"I had a reservation for 9:30. i showed up early and the bar was accomodating. Our first server immediately notified us to order quickly as the kitchen was closing. I found this odd as my reservation was scheduled 30 min later than when i arrived. I mentioned this to the server. He replied "Yes, but we are closing after you" . I was put off as we now knew they were waiting on us. The food was great but we had about 5 different servers during our stay. When we were ready to pay our bill, we were not seen by a server for at least 20 min. For a place that wanted to rush us, they certainly took their time when we wanted to leave. The server didnt even ask if we wanted split bills. He came back three times before he finally got our bills right."
Dined on 5/21/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, romantic, neighborhood gem, hot spot, special occasion
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"Nine of us went to the side door for my wife's birthday and it was tremendous. The service was great and our waitress suggested we could just let the chef decide what to send out and she wiuld pause to sed if we wanted more. This was a complete blast!! Everything she brought was loved and we had an awesome time just taking in the food and company, enjoying great wine and trying mug of the menu!
Thanks for a dining experience I will not forget!"
Dined on 5/11/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, romantic, hot spot, special occasion
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"I went to Sidedoor with my boyfriend to celebrate our anniversary. This is a great place for a date as you share all the dishes of food. My only complaint was the temperature; it was a warm night out and it was too warm in the restaurant. The fancy seats are all upholstered in some kind of faux leather, so I kind of got sweaty and stuck to the seat."
Dined on 5/04/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, notable wine list, romantic, late-night find, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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"We love the food at Sidedoor. Each time we get a craving, we go through a whole process of "is it worth it"? It is worth routinely waiting 25 to get a drink order in? Is it worth them usually forgetting/mixing up at least one dish? Is it worth them often running out of many menu options by 8:30 on a Saturday night? All of these things have happened at least 3 times :(......... and yet, sometimes, it's still worth it! Because the food is delicious, satisfying and exactly what we want. Plus side: they end up comp-ing something!"
Dined on 3/16/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, late-night find, hot spot, special occasion
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"I go there often for the happy hour on tacos and wine and I love it every time. Fish tacos are the best! Food is excellent and different than what you find elsewhere in the market. They also have a great selection of cocktails. Make some place for dessert, the donuts are to die for!"
Dined on 26/04/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem, special occasion, hot spot
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"The crowd was young and the energy was high. Service was friendly, attentive, helpful and fast. The food was great, and you must try the donuts for desert. Highly recommended."
Dined on 26/04/2013
2013
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"Food is great! Tacos are outstanding. However, you need to tell the waiter to pace the service as the very efficient kitchen may be sending to your table your orders quickly and all at the same time. Once you clarify if you are in a rush or would rather have a slower, more relaxed pace, then everything is great! Yummy!"
Dined on 26/04/2013
2004
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, good for groups, hot spot
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"What a wonderful addition to the Ottawa restaurant scene! Had a great evening and the food was outstanding. Service was a little spotty. Too much attention at the beginning and then didn't see our waiter (although others delivered food and wine) for ages. Overall, loved it and will go back again. And again."
Dined on 05/04/2013
2013
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, good for groups, late-night find, neighborhood gem, special occasion, hot spot
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"Very original menu with lots of variety. It's hard to nail down but if pressed I'd say exotic comfort food with a dash of Asian spice. The dumplings were probably the best I've ever had. My daughter became addicted to the spicy beef tacos and I had to direct her to other dishes or she would have eaten just that! Overall a very memorable dining experience..."
Dined on 02/04/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, special occasion
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"We had a wonderful meal with the six of us tucked comfortably in one of their large booths. The waiter was tasked with bringing us food he thought we would like and he did a fabulous job - we gobbled up every last morsel. The only small point was that the food plates came out a bit quickly - felt slightly like a race to complete one plate before the next was delivered. We will be more clear about our desire for a relaxed pace next time - and there will be a next time!"
Dined on 30/03/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, special occasion
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"Service was prompt and friendly, and the food fantastic. The smoked, grilled squid tacos with fresh dill were delicious, as was the other special we ordered (rare beef salad with fresh mint) and the tuna sashimi. Lots of interesting flavours that worked beautifully together. Really tasty cocktails (I can recommend the peach fashion and the aurora borealis). Different vibes seem to be available depending on where you're seated - bright and airy in the front atrium, or more intimate in the dimmer back part of the restaurant. It's not cheap, but they seem to plan and put their dishes together with finesse and skill, and you are getting what you pay for in the best sense of the phrase."
Dined on 27/03/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, special occasion
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"I booked a reservation at Sidedoor for a friend's birthday. They were accommodating with allergies and very welcoming to us! They gave the birthday celebrant a free drink, as well as a free doughnut sharing platter with a candle. Excellent food, stellar service! Always awesome, and I'll always keep coming back!"
Dined on 21/03/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, special occasion, hot spot
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Review 16 for Sidedoor Contemporary Kitchen & Bar
Overall rating
(Outstanding)5/5
OpenTable Diner
Food
(Outstanding)5/5
Service
(Outstanding)5/5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)5/5
Noise Level
Quiet
"This was a great setting for an informal business meeting. Everyone had an interesting and delicious meal"
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for lunch, special occasion
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"It was our first dinning experience in Ottawa; my Husband and I enjoyed the ambience and the dinning experience. Our server provided us with personal recommendations which we enjoyed! Thank you Sidedoor!"
Dined on 10/03/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, late-night find, neighborhood gem
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"8:30 Friday, busy but not too noisy. Food was excellent, if a little expensive for what you got. Service was perfect - attentive, friendly, and fast. Only negatives: Service was a little too efficient - we ordered six dishes to share and they all came within half an hour - next time we'll have to space out our ordering in order to linger over dinner a bit. Wines by the glass were not stellar - we tried four and were not thrilled. The Gruner Veltliner and the Chablis were OK - but usually at a foodie restaurant with a wide choice of wines by the glass I end up discovering something I love. Overall would absolutely return and recommend. Love the atmosphere. Old brick walls, high ceiling, courtyard view."
Dined on 01/03/2013
2007
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups
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"My girlfriend and I went there for a late night special dinner. The service was very good, and each of the dishes was very flavorful – small elements of taste that went very very well together. We had the chicken tacos, fish tacos, and pulled beef tacos – all of which were excellent. The sweet and sour soup was also fantastic. We rounded the meal out with the salt and pepper calamari – which is probably our least favorite food item, but was still good. We are planning on heading back for a happy hour with friends, and trying the rest of the tacos. :-)"
Dined on 01/03/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, romantic, special occasion
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"We picked this restaurant based on some great reviews on Open Table and we absolutely loved it. The food was excellent, fish tacos and beef panang were fantastic. The mini donuts were also delicious. Service was a little lacking but they were very friendly. Will definately return."
Dined on 17/02/2013
2009
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem
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"The food is always amazing as should be expected from chef Jonathan Korecki. Also a great option if dining with a vegan. The crispy tofu is vegan, and they are able to make a vegan taco if asked, which was especially delicious on this occasion (soy braised ginger mushroom tempura). It's downfall is the service, which although being better on my last visit, is inconsistent at best. Overall, Sidedoor is outstanding, and one of the few ottawa restaurants that offer something truly special."
Dined on 16/02/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem
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"this place is great-Johnny Korecki and crew have a wonderfully tempting and far ranging Asian fusion menu and the food is GREAT. We loved: appetizer tacos, hot & sour soup (incredible!), black cod and "son in law egg." The gelato was great and tons of Johnny's home-made donuts were flying out all over the restaurant-clearly they are a great fave! This is a really special gem in Ottawa-everybody should try it! Constant attention to quality of food and service is really great."
Dined on 15/02/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem, special occasion, hot spot
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"I have had the pleasure of dinning at the Side Door 3 times, which is a good testament as there are over 200 restaurants to try in Byward Market. The front of house staff is professional, knowledgable, and helpful. It's an energetic environment so don't be surprised if the wrong dish momentarily stops on your table. But errors of this type are quickly caught and politely corrected. Energetic, but not rushed as I've always had just the right amount of time for conversation and to relax, enjoy. The food is very creative and offers a great exploration of flavours, spices, and dancing palates. The mini Taco's are spectacular and the main selections all excellent, modern asian influence. The decadent mini donuts are a great way to end."
Dined on 11/02/2013
2011
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, good for groups, late-night find, hot spot
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"Our waiter explained that the menu items were meant for sharing and he offered to pick a selection of dishes for us. We chose some and we allowed him to bring two surprise dishes (off menu), which were very tasty. For the most part, flavor combinations were refreshingly different and delightful. Many asian influences. The black cod with truffle oil was a miss. Not easily shared and the truffle oil overpowered the entire dish and made the greens unappealingly slippery. Peppered calamari was fantastic and the tacos were perfect flavor bites. Sharing is optional and may not work for everyone (one of our party left hungry)."
Dined on 07/02/2013
2009
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, good for groups
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"A very nice evening out. We enjoyed everything we ordered (two kinds of tacos, vegetarian curry, papaya salad, calamari), and although getting that first drink was a bit slow, the service was otherwise excellent."
Dined on 06/02/2013
2012
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All in all, this party of two shared seven dishes (including donuts), three glasses of different wines and two cocktails. We took our server's advice on three dishes and on all the wines choices. Try as we may, the only issue that we could possibly find fault in was with reservations. We booked online but received a voice mail an hour later indicating that there were some issues with booking and they couldn't provide the time and table that was originally confirmed. When I called back they had already rectified the situation. Hardly worth mentioni"
Dined on 02/02/2013
2005
Special Features: fit for foodies
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"We always enjoy our experience however this time, we had taken friends with us and their son did not get his steak well over an hour after we were all done eating. I was a bit embarassed as I had been speaking so highly of the restaurant. We will still go again for sure!"
Dined on 02/02/2013
2013
Special Features: kid-friendly, romantic, special occasion, scenic view
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"I had the Sustainable Seafood Laska. The chef made my dish more spicy...thank you. The dish was tasty, but oddly, the shrimp in the dish weren't deveined. The server was accommodating and friendly. The "sunroom" is lovely, however, the melting snow crashing on the windowed rooftop, was startling at first, then just annoying."
Dined on 29/01/2013
2012
Special Features: neighborhood gem, great for lunch
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"I would go to the Sidedoor again, I found the service friendly and knowledgeable, but unobtrusive and attentive. I enjoyed the food choices, I liked that there was variety but not too much. My meal was served perfectly and to my taste. I also like that the ambiance felt both intimate but you could see the whole restaurant."
Dined on 28/01/2013
2013
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, good for groups, notable wine list, hot spot
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"The staff is very professional and friendly, the atmosphere is great. I especially liked the fact that the seating is not cramped; you don't feel packed like in some other restaurants.
The food is very good; I would definitely go there again."
Dined on 26/01/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, special occasion
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