A great place for lunch, with nice variety on the menu, from salads to pastas. Every member or our party was delighted with the choice they made - all different. A good test, I would say.
Tracy
Food was delicious. We sat in the right side of the dining, rather than the bar side. While the overall ambiance is nicer on the bar side, it was far less busy where we sat which meant noise levels were low. The food was fresh and very tasty. Great value for the money. The drinks were also delicious and competitively priced. We will definitely come back to enjoy another meal.
Chisholm
Food was excellent, almost goes without saying, but really loved and appreciated the service. We got recommendations on wine and main courses that we really enjoyed and she was fun in all her interactions. Never been before, will definitely come back.
Gillian Stewart
Great food and excellent service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gerald L
The food was excellent quality and reasonably priced. Drinks and desert were very high quality. It's a small space and we had made reservations. We were sat at the table nearest the exterior door on a very cold day. When we left better tables were still empty. It would have been 5 stars across the board if not for our table location. We will go again but likely in summer.
Celestina Onabajo
Came here with a group of friends to celebrate post-exams. I ordered the carbonara, with spaghetti, and it wasn’t too bad! Not the best carbonara I’ve ever had but it was decent.
I can’t remember the name of our server but she was nice and pretty attentive. The interior is also beautiful and has some great vibes. I’d probably come back to try something else on the menu!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Bridget
We came here to celebrate my birthday, which I’d mentioned in the reservation. I know that not every restaurant does something special to celebrate birthdays, but I was a little disappointed that there was no acknowledgment at all. I would’ve appreciated a happy birthday from the waitress. The food was good though.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
Natalia Jaczkowski
I live in the neighborhood and this is by far my fave restaurant in the Glebe. The service is always consistently excellent and the food is incredible and well priced for the quality. Lovely atmosphere as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Samantha
Pasta options were unique and had incredible flavours ! Absolutely loved the wine selection it seemed niche and reasonably priced. Service for us was primarily at the bar and we were well looked after- water being topped up always and checking in on drinks. Appetizers and main course were perfectly spaced out with just enough to chat and enjoy the ambiance in between. Now I just wish I lived in the city to return more often!
Gisele Dang
Appetizers were amazing really recommend the arancini balls (best I’ve ever had), Ceasar salad, and carrots and mushroom sides. Cocktails were limited but the wine list was extensive. Dessert was a highlight, loved the espresso and the panna cotta was creamy, not too sweet.
Pastas were unfortunately not great especially for the price. The braised lamb pasta dish was expensive and the lamb was dry, not much flavour. The meatballs and spaghetti were the greatest disappointment. The pasta itself was al dente well cooked but the sauce was bland, undersalted, and lacking in flavour. The meatballs were also dry, and under seasoned. Super disappointed in the pasta.
Service was wonderful and the atmosphere was nice. Overall, mixed bag but we overall enjoyed the experience.
Very good experience! Loved the food, and found the staff fairly attentive. Gia Cantina is a bit on the cozier side and I found it a bit noisy at times, but for someone with bad hearing I could still hear my partner during our dinner. Reasonable price point. I spent a little over $100 with tax and tip for a tasty cocktail, a shared app (focaccia was so tasty), antipasti (beet salad was superb), and my main (seafood risotto was very delicious). Overall, very happy I tried it. Would recommend! Get a reso though! I tried to walk in twice before unsuccessfully. Haha! Learned my lesson the third try!
Maddie
My favourite food stop every time I visit Ottawa! The BEST carbonara. Great brunch options and the atmosphere is unmatched. Total bonus, during my last visit they had Pearl Morissette in doing a wine tasting which was a great surprise.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
P Aluck
Cold food and poor service!
Everyone’s breakfast arrived cold, and nothing was done to address it. The server took no initiative to remedy the situation. When the bills arrived, we were shocked that nothing was adjusted given the circumstances (not even a coffee was comped)! On top of that, there was no real acknowledgment or apology.
We ended up paying nearly $50 a person for an inedible brunch and a very disappointing experience.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Alexandra
We had heard great things about Cantina Gia, but unfortunately, our experience fell short of expectations.
A group of us came for brunch this past weekend, and every dish arrived cold. While I understand it was a busy day and this was not the server’s fault, there was no effort made to address or remedy the situation. Given the higher price point, it was especially disappointing that the food was not enjoyable -cold eggs sucks :(
It would have gone a long way if the server had checked in, apologized, offered a replacement, or involved a manager to salvage the situation — but none of that happened. I have worked for years in the service industry and know how much good customer service matters. Unfortunately, because this was handled so poorly, we won’t be returning.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
Haley James
My go to spot when in Ottawa. Consistently delicious dishes, at good value, with friendly staff and great wine selections. Plus, a beautiful setting.
A great place for lunch, with nice variety on the menu, from salads to pastas. Every member or our party was delighted with the choice they made - all different. A good test, I would say.
Food was delicious. We sat in the right side of the dining, rather than the bar side. While the overall ambiance is nicer on the bar side, it was far less busy where we sat which meant noise levels were low. The food was fresh and very tasty. Great value for the money. The drinks were also delicious and competitively priced. We will definitely come back to enjoy another meal.
Food was excellent, almost goes without saying, but really loved and appreciated the service. We got recommendations on wine and main courses that we really enjoyed and she was fun in all her interactions. Never been before, will definitely come back.
Great food and excellent service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was excellent quality and reasonably priced. Drinks and desert were very high quality. It's a small space and we had made reservations. We were sat at the table nearest the exterior door on a very cold day. When we left better tables were still empty. It would have been 5 stars across the board if not for our table location. We will go again but likely in summer.
Came here with a group of friends to celebrate post-exams. I ordered the carbonara, with spaghetti, and it wasn’t too bad! Not the best carbonara I’ve ever had but it was decent.
I can’t remember the name of our server but she was nice and pretty attentive. The interior is also beautiful and has some great vibes. I’d probably come back to try something else on the menu!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
We came here to celebrate my birthday, which I’d mentioned in the reservation. I know that not every restaurant does something special to celebrate birthdays, but I was a little disappointed that there was no acknowledgment at all. I would’ve appreciated a happy birthday from the waitress. The food was good though.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
I live in the neighborhood and this is by far my fave restaurant in the Glebe. The service is always consistently excellent and the food is incredible and well priced for the quality. Lovely atmosphere as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pasta options were unique and had incredible flavours ! Absolutely loved the wine selection it seemed niche and reasonably priced. Service for us was primarily at the bar and we were well looked after- water being topped up always and checking in on drinks. Appetizers and main course were perfectly spaced out with just enough to chat and enjoy the ambiance in between. Now I just wish I lived in the city to return more often!
Appetizers were amazing really recommend the arancini balls (best I’ve ever had), Ceasar salad, and carrots and mushroom sides. Cocktails were limited but the wine list was extensive. Dessert was a highlight, loved the espresso and the panna cotta was creamy, not too sweet.
Pastas were unfortunately not great especially for the price. The braised lamb pasta dish was expensive and the lamb was dry, not much flavour. The meatballs and spaghetti were the greatest disappointment. The pasta itself was al dente well cooked but the sauce was bland, undersalted, and lacking in flavour. The meatballs were also dry, and under seasoned. Super disappointed in the pasta.
Service was wonderful and the atmosphere was nice. Overall, mixed bag but we overall enjoyed the experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Very good experience! Loved the food, and found the staff fairly attentive. Gia Cantina is a bit on the cozier side and I found it a bit noisy at times, but for someone with bad hearing I could still hear my partner during our dinner. Reasonable price point. I spent a little over $100 with tax and tip for a tasty cocktail, a shared app (focaccia was so tasty), antipasti (beet salad was superb), and my main (seafood risotto was very delicious). Overall, very happy I tried it. Would recommend! Get a reso though! I tried to walk in twice before unsuccessfully. Haha! Learned my lesson the third try!
My favourite food stop every time I visit Ottawa! The BEST carbonara. Great brunch options and the atmosphere is unmatched.
Total bonus, during my last visit they had Pearl Morissette in doing a wine tasting which was a great surprise.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cold food and poor service!
Everyone’s breakfast arrived cold, and nothing was done to address it. The server took no initiative to remedy the situation. When the bills arrived, we were shocked that nothing was adjusted given the circumstances (not even a coffee was comped)! On top of that, there was no real acknowledgment or apology.
We ended up paying nearly $50 a person for an inedible brunch and a very disappointing experience.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
We had heard great things about Cantina Gia, but unfortunately, our experience fell short of expectations.
A group of us came for brunch this past weekend, and every dish arrived cold. While I understand it was a busy day and this was not the server’s fault, there was no effort made to address or remedy the situation. Given the higher price point, it was especially disappointing that the food was not enjoyable -cold eggs sucks :(
It would have gone a long way if the server had checked in, apologized, offered a replacement, or involved a manager to salvage the situation — but none of that happened. I have worked for years in the service industry and know how much good customer service matters. Unfortunately, because this was handled so poorly, we won’t be returning.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
My go to spot when in Ottawa. Consistently delicious dishes, at good value, with friendly staff and great wine selections. Plus, a beautiful setting.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Loading...