absinthe

i always go for the cornerstone burger at absinthe and 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 withsaladand 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 at absinthe and i would not hesitate to recommend it.

double check your food. i was recently back to absinthe for 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 thesaladand 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. thesaladand 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

friday night, my girlfriend and i went to absinthe for dinner. we were not able to celebrate valentines day on the thursday because of work but i wanted to do something special. she had mentioned absinthe before 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 the absinthe steak frites and arugula salad. both items were excellent. the chef at absinthe actually knows how to properly cook a steak medium rare, which is rare, no pun intended. the arugulasaladwas 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.

thanks absinthe for making our valentines day great!

one of our favourite restaurants.  the menu isn't extensive but covers all the key areas (vegetarian, beef, fish, pork, pasta...) and seems to change regularly. the food is always amazing - the flavours, presentation, combinations.  we usually get the 3 course meal combo with wine pairing ($45 - $55 for 3 courses plus $40 for 3 wine selections.)  the service is excellent - friendly and efficient (no trying to get a waiter's attention.)  decor is pleasant, perhaps the only slight downside is it can be noisy when busy and the tables are fairly close together.  definitely need to book on popular nights. last night we both had steak frites, i had an amazing tunasalad(one of the best appetizers i've had in a long time!) and butternut squash soup first and my wife had a beetsaladand an arugula salad.  with a cocktail before and a dessert after for both of us the bill was a little over $200 for 2.

went to absinthe yesterday 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 sidesaladand 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.

just love this place.  have been multiple times and will return again.  the fresh bread is outstanding, the lemon thyme dressing on thesaladis wonderfully light and tangy, the steak frites mouthwatering.  service is top notch, the venue is perfect for friends, couples, even business dinners

very average and super over priced. this restaurant seems to think they are gourmet and charge as if they are...but they are definitely not. portions are very small, flank steak was overcooked,saladwas salty, fries are good, but the poutine is a major let down. burger was ok but terrible at $24. the desert was disappointing and it's priced at a premium but served at corner store quality. overall very expensive, menu is uninspiring, save your money there are much better places to eat in ottawa.

absinthe makes the heart grow fondue! :) that's why it was the perfect spot for our valentine's day dinner on monday. thanks for a fabulous yet relaxed dining experience! thesaladgreens with lemon thyme dressing and sunflower seeds were spectacular, and the steak frites was delicious. wonderful service and a nice neighbourhood atmosphere. we'll definitely go back.

damn that poutine is good!. i have been here twice with the intention of going back again. the first time i went the waiter was a bit rude, but the second time i went the waitress was a wonderful and attentive.

i got the burger twice which comes with asaladto start and a side poutine.

thesaladis very tasty and it is a good starter!

then comes the poutine and burger. the poutine is amazing, the gravy is very flavorful! the burger is also very good, although i usually end up bringing most of the burger home because it is huge! (not that i am complaining)

everything tastes like salt and butter. very slow service.. i came here a week ago for lunch with a work group, the menu was terrible, and when asked if we could have a chicken breast with thesaladthey said no. so i went with the burger as i thought this would be the "safe" approach but my question is, how do you **** up a burger... terrible.

the bun was soggy like wet dog and tasted like nothing but salt and butter. i removed the bun from the burger and ate the beef patty by itself, which lacked taste. it basically tasted like salted ground beef cooked in a pan, very plain, seemed like no other spices used to enrich the flavour. it took just over an hour to receive our order.

never go here.

dan.

wonderful meal, and terrific mid-week date night. the service was impeccable - knowledgable, attentive, pleasant but not cloying. my husband had the steak frites with poutine and bigness great, and i loved the beetsaladand bacon wrapped pork tenderloin. nice, trendy but comfortable ambiance rounded out our enjoyment of the evening. highly recommend.

not impressed ... especially for the price. service was great, the server was very attentive and explained every course in great detail

frog legs
- frog legs were good, good batter crisp but bland
- the accompanying celeriac and kohlrabi slaw tasted like soap and very bland; incredibly under seasoned

beet salad
-very tasty with good flavor under seasoned also
- almost too much going on here

arugulasalad
- best part of the meal with the combination of toasted pumpkin seeds, parmesan, and the vinaigrette - very enjoyable. seasoned well

steak frites (recommended to me)
- steak was served blue rare; far from medium rare
- burned, beyond charbroiled actually no one in the party found it enjoyable (as they all tried as it was recommended)
- frites/fries seasoned well
- horseradish aïoli; not a fan at all
- green beans were my favorite part out of the main course

just absolutely wonderful!. 3 of us went for dinner on thu 5 dec for our friend's birthday and the evening could not have been better. apetizers were wonderful (soup, beetsaladand escargot) and the main course were just absolutely full of flavour (pork, burger with poutine and the duck). the atmosphere was very nice, cozy and not too loud even with all the tables full. the price was very reasonable especially with all the food and drinks we ordered. the evening was topped with our wonderful waiter - friendly patrick. the evening could not have gone any better!

awesome again!. some friends and i went there for my birthday and once again it was fabulous! a big bravo for the top notch service. the server informed us that the mains might take a while to come out of the kitchen and proceeded to offer each of us an appetizer on the house. some had food sensitivities and they had no problems substituting menu items. food was excellent yet again - nobody was disappointed. the crème brûlée was delicious!!! this is quickly becoming one of my ottawa favourites.


-----17 jul, 2012-----

excellent service!. went for the first time last weekend. i had the table d'hôte and chose the tuna tartare, arugulasaladand duck duo. my husband had the steak. everything had a wonderful taste. steak was cooked perfectly. my only complaint is that the duck breast was overcooked for my taste (i like mine more on the medium-rare to rare side and this was definetly medium). service was exceptional. the waiter was friendly and was very attentive without being annoying or overbearing. probably best service i've had in ottawa. he was also fully bilingual which is rare for that neighbourhood. not sure what his name was but if his boss is reading this, it was the gentleman with the red hair :-). i will be going back for sure and will try the crème-brûlée...always a big test for me!

love the food, questionable service. i have gone to absinthe many times and was actually surprised to see i had never written a review as i really like their food. i've had their ducksalad(at lunch time, which was the most amazingsaladi ever had), their famous burger, their korean style quail, beetsaladand the duck and a few other dishes i forget! needles to say i like this place and their food! all of these dishes were delicious and cooked perfectly. i was recently there in november and again a couple weeks ago for my birthday, unfortunately we had the same waiter both times. the first time he ended up giving my friend and i 20% off of our bills as he knew he wasn't being a great waiter, forgetting our drink orders, never bringing us bread and plain just not being an attentive server. needless to say i was a little worried when i saw he was our server for my party of 11 on my birthday. he was excellent with me as he knew i was the "birthday girl", giving me a nice glass of wine on the house and a complimentary dessert. as for my guests, it was the same thing again- forgetting drinks, over charging on certain bills, checking his phone instead of serving us etc... and it was even worst for my friend who had been with me back in november. i love the food at absinthe, but feel service is just as important as the food especially in these types of restaurant. i will be taking a break from absinthe and hopefully on my next visit i will get better service.