Grounded Kitchen and Coffeehouse

Wish I could rate it separately for food and service, it should be ⁵⁄₅ for the food and ¹⁄₅ for the service. So first the food: daily feature panino (chicken, avocado, bacon) was superb! Bread was fresh, bacon was crispy, avocado was plentiful — just wonderful! And the chef seemed very pleasant too. Lunch prices certainly seemed reasonable for a downtown restaurant. Now the bad part… while courteous enough our server was extremely inattentive. No one paid any attention when we entered and so after standing in the doorway like idiots we had to ask if we should seat ourselves. Once the food came the server never once returned to check on us. When I decided I wanted a glass of wine after my meal I had to go in from the patio to order it from someone who didn’t seem to be familiar with their own wine selection, then I had to carry it back to the table myself. It was about 90 minutes away from their closing time but it felt like we were keeping them closing and going home early — especially when the window/​opening into the patio slammed shut while we were still outside. Since the food and chef were wonderful I think next time I’ll make my order to go so the servers won’t be inconvenienced by patrons.

You walk in and it has the feel of the classic coffee shop. A great looking setup to cook the sandwiches and an impressive looking coffee bar. The staff are friendly and helpful.
The coffee was very good. Both the regular and the cappuccino.
The breakfast sandwiches though were just ‘okay’. One way to put it was they sounded way better than they actually were. It is great to have a selection of bread which is nice and fresh; however the fillings left a little to be desired. The one egg and little bit of ‘stuff’ to create the flavour profile is minimal. The #3 was tasty when a bit of salt & pepper to add flavour and butter to take away the dry taste. The Chevre sounded great but trying to taste the spinach or goat cheese was an effort.
So they sounded great but lacking on content and seasoning.

I heard about Grounded when it had just recently opened, but since I’m not a coffee drinker, I didn’t think to go there. I was tired of the other places in the area and found out that Grounded also serves breakfast and lunch, so I stopped by on my way to work one day.
I ordered the matcha latte and the Mambo breakfast sandwich from the «Exclusives» list. The latte was just what I needed and not too sweet. The sandwich came with fried eggs, prosciutto, sautéed portobello mushroom slices, and provolone cheese. I choose the rye bread for an extra cost, and the marbled one instead of the regular. It took a little longer than I expected, but I wasn’t in a rush. I was warned that it would be really hot, which it was when I got it, but became soggier instead of toasted by the time I got to work about 10 minutes away because of the steam in the bag. This didn’t bother me too much, since the sandwich was hearty and delicious with the melted cheese. A coworker even asked me where I got it from.
The second time around, a few months later after that really great breakfast, I wanted to try their lunch menu and convinced a coworker to go with me. The place was pretty packed and after we waited in line for only about 5 minutes, we placed our orders, paid, and were seated immediately across from the main area, in a separate seating area (turn to the left instead of the right when walking into the building).
It was crowded and a very hot day, with no air conditioning or open air in the room we were in. It smelled absolutely awful, of body odor and just people’s bodies in general — it was really off-​putting. We waited nearly 20 minutes for our food and all I ordered was a salad.
I got the Grounded Niçoise with greens, asparagus, baby potatoes, olives, hard boiled egg, tomato, and herb vinaigrette — the ahi tuna was an extra $ 10.50 to the already $ 12 it was for the generous portioned salad. The asparagus, potatoes, and egg were cooked well, but altogether the salad was a bit dry and could’ve used a little bit more dressing. The ahi tuna seemed like a small portion, but it was thick and any more would’ve overpowered the salad. It was more cooked than seared and wasn’t very flavorful. It was good, but not worth the price tag.
I was so disappointed about my last visit because after I really enjoyed their breakfast. I’d be willing to try it again for lunch another day, but for now I like their to-​go breakfast better and find it much more affordable for something substantial to eat.

Quel bel endroit!
On se croierait dans une autre ville! L’ambiance relaxe, du VRAI café de qualité, un service aimable… Wow! Ça fait du bien. Le Grounded est désormais mon café de choix.

The sandwiches are fresh and of good quality. The atmosphere is good. Interesting décor. I love it here.

I’ve been here a few times already and chose it once again as a place to have a business meeting over lunch. Food is great and reasonably priced (think Green Rebel-​ish prices but not a chain) — I usually get soup and a slice of pizza. Today I got soup and a salad and I wasn’t disappointed. Atmosphere is great — it’s bustling but not so loud or annoying that you can’t focus on your meeting or on socializing. Lots of professionals have working lunches there as well.

I am constantly surprised by Ottawa. I think I’ve found all the deliciousness there is to offer and then bam, I discover a new place.
Some colleagues and I headed out for lunch on Friday, looking for something new and something we could grab a pint at when Grounded was suggested.
First of all, you would not know at all from the outside of the building that there was anywhere with style inside. It just seemed super nondescript and I think I’ve walked past here a handful of times and never noticed.
They do a whole host of sandwiches, paninis, soups etc AND, this is great, and they have gluten-​free bread.
Adding the gluten free bread is quite pricy. Their paninis are about $ 8 and change each and the gf bread is another $ 4 on top of that, so $ 12 for a sandwich does seem steep but I assure you it’s worth it.
I had the calabrese, which has prosciutto, capicollo, sopressette, marinated eggplant, provolone and roast red pepper and was divine. Seriously, if I’m going to pay a lot for a sandwich it better knock my socks off and this delivered; hook line and sinker.
I also had a stout, which again was a bit pricy $ 9 for a pint. But it’s worth the lunch break.
Very «hip» clean atmosphere, Edison bulbs and exposed concrete, hard wood tables and a booth. Great atmosphere and the staff were lovely to boot. Definitely a good find.

A fabulous spot to sit outside for a Friday lunchtime glass of wine and salad! Very knowledgable & able to help me select the perfect glass of wine. Only lost a star because I didn’t realize the Niçoise salad didn’t come with tuna and you had to order that as an extra.
Lovely, helpful staff and very fast service.

Can’t believe I didn’t Unilocal this before. Grounded is a favourite for lunch downtown. Also, convenient to lots of big govt offices (Department of Finance, EDC) that are otherwise not well served by good places for lunch. Actually, let me rephrase that. If you’re lunching in that area, there are some swanky steakhouses (Hy’s, Prime 360) if somebody else is paying, and there are a lot of good sandwich shops and ethnic dining — even fast food. But if you’re not sure your business associate is a fan of Japanese or Indian, then there is not much south of Sparks/​west of Elgin to recommend for lunch.
Grounded has an ‘order at the window, we bring it to the table’ approach so they move people through quickly. Every time I have visited, it has been busy but I have always been seated quickly with very attentive service. Seating is a bit close but I haven’t felt too crowded or found it too noisy to talk.
They have opened a new room on the other side of the lobby and they have a street patio that seems nice enough.
So far I have had a couple different salads and a couple different paninis. The standouts were the Green and Gold salad (spinach, goat cheese, beets) with seared ahi tuna and the spicy Italian panini. Also, I seem to remember a killer brownie and great coffee.
Haven’t been for dinner. but the lunch presentation is terrific.

Atmosphere? Check. Booze? Check. Coffee? Check. Food? Check.
Might I also add that they carry spectacular wines?
This place is perfect for: First dates or thousandth dates, work-​related/​professional meet-​ups or forbidden romantic encounters, post-​5pm drinks and snacks with multiple co-​workers and lunch dates with the whole Microsoft Office gang (i.e. you and your laptop).
The food is casual (salads, paninis, etc.) but does not lack flavour or innovation, and the staff are friendly and helpful. This is definitely a great find, and a small business that deserves to be supported.

gorgeous salad, delicious coffee, fantastic service, a good place to rest in the middle of the trip

My first time there and the food was great the place was nice but service was way to slow needed to see my waiter more.

The rating is low and here is the reasons why:
1) Slow… slow… slow service. It took 30 minutes to get the salad with salmon I ordered. When I got there, there were 2 other people in the restaurant so it’s not like they had a back log of orders.
2) Salad was boring… a bunch of spring mix, baby spinach and romaine. One little piece of tomato, 2 small pieces of cucumber and some shredded carrots. Barely any dressing. Oh… and it came with a nice reheated piece of salmon.
This place was packed and if this is the quality of the food and service they offer, then I feel real sorry for those that eat there as they haven’t been to a good restaurant before.
It ‘should’ be a lot better based on the atmosphere of the place but it just doesn’t line up.
It was a real disappointment and I wont go back unless someone else is paying.

A recent dinner at Grounded was a pleasant surprise. This coffee house by day /​restaurant by night offers excellent food at a fair price served in a modern, relaxed atmosphere.
The dinner menu is divided into 5 sections: Protein (chicken, steak, seafood, etc…), Vegetables/​Salads, Starches (risotto cakes, french fries, etc…), Charcuterie/​Cheese; and Thin Crust Pizza. The dishes are meant for sharing and are each $ 17 or under (taxes in).
Our party of two ordered the arugula and goat cheese salad, steak frite, duck confit, and the seafood tartar trio (salmon, tuna, scallops) and chai crème brûlée for dessert. Each main course dish was more delicious than the next. My only complaint is that the dishes were not served as hot as they could have been.
Grounded has a limited wine menu but corkage is allowed (call in
advance for information). I didn’t believe they have beer…
We were served by Amir, one of the co-​owners, who treated us to a shot of flaming coffee infused zambuka at the end of our meal. The service was attentive but a little slow which is great if you’re looking for a long leisurely dinner.
Highly recommend.

Went for lunch, and had an awesome panini and salad. Always try to stop by here on the days that I eat out. Not too busy so it’s a nice an relaxed lunch crowd. Not the hustle and bustle of sparks street or a food court. Definitely pick up a brownie if you’ve got some room left after your big panini.

Mmmm, panini. Its hard to go wrong with pressed sandwiches, especially with quality ingredients. I like the fact that they are independently-​run. Tomato-​based Thai coconut soup was rather watery & unremarkable, but still a charming lunch hangout. Buttery, crisp of an almond cookie — so simple, so good.

Went here for lunch with the family during March break. Caught the tail-​end of lunch hour as the place was packed, but it cleared out by about 1:20. The food and service was great! I had a mix of the bean and greek salad with a seared tuna filet on top, and it was very tasty and affordable. Highly recommended.

There is something quite charming about this new place on Gloucester Street. From the outside I had originally thought it was actually a kitchen supply store but upon further investigation I discovered it was a coffeehouse and then when I finally tried it out with a friend I discovered it was much more than a coffeehouse.
Perhaps they cleverly sell themselves as a coffeehouse and then over deliver or surprise you with a large list of lunch and breakfast items. The kitchen is open and the staff were very friendly. The man who served me asked after I’d ordered if I had any questions (my friend and I were scanning their menu board long after we’d ordered). He answered a few questions and encouraged us to come back and try the special. So we asked about the special and he showed us. Today they were serving up Roast pork loin with ratatouille, wild mushroom rice and pan gravy … for $ 10 tax included!
The special looked and smelled amazing. The kitchen staff focused on presentation as much as anything else which was a bit surprising for a place that I thought was just a small deli.
All of their menu prices listed include tax and are rounded to the nearest dollar. I really liked the setup of the restaurant and it would appear many others working downtown like it too as it was quite busy today. There is WiFi as well.
I would highly recommend this new lunch option for anyone downtown. I’ll certainly be going back and I hope the special is just as great as it looked and smelled today.
The only complaint I had about my panini was that it and my salad were both a bit heavy on the onions which I’ll know for next time but it’s not preventing me from returning.
Their Facebook page appears to be updated daily with lunch specials but I don’t believe they have a website.