Review Restaurant E18hteen - Ottawa

e18hteen has been one of my favourite restaurants. I loved the ambiance, and the location of the restaurant was perfect whenever we had visitors from out of town. The seafood here was always very fresh. All dishes were super nicely presented. We ate the seafood and meat with minimal sauces so we still tasted the sweet and fresh taste. The desserts lack wow factors and were mediocre.

Took my girlfriend to restaurant e18hteen for her birthday. Staff was very friendly extremely knowledgeable with what wines to pair with the food we ordered. Presentation and amount of food was perfect. Meal was cooked to desired tenderness. Atmosphere was trendy and cozy. It was AMAZING!! A must dine in if you are visiting the Ottawa downtown core.

Amazing food. I was really impressed with the steak. The steak itself is already juicy and well seasoned, but the sauce just elevates it to another level. You can taste the attention to detail made by the chef. I am blown away that a restaurant in Ottawa has such quality food. I will definitely come back again.

Phenomenal fine dining experience - arguably one of the best in Ottawa!! these guys are the masters of their craft in every shape and form - the service was top notch, I believe our main server's name was Jason, and he was an absolute beauty... Checked up on us regularly and made for great conversation/gave us lots of great suggestions & info, while also giving us lots of room to enjoy ourselves and the food... which was out of this world!!! The Foie gras had lots of interesting taste/texture combinations with the various sauces/chocolate crumbles it was served with. HUGE portions of duck/steak cooked to perfection for our main courses - steak was on the saltier side but delicious nonetheless. We really appreciated the fine attention to detail, both for the food and the service we received - they noticed we were taking photos of the engagement rings we had just picked up at the mall, and gave us a celebratory dessert which was a very kind gesture :)) we will definitely be back!

The pre-dinner bread is great! Very fluffy! Like an orange sauce (orange something, white one, forget the name), the shrimp are very tender and very fresh. Wanna to try the Duck, but it was sold out, so ordered the Ribeye, the mushrooms were a bit salty and the fries were great. The waiter recommended a martini, unique taste, not very strong, like it! The only problem is that it's a bit slow to serve. And sorry for broken a glass.

Had a lovely dinner here with friends. The service was definitely great👍🏻 I loved my well done steak was perfectly cooked, along with the peppercorn sauce, mashed potatoes and Caesar salad. The appetizer we had octopus and lobster poutine, the fries were very crispy. I really like the Gelato, they are not too sweet and raspberry flavour was sour, which is my favourite.

Wonderful experience. Food was fantastic. employees are amazing and super friendly. Atmosphere is great for an intimate experience for sure. Definitely recommend for celebrations and just breaking bread with loved ones.

For that price range I had very high expectations! I mean if you pay 200$ per person, you just assume it will be great. There are some points why I am giving them 3 stars: 1. Staff - we used to have very different experience for that class of restaurants. Staff at e18hteen wasnt really “interested” in serving tables. For examples, once we received all 3 starters they explained just one of them and then left. I was waiting for them to come back and to explain the rest.. or why would you explain just one of them? Are others not that special? 2. Food - food was good, but for every dish I had tried a better version somewhere else. (And cheaper!) so I expected octopus to be much better from what I had somewhere else because it costs 3 time more… and it wasnt.

Amazing food and excellent service. From our cocktails and wine to our desserts, the food was to die for ad our waiter Sam was knowledgeable and engaging.

I stumbled upon this restaurant while visiting Ottawa this past weekend. I was extremely impressed with the food, space and staff. I had the tasting menu and it was devine, flavourful and exceptional. My date had the pairing and the sommelier was amazing. She loves each and every pairing. I would give this restaurant absolutely 5 stars!

This restaurant has always been a favourite and holds a special place in our hearts as its where we had our wedding reception in 2009. It is as great as it ever was. The food and service were excellent. The ambience is hard to beat. One of the most beautiful and best restaurants in Ottawa.

Service was amazing, the settle even better and the food, don't miss out. Amuse-bouche, oysters, fishes, steaks... DESSERTS. I had cheese plate and wine dessert. 100% But I am a good criticism I will suggest a better loungy music and garlic butter for lobster... It's just can't go without. ;)

Beautiful restaurant, great staff and amazing food, the perfect place for our Christmas party.

My first time at this restaurant and dinner was perfect, the staff were wonderful and made you feel like family. I will be back for sure and will recommend this restaurant,

Service impeccable. Saveurs et présentation des plats superbe. Nous avons opté pour le 5 services à l’aveugle avec accords des vins; à refaire!

It was a wonderful experience, and I welcome everyone that is in the market to stop in for some fine dining and great selection of wines!

The service was exceptional! Happy hour had a nice selection of appetizers, and the wine was fantastic.

Nice environment, good service, great food. I would recommend for any occasion.

Service is excellent, food is superb flavor plays with your palate.

Excellent food, good wine and great service!!! ���

It was St Valentine's, they sat us at a small uncomfortable table at the door but after advising them of the issue, they changed us to a more appropriate location. The food was excellent! The price of wine is too expensive, an $18 bottle of Valpollicella Ripasso priced at $70, WAY TOO MUCH...

We went for the 5 course dinner and wine pairing event and everything was very good. Calling forreservation and confirming the reservation needs a little improvement

Easily one of the best meals we've enjoyed in a VERY, VERY long time. Exec Chef Gilles St Hilaire and I and our wives were truly spoiled in this Bytown eatery on our visit to Ottawa! Kudos to the chef, sommelier and wait staff!

Me and my husband thats our favorite place to eat in byward market�. We love the ambience inside and the food was excellent�. Every time we go out for dinner we always think 18�. We loved it�

Went last night for a friend's birthday. As always it didn't disappoint...food and service were excellent. Cassidy is a little sweetheart. Sorry we were so loud. Lol

We held our December 2016 wedding and dinner at Restaurant 18, and were blown away by the amazing quality and experience. The service was impeccable, and although we were a smaller, more intimate group, we felt truly taken care of. Such a beautiful and special venue - thank you for the incredible service and evening!

Fantastic service, knowledgeable staff, food is unbelievable! Would recommend to anyone. The price is not cheap, but you won't be disappointed.

Definitely a date night kinda place. They also have a nice bar area. The food is fabulous. Oysters (need I say more?), aracini, lamb, steak (done perfectly btw). Staff are polite and clean. I love it!

Very pricey, fine dining experience at restaurant e18hteen. I've been here only twice - once 5 years ago for my 18th birthday and recently over the weekend to celebrate another friend's birthday. In that time, the restaurant hasn't changed very much and the menu itself is very similar - although I've noticed a change in the portion size (steaks are actually quite large compared to the last time I was here). The food is fantastic, and although you won't get huge portions for the price you pay, the dishes are rich enough that you won't be walking away hungry for sure. I love the grilled octopus salad - it's savoury and crunchy, very interesting variety of textures. The lamb, steak and lobster are all wonderful as well.

Had a great meal at this restaurant last night with a group from work. The staff was very professional and friendly. The decor is very classy and the food was wonderful. I had the tuna app and the black cod for my main. Both items were delicious and well presented. Will definitely return.

Unfortunately, it’s a common restaurant phenomenon on Valentine’s Day to find menus set, prices increased, quality lowered, and portions micro-sized. e18hteen interior. While making a reservation, Team DesMan noticed positive reviews for e18hteen located in the Byward Market area of Ottawa and decided it would be great place to have our Valentine’s Day dinner (we also noted there was a set menu and did not inquire ahead of time whether this would be mandatory).

Nice atmosphere, friendly though rather slow service. The food is mediocre: the potatoes were very salty, the filet mignon (its size was inconsistent when 4 people ordered the same, anywhere from 5 to 12 ounces) was sinewy and the Babas with Chantilly cream looked and tasted like stale muffins with whipped cream.

Excellent service, very professional . On the expensive side but worth it. Very good wine list. Place very clean.<br/><br/>The food excellent, appetizer and entrees excellent especially the fish

18 this past Sat night. Service was a little slow and lax, but food was good and loved the atmosphere!

Perfection. I had a lovely three and half hour experience with my love at Restaurant E18hteen this past week. We chose the chef’s discretionary four course dinner creation with wine parings (it was actually five courses with the inclusion of complementary half-shell oysters). Each dish was a delight: perfectly paced morsels of delight with impeccable wine matches. Our waiter commanded not only the verbiage of wine but clearly understood (and appreciated) the regional and historical nuances, all without pretense. The best thing about the wine was that even unexpected pairings were spot on. The food: sophisticated, elegant, and fresh in presentation, without resorting to excursions into sculpture to seduce. Towering placement never replaces flavor and this chef gets this simple but splendid concept. Each bite was the best bite of the night. The star of each dish tasted like it should: accentuated with precise and balanced seasoning without competing with the natural, fresh protein. Want to have a wonderful dinner capped with a slow dance at table-side with the love of your life, then check out 18.

Close, but no cigar. I really, really wanted to like E18hteen - I had heard it was worth a splurge.<br/><br/>I will give the staff kudos on certain aspects - little details like providing a small dessert for our group which was celebrating a special event, and plates being served simultaneously, are examples of appreciated gestures. <br/><br/>However, I found the service a bit stuffy and forced. It's a beautiful building with thoughtful decorations. Reading a description of the restaurant's food as "engaging flavour profiles" - and then thinking about my meal - leaves me feeling a bit unsatisfied.<br/><br/>The cook of my steak was perfect (medium rare), and the sauce was beautiful. I feel, for what was charged, the flavours were not bold enough. A girlfriend ordered oysters, which she raved about, so perhaps seafood is their better strength. For instance, the amuse bouche was a pomegranate jelly with a peanut butter crumble, described as the chef's take on "pb&j". It was good, but I'd expect more finesse from what the restaurant is trying to sell for their menu. <br/><br/>I'm not entirely sure if I'd go back...

Was excited because I heard good things about 18. The entre I ordered was not worth my $40. My husband ordered the most expensive steak there and was left disappointed. The waiters were a little snotty and service took way too long considering we were the only couple there. I would never go back.

Me thinks never again. Beautiful building, good food, extremely long wait, terrible management....much better places out there in Ottawa that offer superior service and food for that price

The food is good, the ambiance is nice but it's too expensive for what it is. This is a trendy place that's it. The service is very good. I don't recommended the st-valentine special it's too expensive for the food you get. This place is overrated.

Blind tasting and a great experience. My wife and I went for our first anniversary and got the blind tasting option with wine pairings. It was a well balanced and exceptionally executed meal. <br/><br/>First course was a butter poached lobster served with a light corn chowder, jalapeno infusion and a grilled peach. Great flavours, balanced and nice texture on the lobster. Spicy, savory and sweet is a winning combination. <br/><br/>Second course was a braised lamb ravioli, served with light yogurt sauced, finished with sumac and brown butter. Probably my favourite part of the meal and easily the best pasta I've had in ages. <br/><br/>3rd was a seared foie gras over brioche and stone fruit. Super rich and decadent and the portion size was good. Well seasoned, seared and executed. This was also followed by a pallet cleanser which was definitely needed. <br/><br/>Main was a boar tenderloin (cooked beautifully and seasoned well) with braised boar shank and an apple /mustard seed side dish (couldnt remember all that was in it but the sweetness was a nice touch to the richness of the meat). This was a nice main but a little upstaged by the rest of the meal. Portion size was a little small for a main. I understand the concept of a tasting menu, but given the time between courses, it would have been appropriate to have a larger serving of meat. <br/><br/>Dessert is dessert. I have not been to any fine dining place where desserts even get a mention. Ice cream, some chocolate thing, (although an interesting caramel miso sauce) but it was ok. I would rather have another meat course. <br/><br/>Our server was excellent as well. Very attentive, professional and diligent. Knew all the food and wine, took an allergy restriction into account and was not overbearing. You need professionals in an environment like this. <br/>We did wait a long time in between courses so I would say that as a negative but overall a great way to spend our anniversary. The price is a little high considering the neighbourhood but I think of it as a package deal. Atmosphere is modern, clean and interesting. Service is great and both our waitress and manager / hostess checked on us regularly. Quality of the food is exceptional with many interesting combinations that I wouldnt expect to see in Ottawa.

Great food, nice ambience and exceptional service, I will definitely come back!

Disappointed with the Blind Tasting Menu and the Wine pairings. My husband and I are foodies and we love to try tasting menus when restaurants are offering it...most of the time the tasting menu will be the deciding factor for us to return or not to return to that particular restaurant. We both travel in north America and internationally and we have managed to find some of the nicest restaurants in almost everywhere we have been. Unfortunately we will not be returning to 18th restaurant in Ottawa. We will not be recommending this restaurant to friends or to our blog followers.<br/><br/>I took my husband for his birthday to try 18th's testing menu plus the wine pairing which left us very disappointing. It was a Friday night 7:30 dinner reservation and only 40% of the restaurant was occupied and even less after 8:30pm. Our first course was a regular poached egg on top of welted green with no taste, once the yolk broke we could not taste anything but the egg yolk. the following two courses were little tiny (the size of a match box) fish and they tasted alright but nothing special. We ate tones of bread with it so that we are not getting tipsy with the wine...(it was little finger food size porting to be perfectly honest), not a tasting menu size course at all. The last course was a piece of lamb, it was prepared very nicely but there was lots of fat in the piece to enjoy it and the mint sauce was very over powering to taste the meat The wine pairing was disappointing as well, we had to return our cheap red ontario to some other cheap red for the last course. <br/><br/>*Our server was very nice and professional, I tipped him well because what come out of the kitchen and what the management decided is not his fault...you can not penalize the server for the poor management of the kitchen.<br/><br/>Perhaps the steak and fries with a red wine of your choice would be a good choice if you must eat here. It is a work lunch place, it is good for cooperate lunch meeting. It is very quite and easy to hear yourself there, don't count on a fantastic meal though just a functional one for your business use. Not a place to wow clients with its menu. <br/><br/>5- Course Blind Tasting Menu $90 per person<br/>Wine pairings | $60 per person<br/><br/>Total after taxes and tip $384.00<br/><br/>Save your money!!!!

Fantastic. Beautiful restaurant right in the heart of the Market. My girlfriend and I came here for our one year anniversary and were not disappointed. While the food was a little on the expensive side, it was exceptional everything was cooked just right. We had the 5 course blind tasting with the accompanying wine pairings. Although pricey, would definitely recommend this!<br/><br/>Service is generally great! While the food does come out a bit slow, we were not in a rush and it made for a nice relaxing evening. Overall, the beef done two ways was just right and the soup I had was amazing.<br/><br/>The atmosphere and decor is very modern and it has a timeless feel to it. A must try!

Not Worthwhile!. I went with a group for my birthday dinner and was immediately impressed with the restaurant's décor and warm atmosphere. This changed as soon as the waiter realized that none of my party drinks alcohol. We did not receive one smile ALL evening and our waiter made us feel unwelcome. The service was incredible slow and the waiter was so full of himself that he did not write down our order. He ended up getting it wrong and not apologizing. He actually brought out 2 meals and didn't return with the other meals for another 10 minutes! My shellfish chowder was a healthy size for $17 but my sister's lamb ravioli was $22 for ONE single ravioli , no bigger than a Toonie! The Foie Gras was undercooked and their lemon meringue was worse than a Sheriff Mix! I am absolutely amazed that they have gotten away with charging such outrageous prices for sub par food and disgraceful service! Our waiter frowned all night and never returned to give me the change from my bill!

It was good but i think i expected too much for this restaurant. i would rather go some other places .

I've been to Eighteen twice. The first time was one of the best dining experiences of my life, an the second was sub par. Eighteen has fantastic food and incredible decor and atmosphere. When the service is good, this is one of the best restaurants in Ottawa hands down. A little expensive, but you get what you pay for...

Wow. A Friday night. Slowest service I have ever had at a restaurant. Won't ever be back. Two thumbs down.

Great Atmosphere, though expensive. A gorgeous restaurant in the heart of Ottawa, situated in the Market near Sussex Drive. I visited this restaurant with 3 other friends. The food there was great though a little on the expensive side but overall , the food was exceptional and steaks and lamb racks were cooked just right. Service is generally great however, I do have to say the food does come out a bit slow, it took about 30 minutes for the appetizer to come out and the bread served was plain and cold. I was definitely expecting warm Focaccia or something similar to that. Overall , friends commented that the steak was just right and the Duo of Lamb I had was amazing. <br/><br/>Be warned that this restaurant is quite expensive... an appetizer, entree and wine pairing came to about $90 per person. For $90 I would probably go elsewhere, but it was worth the try and the atmosphere and decor is very modern.<br/><br/>More at: www.sunnysideupssu.wordpress.com

High class. Soooo expensive and sooooo good. The best lobster I've ever had in my life! Already out of the shelf with a very nice rosé garlic sauce. I never wanted to eat octopus, but the one that is served there is so tender, coocked in honney. Perfect fo a very big occasion to celebrate, romantic and intimate. put on your favorite dress and you jewels!

Snobby much?. I made reservations two weeks in advance. When I arrived there, the hostess had a a horrible look on her face and uttered quite disdainfully, "uh...do you have reservations here?" to which I responded that I did and then to which I realized that the initial hostess never took down my reservation I made IN PERSON. I spent five minutes describing the hostess I spoke to first, in essence, to prove I wasn't lying. Sheesh. We were seated at the bar because apaprently it takes 30 minutes to find a table for us in the SEA of empty ones. Bartender served us like we didn't belong there. Our waiter was wonderful and very helpful and the food, I thought, was great. Very expensive though. too bad they can't update their menu. I doubt I would go again, not because of the price but because of the awful treatment.

Very Disappointed. Overpriced and very poorly prepared food. This would not be a restaurant that I would return to.

Great experience, excellent food. Went there on a week night in early Jan.<br/><br/>Overall, I thought the service was good (I have to be honest, I expected better i.e. personal touches... something you would normally get at this type of restaurant). But the food was simply delicious!<br/><br/>We had the scallop sashimi (explosive flavour!) and foie gras (biggest portion we've ever seen, and simply the BEST we ever had!). As well as the duo of lamb and surf & turf. I have to admit that I was more impressed with the entrées, but the "plats de résistance" were still excellent. The fine green beans were delicious!! Didn't really care for the truffle whipped potatoes though.<br/><br/>Yes, it's VERY expensive (~$200 for 2 entrées, 2 main courses and wine) but I think it was worth the experience. Just save your visit for a special occasion.

Expected better. The venue was nice service not so well. During the whole dinner our server only came by to gather and deliver our dishes. Both ordered steaks which were cooked well. However the steak knives provided like butter knives. Initially the steaks appeared over cooked but realized it was the knives that was dull. We would have asked for another set of utensils if our server was around. After paying for the dinner we could not find our server to get our coats and ended up asking another employee. Overall the dishes were good but the service was not.

Worst Service. I have to admit, this restaurant has incredible food. However, the service is so bad, it completely overshadows the amazing food.<br/><br/>I have been to this restaurant on several occasions, with each occasion getting progressively worse. <br/><br/>The first time I ate here, I experienced both amazing service and delicious food (that was about two years ago). I went for my five year anniversary with my boyfriend. The server we had was attentive and even went out of his way to give us an anniversary slice of cake on the house. <br/><br/>The second time round, my boyfriend and I did not have reservations, but the restaurant was almost completely empty. The hostess asked us to wait at the bar and she would "see" if she could find us a table (it WAS EMPTY). While at the bar, it took the server around 15 minutes to ask us if we would like to order a drink and another 15 minutes for us to actually get our drinks. After almost 35 minutes of waiting at the bar for our table. The hostess finally returned and seated us at a seat right beside the cold doors. We requested if it would be possible to move closer to the fireplace - where there were around 4 empty tables available. She said she wasn't sure if that would be okay and that she would check. This took another 15 minutes, before she moved us!! The rest of the night we continued to receive snotty, inattentive, indifferent wait staff. The food however, was amazing - as always.<br/><br/>The third time, I went there with a friend, and I was told that the kitchen was not yet ready to receive us (even though it was 5:30 pm) and that it would be another hour before the kitchen was prepped for service! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! We left disappointed and didn't return that night.<br/><br/>The fourth and last time I went there, we sat at the bar for happy hour. It took around 20 minutes before somebody took our drink order and another 15-20 minutes before somebody took our food order. It was not a busy at all and there was more staff on hand than people at the bar. This clouded my judgement of the food, which was okay at best.

Once Was Enought - Disappointed. I had dinner here one evening late seating with a good friend, it was in March 2010. I had made reservations and was 1st surprised when I walked in and gave my name while they say oh yes.. they asked me to wait, and the place was almost empty, (why wasn't my table ready?) Then it seemed like they were going one way and changed their mind, poorly organized, they sat us at a nice spot, great. We ordered wine apps and dinner. <br/><br/>Service was ok.. but very poor, if we waited for our server to top off our wine we would of never finished a bottle. We had ordered two main courses, differnet ones, both something he recommeded. He brought 2 the same. Then only took one away.. Then came back and took the other doh.. amateur hour. When he returned with the correct orders it was obvious that my friends meal had be made up of the two mains they served in the 1st place replated. Taste was good food cooked well.. but for the price. Lots of better places with equal food and good service in this area.

Food was good, service was good, however the wine list leads me to believe they are ripping me off. I didn't recognize any of the wines so who knows how much they cost and the quality of them

The Ostrich is amazing, the scallop sushimi has the most incredible anise aftertones & Jeff is one of the best waiters ever - let him pick everything for you! 18 is not just a tourist restaurant in the heart of the market - it's an oasis of epicurian delite.

Special Birthday Dinner Delivered. We had a special birthday dinner here last November. We had a great table by the fireplace. Awesome service and all the food was fantastic. Would love to go back.

Food was outstanding and they were welcoming to our toddler but when they say kid friendly they don't mean the menu. Our waiter wasn't all that adult friendly come to think of it. Do rude wait staff think thier attitude adds to the experience? Have they watched to much it sit-com television and think it's funny? I do not. Simple effective service with honesty when required always gets a better tip from me. Back to the food, beef tenderloin was cooked to perfection, truffle oil whipped potatoes are a new addiction. My wife actually relinquished one of her perfectly cooked scallops for more. Pricey dinning but memorable food. Good luck with the waiter lottery

Fond Memories. I remember celebrating my 18th birthday there, not too long after the restaurant opened and it still remains one of my favorite birthday dinners. The atmosphere felt sophisticated and luxurious, The menu was innovative (ostrich, anyone?) and the food was delicious (I highly recommend the scallops). The waiter was very attentive and not at all snobbish towards us young customers, who were clearly not of the regular working-class clientele. (Although I've heard that the servers attitudes have soured in recent years?) The chef surprised me with dessert, on the house: chocolate - need I say more? Definitely go for special occasions.

World Class dining experience. We had a superb and flavorsome experience. The hospitality was warm and inviting, the service impeccable, the ambiance was stylish and comfortable, the food was world class and the wine pairings were matched perfectly.<br/>The team provided us with an outstanding world class experience. Thank you - we will definitely be back!

I went there with a group from work. Several of us had to go up to the bar to get our own wine, the service was so slow. When we finally got our food, there was gristle in my $25 steak. Poor service, food not worth the price.

We had a friend coming from out of town who we hadn't seen in some time. We went for a late dinner at 18, our first visit. We were very glad we did. The food was excellent, from the B.C. Spot prawns with a Japanese ume sauce and Beef Tartar we shared to the Bluecheese crusted Alberta striploin. Our friend didn't eat most meats or fish but Loved the mustard and herb crusted Chicken, it had a wonderfully light sauce with just a hint of white truffle that worked well with the home made gnocchi. The server was very helpful with decisions, we sat by the fireplace and were pleasantly suprised to hear salsa, it being late on a Friday. Our friend is a prof. from Guelph and has travelled all over the world and she was blown away. We would definately go back, worth the money. Our server told us about the tapas/ lounge menu with the $5 prices for their Cinq a Sept so we will be back to try that. We ended the evening with the Chocolate Torte, warm with this A-mazing salted vanilla caramel gelato. My only criticisms would be that portions are almost too big( we were very full) and they aren't open for lunch.

Not good enough. The few times I've eaten here, the food has been fairly good. Most of us in our group have loved our dishes (which you'd have to to pay what they are asking for them). Prices are a little steep, but I guess you already know that going in. The service has been the real shame here though. To ask people to pay that much to be ignored, and confused, is unacceptable. The place has promise, but will never achieve its full potential.

Mixed Feelings. I used to be a regular at Eighteen. At the time I worked downtown and it was a fantastic, quiet spot for a delicious, stress-relieving lunch. The food there has always been incredible. We would bring guests from out of town there quite often, and we even had our wedding reception there (about which I have NO complaints - it was an amazing venue that friends and family still rave about).<br/><br/>However, in recent years on any given night what I've come to expect is indifferent nose-in-the-air service and overcrowding. The last time we booked a table there, they had crammed so many people in that our elbows, backs and feet were regularly knocked by servers squeezing by, with no apology. My modestly sized purse was knocked off the back of my chair more times than I cared to count. <br/><br/>They've become too wrapped up in themselves and in the image they're trying to portray, that they've forgotten about the people... you know, the people who spend their hard-earned and oft hard-to-come-by entertainment budget on what is supposed to be an excellent and enjoyable dining experience. Though the food is still above reproach, at this level they should know better.

Good food, nice ambience, indifferent service. It shouldn't have taken half an hour to see a menu or give a drink order, but it did. It shouldn't have been another 20 minutes before someone asked us what we wanted to eat, but it was. It shouldn't have taken three hours in total to eat at this restaurant, especially not when entrees hover around the $35 mark (my lamb duo was $45), and appetizers and desserts are pretty expensive, too. But what was most distressing was the fact that we never received a hint of an apology from the wait staff. In fact, the best our server could come up with was to blame the large party ahead of us, as if they were somehow holding up the kitchen.<br/><br/>The food was remarkable, though, and compensated for some, though not all, of the time we spent exhausting our supply of small talk. I especially enjoyed my main course, which was the aforementioned lamb duo, and I don't think anyone else in our medium-sized party of nine had any culinary complaints, either. And there's all the exposed grey stone, which makes for a lovely dining experience.<br/><br/>At least, for the first hour or two....

Great food and service and beautiful decor, love the chandeliers in the wine room, love the staff and the oyster bar

The pretentiousness assaults you the minute you walk in the door, continues through the menu and wine list and culminates with tiny portions of outragously overpriced food on a vast plate. This is the place if you're trying to impress someone with how much money you're willing to spend on food. I suggest you instead impress them with a memorable meal away from The Market. 3 blocks walk is all it takes to escape this shallow tourist food.

Great for special occasions. This is where we like to bring people for special occasions. It's great for celebrating anniversaries, birthdays and the like. The food is wonderful and the service is excellent. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. It's a special place.

Very unique and delicious combination of flavors. This is far more than a steak place. It is a 1st class restaurant that is as good as any in the U.S.

Deffinatly the BEST restaurant in Ottawa!! Excelent service, nice people AMAZING food! Worth every dollar you spend!! Of you haven't been there you have missed the world!

Definitely the best restaurant in the market the food is spectacular

This iconic Ottawa establishment unmasks the true definition of fine dining. One of the most attractive buildings in the city, inside and out, and a regular top 10 winner in Ottawa Magazine’s Best Restaurants list, E18hteen pushes culinary boundaries by raising the bar with its exquisite beef, game and seafood appetizer and entrees. As a true steak lover, I would suggest ordering the Reserve Angus Ribeye with roasted shallot jus, cooked medium rare. Although entrees are all upwards of $40, portions are large and pair beautifully with any of their complimentary sides. If you would like to add the right surf to your turf, upgrade your beef dish with a side lobster tail or indulge yourself in a buttery, flakey B.C dungeness crab cake. Date night perfection.

Classically trained Matthew Carmichael’s menu features local ingredients. Despite the unsurprisingly little amount of ‘adventurous’ foods, the dinner turned out extremely tasty. We created our own tasting: they “usually” only allow blind tastings if the entire table partakes, so we couldn’t manage to convince the waiter to serve a few extra blind dishes in addition to one order of the tasting menu. greek styled tomato salad – very generous amounts of delicious goat’s cheese and olive tapenade. In fact, it was an overwhelming amount, hiding the

I must have passed by E18teen countless times without noticing it. The understated signage outside, and the rather imposing, yet featureless appearance of the building doesn’t really suggest a restaurant at all. I had taken a quick look at their web-site before deciding to visit, of course, but what I saw in those pages along with the ‘trendiness’ of the name, made be think it might be a bit of a ‘gimicky’ sort of place, with more emphasis on the ‘nouvelle’ rather than the ‘cuisine’. As it happened, I was far more impressed than I expected to be…

A gorgeous restaurant in the heart of Ottawa, situated in the Market near Sussex Drive. I visited this restaurant with 3 other friends. The food there was great though a little on the expensive side but overall , the food was exceptional and steaks and lamb racks were cooked just right. Service is generally great however, I do have to say the food does come out a bit slow, it took about 30 minutes for the appetizer to come out and the bread served was plain and cold. I was definitely expecting warm Focaccia or something similar to that. Overall , friends commented that the steak was just right and the Duo of Lamb I had was amazing.

The menu at Restaurant Eighteen is quite well-rounded in terms of meat and fish; sorry vegetarians, not much here for you. But when you crave a good steak and a fresh drink I highly recommend this restaurant. To boot, the bartenders are worth writing home about with their tuned pallets for wine pairings and cocktail recipes, and the ambiance is breath-taking. Walking through the royally elegant front door into a conglomerate of high ceilings, chandeliers, mirrors and curtain drawn private rooms, you are sure to feel a calm come over you. Restaurant Eighteen is one of the top rated re

It's menus filled with goodies like these that make going to a place like this with a few friends so fun. The more you are the more you get to try. Although we were only 4, there was enough of us to get through quite a few of the starter entrées. Too bad I only took a couple photos. We started off with fresh shucked oysters from New Brunswick. Then came the steak tartare with shaved parm, house pickles (amazing), and fresh horseradish. And the BC Albacore tuna tartare with avocado, fingerling potato chips and soya glaze. I point out the pickles because they were the tastiest accompaniments on the plate. Unfortunately I was disappointed with both tartares as they lacked in flavour. Luckily the horseradish on the side helped kick up the steak. We also ordered the beet salad with apple, walnuts and smoked cheddar foam. And the Ceasar salad, so yummy with pancetta, parmesan, croutons and XV olive oil. Another winner was the crispy braised octopus with smoked paprika, Portuguese chouriÃ