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Absinthe Cafe
Category: Restaurants Canadian (New) Canadian (New) [Edit]
1208 Wellington StreetOttawa, ON K1Y 0X9
(613) 761-1138
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 2 pm
Mon-Sun 5:30 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Late Night, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Classy, Trendy, Intimate
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
7 reviews for Absinthe Cafe
7 reviews in English
-
Review from Laureen L.
Ottawa, ON
3/19/2012
Very good meal.
-
Review from Nicole B.
Ottawa, ON
12/15/2010 1 photo
Great place to get different sorts of absinthe, which is near impossible to find in this city (I thought it was illegal!)
The menu changes frequently, and they seem to always have a table d'hote where you can pick which items you want to make up a 3 course meal. the plates are very small so go for the table d'hote and be adventurous!
Very tasty, fresh foods, and lots of fun cocktails.
The space is really cool, completely wide open with high ceilings. It is a bit echo-y if you are there very early or very late and there are not many other people in the restaurant, gives it a bit of a warehouse or loft feeling.
They seem to be open quite late on weekends, so it's also a good place to go for a drink and they have a more exciting wine list that a lot of the restos in this area, so you can get something nicer to drink than if you just went to O'Connell's across the street -
Review from Jim L.
Ottawa, ON
3/20/2011
It was the first time I'd tried an absinthe. I found it to be much like pastis. The waitress gave full instructions, but I found that one whole dissolved sugar cube made it a tad too sweet.
The food is good. Small servings on large plates, tastefully arranged. They feature local products and some game. As the servings are small, we were able to eat 4 courses without feeling full - soup, main, cheese and dessert. While all was good, nothing was truly memorable.
Wait staff is attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. The atmosphere is relaxing. Our meal lasted about 3.5 hours and it was all in all a very pleasant experience. The acoustics are good, so that we could have an easy conversation, yet were not able to hear the conversation from adjacent tables. The seats were still comfy after 3.5 hours. A very good wine list.
A bit pricey. -
Review from Tim C.
Ottawa, ON
11/13/2011
I had the seafood trio, two of the trio were excellent, the third was OK. We also got a cheese plate which was quite good.
Friendly service. Nice decor, although if it's crowded there's not a lot of privacy; we went when it was empty. -
Review from Catherine C.
Ottawa, ON
6/16/2011
I went to Absinthe for my birthday last May and was a little disappointed. First, the openness of the place is a little disconcerting, I was looking forward to conversing with my boyfriend and having a little privacy but there is barely a foot or two between tables. And the echo makes it easy to hear everyone's conversation.
As for the food, the drinks were cute. We ordered the charcutrie board, I had duck mariposa and foie gras and finished with the trio of crème brûlée. I like to think that I love a lot of things but it was overall disappointing. The charcutrie board was bleak compared to Murray St.'s, the duck was too dry and the foie gras almost liquid and finally because of the very small portion of crème brulée, the torch heated the custard making it lukewarm.
Maybe I just had too high expectations... -
Review from Rafael R.
10/10/2009
Winner of Ottawa Magazines September 2009 issue of "101 Tastes to Try Before You Die", Absinthe Cafe is located on what has become foodie central, Wellington Street.
I opted for the steak frites, which was highly touted in the magazine article and while a well prepared and delicious dish, I was left feeling that this dish could have been prepared at any decent french restaurant, as there was nothing that really distinguished the dish as being a Absinthe original. My choice was the three course dinner selection which included an starter, appetizer and main course, although a complimentary cup of French onion soup was provided in the cutest and smallest of dishes that I had ever been served food in.
Service was prompt and cheery, the surroundings warmly lit but the centerpiece was the large mural in the back of the room which gave the effect of absinthe as it is being served in a glass - green and cloudy, it is a very cool mural. -
Review from Jason D.
Ottawa, ON
11/12/2008 1 photo
My wife and I have been busy working hard over the last few months, what with moving to the city and all and trying to find work and an apartment. I wanted to treat my wife out to a nice, romantic dinner - hey, you have to rekindle the magic every once and a while! My friend Steve suggested Absinthe. Absinthe is a hipster eatery on Wellington, along that cool strip of stores and bars. In fact, it stands out as the most hippest of places along the street. It is beautiful inside and the food is not your normal pub grub: venison striploin anyone? They have almost 40 wines in their wine list, including some champagnes. So, it is the perfect spot for that special dinner. Pricey, yes. Worth it? Totally - Absinthe is a totally unforgettable dining experience.
