The Whalesbone Elgin Street
231 Elgin St, Ottawa
(613) 505-4300
Recent Reviews
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Loved the place, the food but mostly the amazing service. Great helpful tips from the menu as well as the wine selection. The cod was amazing, the salmon even better and the oysters just wow! I would go back anytime.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ate here last night and overall the experience was disappointing. Service was very slow. I ordered the mussels to share and an 8oz steak with truffle parmesan fries. The mussels with broth were good, but the steak had a very burnt crust (not a light char). It was cooked medium rare as ordered, but really needed a lower grilling temp. I ended up taking it to go and my dog enjoyed it more than I did (see pic). Unfortunately, not long after the meal I had an upset stomach. I’m not sure if the food was off or just too much truffle oil on the fries(?) but that was my experience for my meal.
They also mixed up my friend’s order, serving her cod instead of the bucatini. To their credit, they corrected it and comped the bucatini, which was delicious, but the mistake still added to the frustration.
Between the long wait, order errors, and how I felt afterward, I don’t recommend this place.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Amazing service
One of the best burgers I've ever had
Super fresh oysters
4/5 stars on the drinks (good but pricey)
The only let down was the 8oz striploin - delicious but slightly overpriced as all sides are sold separately
Overall, 4.5/5 stars on the restaurant as a whole and will look forward to returning
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was good but overpriced. Portions much smaller than expected.
Service was friendly but we were seated in a corner and it was quite hard to flag a server down.
Likely not returning
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Overall a nice experience during a first visit on a Sunday. We arrived at 4:15 for a bar seating reservation and were offered the patio. Bugs (bees, mostly) were present but manageable. Service is efficient and prompt. We liked their draught options, specifically Ernest cider and they have Guinness on tap!
Sundays are $2 per shuck oysters. We ordered 2 dozen.
For mains we enjoyed the whole fish Seabream and the pork belly.
No room for dessert but we will be back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jamie and Tom are super hosts.. we ate (and drank) there two nights in a row it was super!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent as usually
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Spectacular sea food. Top of the line freshness. If you don't like seafood, this place will change your mind!! Very knowledgeable staff, responsive, yet descreat. Relaxing moderate aromsphere to top it all off
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing spot in Ottawa. Great oysters and drinks Excellent music too
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We took family from out of town here last weekend and had Erica then Jill as our servers. They were both super attentive and tons of fun (AKA could keep up with our crazy group!). The oysters were fantastic, the vibe was cool & the night overall was a blast. We’ll definitely be back soon! :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Food was great, service was great.
The place needs to be cleaned up tho....kinda run down.
Kinda pricey as well....4 people with tip was $480
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wow... our experience last night was all over the place, but first, and foremost, my husband became violently ill, and we suspect it was the oysters we had prior to the pork belly, and scallops. (Which were both amazing. Albeit very expensive.)
To make a long story short, we won't be returning. Not because my husband got sick, but because of the tiny tables, servers who dress like they're doing yardwork, or about to go for a run, and the hardest bench, and tiniest, hard chairs you can imagine. (But I guess they want to make you uncomfortable so that you hurry up and leave in 2 hours?) Scheduled seating is so pretentious. Especially in a place where the staff is dressed so poorly.
This place makes no sense.
(There's no picture of the oysters since my husband threw them up.)
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 3
This place never misses . Late service on a Sunday shows how dialed-in they are to the resto staff in town . The only drawback is you gotta choose between here and the original Bone which is awesome as well. I love coming here and send as many tourists as I can down this way . Rad staff too .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food is exceptional. A lot of great seafood choices on the menu. The octopus that my wife ordered was incredibly tender and juicy. My burger was awesome, and their fries are out of this world (a bit too salty for my taste). Their menu prices are way up their for Ottawa. We eat at a lot of restaurants around Ottawa and I have to say that this place might be a little overpriced in my estimation. Still, highly recommended.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
The staff were extremely polite and the food was some of the best we've ever had. Highly recommend going on Sunday for $2 oysters!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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