absinthe

i always go for the cornerstone burger atabsintheand it never disappoints. it's $16 during lunch time and $24 (!!!) for dinner. you get a double decker burger with two thick, juicy, and rich patties smothered with cheese and sitting on an artisinal bun. it comes with salad and fries. this is arguably the best burger in ottawa. extremely fulfilling and delicious. only possible knock is that it might be a little too greasy for some people. service is excellent atabsintheand i would not hesitate to recommend it.

wow...what an evening. my wife and i went toabsinthelast night for our anniversary, and our first date night since our daughter was born. the first thing i would like to say is that the staff were welcoming, friendly and knowledgeable.

with respect to the food,......"wow"!!!!! we each did the make your own table d'hote and what an experience, from the chacuterie and beef tartar starters, to the steak frits and steelhead trout mains, the food was exquisite :)

thank you for making our anniversary evening such a memorable one.

an excellent destination. the cafeabsintheoffers an appealing menu with a limited number of very fine choices. the presentation is very good. the staff is attentive without being overbearing. the atmosphere is very convivial and, most important, it is possible to have a pleasant conversation over a relaxed meal.

my mom and i came here for dinner (both of our first times) on mother's day for dinner. the food was phenomenal, as was the service. we each had the three course table d'hôte, which was very reasonably priced, and they were amazing. i would highly recommendabsinthe(and already have) to anyone...excellent food, excellent dining experience!

double check your food. i was recently back toabsinthefor lunch with a friend because the first time i went i loved it so i wanted to let her try it as well. she ordered the burger and i ordered the tacos. the food was good. however, neither of us could finish our food. i had only ate one of the two tacos and some fries. the plate had the salad and the second taco untouched and some fries left. my friend couldn't finish her burger. we both asked the waiter to pack it to go. my friend had checked her take out box to make sure she had the right one (in case it was mixed up). i didn't bother checking mine because i trusted the waiter as he provided very good service. however, when i got home, i realize the only thing the waiter packed for me was the taco. the salad and fries were not packed and probably thrown out. it was irritating because 1. i had paid for the food and couldn't finish it and expected all of it to be packed away but i only received one out of the 2.5 items unfinished. 2. the food must have been thrown out which is such a waste. it was ridiculous. i feel like if i ever go back and need to take the food to go, i would need to double check it. very disappointing!


-----27 jan, 2013-----

excellent service and food. i took my boyfriend there for his birthday and we both loved it! i had order the steak while he ordered the duck. they were both very good. the service was def. awesome as it was his birthday, the waiter gave him a complimentary dessert that said happy birthday. def. recommend it

my friend and i were atabsintheyesterday for dinner. we were seated at an outdoor table. it was the first time i have been to a restaurant since march 2020. it was brilliant. we shared 4 appetizers - the lovely fresh tomatoes, the incredibly too tuna, superb salmon and exquisite duck pâté. our server (emilia) was terrific - friendly, sweet, competent. i was most impressed when a street person approached her and asked for some water - she didn’t hesitate and gave him a glass of water.

bravo to the staff. they made our first night out a highlight.

friday night, my girlfriend and i went toabsinthefor dinner. we were not able to celebrate valentines day on the thursday because of work but i wanted to do something special. she had mentionedabsinthebefore and i checked out their website and read reviews. they did not disappoint! unbelievable food. phenomenal service and absolutely amazing atmosphere. our server was fantastic. they were quite busy, but he never forgot about us and always took a second to check in to see how we were doing. the food was incredible. we both had theabsinthesteak frites and arugula salad. both items were excellent. the chef atabsintheactually knows how to properly cook a steak medium rare, which is rare, no pun intended. the arugula salad was one of the best salads i've ever had! then there was the desert. absolutely amazing. we had the desert sampler and wow. if you're thinking of checking out absinthe, don't hesitate. by far one of, if not the best dinning experiences i've ever had.

thanksabsinthefor making our valentines day great!

we were extremely satisfied with everything from the greeting, the service, the food and the special birthday acknowledgement for my aunt. everything was classy. even after we were finished our meal and paid, our server continued pouring water as we continued our conversation. we didn’t feel rushed and had a wonderful time. we enjoy good food and are often not satisfied. however this time, everyone loved their meal and we each had a different appetizer and a different main meal. even the drinks (dirty martini) was the most delicious i’ve had.

we have never been toabsinthebefore but have a reservation for fondue and thought we’d try it on a regular night as my aunt lives close by. well there is nothing regular aboutabsinthe– everything is exceptional and we are now looking forward more than ever to our fondue dinner
.

ate here on saturday night as part of a very large group. the food was fantastic. i had the pork cheek main, and it was perfectly done melt-in-your-mouth. the staff were extremely accommodating as well. i brought my baby with me to meet the group, and whileabsinthecaters to an upscale crowd and may not have a change table, they made sure there was a table put in the washroom for us to use before i could even ask where the washroom was! thank you for the lovely evening!!

our premiere visit toabsintheincluded wonderful, sumptuous cuisine and attentive, polite service in a lovely, subdued atmosphere. needless to say, we'll recommend this restaurant to all of our friends and we shall return, soon.

went toabsintheyesterday afternoon for lunch with friends.  each of had something different to eat and all of us enjoyed our meal.  i had a lamb burger and side salad and it was delicious.  would definitely order it again.  we thought that prices were reasonable for the quality.  service and atmosphere were very good.  would definitely go back.

great experience! we went to celebrate our son's engagement and are happy we chose this place. we were greeted with complementary champagne. each starter was terrific and the quail egg on the steak tartar was a very nice touch. the mains were even better. the duck was perfectly prepared. the braised rabbit ravioli is highly recommended. the sampler dessert was an excellent way to try several types of desserts. the service was impecable: polite, very knowledgable, and timely. there was never an empty glass and it was nice to get fresh cutlery with every course. we orderedabsintheto end the meal and it was nicely presented with clear, unpretentious instructions on how to let the water drip to dissolve the sugar cube on the slotted spoon. definitely a "go-to" place if you want to impress someone!

we were fortunate to dine atabsinthethis past weekend. it was one of the best meals we have had in a very long time. the tuna carpaccio and the beef tartar were both excellent. the tuna carpaccio had a wonderful texture, complemented by spicy elements and was beautifully presented. the beef tartar was the perfect presentation of a classic dish. the duck breast and arctic char, which followed were wonderful. the duck breast was perfectly cooked and delicious. the arctic char was moist and flavourful. the accompanying sides made both plates flawless. the meal ended with prifiteroles. the homemade ice cream, chou and chocolate sauce were scrumptious. 

although the atmosphere is relaxed, service is flawless and attentive. it was a great evening.

we went from toronto to ottawa on the weekend to skate on the rideau canal and to eat meat fondue which is so hard to find in toronto. so we searched on google a fondue place in ottawa and made a reservation atabsinthefor saturday night. unfortunately the canal was closed and later we found out that the fondue night atabsinthewas on mondays only!!!!! we were sad but we decided to eat there anyway as everything on their menu seems to be pretty yummy!! but when the servers learned that we were from toronto and we were there to eat fondue, they went to speak with the chef to accommodate a last minute fondue order for us!!! our server was erin and she was awesome, but all the staff that came to speak with us they were all so friendly and professional that made our night even more special.. we had the 3 course fondue meal - cheese, meat and chocolate and i can't find words to describe how delicious everything was... i can tell that made the 410km trip worth it! we were so impressed by their customer service, atmosphere and delicious food!!! just unforgettable!

this was a very special day for our senior engineer pat who was retiring the next day.  we had a big crowd 50 people and it accommodated everyone without a problem.  the food was great, the service was awesome and everyone had a great time.  it was an awesome day andabsinthecafé is awesome.  i would recommend this restaurant to any one who is looking for fine dining.