My friend and our two daughters dined at Play Food & Wine for the first time this past Saturday and we had an incredible dinning experience. My daughter is celiac and the server catered to her, asking several questions and offering modifications to certain dishes, and impressed all of us with his patience and understanding. We ordered the charcuterie board and they separated the meat from the cheeses and made GF crostini so my daughter was able to enjoy the charcuterie as well. The food was incredibly fresh and delicious. We started with the hot olives and sourdough bread and had a variety of the steak, smoked duck (modified to accommodate celiac), prawns, salmon and the gnocchi. Right from when we first arrived to Play and were greeted at the door to the end when we had to decline dessert because we were so satisfied, everything was was wonderful. Highly, highly recommend!
54 Byward Market Square, Ottawa, ON K1N 7A2, Canada
Accommodating Gluten-Free
Open LateCafeDeliveryTake AwayOutdoor SeatingKid FriendlyDessertsRestaurant
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Paul Marchand
Wonderful dessert place with many dairy free and gluten free options. We tried a great piece of chocolate cake. We also had a brownie and a piece of chocolate truffle cake. Yummy!
Bottega Nicastro is much more than a “speciality grocery store”. It’s an experience of how the Italian way of food shopping and casual dining can be successfully exported to another country.
Whether you want to cook from scratch or put together a quick meal, you will find all kinds of packaged and fresh ingredients. Dozens of varieties and top brands of pasta, sauces, oils, vinegars, pickles, sott’olio, preserves, cookies and cakes fill the shelves. The gluten free section is well stocked. Elegantly packaged Nicastro brand products guarantee affordable quality. The deli area offers a rich array of cheeses and cured meats, and they will freshly grate the parmigiano for you.
The founders, Rocco senior and Giuseppe, and their sons, Rocco junior and Pat, are always welcoming and ready to advise. If you chat with them and hear their stories, you will appreciate their relentless, decades-long pursuit of high quality and service.
There’s more to Bottega than grocery shopping. For many Ottawans, it’s a place to meet and have a chat. You can sip an excellent Illy espresso at the coffee bar. In the cosy, bustling restaurant at the back, the award-winning chef prepares a seasonal menu and customers enjoy a friendly, gourmet experience.
My Italian husband and I eat healthy, quality Italian food every day in Ottawa as if we still lived in Italy. Thank you, Bottega Nicastro, for making that possible.
Amazing service from Laura and her team. She was extremely attentive to our gluten sensitivities and went above and beyond with her customer service.
Thank you Laura!
We booked weeks in advance the "backroom" for a friends 40th. Please do not look at their current website as it is completely inaccurate, not the same menu, no gluten free options, the "backroom" looks like a dingy basement unlike the picutres.
Location: This is about the only good thing going for them, they have a nice spot conveniently located right by a nice and affordable indoor parking lot.
Service: Non-existant. I wish I had taken pictures of how filthy the place was when we got there. Nothing was set up although we booked well in advance... My wife and I showed up before their staff did, that was our first impression, while waiting we also kept seeing rats in their trash outside that is just there in plain sight next to the outdoor dining areas, there is sandbags and garbage in what was possibly once an operational fountain. They didn't have anything ready, floors needed to be mopped, fruit flies everywhere, sticky tables.. another GUEST had to go and grab cutlery, napkins, glassware (which was dirty, but in a clean area (lipstick and wine smell on the glasses)), etc.. When the night began they brought wings and never cleared any table, it was filthy all night long, after we order their garbage pizza, they never cleared the tables, they never offered us water, we had to get up every time we wanted a drink and that too was limited, the bartender had 2 guests fighting over the last redbull, their beer taps didn't work, their POS machine didn't work, and the music wasn't working until 3 hours in.
Food: I know of a few guests that went to McDonald's on their way back home as the food was pretty bland and either burnt or under cooked. They had 1 heineken, stella and corona, you had to ask for a lime for your corona and seem to inconvience the barmaid. We ordered at 7:30 and I didn't get my pizza until 9:15.. 4 of us didn't get it until there.. the owners response was "people dont like eating past 9???" like are you serious? Your slogan under your "Backroom" sign says "Events venue" you can't even handle 20 people, what a joke.
Atmosphere: Based on pics and other guests previous experience, it sounded fun and like a great place, when we got there it didn't feel like the old place it used to be, not even close. Big fat 0 for atmosphere.
Take that 1 star because I'd give a 0 if I could..
AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID unless you like eating fruit flies and garbage, and like waiting 2 hours for your sub-par pizza.
Went for brunch, with a friend. Was awesome. Portions were great, food fresh, service friendly. Good selection of gluten-free options, but that could actually improve. Space is a really fun design too.
Amazing chefs they do gluten-free for celiac disease. Absolutely love this place had a great great brunch. Everything on the menu looks so good. I had the shot shashukah. It was absolutely amazing. I highly recommend this place. Ask for Joey great server.
We just hosted our parents 50th Anniversary in their private lounge area - it went so smoothly, the food was delicious, service was spectacular and our young children even loved the restaurant. They even had many gluten free options. We would no doubt make a return soon. Thanks again.
We had a great experience dining at Joey Rideau! Our food was delicious. Highly recommend the steak frites (this dish is also celiac safe, if you cannot have gluten). Our server Daphne was very kind and made sure that we enjoyed everything! We were celebrating our anniversary and it was lovely.
Positives:
Friendly staff and convenient location: The staff at Browns Socialhouse in downtown Ottawa were friendly and welcoming. The location was easy to get to from our hotel.
Delicious food: The food was very good, especially the burger (made with gluten-free ingredients!), tuna poke bowl, and fish and chips.
Areas for Improvement:
Flat beverages: Unfortunately, the fountain pop was flat, and they only had bottled drinks available. The server mentioned they have recurring problems with this. Similarly, the beer on tap was also flat, which was a letdown.
Gluten-free communication: I called the restaurant beforehand to inquire about gluten-free options. I was informed they have dedicated fryers for gluten-free items. However, upon arrival, the menu descriptions seemed to contradict this. It would be helpful if the menu could be more accurate regarding gluten-free options to avoid any confusion for future diners with dietary restrictions.
Overall:
Browns Socialhouse has the potential to be a great spot with its friendly staff and delicious food. However, some improvements in beverage service and menu accuracy, particularly regarding gluten-free options, would enhance the dining experience.
This is an EXCELLENT place to bring friends, visitors or a date. Any day but Saturday and Sunday you can stay as long as you want. An excellent, well organized selection of board games for all interests and abilities. Their cocktails are fun and tasty. The food is not very good but they offer gluten free and vegan options. The nachos we ordered were stale and unseasonably, but ample toppings. Fries were kinda soggy and just ok. Not a great spot for food as the main attraction. If you're looking for a fun place to hang out though this should be on your list.
I recently hosted a surprise party for my mom at this restaurant, and I can't say enough about how wonderful the experience was! The service was top-notch, and the food was absolutely delicious. The canapés were perfectly timed, and the bottle of bubbly was ready as soon as my mom arrived.
A special shoutout to Maddie, our server, who went above and beyond. She spoke French fluently, which was a huge plus for our francophone guests. Maddie treated us like family, ensured that our gluten-intolerant guests had the right food, and even served my mom’s wine in a special glass she had for her 60th birthday. When my mom accidentally left the glass behind, Maddie kept it safe until she could come back for it.
Everything was just perfect. A big thank you to the team for making the event so memorable!
I recently visited Sidedoor and had a fantastic experience. The atmosphere was great, with beautiful decor and lighting. The service was top-notch, with our server Steph being very friendly, personable, and accommodating to my allergies. She even went out of her way to get a gluten-free/dairy-free dessert from the eighteen kitchen!
The food was absolutely delicious, with a great presentation and attention to detail. The fusion menu was very interesting and unique, and I loved every dish we ordered. The value was also fair and reasonable, especially considering the high quality of the food and service.
I highly recommend Sidedoor for anyone looking for a great dining experience in the Byward Market. Thank you to the entire team for an amazing evening!
Visiting from the states and stopped in for breakfast and the food was delicious. Definitely would recommend. Gluten free friendly. Mushroom omelette was delicious
Staff were ok, too comfortable though, often squatting to chat at our table. Ignored our request to cancel a side order because it’s “just a lot of work to” and after we made the server aware of a Gluten allergy and requesting a lettuce wrap, he was served a fried burrito. All other food was terrible. Shrimp was cold and chicken was extremely dry. Waitress opening admitted that the steak is “really REALLY really” bad and the chimichangas were frozen. No compensation was offered and he was charged extra for the rice to replace the gluten in the replacement meal. Unfortunate situation.
I really like the cashew cheese on my Belle poutine order. Most of all I like the reset juices. Healthy and fresh juices that you can feel working. This location has outdoor/patio seating for nice and sunny weather days and wheelchair accessible for indoor seating. Pure Kitchen makes gluten free foods tasty, it's insane!
Ember hit the mark in terms of an upscale location in the heart of downtown Ottawa. Welcoming and elegant. Food wasn’t cheap, but it was great value for what you pay. Almost all items on the menu can be made gluten free. Great selection of Negronis and other Gin cocktails, and big non-alcohol selection. Our server Stacy was knowledgeable and attentive and efficient. I would definitely recommend for a special occasion or a nice date night.
As many other reviewers have said, this was a VERY disappointing dining experience for myself and the 2 people that came with me. I convinced them to come with me as Tucker's was good back in the day. They are now back in Ottawa and it was totally disgusting. EVERYTHING was cold. Roast beef was very salty. Server could not answer one question we asked. Limited items. The butter bowl for the buns has ONE knife in it that ALL the customers use. In this day & age --- how gross is that. ZERO gluten-free options in the dessert bar. And did I mention everything was cold?? I spoke to the Manager before we left and he "explained" that they know about the temperature issues and that it's an on-going issue. Really?? You know it's bad, yet you keep taking people's money?? Unlike previous reviewers, we were NOT offered a discount or a comp meal --- however, we were asked "to not let this experience scare us from trying them again". REALLY ?? A MANAGER told us this. Unbelievable. STAY AWAY from this place. There is a reason the place was practically empty at 6 PM on a nice sunny Saturday afternoon.
Fantastic food and cocktails in the Market. The quality of the dishes was great. Highly recommend. The waiter was very helpful so we could select gluten free options.
Accommodating Gluten-Free
