play food & wine

just ok. went for dinner with my parents. food was reasonable for the price. atmosphere could be better for what you are paying. i would stick with beckta - by the same people. but the casual environment is ok but decor could have been a little nicer.

may go to once in a while but i like to stick to more casual place in the market.

this was an excellent evening's entertainment - lin a restaurant! i sat at the kitchen bar and watched the chefs at work as i ate my food. my plates were even handed to my directly by the chefs over the pass. this kitchen runs so smoothly, it is sometimes easy to underestimate just how hard they work. when things get busy - as they do - this kitchen is an object lesson in sustained, controlled intensity. many work environments could learn solid lessons watching these guys - seriously! the food was excellent. sort of tapas style, and each dish comes with a recommended wine pairing. based on the selections i just had, i would say that the sommelier is to be highly commended. other reviews on urbanspoon have criticized the wait staff. my server was beyond reproach, and could easily give lessons on how it should be done. this wast first visit to play, and i willake a point of coming back again next time i am in ottawa. very highly recommended.

good food but make a table reservation. the food was amazing here. the service was ok. it was very busy (a sunday night) and we didn't have a reservation so we decided to take up the offer of sitting on stools facing the kitchen. i don't recommend it - the chefs seemed a little uncomfortable when we looked their way so it was a bit awkward for us and it affected our dining experience somewhat.

best mussels we have ever had bar none, was going to order seconds. slightly bigger servings than tapas, we had five dishes between the two of us and that was perfect.

play has a sufficient and appealing menu, with a vegan menu available on request. everything was very fresh, deliciously cooked, and well balanced in taste. each menu item is paired to a corresponding wine selection, and all of those that i selected went very well together.

the service was attentive but not overbearing, and we were offered reasonable suggestions and advice, even extending to verifying specific ingredients with the chef when questions were raised.

a special request for seating and table preparation was also accommodated. all in all, play exceeded my already high expectations, and i would gladly return.

love their $22 lunch! plates are tapas size and 2 plates should be filling enough. the halloumi and the grilled steak were delicious! service is very friendly and attentive. we were a big group and i love that they accommodated for us to be at a table where you can see and talk to everyone (not one of those long tables where you can only talk to the people sitting next to you).

always perfect. i feel one can never go wrong when visiting any of stephen beckta's restaurants. the services is attentive, professional and fun! the food is always amazing!!!!

fantastic find for dinner. never before in ottawa, i read about play on this site before heading to the city for the weekend. my husband and i dined at play on saturday may 11, 2013 and were served by stephanie. from the hostess to the server, all staff were friendly and inviting. after telling our sever that we are gluten and soy intolerant, stephanie happily and swiftly marked the menue items we needed to avoid, which was very helpful since this is a rather new issue for us and are sometimes finding it challenging to eat out because of it.

the food was delicious, nicely presented and the wine pairings were perfect with the dishes we chose (i'm saying that not being a "wine connoisseur" per se, but enjoy wine and food none-the-less and felt the pairings were fitting)

the prices were totally reasonable for the quality of service, the stylish yet relaxing atmosphere (ie: not overwrought with hipster attitude), and the great food. we will definitely return should we be in ottawa again, and i do recommend this restaurant for dinner to anyone. it was great.

great night out-strongly recommend. i went out for dinner at play earlier this week and was very impressed. the food was amazing, the service was attentive and we were not rushed through our meal. reservations were easy to make online. the server was helpful in selecting meats and cheeses for our platters and also did a good job of describing the food once it arrived. the flavours were unique and well paired; presentation was beautiful; very quick delivery after the food has been ordered. my only critique is that wine by the bottle is rather pricey.

being a tapas restaurant one would expect a selection of small plates to share.  they didn't disappoint and were very accommodating with a group of us sharing a bunch of plates.  great selection of wines by the glass, bottle service and beers on tap.  atmosphere was fun, relaxing and service was friendly.

excellent food and thoughtful and attentive service. my friend and i had a most enjoyable time at our lunch at play. the food was a bit offbeat, which i like, interesting and very tasty. the service was very good as well. pleasant, spacious ambiance with lots of light. excellent.

how lucky to celebrate mother's day at play food and wine at 1 york street in the byward market. all 4 of us opted for their two plates for $20 special. it worked perfectly! well, except for the fact that we had no room for dessert. our server was very at

evening get together with work friends. a few of us got together to enjoy some of the "share plates" which provided a diverse selection of appies for everyone at the table. they were delicious and a good selection for all tastes. we then ventured into the small plates and everyone enjoyed their selections. small plates are the way to go and play does them very well. thank you also to the well disciplined staff who provide elegance delivery at the restaurant.

visited here with friends. we had the best waitress. we can't remember her name but she was from yorkshire england! she made great suggestions, knew the food, and was laughing with us all night. we ended up tasting almost all the dishes on the menu and none disappoint. great presentation and interesting flavours abound. a must try in ottawa.

went here for dinner on saturday. great selection of interesting plates, attentive & friendly staff. great food and wine parings!! i'll be going back!