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Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar, OTTAWA, ON

Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar

4.5
4.5
42 Reviews
CAN$31 to CAN$50
French

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2+ people
19:00
Booked 5 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Good for special occasions
  • Charming
Established in 2003, Absinthe is renowned for its commitment to fine food. The restaurant is a modern bistro, using locally sourced ingredients, prepared in an inventive and sophisticated manner. Enjoy the richness of Absinthe cuisine which features meats, cheeses and produce from eastern Ontario and western Quebec, prepared with classical French culinary techniques.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    CAN$31 to CAN$50
  • Cuisines
    French, Contemporary French
  • Hours of Operation
    Tue, Wed 11:00–21:00 Thu, Fri 11:00–22:00 Sat 16:00–22:00
  • Phone number
    (613) 761-1138
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Area
    Ottawa
  • Cross Street
    Hinton and Wellington St West. Between Holland and Parkdale.
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Public transit
    Tunney's Pasture is just around the corner.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • I'm so fondue of you!

    CA$69.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    Join us for our famous fondue night every Tuesday! (2 person minimum) Start your experience with our cave aged cheese fondue, served with toasted bread and cruditées (extra charge). The second portion of your meal is our signature fondue Bourguignonne. Beef tenderloin, served with a variety of in house made sauces. Green Goddess/Rosemary Blue Cheese/Bérnaise/Lime Habanero. Finish the night off with our 70% dark chocolate fondue, served with fresh baked good and fresh fuit. (all courses of the fondue can be ordered à la carte)
  • The best beef wellington you'll ever have!

    CA$97.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    Indulge in our four course "prix fixe" FOR TWO. Start off with with our featured "snack". Followed by our seafood trio. Roll out the red carpet for our savoury, perfectly cooked and mouth watering beef wellington. And to finish, your choice of creme brûlée or mousse au chocolat. Limited quantities available.

What 42 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5
4.5 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4.1Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar offers a "phenomenal" dining experience with farm-to-table cuisine, highlighted by dishes like beef Wellington and steak frites. Guests rave about the "outstanding" service, especially from server Bonnie. The atmosphere is described as modern and inviting, making it a neighborhood favorite.

42 Reviews
  1. Peter

    Montreal

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 10 November 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    We had the beef Wellington meal. The beef was great, but that board of seafood items was bizarre. The shrimp in particular were awful. I can’t believe no one has mentioned before how awful it tastes and how it really doesn’t match a beef Wellington meal. We left most of the food on the board, which the server cleared away without saying anything about the fact we clearly didn’t enjoy it.

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  2. Robert

    Greater Boston

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on 9 November 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4
    Appetizers were just ok, nothing really special. Mains (Steak/frites) were exceptional, maybe the best steak I’ve had in Ottawa. Service was terrible! We were seated right away then sat at our table for almost 30 minutes before we were approached by a server. Another couple were seated 10 minutes after us and had their beverages and bread 10 minutes after that. Music played was annoying. I noticed that there were 2 speakers missing on our side of the room so all we heard was bass thumping from the other side.

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  3. Caroline

    New York City

    14 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    14 reviews

    Dined on 2 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    I was visiting Ottawa from NYC and found this lovely restaurant on both Trip Advisor and Open Table. Great neighborhood restaurant with (among many other things) a selection of cocktails made with Absinthe. The three course fixed price menu is a great value. Delicious beef stroganoff and the steak frites was yummy. Highly recommend!

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  4. Kris

    Washington DC

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 30 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent in every aspect of dining. Food, service and ambience. Relaxed and would go back.

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  5. Leigh

    Ottawa

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 29 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Highly recommend Absinthe. Staff friendly and attentive. Excellent food. This particular visit i went for the fondu. Will certainly go again

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  6. Robert

    Toronto

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on 29 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had the table d'hote with steak frites and it was excellent down to the garlicky green beans! creme brulee is to die for! excellent service ... this is a neighbourhood favourite that never fails to be a great choice. They have fondue night on Tuesday, which looked superb that we can't wait to go back to try.

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  7. Pam

    Toronto

    2 reviews

    2.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 25 October 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    Service was ok but scattered, too many people working the same table. Food was just average. We left disappointed.

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  8. Patrick

    Ottawa

    9 reviews

    4.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on 25 October 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Had the beef Wellington prix fixe, was great and fairly large portion sizes. Gravy with the Wellington was delicious. Had absinthe cocktails, all good. Service was friendly and quite attentive. I recommend Absinthe provide steak knives, and more international red-by-the-glass options (there were many Canadian options but they’re not my jam).

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  9. Karen

    Ottawa

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 24 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Very caring chef and staff. Excellent low noise level made for a wonderful 2 person lunch.

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  10. pauline

    Ottawa

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 23 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The sound of the music sounded loud to me upon arrival. I asked the receptionist for a quieter table and Bonnie was kind enough to offer to turn down the volume. Thank you Bonnie! Our lunch was superb and the ambience was stellar! I highly recommend Absinthe for the excellent food, excellent service and ambience! Thank you to the chef and Bonnie!

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FAQs

Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar is rated 4.5 stars by 42 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2+ people
19:00
Booked 5 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar

1208 WELLINGTON ST WEST, OTTAWA, ON K1Y 2Z7

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Hinton and Wellington St West. Between Holland and Parkdale.
  • Area
    Ottawa
  • Hours of Operation
    Tue, Wed 11:00–21:00 Thu, Fri 11:00–22:00 Sat 16:00–22:00
  • Price
    CAN$31 to CAN$50
  • Cuisines
    French, Contemporary French
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Public transit
    Tunney's Pasture is just around the corner.
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Impressum
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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