- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
Play Food And Wine
Categories: Restaurants Canadian (New) Nightlife Bars Wine Bars Canadian (New), Wine Bars [Edit]
1 York StOttawa, ON K1N 5S7
(613) 667-9207
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 12 pm - 2 pm
Mon 5:30 pm - 10 pm
Tue-Thu 5:30 pm - 11 pm
Fri 5:30 pm - 12 am
Sat 12 pm - 12 am
Sun 12 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Music:
- Background
- Best Nights:
- Wed
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- Yes
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
34 reviews for Play Food And Wine
Review Highlights
-
"Their grilled hanger steak is to die for." In 3 reviews -
"...I ordered the mixed charcuterie plate ($19), three cheese..." In 1 review -
"...on the edge of Byward Market serving up fresh, seasonal..." In 3 reviews
Loading...
34 reviews in English
-
Review from Lynn C.
2/3/2012 1 photo
Of all the restaurants I've eaten around the world, this is definitely one of my favourites.
Generally I rate the restaurants based on bang for the buck and thus not a whole lot of $$$ and above restaurants hit my 5 star rating. This is one of the few that's actually worth paying for.
There are a ton of great things I love about this place that I don't even know here to begin.
Ambiance: It is bright and cheery in here, unlike most food and wine restaurants that have leather and dark wood. Everything is bright blue with white tables and chairs, making it actually FUN to eat.
Service: The servers are polite and extremely knowledgeable of the food and wine selection. The owner is there all the time so he actually knows what's going on in the restaurant.
The absolute best:
- Hangar steak: the four of us had encores for this. It is absolutely delicious. The peppered rim makes you think only the flavour is on the outside, but no, it explodes no matter which part of the steak you're eating. These grilled pieces of meat is tender, juicy and comes with a large side of fries.
- Beef tataki: lightly seared beef sashimi with a completely different flavour from the grilled hanger steak (this one is more tangy and more japanese)
- Mixed Charcuterie Plate: Sometimes you're at a restaurant and even if you're impressed with the meats, you think, well it just says the chef knows how to pick 'em, but not necessarily cook 'em. But in this case, our meats came with the perfect pairing of dressing. The pork pate that came with the spicy habanero apple sauce was my favourite. The prosciutto with the pickled onions, the sausages with the mustard, olives and relish. WOW.
The fantastic:
- Chicken confit: This dish is a little harder to share as it came with a piece of chicken with skin that you need to cut. But what made this dish great was the smoked potato pairing. The potatoes are actually very creamy and extremely flavouful.
- Braised rabbit: This was a pasta dish with braised rabbit on top. There was zero gaming taste and the pomegranate was a very nice touch.
- Five mixed cheese plate: Well it's cheese. A lot of different good cheese. My favourite was the Mont Jacob.
The good:
- gnocchi was a bit messy looking and a bit overcooked imo. The flavour was good, but not the new fusion that I found in the other dishes
- tiny meatballs were kinda weird, served in a chicken broth with eggs and vegetables. Since we all kinds individual plates, it was a bit hard to share, and also not as brilliant as the aforementioned dishes.
- butter scotch pudding: average
- chocolate pate: average
This place is so delicious.
Their menu changes often as well, so you gotta come back before they change just in case the stuff you love goes away :P -
Review from Liz M.
Ottawa, ON
4/7/2012
This place is just all kinds of amazing! So yes, I'm a fan of tapas, and if all my meals could be small portions of everything I liked, I could die happy!
This place is perfect for a date night or with a group of friends! The atmosphere is great but I think it's out shined by the excellent food. The menu does change quite often so if you find something you like it might not be there next time! But I think this is what makes Play unique!
If you love Charcuterie plates, Wine and cheese, then this is the place to be!
The service has always been great and always very knowledgable about the menu, so don't be afraid to ask questions.
Bon Appetite! -
Review from Christian L.
Ottawa, ON
I went to Play yesterday and I had the following dishes with wine pairing for two persons:
a) mixed charcuterie plate
b) albacore tuna tartare
c) BC cod
d) chicken confit
e) grilled hanger steak
All plates were good...my two favourites were the mixed charcuterie and the albacore tuna tartare. Yesterday night, I found the grilled hanger steak to be more salty than usual.
The service was excellent tonight from our waiter (Derrick). So far, this was my best meal at Play. This is a good restaurant for Ottawa.Comment from Stephen B. of Play Food And Wine 3/5/2012
Thanks for the kind words Christian. I will make sure to… More » -
Review from J N.
Vancouver, BC
2/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
We were seated upstairs in a corner on an extremely quiet night. It was pleasant to have a private booth, but I felt like we missed the entire ambiance of the place, too. Was there ambiance? It had a modern, trendy feel but one would not have felt out of place dressed casually, either.
The service was actually really great by the waitress-student teacher. And who doesn't love someone in training to change children's lives? I had many questions, and she was quite appeasing to my wishes; she even brought me a wine-taste.
The tapas were fine portion sizes--better than what one would find in Vancouver-- but unmemorable and just okay. I think the salad was probably the best, but my mussels were a bit cold. The dessert was nondescript. I'm sorry that I didn't get the steak as that seems to be recommended.
Overall, I'd give it 3.5 Star. Almost 5 for the service; almost 4 for the food, but not quite high enough for a 4. Perhaps I'll return one day, but next time, I might save my loonies and try the higher-end version first. -
Review from Coy W.
1/23/2012 5 Check-ins Here
I dropped by Play for a quick bite and was sat upstairs due to a private event happening on the first floor. The place is very sleek and stylish. I was pretty excited as I wanted some pork belly and I always remember Beckta Dining making a very solid pork belly. This being the little brother/sister restaurant of Beckta I felt safe knowing I could order the pork belly and loving it. I also ordered a Beau's and a mixed charcuterie plate to go along with the pork belly.
They brought the charcuterie plate to start which was a combination of Pingue prosciutto with red onion jam, S2S chorizo with olives and dijon, beef tongue with smokey pineapple chutney, hunter sausage with cranberry-persimmon jam and a lot of little pieces of toast.
Prosciutto was the highlight and they actually bring it in from Niagara On The Lake. I'm pretty sure it's the same one sold from La Bottega. The beef tongue was the next best item and the chutney had wonderful flavours. The two items complimented each other really well. The hunter sausage and chorizo were a little bland. The sausage with jam was decent but the chorizo was disappointing. It lacked flavour and spice imo.
Next up was the pork belly on top of brussel & pineapple kimchi, soy and an avocado spread. The pork belly was awesome! Cooked perfectly and a perfect combination of meat and fat. Tender on the inside with a nice browning on the outside. The brussel and pineapple kimchi very nice. I don't know if it was the Beau's but the avocado spread I avoided. I found an overwhelming taste of soy sauce and I wasn't sure if that was caused by the Beau's I had or not but it was overly salty and I avoided it.
I've had better meals at Play in the past so I was a bit sad to be writing this review.
For those familiar with Beckta's fantastic service, please don't expect that at Play. Though the staff are friendly and good they do not compare to the wait staff over at Beckta. Don't get me wrong, the service is still good, just not Beckta fantastic!Listed in: 2012: 366 Day Challenge, Ottawa: Finest Dining
Comment from Stephen B. of Play Food And Wine 2/3/2012
Hi Coy W: First of all, thanks so much for all of the… More » -
Review from Grace Joy P.
11/19/2011 1 photo
I can't say I love this place. I really wanted to but coming from Philadelphia, this tapas wine and bar is nowhere close to ranking near these other restaurants I have tried.
It's in a great location, which is in the Byward Market on Sussex. It has a distinct logo that's hard to forget, and draws you in. Main reason why I was so curious to try this place out! Second to this reason was that it was a BYOB. There are not many BYOB restaurants in Ottawa so I decided to make reservations.
Went on a Thursday night around 9pm. Was not too busy at all. I loved the atmosphere inside. A bit small, but it gives it that cozy feel. You can either sit at one of the booth seats or sit at the bar. I noticed a lot of people came in just to have a drink at the bar, so this can also be a social drinking spot for the older crowd.
My girls and I ordered the mixed charcuterie plate ($19), three cheese selection plate ($13), pork belly ($14), and the grilled hanger steak ($16).
There was three of us, and just these four tapas made is fairly full.
The charcuterie was just plain mediocre. It felt like I could have cut up an assortment of meat myself and served it, and it would have been the exact same thing. No distinct tastes, the plating was extremely boring, almost like it was cut and just plopped on.
The cheese plate was pretty good, and only because I love cheese. But consider that this cheese was just cut up and served with toasted bread pieces (they didn't have to do any work).
The pork belly was probably my favourite. It was cooked perfectly, and the outer fat of the belly was juicy and crispy at the same time. It sat on top of a delicious cream sauce. I'd definitely recommend this dish.
The steak was again, mediocre. Not worth your $16. The best part of this dish was the fries and dip to be honest.
My least favourite experience was that this "BYOB" was misleading. My friends and I brought two bottles, and the corkage fee was $15/bottle. We had NO idea until the bill came along.
Might as well buy a bottle there, it's almost just as much (sarcastic tone).
Service was decent, and one of the servers was willing to take pictures of us and was very polite about it.
I probably will not be coming back to Play on my own anytime soon, unless I'm invited to go with a friend. -
Review from Anita K.
Toronto, ON
9/27/2011
Being an absolute novice when it comes to pairing which wine with what cheese, this place gave both my brother and I, a pleasant and memorable experience.
The service was fantastic and gave you great value for your dollar (after 10pm). Our wine and cheese expert picked up on the fact that we hadn't exactly been fans of blue cheese (no matter how hard we tried to embrace it) and so he provided a complimentary alternate cheese pairing at no charge.
The pairings were great, diverse and informative!
Looking forward to going back to play the food! -
Review from Chloe P.
Ottawa, ON
12/9/2011
Ah-mazing. To die for. Two plates for $20 for lunch!? Sounds too good to be true, I know. But this is legit.
The service is impeccable. I had the quail and it was cooked to perfection. Definitely will be returning. -
Review from Colette O.
Bedford, NS
11/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
Thank goodness for Yelp! I was in Ottawa for the weekend, visiting a friend and we were heading out to celebrate her birthday. She's new to the city, so we weren't sure where to go. I Yelped restaurants in Ottawa and thanks to fellow Yelpers, we found a big, fat hit in Play Food and Wine. Thanks gang!
We called to make a reservation and thank goodness we did. It was almost booked solid except for some space at the kitchen bar. We weren't over the moon about not having a table, but we thought what the heck. But it turned out to have been the perfect inconvenience. If anyone heads to Play, I'd absolutely suggest sitting at the kitchen bar. It was warm, but we got to watch the chefs at work, cooking up a brilliant storm.
Play is based on a smaller plates model, with each appetizer/plate being paired with a specific wine. We each ordered two plates and shared them all, which was the perfect way to do things. We got to try loads of dishes and experience the breadth of the restaurant.
For me, the food was a four star, but the pairings with the wine and the overall experience makes it a five. By far, the stars of the evening (in order of favourites) were the grilled hangar steak (sensational), the beef tartar, the gnocchi and the pork belly. We also had the the calamari and the gravlax, which were OK, but neither blew us away.
If you're there after 10 pm, it's well worth finishing your meal with the cheese plate (the chef chooses) and wine pairing for $20.
Oh, yes, and Steve who was cooking in the kitchen did a brilliant job of putting up with three girls asking "what's that" and "why are you doing that" all night. His company and "cooking class" was a great addition to our night.
All in all, a knock-out place to celebrate a birthday for a dear friend! Thanks again Yelp peeps for helpin' a girl out! -
Review from Garrett K.
10/24/2011
An amazing restaurant on the edge of Byward Market serving up fresh, seasonal cuisine with amazing service and ambience makes this a must-try in Ottawa. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's the best seasonal restaurant I've eaten at, but it would be definitely be in the upper tier (would return to in a second and rave about to everyone, I mean living in CA this is where this type of cuisine was invented and perfected). When the foods is this good, I never know if I should just inhale it or try to restrain and savor every bite; at this meal I did both and got to sit at the Kitchen bar!
Gnocchi: The gnocchi were so tender, not gummy, and not too potato-ish for me, hence good dish to start the service. They were served on a "hummus" style sauce with mushrooms, kalamata olives, and braised red cabbage. The kalamata olive gave it a nice salty bite and I literally licked the bowl clean.
Meatball Sub: They weren't kidding about it being a spicy meatball sub. The meatballs (while just a hair overcooked IMHO) were balanced on a soft, pillowy roll with an eggplant marinara, fresh burrata, and hickory sticks. All the flavors were so bold yet not one outshined the other making this a spicy sandwich of delight. Hell, half the fun was trying to figure out how to eat the damn thing; Seinfeld it with a knife and fork (to maintain decorum and clean clothes) or say "f it" and just dig in, hands blazing. I tried one bite with the fork, said, "screw it" and used the fork to press the sandwich together and just dug in. Result: awesome sandwich, clean clothes, dignity intact!
Brussels Sprouts: These were braised with a curry-style sauce. I found them to be perfectly al dente and the spice in the curry was super-flavorful. The sprouts were a good compliment to the spiciness of the sub.
Afogatto: Funny story about how I wound up back here for dessert. I wish I could say that I met the girl of my dreams who suggested a bite of something sweet, but I left my debit card in the checkbook after dinner. So after running back through Byward after leaving the bar after a couple of pints with some fellow grad students I figured might as well stay. I had seen the affogato during dinner service and knew it was exactly what I wanted. Sure enough, my eyes doth not deceiveth me. The bartender was really nice and customized the order so I got a shot of decaf for the pour over. The espresso, ice cream, amaretti, and fruit were a perfectly balanced contrast of flavors and each stood on its own as well as with the other flavors to make a great dessert. I would definitely order this again.
Overall, one of the best dining experiences to be had in Ottawa. Amazingly professional and courteous service, great food, and a nice vibe make Play a "must-do," "can't miss" restaurant destination in not just Byward but Ottawa overall! Plus a shout-out to the great hostess who held my card and called me to let me know where it was, along with great conversation that made me feel welcome as a solo diner. If management reads this, the "shorter" female hostess working on Saturday (10/22/2011) night is great, a good introduction to the restaurant when you walk in the front door! -
Review from John B.
8/14/2011
3.5
Playfully uneven. Hangar steak was perfect. A grilled melon plate with pancetta wasn't. The melon tasted like alabaster. If you've never tasted alabaster, you can just try these green melons.
The service was very good. -
Review from Sabina Z.
2/24/2012
Fabulously hip, fabulously sophisticated and the service was impeccably. The concept is fantastic. Mix and match two or three plates for one price. The plates are all middle-sized and just enough. The decor is simple and really fresh and intimate. I was there for lunch and thought it was great.
-
Review from Danielle F.
Toronto, ON
7/3/2011
Let's Play!
Walk into a sky blue room and become immediately transported. Where? Somewhere amazing, you're happily greeted and seated the second you walk in. It's a lovely space at the corner of York and Sussex where even a table next to the bathroom is a score because of the huge windows and a fun, arty, wine bottle display partition.
Three friends: one wanted to pound back the wine so she ordered by the glass but me and my other friend were intrigued by the "wine and cheese flight". It only goes down after 10pm and is a mere 20 dollars for three cheeses with three wine pairings. When a taste of wine is 4-5 dollars and three selections of cheese is usually 13, do the math, you're getting doing well. We asked for different wines and cheeses, whatever they wanted to give to us, and therefore go to share a little and try so much!
The one thing that money can't buy though is an experience and that is exactly what you get as the server and wine director play off each other to give you the best service. Our server was ever-enthusiastic, so knowledgeable of the menu and just someone you could see yourself inviting to the table.
Same goes for the wine director! Let me tell you, I think it takes a bit of confidence to walk up to complete strangers on a minute-ly basis and tell them the intimate details of everything they're about to ingest. It was like dinner theatre! Respect. He knew his stuff and we were happy to engage and listen to his extensive knowledge. Come on, the dude trained in London, England. We learnt a lot and the guidance made eating the actual products a lot of fun and even lot more delicious because we appreciated them.
Notice how I have not even gotten to the food yet??? The wine and cheese themselves were amazing. The pairings got along famously. The cheese came out on a long plate with each glass lined up behind so everything was fail proof. The toasts to cheese ratio was a little off but we asked for some more and everything was perfect once again. My personal favourite was a five year old gouda- never tasted anything like it before.
I'd love to come back and try out the small plates. Or another cheese flight. Or another wine flight. Or everything.Listed in: O-Town Love
-
Review from Allie R.
Hamilton, ON
1/22/2012
Another gem in the fast growing foody scene in Ottawa. As I tend to go into Ottawa occasionally for work, I like to pick somewhere new to try to eat on each visit. This past week it was Play Food And Wine.
I honestly did not know what to expect. Having learned on previous visits that good restaurants in Ottawa take reservations, I did a quick search on Yelp for somewhere to go and found this restaurant. Well fellow yelpers, you did not lead me astray!
With -30 weather freezing me to the core, we went inside this trendy, but warm and welcoming rstaurant. The waiter was as friendly as could be and really took the time to explain how this tappas-style restaurant worked. When the first of our dishes came out, I began to understand the name of the restaurant.
Hangar steak seemed to be the Yelp favourite, so we gave it a try first. Wow. Just wow. In fact everything we tried (5 dishes in total) were to die for. Get the bread pudding. Honestly. The wine pairings were unique and fantastic! The waiter even took the time to go over the wines with us, talk to us about them, and really let us "play" with our food eperience. This is yet another Ottawa "must go". -
Review from Dave F.
6/8/2011
We needed a place to entertain customers and Play certainly did a great job. The appetizers were excellent, creative and well-thoughtout. I've never tried a "fiddlehead", so this was a new "first". We had a wide variety of wines to choose from, though wines by the glass were limited. Because I was late, I missed the cheese plate which was supposedly incredible. Our server took pity on me and brought a quail and bacon appetizer because I'd missed the first hour of our meal.
I ordered the hanger steak for an entree and thought it was really good, but not the same level as the appetizers. The steak was grilled and served with fries with a mayonnaise accompaniment. For dessert, I was stuffed, but managed to eat a really yummy single scoop of mocha/chocolate gelato down with a cappuccino.
Considering this meal was after waking up @ 4AM, flying 12 hours through 3 cities...(thank you Delta for this adventure in diversions), I was rather exhausted, and Play really hit the spot!
Service: 5 star impeccable
Ambiance: 5 star
Food: 4 Star
I tasted the Crème Brûlée and it really is as awesome as it's billed. Definitely will go back! -
Review from Colleen D.
11/20/2011
Yum and yum! Great variety of dishes and excellent wine list. They were very accommodating to our large group and took good care of us. The location on the edge of the Market is excellent and did not chase us out at the end of the meal, despite that we were the last folks in the place.
-
Review from Vera D.
4/5/2011
Let me tell you, Ottawa is one BORING city but this place just allows Ottawa to step it up. This place is good, I mean GREAT. No, more like awesome.
Everything I ate at this place was a little bit of a party of its own in my mouth. One advise: get the Earl Grey Crème Brûlée, you will be one happy person. -
Review from Charles S.
12/10/2010
Keep in mind I only ate lunch at Play. And it was a quick lunch as I had a meeting to race off to. But it was a great lunch at what I think is good price in Ottawa - two plates for $20.00.
I started with a terrific squash soup with tasty bits of fried leeks on top, followed by grilled pickerel on top of tiny cubes of terrific things billed as succotash, but not at all like any succotash I've ever had. My colleague had charred squid on top of white beans, spinach, fennel and other great stuff followed by a goose liver pate.
Great meal. Quick service. Excellent waiter. Excellent location. The room isn't as elegant or cozy as Beckta's original restaurant on Nepean St,, but the quality, innovation and execution were just as good.
Don't go to Play looking for a hamburger or big portions or easy prices -- although lunch is a great value. That's not what Play is about. But if you are looking for excellent food in the By Ward Market, you will not be disappointed.
.Listed in: Five Star Nation, Ottawa and Toronto
-
Review from Lori C.
Vancouver, BC
12/6/2011
I have been to Play twice in the last three months. I don't live in Ottawa, but have been planning to return to Play since my last visit there in October. Why? Because on my last visit to Play the chef really impressed me, and this time, he did it again. On my first visit, the place was jam packed, leaving no tables left for a walk-in like me. So, I I got to sit at the Chef's bar - right in front of where all the action happens in the kitchen. The chef and his team were super friendly, providing stellar food AND entertainment. I had a taster of the meatball on that first visit, which, is the primary reason I came back again this time. I have always said that my last meal would be a meatball sub. Now, I would have to clarify that and say that my last meal should be the meatballs from Play. They ARE that good.
This time at Play, I had the spinach salad and roasted brussell sprouts to accompany the meatball sub. Most of the menu is 'small" plates - which is great for someone like me who likes a variety of tastes. The salad had the perfect touch of balsamic dressing - not too much, just the right to accent. The bleu cheese, the red pears, red grapes were all high quality accompaniments to the greens. The brussell sprouts had a bit too much sauce for my liking, hiding some of the nuttiness that sprouts in the raw offer. But, the meatball sub was sublime.
The wait staff are friendly and attentive, but not too attentive as to amount to hovering. Go to Play! You won't be disappointed.
Incidentally, I tried out another Ottawa restaurant tonight - Town (on Elgin Street) - and ended up having the same assembly of food; salad and meatballs. Not my "usual" but, it just happened to evolve that way. So, I took the opportunity to compare notes. Play beats Town hands down. They are not even in the same league. Town gets a 2.5 stars at best. See my review for Town for details. -
Review from Minh D.
Gatineau, QC
I'm pretty damn picky when it comes to food - your typical foodie snob actually and I think this may be my first 5 star review (for a formal restaurant) in Ottawa.
I have been meaning to try this place out since it opened, I mean good food AND wine?? But given my meh experience at Beckta's the last few times (see my review), I never got around to it until recently.
Well, finally went for lunch and I must admit, this is currently the best place in the Ottawa area for "fine" dining. Beats Domus, Les Fougeres (Cantley), Whalebone, Beckta's (ironic), everything.
Because of its tapas approach (and I must say they are VERY generous portions for tapas), every dish stands on its own and is amazing. Unlike many fine dining restaurants, where the appetizers are great, but the mains are often letdowns, every dish is like a great appetizer/main combo. We were a few, so I was able to try 6 different dishes and every one of them, even an initially doubtful shrimp "tandoori", was perfect. (See my posted pictures of each dish).
Food itself borrows from different cuisines, a bit of French in a steak frites with garlic aioli, Indian with the aforementioned shrimp tandoori, a bit of Asian in the use of soy sauce, etc. And it all works.
As with Beckta, wine list is great, not your usual suspects and has a few nice Canadian wines.
If you go for lunch, it's 2 dishes for $20 - a real steal for what you get. -
Review from Ajay R.
9/8/2011
Stopped in here for a glass of wine. Good service and pleasant atmosphere but didn't try the food so don't put too much stock in my rating, although the popcorn with truffle oil was spot on. Looks like it would be good for small groups.
-
Review from Shawn C.
York, ON
2/8/2012
Ate here while in Ottawa for Winterlude. Being from Toronto, didn't know what to expect in an Ottawa wine bar but was plesantly surprised. The owners/designers took a really non-traditional approach to doing a tapas/wine bar. Vivid colors inside for decor, lots of open space, brighter-than-you'd-expect lighting and an open kitchen all cater to a very friendly environment. I visited with my girlfriend who is vegetarian and we both found a lot to love about the menu. My favorite was the hangar steak which (as I am a steak lover) was something to write home (or on yelp?) about. Marinated, tender and flavourful...I would go back just for that. My partner had the squid which was served cold - somewhat ususual but was tasty. I also had the Quail with quinoa which was delicate and savory -2 words I reserve for tapas. LOL!. Wine selection was great and they even had some wine from my favorite vinyard -Stratus in Niagara, ON. Our server was very knowledgeable and knew how to "romance the food" which added to the friendly ambiance of the restaurant. Overall, we'll go back for more hangar steak, wine and to try some of the other tapas/wines.
-
Review from Spike D.
Updated - 7/7/2011
New gnocchi (spring concoction) not quite as good as winter gnocchi. Beef carpaccio is excellent as is hanger steak and frites. Jamaican pot pie crust not as crisp as it should have been. Steve Beckta is charming and wonderful as usual. Excellent and attentive service from all staff.
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
-
4/23/2011
Have I mentioned that the gnocchi are sublime? Gravlax with little potatoes and crunchy tempura… Read more »
-
-
Review from Jane M.
Ottawa, ON
10/18/2011
This was a new experience for us and proved to be unique. If you are a foodie then definitely give it a go. The pumpkin/coconut bisque was to die for, the beef tatar fabulously rich as was the gnocchi . Some foods were outside our comfort zone such as the gravlax which we found too musty when paired with the beet puree. When you are paying about twelve dollars for a sample size it hurts not to like it. Overall the place had a cool vibe, our waiter was very knowable as well as helpful in explaining the food and wine pairings. It was an expensive meal in light of the portions but a wonderful experience to try.
-
Review from Darren M.
Ottawa, ON
10/22/2010
I checked this place just after it first opened last year on a Friday night. It was for a friend's birthday and we showed up as a small group at 11pm when the place was busy but at midnight they declared last call despite there still being lots of people in the restaurant and people at the bar.
It was uncomfortable because people were still en route to Play!
The place looks great and you can't beat the location on Sussex in the Byward Market but as far as first impressions go we didn't feel very welcome.
I've only tried Play for drinks (but I've heard the food is great)! -
Review from Lisa D.
Ottawa, ON
11/18/2009
We spent ~ 3hrs at Play our first night there!
It's not necessary, but encouraged by the 'sampling' menu. Small dishes that lend themselves well to sharing with others at your table. By the end of the night, we were satisfied, we felt as though we'd had an entire dinner, but it was made up of 6 small plates that we shared with wine and conversation!
We samples some charcuterie, grilled hanger steak, gnocchi with edamame / thyme / mushrooms / truffle and a cheese plate.
For the three of us, it averaged to $30 per plate, which was amazing considering the quality of the meal. It was a very memorable meal! -
Review from Eric B.
Ottawa, ON
Updated - 8/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Just went back to Play, and it's still amazing. Every dish we had (and we split almost every dish on the menu between four people) was outstanding.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
8/11/2010
My new favourite restaurant in Ottawa! The food and service at Play are fantastic. This restaurant… Read more »
-
-
Review from MaryAnne G.
Orléans, ON
8/27/2011
Booked a reservation online 30 minutes prior to lunch. It was very convenient go beat the line up. Service was very good. The drinks were slow though and they forgot our drinks at one point. We ordered 4 mains to share and each one was awesome. The shrimp, the gnochi, steak and melon. No complaints at all about the food, perfect! Ambiance was excellent too!
-
Review from Christine O.
Kingston, ON
6/3/2011
Ottawa has a lot of fantastic restaurants, but few measure up to Play. This is fine dining made affordable to the masses. Delicious, fantastic, great value. I can't say enough good things about this place. There are enough praises for specific dishes already, so there's no need for me to add more. Instead, I'm going to give 2 tips: a) Definitely go here for lunch. The menus for lunch and dinner are identical but at lunch time, you can pick any 2 plates for $20. AMAZING VALUE! b) Play changes their menu frequently, so don't be disappointed if your old favourite falls off their menu now and then. Be adventurous! Try something new if your favourite disappears for a little while.
-
Review from Brandon M.
Orléans, ON
12/4/2011
Amazing food... Great wine pairings... Great staff... Best food I've ate in a long time!!
-
Review from Tim C.
Ottawa, ON
6/26/2011
Good flavours. Excellent service, good wine selection. Decor is maybe slightly too understated. Recommended.
-
Review from R R.
6/7/2011 1 photo
Their grilled hanger steak is to die for! It comes with crispy fries with mayo and a small portion of succulent steak. If you get it for lunch as part of their 2/20 deal, you'll save quite a bit. Great music in the background, they were playing selections from Miles Davis - Kind of Blue.
-
Review from Eric S.
Ottawa, ON
9/16/2010
Great food, menu changes frequently. Great wine and beer selection and the staff knows lots about it -- ask them for something interesting.
-
Review from Ray C.
9/7/2010
I can't rave enough about Play! I have eaten at restaurants all over the world and this one ranks with some of the best. The atmosphere, the service and oh yeah, the food. All was amazing. It was so good that we sent 21 other people we were attending meetings with the very next night. Every person had equally rave reviews of Play. The food was so interesting and tasted so good. You could literally taste each and every part of the food, a virtual foodie extravaganza. Make sure to try this place out, soon.
