Absinthe Cafe

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.

Had a birthday dinner here a few weeks ago with high expectations due to good reviews. Overall, I enjoyed my first encounter with absinthe but it is unlikely for me to return for the food
Food: ³⁄₅ had a «three course» meal. Where you pick a soup/​salad, appetizer, and main from the menu. Prices of the three course are dictated by the main you select. I felt my mushroom soup was good, beet salad was very good, and wine braised pork cheeks fell short (way too salty). I had a bite of the crème brûlée and it was fantastic.
Drink: 4.5÷5 lots to choose from. Other than their wine/​beer list… You can have an absinthe cocktail or straight up (with the sugar cube on slotted spoon with water dispensed from an absinthe fountain — must try).
Service: ²⁄₅ had high expectations for this restaurant due to its westboro location and pricey dishes. But our server was snobby and a little rude! She was knowledgable of the menu but gave poor/​inconsiderate recommendations.
Ambiance: 3.5÷5 the style was romantic /​rustic. But it’s very loud and echoey (this bothered some people in our table)

The drinks and service was excellent but the food was the star.

This place is excellent and there isn’t much else to say about it. However, I’ll detail the specifics anyway.
The décor is fabulous, a bit artsy while still being sleek, and distinctive. The little bar area in the corner is painted beautifully to give the walls an aged copper green look, and I couldn’t get over how it lent a specific mood to the entire establishment. The small individual bathroom also has unusual tileworks along the wall. When I first flipped on the light, I felt startled by the splatter appearance on the tiles and my brain couldn’t decide whether to parse their appearance as Jackson Pollock or Dexter Morgan. Either way, your interest will be seized by the surroundings, which provides its own form of entertainment while you await your courses.
When it comes to ordering, my first and primary suggestion is to splurge the 33 dollars and opt for the wine pairing, no matter what three courses you end up ordering. The choices really do match up extraordinarily well with each dish served. In my case, I ended up with three different whites, and it was interesting to see just how varied each one was from the other, and how they blended in or cut through specific tastes in the food. Out of all three, I think the Reisling provided with the fondue Québécois had to be the best pairing I had that night. I nearly wept at the savory taste of the fondue mixture on raw broccoli florets being cut through by the white at the same time. My other food choices were a spring-​like greens salad paired with a citrusy, almost grapefruit flavored white, and my main, which was the vegetarian ravioli with what seemed to be a goat milk crème fraîche. There was definitely a flavor of sundried tomatoes in that as well. I sampled my partner’s pureed mushroom soup, which also had a similar crème fraîche dollop in the center, and encountered a lovely infusion of tarragon flavor as well.
The service was incredible. Attentive, informative, and yet not intrusive in any way. I always like hearing about my food when it is presented, and most places don’t do so, relying more upon menu descriptions for basic information. It was nice to have various things explained concerning the wines, the dishes, and the methods.
Finally, I had to try absinthe since it was one of my bucket list items, and growing up in the United States, it was illegal and inaccessible to the public. No visions or green fairy appeared, except on my spoon, but take note there is a high alcohol content, so it’d best to have this as an digestive after you’ve had dinner. I opted to have the server suggest which absinthe to sample, and I ended up with a french version. The flavor is very strong, almost like drinking black licorice, though these flavors come from anise and fennel in this case. To commemorate my first time, I also opted to buy a souvenir absinthe spoon from the restaurant for an extra 15 dollars. Mine came with delightful green fairies.

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.

We were a group of 4 people from Toronto. We drove to Ottawa for the Winterlude and took the opportunity to visit the restaurant. We were unaware that some dishes changes according to the day and it turns out that what we went there for wasn’t available for that day! We talked with the staff and they were very considerate and did the dish for us even though it wasn’t on the menu for the day. The service was extremely good and the food was amazing, totally worth the money. Thanks to the waitress Erin and all the kitchen folks. :-)

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!

The wine pairing was very good. Service was very good. The total for the evening was on the expensive side.

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.

I absolutely adore this restaurant and the food and service, a friend had recommended that I eat there and I was not disappointed.
The restaurant staff are very warm and hospitable. One time during the winter, our waiter held the door open for my husband and I and even helped me into my car.
The food is delicious and I enjoyed the fact that along with their regular menu items, they also try and cook what’s in season which makes a difference in taste as well as experience (it’s a nice surprise as well).
I also enjoy the fact that the staff are very knowledgeable about wine pairings, most of their staff have been there forever (our waiter even remembered my husband and I and was genuinely happy to see we were back) I can’t say that about other establishments.
The food is simply delicious, definitely a must see restaurant if you’re looking for good food and service as well as ambiance.

Trying to find a place to go for my birthday dinner was, for some reason, more stressful than the whole getting older thing itself. I was choosing a place for my parents, my mother in law, my husband, and myself.
For special occasions, my number one rule is to rule out the ordinary, run of the mill places you can go to any old night. I was looking for something special, something different, and I definitely found it at Absinthe.
If this place has been in the market, my first complaint would have been the parking, however since this gem is located conveniently in the Hintonburg area, I was lucky enough to find a great spot out front, but if I hadn’t, I’m told there’s easily accessible parking out back. Fantastic!
My friend suggested I try the Absinthe flight, which I did. I won’t lie, I was scared. Since I didn’t know which to pick, I asked them to surprise me and they brought: the Vieux Pontaliwe, Taboo, and Hill’s Absinthe. Basically strong, stronger, and strongest. I enjoyed the anise kind of smell, very black licorice-​y, but couldn’t handle the drink, so my dad finished my little trio, and I had his margarita. I’m definitely more of a tequila girl so that margarita went down smooooooth.
With our drinks we had their bread. Delicious. It was warm, amazing, and olive-​y. So flavourful, I had more than I would like to admit.
Now it is important to note, my dad and I had made a deal. We were both torn between two things and so we each got one and decided to sample, so I will be focusing on our meals.
Dad ordered the Alsatian Onion Tart, Mariposa Farm Duck, and Raspberry Chambort Sorbet. I ordered the Beet Salad, Soup (Cheddar Vichyssoise, chilled leek, cheddar and velouté, fennel bavarois and garlic chips) and the Steak Frites.
Dad’s Onion Tart was a hit at the table, we all got to try a bite and it was tasty. Served with a Waldorf salad, he admits he regrets offering to share with others as it left him with much less. It was a fair size, and I’ve added a picture for reference. Similarly, my Beet Salad was delicious. I was thankful my mom and mother in law don’t like beets, and I only had to offer tastes to my dad and husband. It came with a Rosemary tart which, was good, but a bit more dry than my dads onion tart. I won’t complain though because all of the goat cheese and beet salad goodness made up for it. When asked how everything was so far, I may have said that it is «goat cheese heaven».
Next up was my soup. I quite enjoyed it but was happy to be sharing with my dad. You see, I’m lactose intolerant (but willing to make a sacrafics for a great dish) and this soup was worth it. The flavours worked very well together, and I enjoyed the fact that it was chilled (mom disagrees and thinks it would have been better warm, but I think that may have made it feel a bit heavier and less unique).
The only down side by this point was that the people who had not ordered an appetizer or soup were left waiting while my dad and I enjoyed our starters. While this is common in some places, I know that they may have appreciated if we had been asked if they wanted their items to come with our starters (hubby was reeeeeally hungry). But again, I can’t complain, I was happily stuffing my face and blissfully unaware of those atarving around me. Sorry.
My dad and I enjoyed my steak, medium rare, though I think I have realized I’m not the biggest fan of hanger steak. That’s my mistake though, it was done perfectly and was satisfying even though it’s not my cut of choice. I had asked for the upgrade to a poutine, because calories and cholesterol don’t count on your birthday, but they forgot and had brought me fries instead. Thankfully this meant I got to enjoy the fries while they made my poutine. The fries were crispy and perfect. The Poutine would have been good on its own. It was bacon and mushroom, and delicious, but for me it was a bit rich. I’m torn, it was good enough I wanted to finish, but rich enough I couldn’t.
Now my dad’s duck. Was fan freakin tastic. I never thought I would say «the duck was better than the steak» but man, that was good duck. Thankfully my dad is a very sharing man and was willing to trade about half the steak for half his duck.
For good measure I’ll add that my husband had the Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin, which I can say nothing about other than– he finished it in under five minutes and did not offer a single bite to anyone. He says it was so good he could have eaten a whole second plate… If he had time for a nap in between.
The pleasant surprise was the chocolatey goodness they surprised me with, with a candle. This was sweet until my mom and mother in law started singing. I hate birthday singing, but whatever the chocolate let me forget everything.
The service is great and the experience was even better. We will absolutely be back in the future. Probably sooner than later since last night I was dreaming of the duck.

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

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

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.

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.

I went there during a business trip as a local friend brought me there.
I didn’t know where I was going but I knew (as my friend knows I love this) that I would eat a good steak !
First of all, the place is nice. A little bit noisy, but nice. Dimmed lights, the service is very nice, very helpful, and fast !
and the food ! nothing to say, we had a good time, my steak, as promised, was great !
I promised to go there again to try the absinthe shots, but that day I had had a 14hrs trip and I wanted to go back to my hotel !

Didn’t know white folk could cook duck as flavourful as Asians but Absinthe achieved this feat !
It’s very rare that I would order duck at a non-​asian restaurant because I just don’t find duck as flavourful as in asian restaurants.
However at absinthe, upon reading their menu, it was clear their speciality was duck. Had the duck confit which was remarkable. Extremely flavourful and cooked wonderfully.
I would have given this place 5 stars however the duck poutine was very very very salty.
The restaurant has a fun atmosphere and the staff is friendly !

A solid three star establishment.
The thing that makes this place great is the vibe — dim lights, cool music and nice décor.
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.

It was the first time I’d tried an absinthe. I found it to be much like pastis. The waitress gave full instructions, but I found that one whole dissolved sugar cube made it a tad too sweet.
The food is good. Small servings on large plates, tastefully arranged. They feature local products and some game. As the servings are small, we were able to eat 4 courses without feeling full — soup, main, cheese and dessert. While all was good, nothing was truly memorable.
Wait staff is attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. The atmosphere is relaxing. Our meal lasted about 3.5 hours and it was all in all a very pleasant experience. The acoustics are good, so that we could have an easy conversation, yet were not able to hear the conversation from adjacent tables. The seats were still comfy after 3.5 hours. A very good wine list.
A bit pricey.

Great place to get different sorts of absinthe, which is near impossible to find in this city (I thought it was illegal!)
The menu changes frequently, and they seem to always have a table d’hote where you can pick which items you want to make up a 3 course meal. the plates are very small so go for the table d’hote and be adventurous!
Very tasty, fresh foods, and lots of fun cocktails.
The space is really cool, completely wide open with high ceilings. It is a bit echo-​y if you are there very early or very late and there are not many other people in the restaurant, gives it a bit of a warehouse or loft feeling.
They seem to be open quite late on weekends, so it’s also a good place to go for a drink and they have a more exciting wine list that a lot of the restos in this area, so you can get something nicer to drink than if you just went to O’Connell’s across the street