Astoria Bistro Botanique — Restaurant in Gatineau

I sadly have to change my 5 star review of Astoria.

As a celiac, I loved Astoria as they offer a variety of gluten free options! I however recently had a pretty horrible experience where I got “glutened” from their food.

They recently changed their menu and I’m not sure if there was some type of miscommunication in the kitchen. I had ordered the taco salad and fries via Uber eats (which I’ve done multiple times before and never had a problem!) and got very very sick. The fries seemed to have changed on their menu, however the week prior I called the restaurant to ensure that with the changes they were still gluten free and I was assured they were not in a shared fryer. I ordered them as usual and had no problem. I’m not sure if anything changed in 1 week, however my order the following week definitely contained gluten. To note that on the uber app there is no gluten listed in the ingredients.

I want to note that your experience may be different if you go to the restaurant and communicate with the staff. Prior to this, I never had a problem. It’s a shame however if they are removing gluten free options from their menu 😔 I had contacted the restaurant to let them know about how sick their food made me, and left my contact info with them. I wasn’t expecting any kind of compensation, however an apology from the management would have been greatly appreciated due to the severity of what happened. The lack of apology is probably the most disheartening part since they claim they take gluten free requests...

I am utterly dismayed by the appalling behavior I experienced at Astoria Bistro. After indulging in a $130 date night with my significant other, we were subjected to the audacity of one of their waitresses who felt entitled to give me a lecture on my supposedly inadequate tip. It is utterly unacceptable for paying customers to be subjected to such insolence. I am a patron, not a pupil in a manners class. My tipping decision is entirely at my discretion, and it is not the place of any employee to pass judgment on it. This establishment should focus on providing exceptional service rather than chastising customers for their tipping habits. Needless to say, we will not be returning to Astoria and have been spreading the word about our regrettable experience.

As if the initial insult wasn't enough, Astoria Bistro had the audacity to compound their unprofessionalism by blocking my phone number after I attempted to call for a reservation. The call went straight to voicemail, but miraculously, it went through without issue when I tried with a different phone. This blatant attempt to evade accountability for their abhorrent behavior is utterly reprehensible. It's clear that Astoria Bistro has no regard for customer service or integrity.

I implore anyone considering dining at this establishment to think twice and choose a venue that values their patrons' dignity and respects their privacy. Astoria Bistro's conduct is despicable, and they have lost any chance of receiving my business or recommendation...

We visited for brunch and had a reservation.

Good Stuff: Atmosphere is very picturesque. Great lighting from the large windows, lovely plant decor, and the bar in the centre of the restaurant with all the drinks being prepared was cool to see Drinks were tasty and very pretty. The waffles and syrup were tasty (waffles and syrup only, not the chicken)

Bad Stuff: We waited over an hour for our food, there was no communication or apology for the long wait from staff. If there is going to be a long delay, we would have appreciated if this was communicated to us. Service, while friendly, was very slow and inattentive leaving us feeling neglected. It was difficult to get their attention for basics, such as a water refill so we asked for a pitcher of water so we could do it ourselves, which we were not given. The food was overall, not the best. The food was "pretty" but lacked flavor and care. Most of our dishes appeared to be left waiting under the heat lamp as the "butter" ball on the "chicken" and waffles had completely melted, sauces had congealed, decorative vegetables/flowers wilted and fried things such as the "chicken" and potatoes were stale. Flavors were very bland and lacking a much needed savoury flavor. Gravy had no flavor, but helped with the "chicken" and potatoes as they were stale/dry.

All in all, great spot for drinks and pictures, but the food and service leaves a...