We had the tasting menu at Carben and it was delicious. The dish that surprised us was the brussel sprouts, my partner is not a fan of them in any way and he wanted more!The tasting menu with wine pairing left us satisfied and full.The food was creative and we enjoyed our experience here! Thank you for helping us celebrate our anniversary. This review was overdue.
Stephanie Brousseau
Had a great dinner at Carben, took my brother to try his first tasting menu experience and he had a blast. We couldn’t agree on what our favourite dish was because they were all so tasty. Service and atmosphere were great, professional but casual enough to not feel overwhelming.Had to edit and add that the milk bun was the best thing I’ve eaten in a long time. No picture because we ate it so fast.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Johic Mes
A wonderful chef tasting menu. Great atmosphere. Huge recommendation!Dietary restrictions: Asked about restrictions when taking our order.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Black Cod
Jamie Davidson
We were able to secure a table for two at Carben last night on a whim, and it was a fantastic experience!My wife and I had the Prix Fixe tasting menu. There were seven courses - brussel sprouts, beef, mushrooms, cod, duck, dessert and a chocolate to wrap things up. Wine pairings for each of the first 6 plates.Not getting into any specifics on the dishes because I could not do them justice. The brussel sprouts were spectacular; we ate slowly, savouring every bite, with high hopes for the rest of the meal.These hopes were met. Every dish was a standout. The presentation was beautiful, the tastes spectacular.The restaurant itself is small and fairly minimally decorated - think bistro rather than fine dining. The service was similar - the wait staff were friendly and attentive, but the style of service did not augment the experience.I will definitely go back. And will bring friends.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Beef Carpaccio
Danial Nikfal
Great food and wonderful flavor kudos to the chef. However, both food and alcohol are overpriced, IMO. To be fair, the restaurant was half full on Friday evening so it could explain the pricing strategy by the management. Otherwise it would have got 6 starts. While I won't go back, we enjoyed our food
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Coco T
We celebrated our anniversary at Carben and I was so impressed with the food and service. The tasting menu was excellent, with very generous portions; the duck and mushrooms dishes were to die for. The next day my friends took me at Riviera for dinner, and my dinner was nothing compared to Carben; food wise and service wise. We will go back to Carben for sure. One of the owners served us and he was extremely professional while funny and witty. We had an amazing time.Vegetarian options: They made a special vegetarian tasting menu for my husband. That sealed the deal!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck Breast
Caroline Thibault
We celebrated our anniversary at Carben and I was so impressed with the food and service. The tasting menu was excellent, with very generous portions; the duck and mushrooms dishes were to die for. The next day my friends took me at Riviera for dinner, and my dinner was nothing compared to Carben; food wise and service wise. We will go back to Carben for sure. One of the owners served us and he was extremely professional while funny and witty. We had an amazing time.Vegetarian options: They made a special vegetarian tasting menu for my husband. That sealed the deal!
Yum Yum YOW
Lovely experience at Carben this week. We enjoyed all of our dishes and I loved to see crafted mocktails on the menu. I don’t generally like asparagus but I couldn’t stop eating this perfectly grilled one & the slight citrus flavour on the lobster was great. The pickled mushroom on the crostini of the mushroom dish also took the dish to the next level for me.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
hannah ml
Would definitely agree with the 4.7 star rating. My husband and I went for our anniversary dinner last night. The service was great and relaxed atmosphere.We got the cod cakes, mushrooms and Brussels sprouts for small plates and I have to say you know it’s good when you want to lick your plate!! Highly highly recommend the Brussel sprouts and mushroom plates.We ordered the Guinea hen and beef short rib for larger plate.. still very tasty but a bit expensive for what it was vs the small plates.Dessert was just okay.. but I don’t think that’s their speciality.Would go back again!
June Bug
Amazing food and friendly service. Best meal I've had in years. We had the tasting menu and each course was superb. The fois tarts were out of this world! The restaurant graciously accommodated two separate food allergies without fuss.Yes, it's a tad bit pricey, but portions were more than generous in size and the flavour combinations worked exceptionally well. I'm still stuffed an hour after leaving the restaurant. So yummy and unpretentious - a rare find these days in fine dining. Thanks for a wonderful evening out!!
We had the Tasting Menu and we both found everything to be incredibly delicious! I have never done this in a restaurant before but I actually used my finger to get every bit of sauce from my bowl of brussel sprouts and my husband's! Everything was incredible but the brussel sprouts were my favourite! We couldn't believe we hadn't heard of Carben before! It was one of the best meals we've ever had!
pt bitcan
We dropped in for a bite on a quiet Wednesday night and were blown away by the quality, care and love this chef puts into his food. I had the $90 tasting menu, great value with 6 superb courses of delicate, complex flavours, each more delightful than the last. Scallops, black cod and duck satisfied my hunger for fish and meat, while the mushrooms and brussels sprouts surprised me with hearty winter takes on favourite veggies.Unbelievable artistry and presentation all around. Service was top notch with Emily, whose knowledge of wine and cocktails made the night that much more special.Everyone should know about this Ottawa gem. We will be talking about this place for a very long time.Two thumbs up. We will be back!
briannacarolann
We went to Carben for my birthday with a few friends and family members. The food is really delicious and the menu has interesting selections. The prices are on the high side but the food is very good quality. Their handling of allergies is quite good. When I told the waitress that I had an allergy to Sulfites and every time we ordered something, she told me which menu items I wouldn't be able to eat. Nice experience overall! This was my second time at this restaurant and I'd go back again.
pierre bitcan
We dropped in for a bite on a quiet Wednesday night and were blown away by the quality, care and love this chef puts into his food. I had the $90 tasting menu, great value with 6 superb courses of delicate, complex flavours, each more delightful than the last. Scallops, black cod and duck satisfied my hunger for fish and meat, while the mushrooms and brussels sprouts surprised me with hearty winter takes on favourite veggies.Unbelievable artistry and presentation all around. Service was top notch with Emily, whose knowledge of wine and cocktails made the night that much more special.Everyone should know about this Ottawa gem. We will be talking about this place for a very long time.Two thumbs up. We will be back!
Adele W.
Very good food but terrible service. We were appalled on a recent visit to watch the server repeatedly spill wine all over a neighbouring diners' table and was so nonchalant about it, and in fact seemed to get angry at the customers! We used to come here whenever we visited Ottawa and we've noticed that the restaurant isn't as popular as it used to be, and now we think we know why. It's a shame, but we won't be back.
We had the tasting menu at Carben and it was delicious. The dish that surprised us was the brussel sprouts, my partner is not a fan of them in any way and he wanted more!The tasting menu with wine pairing left us satisfied and full.The food was creative and we enjoyed our experience here! Thank you for helping us celebrate our anniversary. This review was overdue.
Had a great dinner at Carben, took my brother to try his first tasting menu experience and he had a blast. We couldn’t agree on what our favourite dish was because they were all so tasty. Service and atmosphere were great, professional but casual enough to not feel overwhelming.Had to edit and add that the milk bun was the best thing I’ve eaten in a long time. No picture because we ate it so fast.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A wonderful chef tasting menu. Great atmosphere. Huge recommendation!Dietary restrictions: Asked about restrictions when taking our order.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Black Cod
We were able to secure a table for two at Carben last night on a whim, and it was a fantastic experience!My wife and I had the Prix Fixe tasting menu. There were seven courses - brussel sprouts, beef, mushrooms, cod, duck, dessert and a chocolate to wrap things up. Wine pairings for each of the first 6 plates.Not getting into any specifics on the dishes because I could not do them justice. The brussel sprouts were spectacular; we ate slowly, savouring every bite, with high hopes for the rest of the meal.These hopes were met. Every dish was a standout. The presentation was beautiful, the tastes spectacular.The restaurant itself is small and fairly minimally decorated - think bistro rather than fine dining. The service was similar - the wait staff were friendly and attentive, but the style of service did not augment the experience.I will definitely go back. And will bring friends.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Beef Carpaccio
Great food and wonderful flavor kudos to the chef. However, both food and alcohol are overpriced, IMO. To be fair, the restaurant was half full on Friday evening so it could explain the pricing strategy by the management. Otherwise it would have got 6 starts. While I won't go back, we enjoyed our food
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
We celebrated our anniversary at Carben and I was so impressed with the food and service. The tasting menu was excellent, with very generous portions; the duck and mushrooms dishes were to die for. The next day my friends took me at Riviera for dinner, and my dinner was nothing compared to Carben; food wise and service wise. We will go back to Carben for sure. One of the owners served us and he was extremely professional while funny and witty. We had an amazing time.Vegetarian options: They made a special vegetarian tasting menu for my husband. That sealed the deal!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck Breast
We celebrated our anniversary at Carben and I was so impressed with the food and service. The tasting menu was excellent, with very generous portions; the duck and mushrooms dishes were to die for. The next day my friends took me at Riviera for dinner, and my dinner was nothing compared to Carben; food wise and service wise. We will go back to Carben for sure. One of the owners served us and he was extremely professional while funny and witty. We had an amazing time.Vegetarian options: They made a special vegetarian tasting menu for my husband. That sealed the deal!
Lovely experience at Carben this week. We enjoyed all of our dishes and I loved to see crafted mocktails on the menu. I don’t generally like asparagus but I couldn’t stop eating this perfectly grilled one & the slight citrus flavour on the lobster was great. The pickled mushroom on the crostini of the mushroom dish also took the dish to the next level for me.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Would definitely agree with the 4.7 star rating. My husband and I went for our anniversary dinner last night. The service was great and relaxed atmosphere.We got the cod cakes, mushrooms and Brussels sprouts for small plates and I have to say you know it’s good when you want to lick your plate!! Highly highly recommend the Brussel sprouts and mushroom plates.We ordered the Guinea hen and beef short rib for larger plate.. still very tasty but a bit expensive for what it was vs the small plates.Dessert was just okay.. but I don’t think that’s their speciality.Would go back again!
Amazing food and friendly service. Best meal I've had in years. We had the tasting menu and each course was superb. The fois tarts were out of this world! The restaurant graciously accommodated two separate food allergies without fuss.Yes, it's a tad bit pricey, but portions were more than generous in size and the flavour combinations worked exceptionally well. I'm still stuffed an hour after leaving the restaurant. So yummy and unpretentious - a rare find these days in fine dining. Thanks for a wonderful evening out!!
Restaurantji Recommends
We had the Tasting Menu and we both found everything to be incredibly delicious! I have never done this in a restaurant before but I actually used my finger to get every bit of sauce from my bowl of brussel sprouts and my husband's! Everything was incredible but the brussel sprouts were my favourite! We couldn't believe we hadn't heard of Carben before! It was one of the best meals we've ever had!
We dropped in for a bite on a quiet Wednesday night and were blown away by the quality, care and love this chef puts into his food. I had the $90 tasting menu, great value with 6 superb courses of delicate, complex flavours, each more delightful than the last. Scallops, black cod and duck satisfied my hunger for fish and meat, while the mushrooms and brussels sprouts surprised me with hearty winter takes on favourite veggies.Unbelievable artistry and presentation all around. Service was top notch with Emily, whose knowledge of wine and cocktails made the night that much more special.Everyone should know about this Ottawa gem. We will be talking about this place for a very long time.Two thumbs up. We will be back!
We went to Carben for my birthday with a few friends and family members. The food is really delicious and the menu has interesting selections. The prices are on the high side but the food is very good quality. Their handling of allergies is quite good. When I told the waitress that I had an allergy to Sulfites and every time we ordered something, she told me which menu items I wouldn't be able to eat. Nice experience overall! This was my second time at this restaurant and I'd go back again.
We dropped in for a bite on a quiet Wednesday night and were blown away by the quality, care and love this chef puts into his food. I had the $90 tasting menu, great value with 6 superb courses of delicate, complex flavours, each more delightful than the last. Scallops, black cod and duck satisfied my hunger for fish and meat, while the mushrooms and brussels sprouts surprised me with hearty winter takes on favourite veggies.Unbelievable artistry and presentation all around. Service was top notch with Emily, whose knowledge of wine and cocktails made the night that much more special.Everyone should know about this Ottawa gem. We will be talking about this place for a very long time.Two thumbs up. We will be back!
Very good food but terrible service. We were appalled on a recent visit to watch the server repeatedly spill wine all over a neighbouring diners' table and was so nonchalant about it, and in fact seemed to get angry at the customers! We used to come here whenever we visited Ottawa and we've noticed that the restaurant isn't as popular as it used to be, and now we think we know why. It's a shame, but we won't be back.