I spent my birthday there, it was worth it. The staff were extremely kind and friendly. One of the highlights of my night was that I received a complementary birthday dessert. Thank you for making my night ♥️♥️
Judith
Far too expensive for the food offered. E that popped in my mouth and for $80 I won't be back.
Roxane Huang
Our visit to Zoe’s on the evening of February 14th began on a promising note. The ambiance was elegant and inviting, and the service staff was seems to be friendly and keep asking what our background and how long we going to stay in ottawa bla bla ….
Unfortunately, the culinary experience did not reflect the same standard. The dishes lacked both balance and depth. Several components were noticeably dry and under-seasoned, resulting in plates that felt uninspired and below the expectations one would associate with a hotel of this reputation.
The French onion soup, traditionally a sign of comfort and technique, was particularly disappointing — thin in flavour and lacking the rich, caramelized depth that defines the dish. The mushroom risotto’s was glued and overly cooked. followed an overly dry patty paired with an equally dry bun, while the sauce leaned unexpectedly sweet, creating an imbalance that felt more reminiscent of dessert than a savoury course.
Considering the establishment’s standing and price point, the overall quality of the food was surprisingly underwhelming. Having dined at numerous hotels across Canada and internationally, it is rare to encounter such disparity between pricing and execution.
To their credit, dessert was excellent was good. However, the wine list felt disproportionately priced relative to the overall dining experience.
After expressing concerns about the food, the response was limited to “I’ll let the chefs know,” with no further follow-up during the evening. Additionally, the lack of a closing acknowledgment at departure left the experience feeling lacking hospitality.
In reflection, the evening felt overpriced and stylistically ambitious without the culinary substance to support it , a disappointing outcome given the setting and expectations.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 1
Addy D
First time visitor, in Ottawa for business. I realized on my last day the hotel I was staying at, Fairmont Chateau Laurier, had a restaurant called Zoe's. I came for lunch and had the pleasure of being served by Anoushka who was very polite, nice, well versed with her menu and ability to make me feel at home. I kind of eaves dropped on her speaking to other customers and she has amazing customer service across the board not just with me. I was very impressed with her cultured approach and her knowledge of the city of Ottawa. Anyone new to town should speak to her as she knows the ins and outs. As for my order, I ordered the Chateau Smash burger and would highly recommend it. Patrice brought me my meal and was very helpful and was trying to ensure I also received the best service possible. Next time I'm in Ottawa whether I'm staying at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier or not I'll drop by for lunch as I was treated amazingly. Thank you for the great service Anoushka, Patrice and team. Zoe's is top notch 👌
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Arrah
Management and staff were so kind and accommodating. Made for an excellent valentines dinner.
Varun
Our server was not very good. Very slow, very ill informed about services and availability. Our apps arrived before the wine and entree arrived 10 minutes after apps. Food was below average. Everything was overcooked, dry and stringy.
victor lynch
What an amazing dinner! The food was delicious, and the ambiance was fantastic. We chose the Valentine’s Day menu. The Denver steak was excellent—tender, moist, and cooked to perfection. It paired beautifully with the creamy porcini cream, which was the highlight of the dish, along with the shallot vinaigrette jam and chili rapini. The lobster salad was delicious, though we felt it could be elevated to another level. The Tropical Love dessert cake was enjoyable and well executed. Overall, the food was very good, and we truly enjoyed the evening.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Pedro
Excellent place with nice decoration and great menu. Was great to find a spot for valentines
Very nice dinner out at Zoe's. I'd say a tad under 5 stars but certainly not 4. It's a bit cold in there in the winter but you're dealing with an older building obviously. Service and food at the bar and in dining room were fantastic thank you!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Emily Bollom
I was disappointed with the interaction we had with one of the cooks. He seemed dismissive and did not respond directly when we asked questions, instead directing us back to the server. The experience felt uncomfortable, and we expected a more professional attitude , the cook with tattoo .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
SHEILA ROSE
We went for dinner with a wonderful friend who booked this as a treat. I really felt badly as it was outrageously expensive for the quality of the food. We have eaten at highly rated restaurants in North America and Europe. This does not compare at all which is a shame for Ottawa. The dinning room is pretty but not charming. The food was just average. We had extremely small oysters which were 6 for $32. Really! Much better at Flippers or Pelican Grill. My main course was supposed to be short rib. Boring and $56 Total disappointment
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Ritu Sood
Took my inlaws here for high tea. The space is beautiful and service wonderful, but the food is very subpar. You can tell items have been made well in advance and then served directly out of the fridge to your plate. This results in cold pastries which are hard and dry. The dishes were hit or miss, some were good, others (like the green goddess chicken) was flavorless and dry. The scones were very good though and tea options were lovely.
SkM
Went for High tea with some family and it was just absolutely lovely.
The service was amazing. All staff were lovely from the moment we walked in until the moment we left.
It was a great experience as you'd expect from the Fairmont.
They had live strings to serenade us as the evening got closer.
Super romantic!
If high tea is your vibe this is a great option in Ottawa.
The food and vibes were amazing! Would go back.
Expensive but very good food. Amazing atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
I spent my birthday there, it was worth it. The staff were extremely kind and friendly. One of the highlights of my night was that I received a complementary birthday dessert. Thank you for making my night ♥️♥️
Far too expensive for the food offered. E that popped in my mouth and for $80 I won't be back.
Our visit to Zoe’s on the evening of February 14th began on a promising note. The ambiance was elegant and inviting, and the service staff was seems to be friendly and keep asking what our background and how long we going to stay in ottawa bla bla ….
Unfortunately, the culinary experience did not reflect the same standard. The dishes lacked both balance and depth. Several components were noticeably dry and under-seasoned, resulting in plates that felt uninspired and below the expectations one would associate with a hotel of this reputation.
The French onion soup, traditionally a sign of comfort and technique, was particularly disappointing — thin in flavour and lacking the rich, caramelized depth that defines the dish. The mushroom risotto’s was glued and overly cooked. followed an overly dry patty paired with an equally dry bun, while the sauce leaned unexpectedly sweet, creating an imbalance that felt more reminiscent of dessert than a savoury course.
Considering the establishment’s standing and price point, the overall quality of the food was surprisingly underwhelming. Having dined at numerous hotels across Canada and internationally, it is rare to encounter such disparity between pricing and execution.
To their credit, dessert was excellent was good. However, the wine list felt disproportionately priced relative to the overall dining experience.
After expressing concerns about the food, the response was limited to “I’ll let the chefs know,” with no further follow-up during the evening. Additionally, the lack of a closing acknowledgment at departure left the experience feeling lacking hospitality.
In reflection, the evening felt overpriced and stylistically ambitious without the culinary substance to support it , a disappointing outcome given the setting and expectations.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 1
First time visitor, in Ottawa for business. I realized on my last day the hotel I was staying at, Fairmont Chateau Laurier, had a restaurant called Zoe's. I came for lunch and had the pleasure of being served by Anoushka who was very polite, nice, well versed with her menu and ability to make me feel at home. I kind of eaves dropped on her speaking to other customers and she has amazing customer service across the board not just with me. I was very impressed with her cultured approach and her knowledge of the city of Ottawa. Anyone new to town should speak to her as she knows the ins and outs. As for my order, I ordered the Chateau Smash burger and would highly recommend it. Patrice brought me my meal and was very helpful and was trying to ensure I also received the best service possible. Next time I'm in Ottawa whether I'm staying at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier or not I'll drop by for lunch as I was treated amazingly. Thank you for the great service Anoushka, Patrice and team. Zoe's is top notch 👌
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Management and staff were so kind and accommodating. Made for an excellent valentines dinner.
Our server was not very good. Very slow, very ill informed about services and availability. Our apps arrived before the wine and entree arrived 10 minutes after apps. Food was below average. Everything was overcooked, dry and stringy.
What an amazing dinner! The food was delicious, and the ambiance was fantastic.
We chose the Valentine’s Day menu. The Denver steak was excellent—tender, moist, and cooked to perfection. It paired beautifully with the creamy porcini cream, which was the highlight of the dish, along with the shallot vinaigrette jam and chili rapini.
The lobster salad was delicious, though we felt it could be elevated to another level. The Tropical Love dessert cake was enjoyable and well executed.
Overall, the food was very good, and we truly enjoyed the evening.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Excellent place with nice decoration and great menu. Was great to find a spot for valentines
Restaurantji Recommends
Very nice dinner out at Zoe's. I'd say a tad under 5 stars but certainly not 4. It's a bit cold in there in the winter but you're dealing with an older building obviously. Service and food at the bar and in dining room were fantastic thank you!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
I was disappointed with the interaction we had with one of the cooks. He seemed dismissive and did not respond directly when we asked questions, instead directing us back to the server. The experience felt uncomfortable, and we expected a more professional attitude , the cook with tattoo .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We went for dinner with a wonderful friend who booked this as a treat. I really felt badly as it was outrageously expensive for the quality of the food. We have eaten at highly rated restaurants in North America and Europe. This does not compare at all which is a shame for Ottawa. The dinning room is pretty but not charming. The food was just average. We had extremely small oysters which were 6 for $32. Really! Much better at Flippers or Pelican Grill. My main course was supposed to be short rib. Boring and $56
Total disappointment
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Took my inlaws here for high tea. The space is beautiful and service wonderful, but the food is very subpar. You can tell items have been made well in advance and then served directly out of the fridge to your plate. This results in cold pastries which are hard and dry. The dishes were hit or miss, some were good, others (like the green goddess chicken) was flavorless and dry. The scones were very good though and tea options were lovely.
Went for High tea with some family and it was just absolutely lovely.
The service was amazing. All staff were lovely from the moment we walked in until the moment we left.
It was a great experience as you'd expect from the Fairmont.
They had live strings to serenade us as the evening got closer.
Super romantic!
If high tea is your vibe this is a great option in Ottawa.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
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