Citizen — Restaurant in Ottawa

When I say this was probably one of the BEST meals I've ever had, I mean it. This has easily become my favorite spot in Ottawa.

We came here for our anniversary and were treated to a nice glass of bubbly to celebrate. The service was phenomenal. Our server (I wish I got their name!) was super kind, knowledgable & overall a real gem of a human!

We had the burrata to start, and shared the Raviolo & cauliflower with halloumi as our mains.

The burrata was soOooOo tasty. The pickled veg and bread really complimented the dish. I will go back just for that!

I tried the Grog cocktail which is like a tiki-vibe tropical drink. It was sooo tasty, not too sweet but had such a depth to the flavors. The fresh nutmeg on top really elevated the drink.

The raviolo was to die for. I was a little hesitant to order as I was told it was one big piece of pasta and I didn't want to leave hungry, but I'm so glad I went with it because with the other dishes it was the perfect amount of food. I loveee burre blanc, and the richness of the dish was offset by the most amazingly tart and salty pickled veg. I immediately had to google what a "Rideau pine ramp" was because it was diviiiineee. Everything was cooked to perfection and perfectly seasoned.

The cauliflower dish was scrumptiouss! Every bite was as intriguing as the last, it has so many complimentary ingredients that really bring out the best in each other.

You can tell that the menu was created with a lot of thoughtful intention behind it. I can't say enough how good it was. I found myself doing a happy lil shoulder-shimmy dance with every bite. The chef really knocked it out of the park.

All the staff we interacted with really made the experience memorable. I love a elevated dining experience that isn't "too much".

We were indecisive on which dessert to get everything looked FIRE and after our jaw-dropping meal I wanted to try everything!

We asked the server to surprise us. She said she would give us the featured dessert... A strawberry shortcake. When the desert came we learned she had switched it up last minute and brought out the sticky toffee pudding. And WOW. Good move on her part, it was FABULOUS. I had to restrain myself from licking the plate.

Overall, this was an exceptional experience. I've been accused of being a picky eater in the past because I often feel places miss the mark with their execution of dishes. Especially when things have a higher price tag. I just think I have higher expectations than the average bear. Having such a beautiful meal to celebrate our special occasion makes remarkable meals like this one even more special to me.

Thank you to ALL the staff at Citizen for making our anniversary such a beautiful experience.

I have been raving about Citizen/Town to all my friends and encourage anyone reading the reviews to give it a try! I will DEFINITELY...

It's a really tight 4 stars should be 3.75. Another Ottawa stylish place with perhaps more substance but not quite hitting the mark. I have been twice. First time I ordered the fried Brussels sprouts as their menu had some good vegetarian options. It came presented like a sushi roll plate with a wave of sauce over the sprouts and lots of bits everywhere. However upon being asked how it was I had to say the truth. They were dry. Brussels is my hometown and this was a cry of pain. The waitress proposed to change the order which I was grateful for, so I tried the smoked beetroot. Now THIS was good! Just the right hint of smoke, perfectly cooked with a spicy sauce. Something to recommend! Great cocktails with '🍊 is the new 🍊' made with a really bity mezcal being outstanding. Good wine list and great beer list. Very nice smoked beers from Godspeed brewery. Second visit disappointed with absent service and really strange Dulce de leche doughnut. Pretty certain it is a Suzy Q doughnut, reheated, with more Dulce de leche sauce and quinoa crispies (or similar) on top. Watch out for the sugar high! The chicken taco bowl was good but hinted at the limitations of the theme. Expensive at 24$ with fried Brussels sprouts accompanying a BBQ chicken quarter and lots of decoration. Very edible but it hurts the wallet. So, hence 3.75 as second try showed limitations of the theme. Also it's a trendy place, many people there much better dressed and walleted than I. So if you splurge on the cocktails and wine you will end up close to...

Was really looking forward to a meal here but was really let down when my partner and I went in on Monday. We each ordered a gin and tonic from the bartender. A lady asked if we were getting food and we said we weren't sure yet and hadn't looked at the menu. We didn't know that Monday was "Meatless Monday" and my partner has a nut and legume allergy so when we noticed that all of the 3 meal options were Asian inspired, we figured it would be safer for her not to order food and just get some drinks. The bartender asked if we were wanting food and we said we thought we just stick to drinks. Then, without even asking us, he took our menu and said "I'll take this." It seemed really rude considering we still wanted to look at your cocktail and wine options but we weren't able to. He was very pretentious and had a very "I'm better than you." vibe, as did the whole restaurant (with the whole 3 dinner options, while identifying as a restaurant on Google). Although my partner wanted to get a cocktail after our G&T, we decided to ask for the bill since we were unhappy with the pretentious and rude service. I asked for the bill and was handed a machine without a word. No thank you, anything. I paid for my drinks and tip, and we walked away with no one thanking us or anything. I feel like trash for even spending my money there and...