El Camino — Restaurant in Ottawa

Most definitely not worth it.

I will admit, generally, the tacos are good. However, when the price is nearly $10 for a taco, the quality needs to be much better. The size is maybe 5inches diameter. To their credit, there is a good amount of fillings inside the taco itself, but most people I think will need 3 or 4 tacos to be comfortable. Do not go here expecting to eat until you’re full, because in that case you’re looking at 6 or more. For reference I had 4 tacos + 1 lamb Birria and still could have eaten more. In terms of the tacos themselves, I think the best one I had was the chicken. I also had the pork belly which was very disappointing. Pork belly is a very fatty cut of meat and should be extremely tender and juicy. Unfortunately mine came out dry. The flavour profile itself was good, but again, for $10 a taco, the dish itself needs to be executed properly and drying out pork belly is inexcusable. The lamb was ok, but not truly Birria; the beef was good, same with the pig head.

The service left much to be desired, which again, needs to be contextualised to the prices you are paying at this restaurant. When you order, your server will probably tell you they will serve the food “family style” meaning whenever the kitchen has a taco ready they send it out. Really, this is an excuse for a severely disorganized kitchen. These are small dishes, and for $10 a taco, the kitchen should be able to coordinate sending out orders at the same time. At the very least, I would expect a little bit of planning so they don’t send out all of one person’s order at the same time and have the rest of the table wait 10minutes before anyone else’s food arrives (which was my experience).

I think it’s very important to evaluate restaurants in the context of their price. If you order one drink (almost $20 each!), and three tacos (roughly $30), and maybe some chips for the table ($5 if you’re splitting), you will be paying upwards of $50 a person. This price is not worth the quality of food and service at this restaurant. Some of my favourite restaurants fit into this price area, but they make the meal worth it with consistently excellent dishes and strong service. Unfortunately, this place fails in that regard.

You work hard for your money, and when going to an expensive restaurant you should expect value for your dollar. This is...

The tacos are top notch, from the vegan options to the meat forward tacos, everything was spot on. Took me to flavour-town ten times over. My only dislike was being ignored by the two young gentleman bartending that night. I was seated by the nice girl acting hostess with the glasses, sat me down at the bar top and I sat and waited. Ten min goes by ( I work at a restaurant so I understand that there are a hundred things to do,so I give them the benefit of the doubt and figure they're busy). The hostess who seats me comes back in ten and asks has anybody taken my order yet, I say no, she appologizes and runs over to the guy bartending, he looks at me and I overhear him say to her, 'yeah that's all you, you serve him' which confused me a bit, but I was here for the tacos and not for his weirdly placed sass. Long story short, I got my food to go as getting a drink from the hostess was a bit of a slow process as she was still trying to work the door And take care of me at the same time ( don't get me wrong, she was nothing short of lovely and did an awesome job at making sure I was comfy) so 12/10 for her, and then the young ginger dude in the back cheffing up the tacos, hands down they were off the FRIGGEN hook. Took a bunch of different tacos home and holllly smoked were they were bangin 🌮🌮🌮 Might try the other location, just for the chance at friendlier/more professional bartenders. But at least half the staff here we're lovely and the food was...

I've been to the By Ward market location twice now for happy hour. The first time I ordered the bartender's choice cocktail and the calamari. The squid was tender and coated in a delicate and crispy batter with a hint of cumin. The cocktail was well-prepared and tasty. The second time I returned with a friend and again started with the bartender's Choice cocktail. It was again tasty and well prepared. I ordered the calamari again, and it was just as delicious as the previous time. Next round we ordered Margaritas, which at 3 oz are not for the weak. The margaritas are balanced in flavor, with the shavings of lime peel a nice touch. Next was the pork belly, which at $16.50 is the most expensive item on the menu. Simply put, the pork belly is to die for. Done in a vaguely Southeast Asian style with peanuts, slivered mango, kaffir lime threads and a dark thick sweet sauce, the meat itself is perfectly prepared. Presented in a roulade with a crispy exterior and unctuous interior, this is pork belly at its best. While the sauce was very sweet, it paired perfectly with the sourness of the margaritas. This is some of the best prepared and tastiest food I've had recently. The space is complemented by interesting art work and beautiful solid wood barspace. I will...