erling's variety

food & service were exceptional. i've been to erling's 4 times now as i live and work in the neighborhood. every time, i've been very impressed with the food, the service and the ambiance. a few highlights:

- amazing service: i went with a friend who was on a special diet where she couldn't eat, among other things, meat, dairy, sugar, soya, gluten and salt. naturally there wasn't a lot on the menu that fit all of these restrictions. we asked the waiter for a suggestion; he went to the chef and brought him right to our table where my friend then explained her restrictions and the chef himself offered to make a special salmon dish that she could eat. i call that going above and beyond my expectations.

- the food was irresistible each time i went. the tuna takaki was lightly seared on the outside and fresh and salty on the inside, almost like sushi. it was so good, i had to order a second helping. the fries were delectable; i don't know why they were so good, but i would consider going there just to eat fries (and i'm not even really a fries fan). the cheese plate was a perfect late night snack, and split between two people you still get a good amount of cheese and munchies for only $15. the brunch was so well-prepared. i had the california benny; the poached eggs were so soft and perfectly cooked ( i wish i could do that at home). the guacamole was made with perfectly ripe avocadoes and the lime hollandaise sauce was a really cool twist on the normal. i think it was the best eggs benedict i've ever had.

- all around good vibes. the colour palette of the place is very carefully chosen; the light wood tables and countertop make for a calm and soothing atmosphere. i love the open concept kitchen and the bar counter is gorgeous. the staff are all young, enthusiastic and seem to have a natural way with people. i felt welcomed there and i want to gobackas soon as i can!

have had lunch with small groups here twice now and can’t wait to gobackfor dinner. the menu is perfect, the chef is talented and caring, and the wait staff friendly and knowledgeable. the food is simply divine.

excellent menu, diverse but cohesive. lots of vegetarian dishes, super creative, subtle, artful presentation. meat dishes superbly prepared. the gnocchi, omg! plates just right size for sharing- or not! cool atmosphere, cozy but lively, kitchen in plain view. we were 4 and we shared 6 plates, plus 3 lovely desserts. the plates come out in order prepared. if you like to take your time and enjoy the conversation, it’s perfect. nice friendly laidbackservice, and great value for the quality. . we live in the glebe, but took us a while to discover the spot because it’s just off bank.

i went to erling's for brunch, and while the food and service was quite good the portion sizes were very small. the interior is lovely and open. i would still like to comebackfor dinner, but maybe have a snack beforehand.

luv!. went to erlings a whilebackbut have not had the chance to comment. from the time i stepped into the restaurant, i fell in love. the open kitchen and decor provided a wonderful ambience. the service and food was great. my only negative comment were some of the plates were a little pricier compared to the ingredients and size. overall a great experience!

lovely brunch! the food is wonderful, service is great. can't wait to gobackto try their evening menu.

fantastic!. had dinner last night at erling's variety and it was perfect. the food was amazing, i couldn't get enough; the staff were attentive, friendly and knowledgeable and the atmosphere was more than inviting. the dj after dinner was so much fun, people were dancing and really enjoying themselves. all in all, it was a great night. i will bebackand will recommend the spot to everyone. go to erling's variety, you won't regret it!

really nice place!. erling's is a really nice place, wich i would call a modern bistro with canadian/french food and spanish service style (tapas).
the food is really good. we had black cod, tempura broccoli, brussel sprouts, beet salat and the charcuterie/cheese plate. as i'm a cook/chef myself, everything was made really well with good to very good taste. the restaurant is an open concept. you can watch the chefs preparing your food, wich i find is really entertaining. the atmosphere is very lively, like in a real french bistro. i read that people find it too loud by times. yes, it is not your personal romantic candle light dinner place...
service was friendly! no complaints! wine/ beer selection is good (remember: it is not a 3 michelin star restaurant). the food comes as it is prepared. my system ( for small plates) is to order several times..first two items...eat..another two items...etc.
at the moment i'm trying to find things i could say bad about the restaurant..for me the evening was really nice and we had a really fun time...so there is nothing bad i could tell you! sorry!
erling's..keep up the good work..we will bebacksoon!

every nook and cranny. this place just captivated me from the get-go! they had a simple menu, i was there for late night friday drinks with friends. didn't check out their full menu, but did grab a plate of fries and aioli... amazing! their tequila cocktail was delicious, wish i could remember what it was called. great beer selection.

it's so well decorated, and the food looks incredible. i'm going to have to gobackand try a full meal there. i was impressed :)

great experience i brought.... great experience
i brought my boyfriend here for his birthday last month. we didn't reserve in advance so ended up at the bar, which was a pretty fun place to sit as there is an open kitchen. service was fast and friendly but laidbackin a good way. we loved every dish we tried. a favourite was the house salad and the duck and ribs were both done to perfection. i found the prices to be quite reasonable, especially for this quality of food in ottawa. i'm looking forward to goingbackand hope to try the brunch soon.

delicious food; poor service. having heard really great things about erling's, i headed over with a friend the other night for dinner. after verifying what items were gluten free, due to an allergy, we ordered 3 plates to share. what we ordered, however, was not exactly what we got. the first plate brought over was a salad, something we did not order, so we sent itbackwith a reminder of what we did order (root veggies; mushrooms; duck). the mushrooms arrived shortly after we sent the first dish back. a very tasty dish, they were served with crustinis (a gluten-free no-no for my friend, but something i happily chowed down on.) the duck followed suit and was delicious. lastly, our third dish arrived: green beans. again, not what we ordered, but having felt bad for already sending one item back, we agreed that the beans looked appetizing, so did not say anything. perhaps servers should be required to write down guest orders?

overall, the food makes it worth a visit, but the service leaves something to be desired.

great food!. i've been to earling's a few times and will keep comingbackfor the same reasons: excellent food, great service, and the overall feeling of the place.
let's start with the food: this is what impressed me the most! every single plate i ever ordered (brunch, lunch or dinner) was simply excuisite. ingredients are fresh and combined together masterfully. it's really a thing of beauty to see the chefs in action! i love that plates are affordable and yet in very satisfying portions. you can share and sample every delicious plate which really is a fun and unique dining experience.
i read over a review here that mentions bad service....no idea where that is coming from because that is my next favorite thing about this place: the super friendly service. staff is fast and efficient and we have always felt well taken care of when at earling's. there's a certain charm and just good feeling to the place.
this brings me to the decor: just like the food, elegant yet not overly complicated. when you read some of the history behind how some items were put together, it really helps explain that indescribable fuzzy good feeling you get when you dine at earling's.
but seriously: the food is amazing! i reeeeally hope this restaurant sticks around it's one of my favorites for sure!!

excellent. i find it difficult when people sit behind their keyboards with so much to say but do not address any of their issues with the restaurant at the time of service. you can not sit here and bash a place publicly without giving them chance to recover themselves first. i have been to erling's 3 times. the first visit was excellent from beginning to end. the food is priced correctly, their open kitchen allows you to see their cleanliness and service practices, the food is presented well and the flavours left us wanting to comebackfor more. in the second visit we had a slight hiccup with one of the dishes, the sauce on the tuna was not the way that we had remembered in the first visit. this was disappointing since we had been craving it all day. it was a beurre blanc with a bit too much beurre. we spoke up and the server dealt with this issue immediately. the chef had remade the sauce and gave us an extra 2 pieces of tuna, this was the sauce we had returned for! they recognized and recovered. if quality control was an issue i would not return but i have since beenbacka 3rd time for the lunch menu and had a phenomenal experience once again. i see a lot of potential in this restaurant. good vibe, great food in a great location.

wonderful dinner at earls/erlings. my wife and i travel for business and find ourselves in ottawa every few weeks. we discovered erlings through friends in february when we had a really special brunch. decided to return for dinner with another couple over the weekend and it didn't disappoint. what a great idea - small plates that are well paced and can be shared with friends. a nice way to dine. dinner was terrific .... delicious food, wonderful atmosphere and friendly (if not the speediest) service. we loved every dish - especially the scallops and the beet salad. unique concept - it works. we'll bebacknext month. hope they get the name sorted out. great little restaurant!

we'll be back!. we had an excellent lunch at earl's variety. the dishes were delicious, presentation was very appealing, service was friendly and efficient. soup came piping hot -not lukewarm like at some places. salad did not have too much dressing, thank goodness, and was impeccably garnished with hazelnuts, bacon, freshly grated cheese. stewed chicken legs were a fancy version of a super tasty comfort food that your grandma would make, with stock made from scratch. yum. i hope they can keep producing tasty food here, because we want to comebackand become regulars! it will be our new neighborhood hangout!

we wentbacka few days ago, for brunch this time. it was packed. thank goodness we'd reserved our table. we loved it as much. they have a short menu of delicious items. we enjoyed all our dishes but can't wait to gobackand have one particular item again: eggs benny with wild mushrooms. divine!