The Works

My husband came up with the idea of going to the Works for lunch today, always a pleasure to eat their’, food is delicious and the service is always courteous, friendly and amusing. Fun when the servers recognize you from previous visits.
Had a great lunch, split a tower of rings and had the pleasure of meeting the
manager KAYLA thanks, be seeing you again soon. Lorraine Dumoulin

I went into this works location before I had a sports night and was surprised to see it was quite busy. I was seated right away and I knew my friend was going to be late and we were on a time crunch so I told the waitress right away that I would be ordering for my friend and she was very understanding and served me very quickly. I told her my friend was about 15 minutes away when I ordered and she said perfect because the burgers would take about 20 minutes.
I had the Sexy Burger (cream cheese, banana peppers, pineapple and sweet&spicy sauce) and it was SO good! I really like their fries also.
The food arrived about 5 minutes after my friend did which was perfect and our service was friendly, fast and very accommodating.
The restaurant itself seemed small and busy but the service is good so all in all it was a great experience.

This place is the best! We go with our toddler and the place is very kid friendly but I would also go here with any group of adults. They have some exotic meats (elk) but nothing beats the beef patty. It’s freshly ground so they can cook it medium. It will take me a while to eat through the menu but everything has been so good so far.

Heavenly burger stuffed with cheese.
Huge selection, so big, you start to doubt yourself if you made the right choice.
The apps selection is a bit weak, but overall a great burger place.

Another good visit! This location had a line up out the door, but that was somewhat to be expected considering that it was a Friday night supper. Once we were seated the service was quick and very friendly. Drinks were always topped off and the burgers were hot and juicy — just as they should be.

My wife and I were driving down St-​Laurent at 11:30 and decided to give it a try.
The atmosphere is funny and entertaining: the drinks are served in measuring cups; the walls are decorated with engine parts, the servers are dressed like mechanics, appetizers are called leftovers («that are found out back»).
We ordered the Tower-​O-​Rings as an appetizer. The rings were thick and enjoyable.
My wife ordered a tasty salade, but I can’t remember what it was called.
I ordered the Plain Jane. Most of the burger was typical, but the beef was really good. You could taste the quality of the meat. Although a lot of people would probably prefer their own home made burgers, these tasted like home made burgers fresh of the BBQ. The fries tasted like they were made in house too.
The only aspect of the visit that was not excellent was the service — our server could have been around a little more often (my drink was empty when lunch came, and there was no offer to refill; no checking to see if we were ok with our meals) but it didn’t really bother us too much. It was just noticeable.
I enjoyed my visit at The Works. My arteries did too.

Fantastic! Only downside is choosing only one burger! :p
Love their glasses and especially their onion rings and dipping sauce; all to die for.
Then of course the burgers are also amazing and i’ve never left hungry from one of these before.
Also their shakes are INCREDIBLE.
I’ve been to 4 of their locations and this one definitely tops the list.
Go there now; as fast as you can.

Great burgers…’nuff said. Unbelievable huge amount of options on menu. Our waitress was a little on the flaky side, but all in all a super place.

The works is seriously overrated.
Their menu is something like 50 different burgers, which is fine I suppose, but they should also just list ingredients and let you build your own burger, which they don’t.
Further, the burger is just alright, as in I’ve had much better and can make much better at home for much less, as in I’ll never go back. The fries are fries, as in no complaint, but I could make better.

3.5 given the friendly service.
Been to a few other Works. This wasn’t the bar setter but it was OK.
DRINKS:
We started with waters and a srawberry daiquiri virgin
The cocktail was not very sweet even after asking for a reblend with more syrup. Fail.
THE THREE BURGERS:
The Tony D Luxe– This sandwich was a bit dry. Maybe the meat was overcooked, maybe the bun was stale, we couldn’t quite put our finger on it, but…
The Sum Yung Guy– with its smoky flavour and similar ingredients (cream cheese instead of brie) is the more accomplished brother of the two.
Not yo’ burger– This third burger was the best of the three. Buttery avocado and a juicy cheese dip spread offset by crunchy tortilla chip and textured salsa. GOOD STUFF.
NB– slightly spicy
I RECOMMEND: sweet potato fries over regular ones. White fries were kind of dry
EXTRA TIP: Specify your meat if the waitress doesn’t ask. And the Chipotle Mayo is hot so stick to regular if you don’t want that kick.

Don’t go in Winter if its cold. It was maybe minus 15 — not the worst — but the place is surrounded by uninsulated windows. Everyone ate in their coats. Still good food but after waiting 45 minutes for a table, we were frozen!

Hold the phone, turkey, whole wheat, sweet potato fries…
If you’re reading this because you are considering trying the Works for the first time please stop reading right now and GO! The Works is nothing less than amazing. The burgers are big, delicious, and topped with anything you can think of. When you order to get to design your burger exactly how you want it. The first line of this review is my personal order, this includes choice of toppings, type of patty, type of bun, and side. Vegetarian? Not a problem, you still have a choice between two different patties!
It takes about 20 minutes for the burgers to cook so I appetizers are often taken advantage of by my friends and I. Now I know the tower of rings gets a lot of hype, but here’s my advice on that: don’t get it. They have a different appetizer called Belgian Frites in which you get sweet potato fries, french fries, and the onion rings you were considering ordering on their own for about the same price (if not slightly less) than the tower. Way better value!
On the customer service side of things I am staying extremely positive! I’ve never had a bad experience. All of the servers are enthusiastic, friendly, and very interactive. Perfect for the type of atmosphere of the restaurant.
So if you’ve never been, first off I told you at the beginning of this to go already! But more importantly once again I’m going to state my profound love for this restaurant! Have fun looking through the menu and try new things! You never know what will taste amazing until you try it. Before I discovered the Works I never would have said that my favourite burger is one covered in peanut butter and cream cheese ;)

I like to check in here for a great coronary clogging burger.

Let me start off by saying that I am not a resident of Ottawa and this was my first time at this restaurant. AWSOME burgers!!! Some of the best I ever had! My wife had a Turkey burger and she can not stop talking about it! I also had the LIPSTICK ON A PIG poutine and it just AMAZING. I did not sit in the restaurant and eat but rather had take out. It was recommended by our friends who we were visiting. As such I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE! I will not give it five stars for two reasons.
1. Way too many options on the menu! I feel as if I am missing something better because there are so many options.
2. We had to go back because we almost go cheated! We had four orders and they only put three in the bag. THEY FORGOT MY ORDER!!!
The food was great and I will let you decide on my negative options!

The most overrated restaurant (s) I have encountered in Ottawa. Burgers only well done? That leaves me wondering that they might not grind their own beef — and if a specialty burger restaurant, why not?! The resulting burgers are hard and dry. The best things on the menu are the onion rings and sweet potato fries. Noisy, crowded, and not really worth the wait.

Best burger place ever!!!
This is Ottawa best gourmet burger place.
You must try the Dycut fries and Onion rings.

J’ai vraiment apprécié mon souper a The Works.
Je n’avais jamais entendu parler de ce restaurant, mais mon frère m’a bien vendu sa salade… j’avais vraiment le goût d’une grosse assiette ! Leur menu est totalement incroyable: Gordon Ramsay le considèrerait comme ’ incredibly confusing ’ avec plus d’une cinquantaine d’assaisonnements, en plus du choix de boulette (boeuf, poulet, végé, portobello) et des multiples choix d’à-côtés.
Ils servent les breuvages dans des tasses a mesurer (voir photo). Apparament la décoration est très intense, mais je n’ai pas vu l’intérieur du restaurant puisque nous avons mangé sur la terrasse.
L’assiette était complètement décadente (voir photo) et délicieuse: burger de poulet avec fromage, champignons sautés & mayo cajun. Sans oublier les 3 onion ring ! les frites de pommes de terres douces étaient bien assaisonnées et la mayo au curry a relevé le goût de mon plat.
pour une quinzaine de dollars l’assiette, ça vaut la peine d’y arrêter.

The Works in Manor Park is a favourite of ours. Great service, great food and (with the exception of the overpriced Tower of Rings) good value.
Exceptional burgers and tasty sides. More burger choices than you can shake a stick at. Quirky industrial décor matches the name and staff are friendly and efficient.
What’s not to like?

I’ve been here twice this year, and that’s saying something since I don’t even live in Ottawa. They are planning to expand east, so one can only hope they make it towards Halifax.
This is one of their locations in Ottawa, but we’ve been told by local residents that it’s by far the nicest. Tucked away in a little strip mall off of the St. Laurent stretch, this place has some charm with big tables, quirky steampunk-​esque wall decorations, and super friendly staff. Your meal comes in a tin bucket, drinks are served in two-​cup measuring cups, and your choice of over 16 milk shakes comes thick and creamy in up to four-​cup monsters. While most of the measuring cup pop includes free refills, be aware that the root beer and cream soda only come by the bottle, and at $ 4 per bottle, it’s practically liquid gold.
Their three-​page menu has dozens of burger options, but let’s start with the basics: the meat. You can choose from your classic beef, or if you want something slightly healthier you have your poultry choice of chicken or turkey. More of a veggie? They have large Portobello caps for a veg-​friendly meaty taste. Looking for something exotic? They can accommodate that too, with their Elk burger. However, as each massive burger is made fresh and cooked slow for a perfectly juicy creation, the wait staff will remind you that it’ll take at least 20 minutes for the platter of food to slam onto your table. If you’re starved, that’s why I highly recommend the Tower-​O-​Rings as a shareable app. Crispy, thickly battered onion rings are piled high onto a foot tall skewer, and come served with your choice of dipping sauces. Both BBQ sauces and the curry mayo are my recommendations.
Now you can choose your topping options; this ain’t no plain jane burger joint, (although you can order that if you’re not one for flavour accessories). Want some KD? How about cream cheese and horse radish? Or you can try healthy with grilled egg plant, shredded carrots, and avocado. Go crazy with peanut butter and jalapenos! If you live for cheese as much as I do, you’ve hit the jackpot: brie, jack, gouda, blue, cheddar, goat, havarti, swiss, feta… They must have a cheese monger living in their fridge. Feeling saucy? There’s smokey barbecue, curry mayo, hotter than hell, pesto, chipotle, teriyaki… Go ahead and baste your baby with the flavours you want.
Basically, this burger joint is ready to satisfy any carnivore’s craving, even if you’re a pregnant woman wanting pickles and cream cheese on that elk patty. Plus, it’s fun to just read the menu to go over the burger names and laugh a little (check out the Don Cherry burger: sour grapes, moldy cheese and a stale bun.).
I’ve had the Roughrider’s Comeback and the Smokey Mountain, and both were very good. I’m already hoping to make another Ottawa trip sooner than later for another stop at The Works. I just hope I can make up my mind on which burger to try next by then!

Is there any more over-​reviewed and over-​rated restaurant in Ottawa? Okay, not that it’s not good, but this place is freakin’ mythologized. However, in the spirit of giving credit where due, just wanted to note that I enjoyed a recent visit to the Beechwood/​St-​Laurent location for lunch.
To me, this is by far the most sensibly laid-​out and welcoming interior of the three I’ve visited (St-​Laurent plus Richmond and Bank).
Served by a quirky young man who, except for the irritating «How are we?» question and the reminder that because our burgers are sooooo exceptional, each order takes 20 minutes, was pretty good and told a few funny stories.
Saturday late lunch — not a particularly busy time.
I had the spinach salad. It was really good. Enough non-​spinach items to be interesting plus a pretty good vinegarette on the side. My friend had the pesto pizzaz burger, with chicken, whole wheat bun and sweet potato fries. Looked so good I regretted the salad.
Because I am a curmudgeon, I am going to note that serving the soft drinks in the pyrex measuring cup is getting a little old but otherwise, can’t find anything to complain about.