Play Food & Wine

A local fine dining place that we were so glad we found it, right at the edge of the Ottawa downtown Byward market. The place was nicely decorated and super clean. The service was top notch. The chef came talked to us about the dishes and checked on us from time to time. We tried all the small plates on the menu (hmm almost all!), the cold cuts, the steak, the fish cake, the creamy cod, and few more... Every dishes were amazingly tasty and flavourful. I would want to rate this place 6 STARS if I could, the best restaurant of our whole trip!

The food here is incredible and the wine pairings were spot on. I had the gnocchi, mushroom croquettes and my wife had the octopus and the scallops. With a couple apps as well, we left feeling very content. Will definitely be back for other special occasions. The one small critique I have is that the service can be a bit slow to start. We waited 10 minutes for our drinks and then another 15 before our server stopped by again to take our food order, so be prepared to really take your time. Again, still a great experience.

Had my Birthday Dinner here! Food was so so good. Service was fantastic. My only negative is that we got seated at 6:20pm and didn’t leave until close to 9pm. I didn’t feel it was overly busy so I felt the wait for food was just a bit too long. I also understand sometimes things happen that aren’t in our control. I will definitely be back!

Amazing. No other words to describe it. Firstly, the service was outstanding. Waiter was very welcoming and knowledgeable about the menu. Made us feel at home! Their butter old fashioned was very very good. Can't say enough about the food. Caramelized butter was a nice touch with the sourdough bread. They serve small plates but two turned out to be filling. Scallops and gnocchi were amazing. No complaints. Definitely recommend if you're in the area.

CA$40–50

Wow! Everything was excellent. When I say everything I mean everything. The addition of caramelized butter with the bread took even a simple sourdough bread to the next level. The food was amazing and the way that the dishes were brought out to compliment each other was incredible. The wine that was recommended for the mushroom croquettes paired perfectly. Of the four plates we had I would definitely recommend the gnocchi and mushroom croquettes. The flavours and textures were out of this world and they were truly the best dishes I have had so far in Ottawa. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal at play and to top it off the service from Paul was excellent. What a great night out celebrating our anniversary.

CA$90–100

CA$100+

The drinks and desserts were my favorite things here. Those were really really good, the different flavors and textures in the dessert made each bite slightly different and delicious. I think the small plates item were trying to hit all the different flavor and texture profiles but I don't think the flavors worked harmoniously with each other.

CA$60–70

One word. Delicious. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I fell upon this restaurant in Ottawa but it definitely exceeded all my expectations. Every bite of the food we ate was amazing. It’s a small quaint restaurant and not too loud. We sat at the bar, the barmaid was very attentive and kind. My favourites were the ribs (must have) and the gnocchi! 100% recommend.

We had an amazing time at the restaurant as we celebrated our wedding anniversary. The service was great and we were surprised at how full the place, but what can you expect on a Saturday evening. We had 2 plates each and shared the food. I highly recommend getting the sourdough and the caramelized butter. I highly recommend.

CA$100+