elgin street diner

not very impressed. we had wanted to visit this diner as we saw it on the show 'you gotta eat here' on thefoodnetwork. we walked in and was greeted promptly by the host, who also turned out to be our server. he told us that we could sit anywhere we wanted. we chose the booth near the back of the diner. the diner's decor was okay, seemed sort of outdated. there was a huge sign on the wall that said 'now accepting debit', i wonder how long ago that was put there. the bathrooms are really small and dirty, not the type of bathroom you want to go to after eating. we ordered our meals; the cheeseburger and poutine. apparently the poutine is the best in ottawa, as it said on the menu. after waiting about 8 minutes, our meals came. it seemed quite quick for the meals to come. the cheeseburger was good, the meat was very juicy and chewy, i liked it. the poutine however, disappointed me. about 3/4 of the plate was filled with french fries, way too much! i probably only ate about 1/4 of it. the gravy was very oily, and the cheese curds didn't melt, they were still huge chunks on top of the fries. to be honest, kfcs poutine is way better than this one. the coleslaw had too much vinegar, it didn't taste like the type of coleslaw that is typical of diners. i was hoping thefoodwould be exceptional considering it was on tv but, it was just average. the service was okay, only the basics were done, nothing out of the ordinary to impress us. would certainly never return!

regular at this spot for many reasons.
1.fast service 
2. cheap 
3. very goodfoodno matter what it is on the menu you order.
4. friendly staff. 
i wouldnt order the veggie club but aside from that this place is great.

comfortfoodgem!. loved the place! found out about this place by watching the tv show you gotta eat here! and tried it out for the first time. i loved thefoodand i went back the next day. my servers were incredibly polite, reasonably fast service and awesome home-cooked-like food. the chili (i ate it on the the chill fries and the chill dog) was personally my favourite thing there and my boyfriend really enjoyed his cordon bleu - fresh cut fried, perfectly seasoned chill, juicy chicken breast and fresh ingredients.
great comfortfoodat this diner!
try the apply crumble when you get a chance!

our home fries looked and tasted more like yesterday’s stale mashed potatoes, we got an order of the eggs benedict, and it came with no hollandaise sauce. we called to make the complaint and was told we would have the sauce within 5-10 minutes. it’s been about 30 minutes and still no sauce. we spent 60.00 on 2 breakfast and honestly i could have taken that 60 dollars and went to the grocery store and went home and made a better breakfast for 10 people. thefoodis now cold even more stale and disgusting. i can't believe that no discount was offered. that they thought that sending sauce 30 minutes later is acceptable. how about a new plate? fresh? that didn't cross their mind? in my opinion this is the worst customer service.

the quintessential diner, open 24 hours and offering a wide variety of popular diner favorites. the blue plate special remains one of the biggest sellers, and their poutine is worth trying simply on its own. a little pricier than you might expect, but thefoodis very good and the service is always friendly and accommodating.

worstfoodi've had in years. wow... if you want to waste $10 on a small disgusting breakfast, well this place is for you !!! the toast are ok, te eggs not great, cheap little sausages, the worst is that patato mush they serve, i personally think it's a mix of mashed patato grilled on the flat top... i dunno worstfoodi've had since being to summerhays...

after watching this restaurant being featured on thefoodnetwork's 'you gotta eat here', we decided to come give its signature dishes a try! overall, the experience was good, but it started off quite poorly.
we were welcomed to sit down, and figured out our orders quite quickly. my parents, who immigrated from hong kong over 20 years ago, are still used to raising their hands to flag down waiters when we are ready to order. it's a subtle culture difference that i did not quite notice until we came to elgin street diner, when they were called out by a waiter who came over and made a snark remark, "what do you think you're doing, calling for a taxi?". it was completely unnecessary, and made my parents somewhat uncomfortable when i had to explain the situation to them. 

apart from that one incident, the meal was quite decent. the waiter turned out to be extremely friendly and cheerful (it was likely just a comment that slipped out of his mouth, where he did not mean to be rude but it came off as such). my ice had some dirt in it, but i did not expect clean water, to be frank.

we ordered the big plate breakfast and their chili poutine, to share among four people. surprisingly, the fare wasn't as greasy as i thought it would be. they were very generous with the cheese curds on the poutine, although the gravy was slightly overly salty. i loved the baked beans and chili though! :)

once is enough for us, but this is definitely a good place to check out with friends when you have time!

we picked this place because it was on "you gotta here" and it was also recommended to us by a local. it wasn't bad, but didn't really live up to the hype. the service was good, thefoodabout average.

thought i would give this place a shot after looking for a good place for poutine. i can definitely say that i’m happy i’ve found elgin street diner. went on a sunday morning and the placed was packed, but it didn’t take long to get a table. service was great, very attentive, friendly and so quick. the menu has a fantastic, appetizing variety. i ordered a strawberry milkshake and a breakfast club which originally came with fries but i upgraded for poutine. this plate included a side of beans that had a great smokey, barbecue flavor. the poutine was very good but does not taste like your traditionalfoodtruck poutine. the fries are on the smaller side, but perfectly golden and crispy. the gravy is dark, not too salty. the cheese curds were not squeaky (as i usually prefer them to be) but were still good. the breakfast club was also delicious. included eggs, tomato, lettuce, bacon, cheese and mayonnaise. perfect for that time when you can’t decide if you’re wanting breakfast or lunch (me!).

overall, i was genuinely impressed. service was absolutely fantastic,foodwas excellent. plus, this place is open 24/7! would definitely recommend.

comfortfoodat comfort prices. service is always on point,foodis very consistent, and check out the deserts.

late night, early morning, or anytime, this place serves it fast and efficient

pretty great diner, good atmosphere, friendly and attentive staff. thefoodis alright, pretty average diner fair and the portions are really great (i don't think i've been able to finish myfoodany of the times i've gone). it's really great for a late night or early morning snack, but not someplace i'd personally go out of my way for.

ambiance is ok. clean and well-maintained. our server was not very friendly. the service was slow even though it was not so busy. it was not worth the wait. thefooddid not taste very good. it was my first and last time.

the following events took place christmas morning

thefoodwas good yet the service was absolutely atrocious from the red headed server in his mid 40's who was working the section at the front window christmas day.
#1- i attempted to order morefoodand he walked away mid conversation as if i wasn't allowed to order it. i was speechless
#2- never re-filled the coffee. we had to ask the bussboy that delivered our food. he went and told our server, the server just nodded and never came over as he continued his conversation with another server while leaning on the debit counter.
#3-never came to check if ourfoodwas ok
#4- elbowed my companion in the head while clearing dishes and did not utter a word of apology or even excuse himself!
absolutely atrocious service!
merry christmas!

i remember living just off elgin and going here with friends after drinking or studying all night. nothing, and i mean nothing, beats their esd poutine when its 2am, -20 outside, and youre drunk or exhausted and super hungry. the sentimental value esd holds for myself and a lot of young folks living in downtown ottawa probably eclipses how good thefoodactually is lol.

ive been a few times during regular hours and its pretty good as well. especially for a 24hr diner.

this is a real diner, the decor and the look of the place. the staff was very friendly and polite.
thefoodwas very good and tasty. the breakfast menu is good lots of good choice and variety.