from just yesterday: Great experience overall, once again! We came here last year around this time (we live in Boston but come here to visit relatives) and during our visit we opted to come here again. Everything was again very good. The naan is superb, the KFC (kerala fried chicken) is kitschy but very tasty! Everything across the board was delicious except for the sauce that came with the scallops (which wasn't bad but it seemed odd, no one knew what to make of it and the person eating that dish avoided the sauce). Service was a little slower this time, but that's like most places these days that are suffering from not having enough staff. Ambiance is very pretty, understated, and nice - still a bit noisy so I'd still like to see more sound absorbers. The ones they have are great, you don't notice them, but they might be too high up to make a big difference. We'll definitely be back again, hope it's still here next year!
Review below was from early December, 2023: The service was exceptional and the visual ambiance was wonderful. The host came over several times to check in on us, which was very sweet. The restaurant is so nice that it feels intimate, but the place was full of people and conversation which did make it difficult to hear each other. I appreciated the sound absorbers on the walls as they did help to dampen the overall noise of conversations from other tables. I wonder if more sound absorbers around table barriers would help as well.
Food was very good. We ordered the kfc appetizer as well as the pappadum, and for dinners, we ordered the chef special (lamb shank), mushroom curry, beef & potato curry, and chicken biryani. Everything tasted very fresh, not heavy, and very unique! How could I forget -- we also ordered parotta (naan). The parotta was the BEST we have ever had anywhere. I would go back just for this.
The chicken and the beef were a bit overcooked in our opinion, but maybe that is the kerala style? We felt the meat could have been a little more tender if cooked a bit less. The lamp shank could actually have used a bit more cooking to help it fall off the bone more. The mushroom curry was spot on.
Overall, the place deserves 5 stars. Everyone in the party was very happy and we will all come back again when we can.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Porota
Laura 3355
Lovely family dinner. Very patient staff with my very indecisive mother-in-law ?. Incredible chicken, beautiful and flavorful dishes. I recommend this place for a romantic dinner as the ambiance is very nice. I think it is the restaurant with the best ambiance I have been to since I moved to Ottawa a month ago.
Thanks to the staff and the chef for a great dinner ! ✨️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Aarohi Iteni
One of the worst places I have ever eaten. The food is way to expensive and so small proposition zero taste and so long wait 0/100 I definitely will not recommend.
Kid-friendliness: Not kid friendly at all
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 1
Hrsh Sngh
Excellent food, thoughtfully executed and served, enhancing the overall experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Prat R
Good food. Wish the menu had more visual descriptions. Or a link to pictures online.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brian D
Saji is the best restaurant manager in the business! Food and service is amazing……….cant wait to return again and again with my family ……..best East Indian food we’ve had ever! We will continue to go to Coconut Lagoon as often as we can! Thank you Saji for running such a fantastic restaurant………hope to see you this weekend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marielle Gauthier
Outstanding.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pejman Yazdani
The service was great, although it was a bit expensive. We ordered shrimp and beef. Shrimp tasted very good but I can't say this about the beef.
Parking: There are customer reserved parking spots available.
The restaurant is beautiful, and the atmosphere is very nice. A very pleasant place to have a calming quiet dinner. Coming to this restaurant, we were aware of the pricing of the food and so we anticipated exquisite food that we wouldn't be able to find anywhere else.
We ordered Ghee rice, but it was not what we expected. It seems like it was just onions fried in Ghee and placed on top of rice. I didn't feel like this was served properly, as I was anticipating the rice to be cooked in Ghee.
The spicy options are very misleading as well, it's as if they're catering to more western culture. If you're familiar with Indian cuisine, the highest level of spicy level is more like Medium here.
The curry was very mediocre, in my opinion, they're trying very hard to westernize the food and cater it to the western culture. Consequently, the prices are absurdly high because of the type of ingredients they're using. I had the duck which did not go well with a curry type of dish, additionally, the duck was incredibly tough and unpleasant to eat.
For the price of the food, I would rather just eat and support traditional Indian restaurants. You will experience the culture, the food would be more enjoyable, more authentic food and your wallet won't be hurting.
I recently visited Coconut Lagoon with high expectations, particularly after seeing Calicut Lamb Thattu Biryani on the menu. Being from Kerala, I know exactly how this traditional dish should taste, and I was excited to experience the familiar flavors. Unfortunately, the dish that was served was shockingly far from the authentic Calicut Lamb Thattu Biryani. The flavors were bland, the texture was off, and it lacked the richness and complexity that defines this iconic dish.
When you label a dish as Calicut Lamb Thattu Biryani, customers anticipate authenticity. Sadly, what I received was far from it. I strongly recommend that Coconut Lagoon either adjust the recipe to better reflect the true flavors of this Kerala specialty or rename the dish to avoid misleading customers. The version served here was a disservice to the real Biryani.
Moreover, the poor quality of food was compounded by the subpar customer service. The manager, a man with a mustache, was incredibly rude and unprofessional during our visit. His unfriendly demeanor and lack of basic courtesy made the dining experience even more unpleasant. Good customer service is essential in any restaurant, and this was severely lacking.
For anyone seeking authentic Kerala cuisine, I recommend looking elsewhere. The food at Coconut Lagoon is overpriced, lacks authenticity, and is served with poor customer service. This was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had in a long time, and I certainly won’t be returning.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Vyshnavi Venugopal
We bought two lamb biryanis today, but honestly, the food felt overpriced at $27 due to the small portion size. The boxes were quite small, which contributed to the lack of quantity. I won’t ever suggest/consider buying again.
Food: 1
Nathali Gomez
I just love it , is the best!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
James H Thomas
The food was delicious - I could nitpick, but we were very happy with the food itself. The service, however, was not great. Perhaps because we were seated at the same time as a large birthday party, but our server rarely checked on us, we waited for an hour and a half for our food, and they were even slow to bring the bill. Because the food was great, we would have loved to have gotten dessert, but we didn’t want to risk waiting another hour for one dish. Hopefully this was a fluke, but it left us with a very mixed experience.
Parking: Very few spots in the lot, we had to find parking on the street
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Porota
Jessica R.
Came in for a gathering. Great decor and vibes! Food had a variety of meat and veg options. It is a bit noisy even on the upper floor with a little privacy. Something to keep in mind when situating tables and booths. Parking cab be difficult to find on site. Street parking can be an issue if it is overcrowded in the evenings.
The food was amazing the ambiance is soothing and warm and the service was excellent! Definitely worth going !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Porota, Pappadum Basket, Basmati Rice, Mocktails, Salmon Curry, Crab Cakes
from just yesterday: Great experience overall, once again! We came here last year around this time (we live in Boston but come here to visit relatives) and during our visit we opted to come here again. Everything was again very good. The naan is superb, the KFC (kerala fried chicken) is kitschy but very tasty! Everything across the board was delicious except for the sauce that came with the scallops (which wasn't bad but it seemed odd, no one knew what to make of it and the person eating that dish avoided the sauce). Service was a little slower this time, but that's like most places these days that are suffering from not having enough staff. Ambiance is very pretty, understated, and nice - still a bit noisy so I'd still like to see more sound absorbers. The ones they have are great, you don't notice them, but they might be too high up to make a big difference.
We'll definitely be back again, hope it's still here next year!
Review below was from early December, 2023: The service was exceptional and the visual ambiance was wonderful. The host came over several times to check in on us, which was very sweet. The restaurant is so nice that it feels intimate, but the place was full of people and conversation which did make it difficult to hear each other. I appreciated the sound absorbers on the walls as they did help to dampen the overall noise of conversations from other tables. I wonder if more sound absorbers around table barriers would help as well.
Food was very good. We ordered the kfc appetizer as well as the pappadum, and for dinners, we ordered the chef special (lamb shank), mushroom curry, beef & potato curry, and chicken biryani. Everything tasted very fresh, not heavy, and very unique! How could I forget -- we also ordered parotta (naan). The parotta was the BEST we have ever had anywhere. I would go back just for this.
The chicken and the beef were a bit overcooked in our opinion, but maybe that is the kerala style? We felt the meat could have been a little more tender if cooked a bit less. The lamp shank could actually have used a bit more cooking to help it fall off the bone more. The mushroom curry was spot on.
Overall, the place deserves 5 stars. Everyone in the party was very happy and we will all come back again when we can.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Porota
Lovely family dinner. Very patient staff with my very indecisive mother-in-law ?. Incredible chicken, beautiful and flavorful dishes. I recommend this place for a romantic dinner as the ambiance is very nice. I think it is the restaurant with the best ambiance I have been to since I moved to Ottawa a month ago.
Thanks to the staff and the chef for a great dinner ! ✨️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of the worst places I have ever eaten. The food is way to expensive and so small proposition zero taste and so long wait 0/100 I definitely will not recommend.
Kid-friendliness: Not kid friendly at all
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 1
Excellent food, thoughtfully executed and served, enhancing the overall experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Good food. Wish the menu had more visual descriptions. Or a link to pictures online.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Saji is the best restaurant manager in the business! Food and service is amazing……….cant wait to return again and again with my family ……..best East Indian food we’ve had ever! We will continue to go to Coconut Lagoon as often as we can! Thank you Saji for running such a fantastic restaurant………hope to see you this weekend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Outstanding.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The service was great, although it was a bit expensive. We ordered shrimp and beef. Shrimp tasted very good but I can't say this about the beef.
Parking: There are customer reserved parking spots available.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lamb Biryani, Naan, Shrimp Mango Moilee
The restaurant is beautiful, and the atmosphere is very nice. A very pleasant place to have a calming quiet dinner. Coming to this restaurant, we were aware of the pricing of the food and so we anticipated exquisite food that we wouldn't be able to find anywhere else.
We ordered Ghee rice, but it was not what we expected. It seems like it was just onions fried in Ghee and placed on top of rice. I didn't feel like this was served properly, as I was anticipating the rice to be cooked in Ghee.
The spicy options are very misleading as well, it's as if they're catering to more western culture. If you're familiar with Indian cuisine, the highest level of spicy level is more like Medium here.
The curry was very mediocre, in my opinion, they're trying very hard to westernize the food and cater it to the western culture. Consequently, the prices are absurdly high because of the type of ingredients they're using. I had the duck which did not go well with a curry type of dish, additionally, the duck was incredibly tough and unpleasant to eat.
For the price of the food, I would rather just eat and support traditional Indian restaurants. You will experience the culture, the food would be more enjoyable, more authentic food and your wallet won't be hurting.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
I recently visited Coconut Lagoon with high expectations, particularly after seeing Calicut Lamb Thattu Biryani on the menu. Being from Kerala, I know exactly how this traditional dish should taste, and I was excited to experience the familiar flavors. Unfortunately, the dish that was served was shockingly far from the authentic Calicut Lamb Thattu Biryani. The flavors were bland, the texture was off, and it lacked the richness and complexity that defines this iconic dish.
When you label a dish as Calicut Lamb Thattu Biryani, customers anticipate authenticity. Sadly, what I received was far from it. I strongly recommend that Coconut Lagoon either adjust the recipe to better reflect the true flavors of this Kerala specialty or rename the dish to avoid misleading customers. The version served here was a disservice to the real Biryani.
Moreover, the poor quality of food was compounded by the subpar customer service. The manager, a man with a mustache, was incredibly rude and unprofessional during our visit. His unfriendly demeanor and lack of basic courtesy made the dining experience even more unpleasant. Good customer service is essential in any restaurant, and this was severely lacking.
For anyone seeking authentic Kerala cuisine, I recommend looking elsewhere. The food at Coconut Lagoon is overpriced, lacks authenticity, and is served with poor customer service. This was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had in a long time, and I certainly won’t be returning.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
We bought two lamb biryanis today, but honestly, the food felt overpriced at $27 due to the small portion size. The boxes were quite small, which contributed to the lack of quantity. I won’t ever suggest/consider buying again.
Food: 1
I just love it , is the best!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was delicious - I could nitpick, but we were very happy with the food itself. The service, however, was not great. Perhaps because we were seated at the same time as a large birthday party, but our server rarely checked on us, we waited for an hour and a half for our food, and they were even slow to bring the bill. Because the food was great, we would have loved to have gotten dessert, but we didn’t want to risk waiting another hour for one dish. Hopefully this was a fluke, but it left us with a very mixed experience.
Parking: Very few spots in the lot, we had to find parking on the street
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Porota
Came in for a gathering. Great decor and vibes! Food had a variety of meat and veg options. It is a bit noisy even on the upper floor with a little privacy. Something to keep in mind when situating tables and booths. Parking cab be difficult to find on site. Street parking can be an issue if it is overcrowded in the evenings.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
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