As someone that’s been to hundreds of high end restaurants around the world this place was disappointing. I would not recommend this for anyone with food allergies, especially gluten free. The food felt like 0 effort was made for the gluten free option. There are so many places in Ottawa that are around the same price range that make great efforts and do a very good job at covering gluten free food options. The sandwiches were served on stale gluten free bread with no diversity at all. The desserts felt like no real efforts were made. For the price I’m very disappointed.
Mcat B
Visited for dinner and drinks with friends on a Sunday evening. As we were checking in at the entrance (we had reservations), there was a large walk-in group with several young and highly active children and I just kept thinking, oh no, I hope they're not seated next to us. While this is a family establishment, it's not one that's geared towards young kids running around. This is a sophisticated place that is better suited for business dinners or dates or special occasions. Thankfully, they gave us a nice booth table in the far corner, tucked away from everything. We really appreciate that as it created a special semi-private ambient for our group.
Our server was simply fantastic (I wish I remembered her name, she was from France, I'd guess). Some of our group only spoke French (and we usually translate everything for them back and forth, not a problem) but the fact that our server was bilingual made the whole experience much better and more welcoming. Unfortunately, the kitchen was out of stock for a few items that we ordered, but they promptly made replacement with other ingredients. The Tuna tartar was so delicious. The watermelon appetizer was very interesting, not at all what I expected.
Our group included cocktail connoisseurs, and we therefore tried a few from the cocktail menu. The best taste is the Laurier and of course the Statesman is a showpiece. Not complaining about Zoe's but I think they can try to up their game even more (similar to the Fairmont Library bar, for example). The decor is beautiful and their renovations have paid off. The one and only annoying thing here is parking but that's how downtown is. Overall, we loved it. Absolutely recommended.
Hemanth Prasanna
Had a wonderful experience, presentation, taste and ambience exceeded our expectations
David Picov
Cozy and Fun Smoking Drinks..
Marjorie
We had a really lovely time for High Tea. Our waiters Chantal and Hensel were absolutely lovely and accomodating. The menu gives regular, vegetarian and vegan options and they let you swap individual items without fuss. We got a vegan and a regular and everything was tasty. The tea selection is varied and my earl gray was so good I asked for more water. The atmosphere is just right : with enough background noise that conversations can remain private, yet there is no need to speak louder than normal to be heard by your friend. An overall great experience!
Patty K
We were in Ottawa for a few days celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary and decided to go to Zoe's for some apps. We ended up having Champagne and a very nice charcouterie board. Our server Janette was amazing! She surprised us with a beautiful dessert from the pastry chef! It was a wonderful afternoon!
Alejandra v. valdez
I ordered the watermelon tataki, and the braised short rib. Both were delicious, the atmosphere with the music and lights were great, the staff were friendly.
Kathleen O'Grady
Beautiful food and exceptional service. Very pricey menu. Gorgeous renovation.
Genevieve Marquis
I paid for a product and did not receive what I ordered — extremely disappointing experience. (My order was for $500). I ordered five high teas for pick-up. Despite providing a clear pick-up time, my order was not ready when I arrived — and this wasn’t a one-off; it happened twice. Additionally, high teas are supposed to include tea selections. When I picked up the order, they asked which teas I wanted, and I was very clear. However, when I got home, I realized they hadn’t included any tea at all. I called immediately; the manager apologized, acknowledged their mistake, and said I could come back to pick up the missing items. He also mentioned that compensation would be offered. Unfortunately, when I returned, not only was there no compensation, but the missing items were still not properly provided. Overall, a frustrating and disappointing experience. I do not recommend this place .
Kat Ann
I have come many times in the past with no issue. This time was very disappointing service. We came via reservation, were seated and before even fully siting down, asked if we wanted a mimosas. Obviously we hadn’t looked at menus and we were there for afternoon tea. After the food was brought and another staff member explained it, our server checked on us once and peaced out. Bus boys cleared plates. And we were left entirely on our own. We wanted more hot water and cream for our tea, even the bill... It got to the point all 3 of us at our table were looking over at our server trying to get her attention for a solid 5 minutes. I was completely ticked off, got up, walked over to the hot water stand until acknowledged by another staff member and asked for some service. Extremely disappointed. I expected at least decent service as it is the Chateau Laurier. Our bill for afternoon tea was about $315 including tip. I usually go several times per year, but wont be back again unless offered a chance to make up for the horrible service. I will go to Brigadoons in Oxford Mills for afternoon tea going forward and recommend it for anyone considering the afternoon tea at the Chateau. Don’t bother unless they improve. Also, if management see this, please do not comment with some platitude that the review will be taken to heart or improvements will be made. If sincere, offer a phone number and offer to redo the experience properly.
Afternoon High Tea at Zoe's is magnificent and worth every penny! We had such an outstanding experience and as a culinary designer of tourism products, this afternoon was top notch at every touch point. Our server Garrick was exceptional and made us feel so special with his care of attentiveness to dietary restrictions and questions. We had a birthday in the group and they were so thoughtful. The tiers were loaded with specialty goodness and the tea just divine. We had a seat overlooking the street and loved it. Thank you Zoe's and Chateau Laurier. Cheers, Spicy Jan
Jeen Alexandre (Seenca)
I had a mixed board with my girlfriend! The service was a 10/10. This charming lady took the time to have a conversation with us as we were just in Ottawa for 24hours. She made it all worth the experience. We've decided that we will make it a tradition.
Anthony Braganza
My girlfriend and I were at Zoe's for an anniversary date this past Saturday (April 12th) . Important date, and I wanted everything to go well. Such a relief that we were taken such well care of. My girlfriend was blown away by the food, as was I. The hostess was kind an personable, and the ambiance was grand and splendid. I have to say that even amongst a sea of diamonds, two people really stood out: The one bartender (blond caucasian with several tattoos on his arms and neck) was charming, professional, polite and very funny. We were sad when he was done his shift. The second was the female bartender with the brunette hair, who bent over backwards to make us feel comfortable. All in all a 10/10 experience at Zoe's.
Michele Cryan
Very limited menu. Food was well prepared and presented. Expensive. Waiter was terrible. We wanted to order cocktails before dinner and she tried to take our wine glasses away. We skipped dessert but everyone ordered coffee. Server never returned had to be waived down. At these prices??? Disappointing. And the round swivel chairs are the most uncomfortable chairs in the world. Will not be back.
Rain G
Brought my children here for high tea. The fruit cup on the menu is replaced with some pieces of cheap fruit cuts(orange, cantaloupe and pineapple) that the children didn't want to touch. The Swiss roll was a 5mm thin cut. I will be back, I hope next time i will have exactly what's on the menu. The service was good, as well as the decoration, which was the only reason that we come here now.
As someone that’s been to hundreds of high end restaurants around the world this place was disappointing. I would not recommend this for anyone with food allergies, especially gluten free. The food felt like 0 effort was made for the gluten free option. There are so many places in Ottawa that are around the same price range that make great efforts and do a very good job at covering gluten free food options. The sandwiches were served on stale gluten free bread with no diversity at all. The desserts felt like no real efforts were made. For the price I’m very disappointed.
Visited for dinner and drinks with friends on a Sunday evening. As we were checking in at the entrance (we had reservations), there was a large walk-in group with several young and highly active children and I just kept thinking, oh no, I hope they're not seated next to us. While this is a family establishment, it's not one that's geared towards young kids running around. This is a sophisticated place that is better suited for business dinners or dates or special occasions. Thankfully, they gave us a nice booth table in the far corner, tucked away from everything. We really appreciate that as it created a special semi-private ambient for our group.
Our server was simply fantastic (I wish I remembered her name, she was from France, I'd guess). Some of our group only spoke French (and we usually translate everything for them back and forth, not a problem) but the fact that our server was bilingual made the whole experience much better and more welcoming. Unfortunately, the kitchen was out of stock for a few items that we ordered, but they promptly made replacement with other ingredients. The Tuna tartar was so delicious. The watermelon appetizer was very interesting, not at all what I expected.
Our group included cocktail connoisseurs, and we therefore tried a few from the cocktail menu. The best taste is the Laurier and of course the Statesman is a showpiece. Not complaining about Zoe's but I think they can try to up their game even more (similar to the Fairmont Library bar, for example). The decor is beautiful and their renovations have paid off. The one and only annoying thing here is parking but that's how downtown is. Overall, we loved it. Absolutely recommended.
Had a wonderful experience, presentation, taste and ambience exceeded our expectations
Cozy and Fun Smoking Drinks..
We had a really lovely time for High Tea. Our waiters Chantal and Hensel were absolutely lovely and accomodating. The menu gives regular, vegetarian and vegan options and they let you swap individual items without fuss. We got a vegan and a regular and everything was tasty. The tea selection is varied and my earl gray was so good I asked for more water. The atmosphere is just right : with enough background noise that conversations can remain private, yet there is no need to speak louder than normal to be heard by your friend.
An overall great experience!
We were in Ottawa for a few days celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary and decided to go to Zoe's for some apps. We ended up having Champagne and a very nice charcouterie board. Our server Janette was amazing! She surprised us with a beautiful dessert from the pastry chef! It was a wonderful afternoon!
I ordered the watermelon tataki, and the braised short rib. Both were delicious, the atmosphere with the music and lights were great, the staff were friendly.
Beautiful food and exceptional service. Very pricey menu. Gorgeous renovation.
I paid for a product and did not receive what I ordered — extremely disappointing experience. (My order was for $500).
I ordered five high teas for pick-up. Despite providing a clear pick-up time, my order was not ready when I arrived — and this wasn’t a one-off; it happened twice.
Additionally, high teas are supposed to include tea selections. When I picked up the order, they asked which teas I wanted, and I was very clear. However, when I got home, I realized they hadn’t included any tea at all.
I called immediately; the manager apologized, acknowledged their mistake, and said I could come back to pick up the missing items. He also mentioned that compensation would be offered. Unfortunately, when I returned, not only was there no compensation, but the missing items were still not properly provided.
Overall, a frustrating and disappointing experience. I do not recommend this place .
I have come many times in the past with no issue. This time was very disappointing service. We came via reservation, were seated and before even fully siting down, asked if we wanted a mimosas. Obviously we hadn’t looked at menus and we were there for afternoon tea. After the food was brought and another staff member explained it, our server checked on us once and peaced out. Bus boys cleared plates. And we were left entirely on our own. We wanted more hot water and cream for our tea, even the bill... It got to the point all 3 of us at our table were looking over at our server trying to get her attention for a solid 5 minutes. I was completely ticked off, got up, walked over to the hot water stand until acknowledged by another staff member and asked for some service. Extremely disappointed. I expected at least decent service as it is the Chateau Laurier. Our bill for afternoon tea was about $315 including tip. I usually go several times per year, but wont be back again unless offered a chance to make up for the horrible service. I will go to Brigadoons in Oxford Mills for afternoon tea going forward and recommend it for anyone considering the afternoon tea at the Chateau. Don’t bother unless they improve. Also, if management see this, please do not comment with some platitude that the review will be taken to heart or improvements will be made. If sincere, offer a phone number and offer to redo the experience properly.
Restaurantji Recommends
Afternoon High Tea at Zoe's is magnificent and worth every penny! We had such an outstanding experience and as a culinary designer of tourism products, this afternoon was top notch at every touch point. Our server Garrick was exceptional and made us feel so special with his care of attentiveness to dietary restrictions and questions. We had a birthday in the group and they were so thoughtful. The tiers were loaded with specialty goodness and the tea just divine. We had a seat overlooking the street and loved it. Thank you Zoe's and Chateau Laurier. Cheers, Spicy Jan
I had a mixed board with my girlfriend! The service was a 10/10. This charming lady took the time to have a conversation with us as we were just in Ottawa for 24hours. She made it all worth the experience. We've decided that we will make it a tradition.
My girlfriend and I were at Zoe's for an anniversary date this
past Saturday (April 12th) . Important date, and I wanted everything to go well. Such a relief that we were taken such well care of. My girlfriend was blown away by the food, as was I. The hostess was kind an personable, and the ambiance was grand and splendid. I have to say that even amongst a sea of diamonds, two people really stood out: The one bartender (blond caucasian with several tattoos on his arms and neck) was charming, professional, polite and very funny. We were sad when he was done his shift. The second was the female bartender with the brunette hair, who bent over backwards to make us feel comfortable. All in all a 10/10 experience at Zoe's.
Very limited menu. Food was well prepared and presented. Expensive. Waiter was terrible. We wanted to order cocktails before dinner and she tried to take our wine glasses away. We skipped dessert but everyone ordered coffee. Server never returned had to be waived down. At these prices??? Disappointing. And the round swivel chairs are the most uncomfortable chairs in the world. Will not be back.
Brought my children here for high tea. The fruit cup on the menu is replaced with some pieces of cheap fruit cuts(orange, cantaloupe and pineapple) that the children didn't want to touch. The Swiss roll was a 5mm thin cut. I will be back, I hope next time i will have exactly what's on the menu. The service was good, as well as the decoration, which was the only reason that we come here now.
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