Cedar Valley Restaurant — Restaurant in Ottawa

The spicy potatoes are unique and tasty. The food is fresh and I can see (and taste) why people eat here on a regular basis. But there are some major stumbling blocks that seem to be getting worse with time.

First, the staff. The older man behind the counter is gruff, makes you feel rushed and disrupts the flow of the kitchen. He is constantly bouncing around from station to station interfering in what his employees are doing when there is no need to do so. The employees (other than his family) seem to be hesitant to take orders and fix sandwiches because of the overbearing owner. Just let your employees work! He seems upset to be serving customers - why are you behind the counter then?

The lady at the cash (his wife) is just plain rude. She nickel and dimes each customer as much as possible - an extra 0.50 for garlic on a side potatoes? Every other shawarma place in Ottawa include it at no extra charge. The other family members (daugther) and staff are polite for the most part.

Second, The food. The food quality is good, 4/5. Chicken is tender and juicy, potatoes are flavorful and usually cooked properly. The rice hits all the right notes though I prefer the potatoes. The salad provided on the platters is basic but tasty, usual shawarma fare. The portions however, are dismal. If you're going to charge me $12 for a chicken platter, then I had better be getting $12 worth of food, especially from a shawarma place. Most of these places give you so much food on a platter it could make two meals - not Cedar Valley. The potatoes and chicken are arranged so that the chicken is placed on top of the potatoes to make it appear you are getting lots, but in reality its more of a 70/30 split. Also, the hummus is pre-portioned into the takeout containers with a delapidated pickle and a few bits of turnip. How much time does it actually save pre-portioning your hummus beforehand? Then to top it off you are given one dollop of garlic right in the middle of the plate. It is supposed to be the star of the show - there should be lots there to eat with every bite of your platter.

Charging extra for garlic on a side of potatoes is a little rediculous, as is charging extra for turnip and tomatoes on a platter. You get one pita with a plate - the whole point of a plate is so you can make multiple sandwiches!

The rude service, small portions and nickle-and-dime attitude all combine to make it a poor experience....

I love Lebanese food and usually get it from the same one or two local spots. With that said, I have no loyalty to either of them, but stepped out of my element and tried something new. I'm almost embarrassed to say it was my first time at Cedar Valley!

Let me start by saying...IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!

I was greeted by Sam and George who mentioned it was a family business that had started 21 years ago. After tasting their food I now know why they've been a staple in the neighborhood for so long.

To say the serving was huge is an understatement. How huge? I ordered extra meat, and Sam had to use Scotch tape in an effort to close the lid (partially close the lid I should say😉).

Everything was so fresh and tasty. The pickles and turnip were crunchy, the rice was fluffy, the potatoes had a hint of heat and the chicken was juicy with little, to no grizzle or fat (just the perfect amount for taste). And the garlic sauce?!?! Gimme a break. Sooooo good! I didn't find it heavy like most of the shawarma places I've tried. I also added donair meat with sweet sauce. Amazing!

If you're in the neighborhood, or NOT in the neighborhood get your butts over to Cedar Valley Restaurant for some kick@ss...

I have to be honest - and as someone who's lived in Ottawa all my life and have lived on several shawarma, this could be one of the most tasteless sandwiches I've had.

I had the chicken shawarma which goes for about 8.75 + tax. Chicken was very dry, even though 'strong garlic sauce' was added, and not sure if it was the chicken or something but it was very salty, the taste is stuck in mouth and it's not pleasant.

Not sure why there's several positive reviews - which is the reason I stopped by, whereas could have stopped by Shawarma Palace but wanted to help out a local business - but maybe benefit of the doubt and assume something was bad today. But there's also who had similar experience.

Do I recommend this place, no. Would I try it again to see if they have maybe improved, possibly. They need to work on their sauce for sure as well as work on that chicken, very hard and...