Allium

Always love coming here for tapas Monday. Great location with easy parking. Food has always been good during tapas. Is a tad on the pricey side but the food is great and the service has yet to disappoint. Not the best for going in big groups but it is doable. Definitely call with good notice.

We had outstanding service! Our server was really knowledgeable about the menu as well as the wine list. They even saw us to the door to say goodnight!
Our mains (Duck Breast and NY Strip) were good but not amazing. They didn’t leave us wanting more.
We loved our appetizer (Salmon Gnocchi) and the dessert was amazing (Banoffee Pie) pairs with one of their fairly decent scotch options.
We definitely recommend you check it out. We would definitely go back for some scotch and pie! Maybe an app sharing!

Our favourite restaurant in Ottawa, when we were living there a couple of years ago!
As a couple, we celebrated numerous birthdays, anniversaries, special dinners with family here and it was always great! The food was always fantastic and we were always able to try something new or different. We have also tried the surprise dishes several times and it was always fantastic as well.
If I wanted to describe the atmosphere of the restaurant I would somehow describe it like this… It is as if you were going out for a fancy dinner, but in a somehow comfortable and not to intimidating setting that let’s you have your own space …
As I said before, it is great for a date-​night, but also for a chic but uncomplicated dinner with friends or family.
And it always feels so right and good to finish a great dinner with Banoffee Pie!

Great service, amazing vibe and awesome food. Highly recommend. We were a group of 4. Started with cocktails. The resto is lively but not loud or jammed with tables. We could have a conversation etc. Our server was amazing. Very attentive and knowledgable. The wine list is quite extensive. Will definitely be going back!

5 stars for the food. 1 star for quantity. I live in the neighbourhood so we visit regularly for dinner and the food is almost always excellent. I recently had lunch at Allium and have to say that while it was delicious we were not satisfied. Imagine. Two petite ladies order lunch of an appetizer and «main» and we were BOTH STILL HUNGRY! We walked to Thyme and Again to fill up with a scone.

Probably my favourite restaurant in Ottawa. Menu is always exciting and whatever you order you can be sure it’ll be divine. Super attentive staff who in my experience will go the extra mile to ensure you have everything you need. This is the first place I would bring out-​of-​towners to give them a good impression of Ottawa!

Surprisingly delicious dinner here with the hubby. Having lived in Ottawa decades ago and visiting for the holidays, it’s great to know the dining scene has improved vastly. Hubby had the flank steak with a side of fries. The steak was perfectly done and delicious with the accompanying flavours on the plate. The fries were hot, fresh and yummy. I had the truffle and spinach lasagna which was just as tasty. Not heavy on pasta or sauce. Hubby was worried when we ordered that he would have to visit the shawarma place next door if the portions were too small, but thankfully, he was very satisfied with the quantity of his meal. The highlight was the end of our meal when we shared the Banoffee pie. It was such a delicious mix of cream, banana, toffee and cookie crust. I would give this place five stars if the server didn’t mess up my wine order. I would definitely return.

Went for the third time this past weekend. I ordered the surprise appetizer and the surprise main and they did not disappoint. The tastes and the presentation were excellent. I’ve never been disappointed with a meal at Allium — it’s my go-​to for a great meal in Ottawa.

Wandered in here for my first visit on tapas night. Even though I was looking for a large entrée I was not disappointed by the small plates. I had their beef dish as well as the duck. They even accommodated me and made a dish off the menu that a friend had told me to try — Seared Fois Gras French Toast which was phenomenal. For dessert I had the Chocolate Ganache. It honestly doesn’t matter what you order it’s all excellent. Just try not to fill up on their fresh baked bread and in house butter — it’s too good but you’ll need the room for everything else.
I’ve been back since my first visit and Allium is now one of my favourite gourmet spots in the city. It’s a simple, clean, modern yet warm ambience with great customer service and excellent food.

Loved the rare yellowfin tuna. Must if u come here for dinner. Also tried their 2-​way Duck appetizer. Recommended. Topped it off with the Banofee dessert. Did not disappoint. Left feeling very satisfied.

I’m just going to go ahead and round up to 5 stars…
We came here for a late dinner, as it was recommended by our friend who lives in the area.
3 people ordered 3 appetizers and 2 mains.
Here, you have the option of ordering a blind appetizer and/​or a main. No substitutions, alterations, preferences, allergies, etc. My husband chose the main. He chose well! It was braised beef shortrib with a piece of foie gras on top, woohoo!!! It was beautifully plated and was the star of the night.
As for the appetizers, we had: scallops, beef tataki, and tuna in two ways. All were good. Tuna was our favorite.
Our other main was the king salmon. Although the fish was cooked very well and the accompaniments were well made, they just didn’t work together on the same plate for me.
At the end of our meal, my friend and I shared a large scoop of ice cream. Refreshing!
This place is casual yet refined. Impressive and well-​priced with solid portions. I would definitely recommend and go back in the future!

Best food in Ottawa! The food is nothing short of amazing! I thought we got lucky the first time but our second was even better!
The combination of flavours, textures, colors, presentation and non-​intrusive but attentive service make this a must go every time I’m in Ottawa.
I like the ‘Blind Menu’ where they bring out the Chef’s choices. But no matter what you eat for main, you HAVE to save room for the pie!
See you soon Allium!

Un solide 5 étoiles a tous les niveaux.
C’est ma 3ieme visite en 3 ans et l’endroit est toujours aussi parfait.
L’entrée de saumon est délicieuse, mais c’est surtout le plat surprise qui en valait la peine. Deux bonnes pièces d’Ahi seulement saisies accompagnées de raviolis aux porc et bœuf. J’en ai encore l’eau a la bouche juste a l’écrire.
J’ai pris a chaque visite le plats surprise du chef et je n’ai jamais été déçu. Pour être en affaire depuis plus de 3 ans et de continuer à être parfait a tout les coups, il né doit pas y avoir moi qui soit satisfait…
Un must lors d’une visite à Ottawa…

My gosh, where to even start with Allium. First off, Allium’s seriously one of my top picks for restaurants anywhere and most definitely one of the BEST in Ottawa. The service is truly impeccable and the food legitimately never disappoints.
Food: We had a decently sized table of 6 so we ordered a good variety of plates.
1. Duck breast with sweet potato purée and mushroom phyllo — Allium commonly stuffs phyllo pastry for one of their side dishes. The duck breast was super tender and seared just right. Sweet potato and apple purée… So tasty.
2. Herbed halibut with potato pancake and veggies — The potato pancake was a real star. Super smooth mashed and herbed potatoes breaded and fried perfectly into a little ball.
3. Apple-​stuffed pork tenderloin with barley — There was also a mystery marinated fruit on the side. We forgot what it was but definitely added a little crisp and fruitiness to the dish!
4. Seared scallops and pork belly — A surprisingly large piece of pork belly alongside the bacon cream and foie gras.
5. Banoffee Pie — Their desserts come and go but the banoffee pie is a mainstay for an OBVIOUS reason… It is absolutely UNREAL. The best part is you can order ½ piece of pie and add a scoop of local, Pascale’s ice cream. Today I chose Dulce de Leche but their other flavours of the night included white chocolate pistachio and tiramisu.
6. Also tried the homemade iced tea using Two Leaves and a Bud tea. Really flavourful and not too sweet.
So happy to return to Allium during my short weekend in Ottawa– HIGHLY recommended!

my cousin took us here when we visited.
1. accommodating — they made me a cocktail that i requested. they didn’t have all the ingredients but put something together that worked just as well
2. waiter didn’t interrupt us when he saw we were in deep conversation. he just walked away and came back. at one point i took pity on him and called him over :-) i hate it when the waiter interrupts to ask if everything is ok all the time. good work in this case.
3. food was yummy. portions were good sizes. i had the scallop starter and the trout as the entrée. for dessert we shared a very dense chocolate torte (i forgot the name)…was good, but i’m glad we shared. too rich for one person.

This is my favourite restaurant in Ottawa and in my opinion ranks far superior than the other restaurants with the same price points. I’ve been to this restaurant four times and will continue to go back. The food is never disappointing; each plate has many different ingredients and they all seem to pair together flawlessly.
At my most recent visit, our meal started with whipped maple dijon butter and freshly baked baguette. I had the mushroom toast followed by the salmon. Both were excellent. The staff is also extremely friendly and down to earth — not pretentious in the slightest.
Keep it up Allium!!!

To start with, this restaurant serves slices of extremely fresh baguette bread with flavored, whipped butter. I’m told that the flavoring changes. When I was there, it was mixed with lemon juice and chives, which I would not have considered valid accompaniments to butter, but thanks to perfect proportioning the combination was delicious.
I ordered the «blind» appetizer and «blind» entrée. The business will not reveal anything about them when they are ordered, but the server describes them when he or she serves them. The description was helpful, because both consisted of several items, some of which were hard to identify. Each of them would have been an excellent appetizer or entrée itself. Some are mixtures, and others are simply companions on the same plate, so one can try many combinations. Depending on how one counts them, one could say I ate six to ten items.
Everything harmonized. There was only one thing I didn’t like, but even it was interesting, which is not as good as good but better than bad. One standout was a sweetbread, which was cooked just right, hence well flavored and textured. Another was lamb lollipops, which were the best lamb I have ever tasted. They were lightly cooked, but probably marinated in I can’t guess what.
I considered that I got excellent value for money, because one would normally have to order several expensive meals to experience all the flavors and textures I did.
The restaurant is not accessible to the handicapped. One must negotiate steps to enter, and the washrooms are down a whole flight of stairs.

A relaxed bistro style décor with absolutely outstanding service is only the start to a marvellous evening. The food is definitely something to write home about. Local seasonal ingredients wherever possible. The menu isn’t long, but provides a range of choices. For both the starter and the main course, there is a chef’s surprise. No hints, no substitutions, no allowance for allergies. I asked whether it was retransformed leftovers from whatever wasn’t selling and I was assured that this was not the case. Indeed, it proved to be the dishes where the chef takes care to be extra innovative with delightful results. I opted for both surprises and think I fared better than any of the others at our table. It was so good that I’m not going to reveal what it was, just to keep the mystery of the surprise. Apparently, the dish changes daily, but I’m still not going to spill the beans.
An anecdote, however. As the dish was a surprise, I relied on our server to pick a suitable wine. Allium has an excellent list of wines by the glass, so I was a little hesitant when she proposed a Canadian Pinot Noir to go with my beef based starter. But she absolutely nailed it. The variety and complexity of flavours would not have worked with a Malbec for example.
Also, don’t be fooled by the simplicity of some of the words on the menu. My wife’s Farm Salad turned out to be the most innovative and flavorful salad she had ever tasted.
We’ll go back.

Always had a great meal here. Service is attentive, wine selection is good, and the changing menu keeps it interesting. The chef and staff seem to really like what they are doing!

Upon first entering Allium you know you are in for a treat. The décor suggests a neighborhood upscale bistro but the feel is casual and laid back, not imposing at all. The staff are friendly, attentive and very eager to please without being overly in-​your-​face. My dining companion and I were looking for a good place to eat and found this place to have great reviews and we wondered why — now we know why! I ordered a Chipotle Caesar, having heard so much about it. The waiter apologized that it might take some time to prepare and I would have to wait a bit but once it came it looked amazing. With a skewer of fresh-​broiled bacon and scallion, and home-​made rimming spices the addition of the chipotle to the classic Caesar is a great twist, spicy with that hint of smokiness that set of the bacon flavour to the max.
We ordered two starters and a side, as we couldn’t decide; the Seared Scallops, the Crispy Pork belly and the deep-​fried Escargot. Each appetizer was amazing, the crispy pork was creamy and fatty and full of unctuous flavour, and, combined with smoked tomatoes and crispy Edamame and peanuts, the mouth-​feel was sublime. The scallops had that beautiful sweet-​salty-​meaty flavour which contrasted with the goat-​cheese Quesadilla and spiced peas. And the Escargot! Whomever thought of deep frying these delicious little molluscs in crispy batter and serving with a spiced honey dressing and a side of Chipotle mayo was truly inspired. The humble snail has been elevated to something different. No more garlic-​butter snails for me!
Taking a brief repose we waited for our main courses. My companion had the Roasted Duck Breast and I chose the ‘Blind’ main where they prepare whatever they wish and serve it. The duck was incredible, perfectly cooked to medium-​rare, the flavour accented by the smoked-​chilli-​maple glaze. Shimeji mushrooms were incorporated into the dish and these wonderfully chewy, dense, flavour-​packed fungi soaked up the juices. My blind main was incredible, full of big, bold flavours. I won’t tell you what is was but I was not disappointed.
We had heard about dessert and whilst we are not really sweet-​people, we had to try the Banoffi Pie. Luckily they do a half-​portion and once ordered, it came on its own little serving bowl with fresh, whipped cream and layers of intense, caramelly-​sweet, salty-​toffee, undercut by the banana hit of flavour. An amazing dessert.
This is an outstanding restaurant, with truly inspired chefs and owners and one I will go back to again and again to try out the whole menu. Not many places get 5 stars in my book but this one truly deserves the rating.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to Allium, which has excellent food and service, although it was HOT near the back!
I had dinner on Friday night, and the restaurant was busy around 8pm. The appetizer crispy calamari ($ 13) was good, but not the best I’ve ever had. I tasted the Albacore Tuna Nicoise ($ 15) and actually thought that was better. For the main course, I had the Steak-​Frites ($ 23) which was excellent — perfectly cooked and spiced. Finally, dessert consisted of the Banoffee Pie ($ 8) which was OUTSTANDING — absolutely succulent and very rich. Most people would be good to share this dessert, as I couldn’t finish mine.
Service was friendly and helpful. The meal came out promptly. My only complaint was the heat — it was very warm in the back of the restaurant, and the fan was actually spinning backward for half our meal. It got better (but not great) when the fan was reversed. Unfortunately, there’s no air conditioning, nor are they able to open windows. Still, I would go back (maybe not when it’s 40 outside, though)!