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- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Music:
- Background
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Touristy
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
7 reviews for The Exchange Pub & Restaurant
7 reviews in English
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Review from Dena B.
Ottawa, ON
8/19/2011
Went to the exchange for my birthday, didn't know what to expect form a bar/resturant in the mall, but was plesently surprised.
The atmosphere is great and the is lots of space. The food was really good and the server was great with the kids! -
Review from Shakeel B.
New Westminster, BC
12/28/2011
If you care about customer focused management i would not go to this place. I was in town from Vancouver and my cousin and his family were taking me to dinner. My cousin was told when putting her name on the list that they would try and get us a booth. When we were shown to our table it was very small in an undesirable location next to the beer kegs.
When we asked the hostess for a nearby booth that was just being vacated. She said no and if we didn't accept the table we were given that we would have to go on the bottom of list. When we pushed politely she suggested that we speak to the manager since her powers were limited. When the manager came over he was initially very polite but in the end was not willing to give us the other table. He quoted the same policy that the hostess did. We decided to leave and as were walking away he said thanks for understanding. To this my cousin responded that we didn't understand which is why we were leaving and that we weren't happy about it. This is the clincher...the manager actually had the nerve to respond..."I am not in the business of making people happy". Hard to fathom this response. I guess his boss didn't tell him that he was working in the hospitality industry. -
Review from Coy W.
3/13/2011 5 Check-ins Here
The Exchange looks pretty nice compared to the old pub that was here before. After some shopping my friend and I decided to go in to get some food.
When we walked into The Exchange the place was about half to 3/4 full. A hostess came out and asked how many we had which we told her two. She told us it'd be a minute as they needed a table to clear up. Ummm sure no problem. Like I said the place was at best 3/4 full. A family came in after which the same server acknowledge and then took them to a table immediately. My friend gave me that look like "What was THAT?" and I just said if we aren't seated in 2 minutes we'll go to Milestones. Another hostess came by and asked if we had a seat which we said no and then she sat us immediately.
We were seated by the window and it was pretty cold. My friend had to keep her jacket on.
The waitress came by and took our drink orders while we looked at the menu.
I tried the chicken pot pie and my friend got some salmon. I found the chicken pot pie really bland and the dough for the pie to be pretty bad. I would not order that again and I hope it's not one of the better items on the menu. The salmon was pretty overcooked and wasn't the greatest either.
The drinks were ok and our waitress was nice enough but I don't think I'll be going back for a little while. -
Review from Chris F.
Ottawa, ON
5/3/2011
Have been there twice and the first time wasn't bad. The decor is nice and has a good feel to it. And the food was great.
The second time, however, was horrible. We were sat right away but we didn't get our drinks ordered for ten minutes and they weren't brought to us for another 5 minutes. It wouldn't have been bad if it was busy but it was not. The food showed up after 35 minutes and was not cold but not really warm. Meanwhile people that had sat after had already been given their food. Our server ignored us until she brought us the bill and almost didn't bring us back our change. Will not go back -
Review from Darren M.
Ottawa, ON
11/11/2010 1 photo
I wasn't expecting much when I walked into The Exchange for the first time. It's a shopping mall bar/restaurant afterall.
I was impressed with the design and look of the place. The downstairs is huge too so this place would be great to get colleagues or friends together after work or on the weekend.
The staff were a bit on the pushy side. My friend and I sat down and the waiter checked in on us excessively and kept pushing drinks on us. We then watched and were quite amused by just how many staff were working. It was a bit overkill.
The second time we went we grabbed a bite to eat and were impressed with their food. Better than just pub grub and reasonably priced considering this place could be an easy tourist trap.
That time we experienced fewer pushy staff members and yummy onion rings. -
Review from Sebb J.
Vancouver, BC
3/1/2011
I had high expectations of this place going in.. well my expectations let me down..
First it was very cold and drafty, one of our guests complained of the chills and she had to wear her jacket indoors.
Second, the gastro 'grub' as they call it was ok at best. They did a nice job with standard pub food which we ordered: fish & chips, burger (not cooked enough in my opinion) and the poutine we shared. My guests' other dishes didn't fare well at all, one ordered the chicken curry (can you spell microwaved chicken with curry sauce drizzled on top?) and the other a chicken pot pie which was chock full of dark meat and fatty sections.
Third, the service was good but not exceptional.
It seems this is a place to catch a drink and maybe watch a game while eating nachos. I do not recommend this place for a date or dinner. -
Review from Danielle F.
Toronto, ON
6/8/2010
The Exchange is the newest restaurant addition to the Rideau Centre! Kicking out Elephant & Castle, The Exchange is two floors deep and looks worlds apart from its former space. There's a pretty eclectic mix of décor, from plush seating to the huge wooden beams that looks as though parts are still under construction. I'm kind of confused as to why they call it a pub?
Me and my friends chose to sit downstairs because on this (Mon)day, there was a piano player and singer! The waiter was a bit pushy for us to buy drinks even after we explained that water was fine. I'm sure the raspberry martini IS delicious, but how about on a night when I'm not driving?
I ordered up the chicken curry which was good but missing something, a bit too bland. I did appreciate the little pieces of cilantro. I loved the papadums and mango chutney for a new texture and taste. Alas, the rice must have gone through some troubles in the pot because chunks were hard and stuck together. All and all the presentation was quite nice being that it was served in two pretty bowls on a small and slick, metal tray.
Also on a metal tray? Onion rings! Not too breaded, good-sized portion and just oily enough! They made us all happy campers, especially with the mustard sauce for dipping- a really good combo.
A prime location with a unique look, maybe next time I'll take the bus and take up that martini offer.
