Heart and Crown Barrhaven

Great location and great food! The service is just as good. I love their nachos and their beer is always super cold! Would absolutely recommend!

Beautiful location with lots of upscale finishings (including the ceiling you can see in pictures) that shows they put considerable money into this location. The food is what you’d expect from a gastropub — delicious food and generous amounts. Beer is a bit on the expensive side.

Though I have mixed feelings about restaurant bars that are part of a chain, I was happy to see a new bar in Barrhaven, particularly in an area that doesn’t have much in terms of nightlife or daytime patios.
I’ve been to this location a few times since it opened, with very different experiences each time. I came for dinner for my first visit and ordered the Fresh Sustainable Atlantic Salmon main plate. It was topped with samphire (basically parsley) aioli and it came with green beans, marinated tomato and bacon salad, and crispy potatoes. It was presented very well, and even though it looked like a small portion, it was actually deceiving and pretty filling without going overboard. I found it all a bit greasy, but flavorful and somewhat expected because of the salmon. The tomato and bacon salad was mixed in with the green beans and not separated, and the red potatoes were sliced and were crispy, as advertised. I was very happy with the meal and the service, though I couldn’t help but stare at the ceiling above the bar — it’s all fancy metal and had changing colors of light, nice but unnecessary and likely a waste of money. We did have a server but another man was helping out and asking us how everything was — he was dressed differently and we assumed he was the manager. I appreciated that he took the time to ask us what we thought and how everything was going.
The second time was around brunch time, but we just missed the cut-​off for breakfast and had to order off of the lunch menu, which is the same as the dinner menu. I found some of the prices pretty expensive for something so simple (i.e. $ 14 for a grilled ham and cheese with tomato soup), but they’re pretty in line with other bars that serve food. I ordered the PEI Atlantic Smoked Salmon Wrap and whose a whole wheat wrap. It came with fresh spinach, tomatoes, pickled red onion, and a chive, dill, and caper infused cream cheese. I also upgraded my meal to have the seafood chowder as my side, which had scallops, baby shrimp, Atlantic salmon, haddock, bacon, and Yukon Gold potatoes. Quite honestly, I enjoyed the chowder more than the wrap. It was creamy and hearty, and though it had a lot of seafood, it wasn’t fishy in flavor. It had a fair amount of dill in it and was garnished with green onions, but it needed a bit of pepper for some more flavor. The wrap was okay, but not great. It had a decent amount of salmon and a ton of fresh spinach, which some people may like, but with the lack of cream cheese, it was just too much pickled onion and spinach per bite. I even had to ask for a side of some more cream cheese, as the wrap was far too dry and flavorless to eat the way it was.
My latest visit was for a late breakfast, and I ordered the Traditional Eggs Benedict, which came with poached eggs and a toasted Irish muffin (not English, but I really couldn’t tell the difference), topped with hollandaise sauce and home fries on the side. I substituted the grilled ham for smoked salmon. It was also good, but nothing spectacular, pretty standard. I also ordered a spicy Caesar, which was also pretty standard.
I’ve come here a few times for some drinks with friends, and obviously the weekend is packed, and I mean PACKED (probably because it’s a fairly new bar in Barrhaven). It was odd that they were asking for a cover charge one Friday night because a band was playing, even though we had no idea who they were and only heard them play a song or two the whole time we were there. The drink prices are standard as well, and nothing fancy on the menu. There are usually daily specials, like other bars, and they also offer a late night menu.
The service has been consistently fair, nothing to rave or complain about. There are big screen TVs everywhere, which are great for watching sports, but take a bit away from the atmosphere/​ambiance of the rest of the bar and seem slightly out of place. There’s also a large stage area and dance floor, which, again, are great for concerts, but could be used for tables and chairs when there isn’t a show of some type.
The one thing I have to mention that really irritated me is that they managed to make a great patio space to the side of the bar, and one beautiful sunny day that I headed over to have drinks with friends, they had the top rolled across to cover all of the sunlight and wouldn’t open up at least half or a portion of it. Apparently a family who wanted to sit outside didn’t want the sun and even though it was only four of them and at least three other groups of 3+ people having drinks and wanting the sun, they still would not compromise with us. My friends were also irritated and we ended up leaving earlier than planned to find a real patio elsewhere.

First time here at this location. I remember a long time ago feeling uneasy and unwelcomed at the original long standing location in the market. The reason wasn’t choice but a pre arranged work function.
I had the fish and chips and found them to be good. Nothing really award winning stuck out for the fish and chips. Our server was prompt to take orders and later checked up to ensure we were doing fine. Portions can be considered reasonable. I found out later there was a choice of either 2 prices of fish but I never got presented that option.
To be fair I’ve only been here once and found it no different than the next place that’s similar with a different name. What I will say is it smells like a gym inside. It’s either the ventilation is poor or their ventilation system is hooked up to the Good Life Fitness located within the same plaza and is sucking in the air from there
I found it to be an alright place. As I disclosed I didn’t choose to come here. The question would be if this place sticks out in my mind as a place I’d like to go for the food, service, and atmosphere … I really dont know that it would. Look for an update review if I get the chance to go back.
Overall I found nothing wrong with the place but also found nothing spectacular either. Perhaps the knock against them would be the hint of a sweaty gym nearby.

Went for brunch this morning, the 4 of us.
No reservations, was told it was a 20 minute wait, but we could start our coffees at the bar. Awesome — seated at the bar right away, and coffee in front of me in about 3 minutes.
And, the coffee is GOOD.
Asked if we wanted to wait for our table, or did we want to eat at the bar? WOW, I hadn’t even considered this as an option! Done, food ordered. Staek and eggs for me, eggs benny for my lovely, my son had the bagel with creak cheese and salmon, my daughter had the yogurt and fresh fruit bowl.
About 2 minutes before out food was ready, we were informed that our table was ready, and was offered a choice between staying at the bar or being seated.
We were seated, and then our food was brought out.
The steak was PERFECT, not just in taste, and the was cooked, but the size as well.
I’m always cautious about ordering steak for brunch because I don’t want too much food. This portion was about 4 oz, and with the eggs, and home fries, and toast, it was just right.
My wife got the eggs benny with salmon instead of ham — kudos for the ability to sub the ham.
Son’s bagel was big from what we’re used to from Kettleman’s. He said it was really good, the flavours and textures melding together in perfect harmony (his words).
Daughter’s yogurt bowl was tasty and the fruit was fresh. Portion size was ideal.
My only reason for not giving the 5^th star — the home fries were off the shelf/​deep fried potatoes. Ketchup fixes that, but with the rest of the food being as good as it was, how hard would it be for the chef to use real potatoes, and a custom seasoning mix?
Do that, and a 5^th star is guaranteed.
We have every intention on returning for dinner next weekend, and will be sure to make reservations!

Went to this location for lunch today. It was amazing. There were plenty of staff working ready for the busy lunch blast. We had drinks in our hand in no time and our food was really quick. In and out in 25 min. Our waitress Mary was absolutely amazing, And the owner even had a chat with us. Great service as usual.

I’ve always been a fan of the Heart and Crowns products and have always enjoyed my experiences at the Irish village in the Market and the Preston street location and I have to say they have hit the nail on the head once more with the Barrhaven location.
Don’t let the exterior fool you, this place is BIG, with an awesome bar situated in the center. The food was excellent, and the staff was friendly. I’ll be going back here real soon.