Review Courtyard Restaurant - Ottawa

Beautiful decor and atmosphere. The service was excellent. The food was out of this world. The duck was cooked to perfection. The chicken was moist and very flavourful. Hats off to the chef for the combination of flavours! Will definitely be back. We highly recommend.

Wow wow wow. Will definitely be returning. Delicious food, lovely service… what more could you want? Everything was so flavourful and beautifully presented!

We had dinner here for the first time last night. I can’t believe we’ve been sleeping on coming here. We had an excellent evening. The food was superb, truly memorable, and the service was friendly and attentive. The patio was beautiful. It was serene but lively. We will definitely be coming back soon!

We went for the Mother's Day brunch yesterday. It was our first time in Courtyard. My 6-yr old daughter asked for a pineapple juice from the food server, unfortunately, my daughter was given an alcoholic drink. At first, my daughter has been complaining about her drink cos it taste weird and bad. So I gave the 'pineapple juice' a sip and realized that there's an alcohol mixed on the drink. I didn't scold and get mad of the lady server cos I don't want to embarrass her but somehow I was expecting her to apologize to us when she replaced the drink. She acted like something never happened. Since our table is so close to the bar, I even overheard the conversation about the drink and the bar guy told the waitress that it's not a pineapple juice but a brandy. I hope the staff will be trained on how to deal with customers even it's an accident or mistake. I understand it's not intentional but at least taking responsibility for your own action can somehow make the customers feel better. I regret that I didn't say any word yesterday, I wish I had confronted her.

I’ve never left a review for a restaurant before but I felt compelled this time because of my experience. The duck was very dry and over salted, the pasta was okay but also salty and the noodles were undercooked. The sauce they used for the noodles was more like a paste which threw off the texture even more. The service was ok considering we were a big party but overall the experience was very disappointing, especially for the price.

Ambiance is great, very famous chef but we did not find the experience worth the price. We ordered: beets salad (3/ 5), chicken dish (5/5), Denver steak (4/5), Steak frites (3/5). Espresso martini was not good. Good variety of wine selection.

Perfect! We have been organizing an Easter family brunch at the Courtyard for several years and love it. Beautiful setting, delicious food and wine and excellent service. A big thank you to Linda and Dallas for taking great care of us.

I put 2 stars because the staff were shy but friendly. It looks like a nice restaurant but it’s a tourist trap. Be aware. Food tastes like nothing. We were in a room with 4 other tables, no music and no heat, no ambiance. We asked for the steak and fries and steak was well done and sous-vide. We didn’thave a choice to make it medium rare. As far as we know, if you want a well done steak, do a mijoté.

I just got married at the Courtyard Restaurant this past weekend. We had a winter wedding with a perfect snowfall for the outdoor pics in the surrounding courtyards and old stone and modern sculptured surrounding areas. The venue itself was amazing with old stone walls and heavy exposed wood beams lending an age and weight to our ceremony. We paired it with decorative and lighting provided in part by the restaurant. Cynthiana our events manager was there every step of the way to keep things on track and to efficiently handle whatever troubles came our way. Service was prompt, friendly and courteous all the way. The food was amazing no matter what was selected with dishes that were artistically plated with nothing served too cold or too hot. Our cheese platter was gorgeous. Our vegetable crudite platter had colored artisanal carrots Everything was stepping it up a notch above normal and into exceptional. Quality and price combining for a better deal than anywhere else that we found that offered similar quality. Thank you again Courtyard Restaurant! Our night was amazing!

I had attended a wedding this past weekend. The salmon dish I had was absolutely amazing! I strongly recommend this place if you want to have a nice dinner date with a beautiful atmosphere and spectacular staff!

My newly wedded husband, John and I had a beautiful reception with our family and friends on February 12th 2018 as part of the Vendors for Vows. The room was nicely decorated, the food was delicious and the staff were very friendly and helpful. We certainly will return in the Spring or Summer when it will be warmer weather to enjoy some more of your delicious food. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making our Special Day so wonderful. :D Marlene & John Lister

I recently attended a wedding there and all I can say is the food ( I recommend the steak) was fabulous and so was the service. Well worth a trip to a beautiful setting

My husband and I recently got married at the Courtyard Restaurant, and it was amazing! The venue itself is absolutely beautiful. We immediately fell in love with the stone walls, wood beams and modern decor. The location couldn't have been more perfect for photos. The Courtyard Restaurant and the surrounding areas offered a variety of gorgeous backdrops. Our private room was the perfect size for our wedding party of 38. The food was fantastic, all of our guests loved their meals. We were extremely impressed by the level of care from the staff. Everyone at the Courtyard Restaurant was so friendly and helpful. We'd especially like to thank Cynthia, the senior events coordinator, for making sure that everything was setup and ran accordingly. We would highly recommend the Courtyard Restaurant, it is the perfect wedding venue!

Pretty amazing place. We both picked delicious entrees and the surroundings were pretty cool. The service was good and our time there was fun.

The service was exceptionally good and attentive. The food was sublime: I had Canard du Québec that a was so well prepared and served with warm cabbage salad and a potatoe patty. My friend had rib steak that had marinated for 48 hours and he raved about how good it was, served with vegetables. All in all a perfect evening with humorous and competent waiters, and receptionist.

Excellent wedding venue! Cynthia and all of the Courtyard team were amazing!! Thanks for making our wedding day so special and flawless!

Beautiful old historic building, delicious food and wonderful service. Highly recommend this restaurant.

This place is a real charm. Staff are very kind and Cynthia has done such a wonderful job with the planning of our wedding. Thank you CY.

We held our daughters wedding reception at the courtyard restaurant in Sept 2015. Everything was set up just as we had requested. Staff were very attentive. Food was amazing. Our guests raved about it. We were very happy with the restaurant and would recommend it if you need a wedding reception venue.

Went to my cousin wedding at this restaurant this past May. Great food and really nice service.

My sister got married here yesterday. Food came quick, service was responsive and so professional. Made for the perfect day for them!

Attended a lovely wedding there in September. The food, the ambiance and the staff were all excellent!

Excellent service and excellent food! We had a great dinner in family!

Beautiful place and tasty food.  But not very private for a romantic night out. Everyone around can hear what you are talking about even across the room.

We went to the Courtyard Restaurant for a 6:30 seating with a friend. We found the service cordial but incredibly slow. I didn't get my dessert until close to 9:45 that long to eat a two course meal. There were two large tables of people plus  two more small tables plus us so not too busy. It shouldn't have taken that long for a two course meal!! We will not be going back.

We enjoyed a wonderful meal celebrating a friend's birthday. <br/><br/>We ordered a creamed carrot soup veloutée which was very tasty but the serving was surprisingly small. I don't know why they wouldn't serve at least a decent amount. This was disappointing. <br/><br/>They ran out of lamb and ribs but we had an excellent meal anyway . My friend ordered the duck which was amazing and was a huge serving! I ordered gnocchi which was also excellent with different mushrooms. It satisfies any vegetarian! I didn't order wine as my friend doesn't drink alcohol. But I did in the last and the restaurant has a nice selection of wines. <br/><br/>The ambiance was wonderful and the service was unobtrusive and professional. . <br/><br/>We will go back!!!

Amazing place for fine dining experience! The patio is the spot to be during the summer! It offers a calm and serene feel in the heart of Ottawa!

Situated literally in the courtyard hidden away on George Street, Courtyard provides a beautiful fine dining atmosphere with a European feel. Don't come here expecting a feast, though. The entrees and appetizers are quite pricy with small-moderate portion sizes. But here the emphasis is not on quantity, but on quality. The ingredients are of high caliber quality and each dish is made with a complex combination of different tastes and textures beautifully presented. Perfect for a romantic date night dinner for a special occasion.

Fabulous food and stellar service. Every time we go our meals arrive on time, tasty with a bit of artistic edge. Staff are friendly prices good food fresh. What's not to love?

Good food and excellent service. I had dinner with a friend here. We had the beet and prosciutto appetizer to share. It was delicious. My main was black cod with kale, Japanese mushrooms and wheat fracases in a mushroom broth. Everything complemented each other very well, an excellent meal and good portion. My friend had the wild boar which he liked. My dessert was flourless chocolate cake with banana ice cream which is good but I feel it is trying a little too hard. Regular vanilla ice cream would have been better in my opinion. My friend had sundae in a waffle bowl which he really liked. Service was excellent and I appreciate the friendliness without snobbish attitude in a restaurant like this one. Thank you very much Courtyard restaurant, both chefs and servers. You made a wonderful night!

Brunch. Worst meal, service I've ever had. Save your money.

Excellent restaurant. The service is great, the food is delicious. This is fine cuisine. It is expensive but it's worth it!

Great Service, Good Food, but kind of boring. My husband and I decided at the last minute to look for a high end restaurant to celebrate a recent windfall. He remembered a fantastic meal there a few years ago. It is a charming location, there was char on the menu so I agreed. We were immediately seated and wonderfully served. The waiter was very professional and we felt quite spoiled. Unfortunately, although everything was well prepared (char appetizer, green salad, we split the elk) nothing really stood out at all. Unlike at the Black Tomato, no dish made us lay down our forks in amazement. The char portion was very small, and, although smoked on the premises, did not enhance the flavour if this fish. The salad was adequate - I have had larger portions at cheaper restaurants and most of the cliental could use some fibre. The elk was nicely serviced, but again, it was bland, no zip no zing.

Wonderful experience. We just happened upon this place and decided to go for dinner. It was fabulous. I started with the tomato salad and had the beef tenderloin -- cooked to perfection. My other guests had the duck and trout entrees and we were all very pleased. Service was very attentive and friendly. We will return.

Nightmare Saturday Brunch. We had absolutely the worst experience at the Courtyard Restaurant yesterday, and I wouldn't recommend this eatery to anyone who actually wants a nice meal. We sat for more than an hour with beverages, no food. The table next to us was served raw burgers, which they returned, and got nothing back from the kitchen in the entire time we were there. We walked out after having had nothing more than drinks and a chat with our guests. No apologies from management were forthcoming either, which was very poor service indeed.

Worthe very Buck. Love this place! <br/>Great ambiance but further more, great helpful and attentive personell within. <br/>I like that. Great to see good service being handed down.

Went here for my anniversary despite the low low review ratings here, as word of mouth says its a great place.<br/>Reservation was simple. Called to confirm that there was no beef on the tasting menu, and was confirmed that there isn't for this evening.<br/>Arrived, had a choice of patio, or indoor seating. We surveyed, and I decided I like patio, although the indoor setting was very nice. <br/>Our server was prompt and attentive. I asked about the tasting menu, and he explained that the entire table will need to participate, as expected. And proceeded to ask if there were any allergies. I pointed out that my wife was allergic to most beef, and certain types of black mushrooms. He checked promptly with the chef, and reply to us that there was no beef, but if we were ok with other meat red meat such as venicine, bission, moose. To which I reply those other meat are fine, as we've tested them all successfully.<br/>Long story short, first item was beef tartar!!?!! WTF!!!<br/>Being that it was my anniversary, I smoothly collected my wife's plate, and thanked here for sharing all of her portion for me, and proceeded to enjoy the beef tartar. Pointed out to the server quietly that the first item was beef! Yep, I got some beef with him (drum roll, punch line). He paused a moment and then realized the significance of me saying that this was beef. Took a while, but the facial expression of -uh oh - finally kicks in. But not to frett, that was scratched off and not counted as part of the course. <br/>Ok, first impression was off to a questionable start. Overall, the remainder of the experience was good. We has a drink pairing with our tasting menu, and it was a 80% success rate on the pairing. Fruity sparkling with high quality but scarce salad. Cherry tomato was definitely vine ripen, and tasted like the ones from our garden. <br/>I don't usually like fresh water fish, but their carefully seared and pan fried bass made what was a dry and unpleasant white peelee island wine work very well together. The stergeon meat was salty, but fresh, the cream sauce they were in we're delicious. The bison was good, but all the roasted chicory, roasted garlic, carimelized shallot, wild carrot worked extremely well together, to the point that I forgot that there was a red wine paired with it. The roasting brought us both back to great childhood memory of great quality home food back in our old country. Bravo, we forgot all about the initial problem. Desert, carrot cake! My wife's favorite! Coconut sorbet, with roasted coconut bits, cream, and others pieces of tasty stuff! I have a hard time remembering what they were, as i've been drinking a lot now! Smiles!<br/>But the carrot cake portion itself, is best described as healthy, and unexciting. Not until you take a sip of the Jamaican rum on the rock that was paired with it. Ugly carrot cake suddenly became cloud 6/49 with the rum on the rocks!<br/>Price with tax for 2 was $220. $60 for tasting menu, $38 for wine paring. They didn't hesitate to refill glasses you enjoyed. <br/>Repeatable!

Overpriced mains!. We went to the courtyard for a friends birthday, our server was very helpful but overall I wouldn't return. The fresh bread with the lemon truffle butter was amazing as was the amuse-bouche, but the mains left a lot to be desired. My 30$ herb crusted salmon came with a 2 inch crust of green powder that despite my best efforts could not be scraped completely off. It frankly left a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the evening. We did order dessert and it was scrumpous! The chocolate textures was delicious, but too small for my liking. My only other comment was that we had an older guest in our party and she had quite a rough time going up and down the stairs.

Our Wedding Experience!. My husband and I got married at the Courtyard Restaurant November of last year! We absolutely loved the idea of having our ceremony and reception in the same room! We were very delighted to meet Miranda! She was nothing but courteous and professional! We picked our menu, decided what type of wine to serve and how much wine per table.<br/>A month before the wedding we attended our food tasting so we could get an idea of what kind of plates we would be serving our 50 guests. We ordered the Salmon with Remoulade and the Chicken...It was fantastic! I loved the way the celery in the Remoulade was stringy and served very hot, it complimented the Salmon very well. My fiancee and I were really excited that we get to treat our guests to such a wonderful dinner...<br/>After planning for months and getting the final seating arrangement set up, I had last minute changes that needed to be made and informed Miranda of the change...I wanted to switch the guests to other tables, I wanted the guests of the people that were at our head table to be seated in the front beside the head table, that way the guests wouldn't feel so far away from their dates..She assured me that it would be perfect and not to worry... <br/>Day of the wedding comes and my maid of honor drops off the wedding cake at 11 am, along with her came 3 cake carriers and the tray to stand the cake on. I had no idea how the cake was transported that day, so I wasn't aware of the carriers, my maid of honor took care of that for me. The kitchen staff assured her that they would set the cake up, wash the carriers and tray and put it in our cupboard so the next day when my husband and i go there to pick up the decor and what not, it would all be there... I get there half hour before the ceremony...Everything is perfect! The lights, music, ambiance..I was so excited! <br/>Fast forward to dinner.... When my husband and I were introduced as the new married couple we saw the set up of the reception, and it was very nice...except for one thing...the table switching that I requested was not done as promised....Guests of the head table were seated at the back of the room far away from their dates...It upset the wedding party cause their dates were at the back of the room.<br/>We waited over 2 hours for everyone to receive their dinner...We have parents that are diabetic and need to eat...We were told at the meeting it would take around 90 minutes to serve everyone, our speeches were very short and sweet cause we were told if they are too long our guests would have to wait longer, so we put that into consideration, and it didn't matter, they still had to wait.<br/>Finally when the food arrived it was cold, my salmon wasn't even room temperature, and the remoulade was not the same as we had at the tasting..it was cubed little chunks, and the presentation was sloppy....<br/>During the meal each table was supposed to have 2 bottles of wine, 1 red, 1 white...turns out that they just kept filling glasses and handed out more than we ordered a month back..I had guests tell me they drank a bottle to themselves...<br/>After the dinner was over it was time to transform the room for the party and dance. The restaurant has a set up fee of $300 to set up the room so we wouldn't have to worry... Miranda the event planner leaves for the evening and leaves the rest of the responsibility to the head server... My husband and I are mingling away with our guests and she interrupts us and asks us how we would like the reception set up...I was under the impression that's why we paid the set up fee, so we wouldn't have to figure it out, she wasn't happy that we didn't give her direction, but it was our wedding...we paid the restaurant to take care of that.<br/>The next morning we went to pick up our decor in the cupboard...We grabbed everything that was there and went on our way, the 3 plastic carriers were not there...When I return the cake stand to my cake lady she asked about the carriers...I informed her that I didn't even know about them, So I called the restaurant and asked to speak to Miranda..She was unavailable and the woman that took my message assured me she would call me back..A week passes and I still don't hear from her. I email her asking about the carriers and she reassures me that she will find them and do her best... I receive an email saying as per policy it's our responsibility to take everything out of the cupboard and anything that's left over goes in the trash...I explained to her that I had no clue about the carriers and my maid of honor didn't tell me about it cause the kitchen staff reassured her that they would be placed in the cupboard.. Again she replies that they are no where to be found and it's our problem, sorry for the inconvenience... I was not happy with this and i expected them to replace the trays considering they lost them in translation...but sadly all she did was offer me a fifty dollar gift certificate...The trays cost more than a fifty dollar certificate...<br/>We had a fun day, it will be a day that I will never forget, but the restaurant handed out empty promises and we are extremely disappointed...For the amount of money it cost to have this wedding, and considering the number of weddings this place holds in a year, they were very unorganized... If your really into detail I do not suggest having your wedding at the Courtyard Restaurant.

Wonderful wedding!. Thank you to the Courtyard Restaurant for our wonderful wedding day. To Miranda, for her attention to detail in making everything perfect , to the staff who went above and beyond the call of duty in entertaining 5 grandchildren, and to the chef, who orchestrated a superb meal that everyone said was one of the best they'd ever had! We would highly recommend this restaurant! Cathy and Ross

Good service, but terrible food. Everything was overly salty. Without much flavour in the wild boar, the overpowering faux-Asian taste of the short ribs, and the tired use of swiss chard in duck, the food was neither inspiring or worth the $175 I paid for 5 entrees.<br/><br/>Venue and service was good, but it didn't save the poor quality of the food. <br/><br/>F-.

We ate here as guests in a group of 25 and ordered from a set menu with choices for the main and dessert. The mains were definitely the highlight but the soup, salad and desserts were all very well done as well. The service was prompt but not very attentive. (Judging from the other reviews maybe this place is better suited to serving groups from a limited menu).

Eat food before you go.... We went here for a wedding brunch. The building is quite lovely; there's nice stone walls, and a great setting.... Now that I have all the positive out of the way... <br/><br/>We were seated in no time flat (having booked way in advance), and were presented with our wedding brunch menu. Getting coffee, and water was a challenge. Luckly not everyone at the table was drinking coffee, so we were able to rotate the extra coffees around the table (much easier than getting a server to fill up your cup).<br/><br/> We then sat for (and rest assure I'm not exaggerating when I say this) 2 hours and 15 minutes before our meals were served. The only reason why we stayed was because we were trying to support the bride and groom. When asked if we were going to receive our food (90 minutes into waiting), our waitress simply said, "More people came today than expected, they're just trying to keep up." (there was a max of 50 people in the entire building) no apology or even acknowledgement for the time we had been waiting... I'd hate to think of how long the wait would have been had the other 80% of the was filled (seeing as how we were the only group there).<br/><br/> Our food finally made it to us (with no, "hey sorry it took so long"), and it was great. The portions would have been great had the meal not counted as two of my meals that day.They were put together well, but not worth the cost. <br/><br/>Once we finished we had to stack our dishes up for the servers, as all the tables around us had also done. <br/><br/>In short, I would have been happier walking into the kitchen, serving myself by plopping the meal unceremoniously into a bowl, and eat it using my fingers than have to deal with the service, or lack there of.

Very dissapointed. Went here and waited half hour for service, NO ONE was there. Even worse, everything was charred and blackened. Horrible decor and I am sure if I had a chance to try the food it would be equally horrible.<br/><br/>WILL NOT BE RETURNING.

Great location -- boar cooked dry, ordered rare. Even without that, $32 entrees should not have poor flavours and execution.

Our first meal of the day was a true delight, with exemplary service and a brunch menu that journeys into the avant garde. The must have here is the French Toast. Just wow.

I picked this spot for my evening meal during a scouting expedition in the Byward Market area one very hot Sunday morning. What appealed to me, perhaps even more than the menu, was the lovely cool and shaded courtyard from which it takes its name. The menu, though brief, and consisting of just 16 items excluding desert, was quite rich with the promise that anything I might order would be both complex and interesting…

And here we have another restaurant that I’ve encountered many-a-time, even eaten around and been in, and yet, in my four or five years of chilling in the market, the thought to have lunch or dinner at  the Courtyard Restaurant  never really crossed my mind! Today was a great day to go, as it was lovely weather, and it was actually very easy to get a table for 12 people (our whole team of colleagues) at lunch. (Dinner is crazy here on the weekends though!) I actually made a survey for the whole team (see post last week) so that we could decide where it was in fact that we would all enjoy going to the most. The lunch menu is small, but easily has enough choice for everyone. The executive chef at the Courtyard is Chef Michael Hay, who describes his food as French based, but with a contemporary flair (like half the restaurants in Ottawa that aren’t pubs!)

My dish was very good. If I had any concern it would be the rubberiness of the mushroom. But, I'm not an expert on mushrooms - perhaps they were supposed to be like that. The steak, onion, and potatoes were excellent.

I recently attended a wedding at the Courtyard in Ottawa. This is only my second time there, and the first was for a job interview. I was taught a wine class by the former chef, who now owns an amazing restaurant on Rochester st. I digress. I have very li

Every year, the Ottawa Xpress newspaper , a local newspaper, polls Ottawas for their "Best of"s, be they ethnic foods, all-you-can-eat, poutine, catering, "cheap eats", or restaurant patio. Perennially, one of the favourites is a patio that is actually pa

And man, is it hot in there! With a fresh new menu, new kitchen and revived staff, this restaurant is definitely one of Ottawa's hottest spots. And they're reopening their doors October 27th. I had the honour of attending the Courtyard's grand re-opening