Westboro Village’s Gezellig, the third installment to the Stephen Beckta restaurant franchise, opened in 2012 in a building that once saw service as a bank. It was my first experience dining at Gezellig and I now wonder what took me so long. We were greeted immediately and our coats were whisked away to a cloak room off the main entry. We were promptly seated by a window looking out onto Westboro village. Our server was knowledgeable, read us well and made us feel very comfortable. We both started off with the new seasonal Hibiscus Margarita cocktail with candied hibiscus leaves on top. To die for! We also enjoyed the excellent bread and flavored olive oil (lemon and tarragon) that came to our table with our cocktails. We devoured every bite of our appetizers but still had room for the excellent main courses. I had the lamb shank- which fell off the bone - and my dining guest had the chicken. Often chicken in a restaurant can be boring, but along with its sides of sweet potato, curried spaghetti squash and beet sauce it exceeded our expectations. We finished with dessert and lattes and felt full, relaxed and comfortable. The service was a little too fast at the beginning (our first course arrived minutes after we received our first cocktail) but after we asked our server if we could eat at a more leisurely pace, he ensured we had the all the time we desired. Gezellig’s atmosphere combines relaxed and formal dining, with attentive staff and excellent food. I had a great time – good service really does make dining that much more enjoyable. I expected the food to be great but it surpassed my expectations. Very happy to have visited and I will return. Lovely local spot very close to home! ☆☆☆☆ #tastemakers #ottawamagazine #edibleottawa #tasty #yummy #delish #foodie #ottawaeats #ottawafoodie #westboro #newottawarestaurants