolls…read moreevery time. Would probably skip on the grilled cheese next time I go as it wasn't my favourite for the price. Cool atmosphere inside and quirky servers, which I love. Would definitely recommend stopping in for an appy and drinks.

Being a newcomer to Ottawa, my husband and I went into a few places on a Wednesday night to get to…read moreknow the area. When we went into 10Fourteen, the first thing I said was, "this is exactly how I would design a bar if I had one." The small venue was decorated in browns, grays, blacks and whites, with chalkboards, bubble lights, chunky mirrors, painted quotes on canvas ("Love is all you need" and others in that vein) and other funky, classy decor. It's a small place, with a long, two-piece bar, a few booths, a couple tables and a small lounge area. At 8PM on a Wednesday, there were a few other couples in there, and what looked like a larger group sitting on the couch in the "lounge." Everyone was middle aged or younger. Our helpful bartender immediately greeted us with a martini glass filled with delicious truffle, cinnamon popcorn. I ordered a Slap and Tickle, despite it being what seemed like a more wine-focused bar -- and only three beers on tap. The drink (gin, cucumber juice) was refreshing, but not strong at all. And maybe these stingy pours are just something I have to get used to up here in Canada, but there was 1 ounce of alcohol in the whole drink, despite it being served in a highball glass. Despite both of us ordering drinks, we were not given water, which is a bit of a bartender pet peeve of mine. The chalkboard menu is really hard to follow. An item example: "Glass of bacon/jack/lime/coke." Not exactly sure what that meant, but we saw "BACON" so we asked and ordered it. It was really, really good. Jack Daniels and Coke rubbed bacon (five pieces for $5), baked and served in a martini glass with a lime. Totally cool and funky (and yummy!) but wish the menu were more easily decipherable. Things were a little chaotic behind the bar, which totally contrasted with the more relaxed vibe intended at the bar. There seemed to be no POS system and the kitchen was right behind the bar with the bartenders. I'm talking people pulling food out of refrigerators, prepping it, microwaving -- the whole deal. The bright lights from the open refrigerator door made it all together too bright in the bar, killing the mood lighting, and it seemed nonsensical to set it up that way. I'm all for open-view kitchens, but maybe not as restricted as that, and not right with the bartenders trying to make drinks. All in all, I really liked the place. Cool vibe, good stuff on the menu (when you are told what it is), and really nice and helpful staff. I just wish they could live up to the potential a bit more. I'll definitely go back and adjust my rating accordingly.