Erling's Variety — Restaurant in Ottawa

Atmosphere shines, food and service fall short

Tucked into the heart of the Glebe, Erling’s Variety has all the makings of a great neighborhood spot. Parking is manageable, the space strikes a balance between casual and refined, and the open kitchen brings a lively energy. It’s the kind of place that immediately feels welcoming.

Drinks were pleasant if not particularly memorable—well made, but lacking the spark you might expect from a restaurant with this level of ambition.

The food, unfortunately, never quite lived up to the setting. The potato agnolotti arrived in a small bowl, with the nduja sofrito pooling at the bottom. Flavor-wise, it was fine, but the presentation made it awkward to eat. Reaching for one piece of pasta meant nudging the others aside just to capture a bit of sauce. A wider plate or sauce served on top would have let the dish feel more cohesive.

The scallop plate was harder to forgive. Three scallops, priced around $35, arrived rubbery and overcooked, without the delicate golden sear that defines a well-executed scallop. The supporting kale and corn salad offered brightness and acidity, but the dish as a whole felt disjointed—as if ingredients had been assembled rather than thoughtfully composed.

Service matched the food: average at best. Staff were polite but not particularly warm, and the 30-minute wait for two dishes felt longer than it should have. Nothing was egregious, but nothing elevated the experience either.

When measured against nearby restaurants like The Belmont, which deliver polished service and carefully executed plates at similar prices, Erling’s Variety struggles to justify its value.

Bottom Line: Erling’s Variety has a wonderful atmosphere, the kind of room you want to linger in. I only wish the food and service rose to meet it. Until they find that missing finesse, it’s a place better suited for drinks with friends than for a...

Went here for date night with my boyfriend. We had a reservation seeing as it was a Saturday but there were only 9-10 tables sat while we were there for 1.5 hours. Cocktails were good, but too much ice in the Negroni I ordered. It was already watered down a bit by the time I got it. Oysters were very good, though the hot sauce wasn't hot at all, tasted more like a mango puree than anything. We also had octopus salad, tuna crudo, pork tenderloin, and seared scallops. The dishes are small sharing plates which is fine, but for the price point some of them should've been full plates. If you're going to charge $32 for four scallops and three hush puppies then they'd better be out of this world. The scallops were excellent but the hush puppies were bland and stodgy, and didn't taste like there was any cornmeal in them at all. The octopus salad was very good, definitely would eat it again even though the octopus itself was a bit overcooked. The tuna crudo was missing some acidity and was sitting in too much oil. I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be olive oil because it didn't taste like anything really. The tuna was nice though and I liked that the cucumbers were small and very thinly sliced. The pork tenderloin was another winner, very tasty but again was underseasoned. It didn't ruin the dish but it was noticeable.

Overall, the menu items are very appealing, just some technical issues with the dishes that could've been prevented if the dishes were tasted beforehand. I don't mind paying +$200 for a dozen oysters, four sharing plates, two cocktails and two glasses of wine, but it had better be worth it, and I don't think this...

Would have liked to rate higher, but the menu is way overpriced. Other reviewers are correct when the state wine and menu prices aren't reflective of what they should be. Also as noted from other reviewers they are wanting a 20-24% tip wow :( I'll say food quality was generally high with fresh ingredients. The decor and vibe inside was nice, cool artwork hanging on the walls. The bad part: we were a table of 6 and told that we should only have 1 person order for the whole table. It was noted by all in our group it was rather awkward to be told what do do. Next, the serving sizes versus price. The tuna dish was mainly cucumber and smaller serving than anything ever given to me at a sushi restaurant, $18 for cucumber slices is insulting. Beef tartar was okay, didn't blow us away. The perogies were good... seemed baked versus fried, but they were so small, once again price was high for these tiny guys. Gnocchi was great. The best dish of the night by far was the Pork. This was because it was super flavor, filling and delicious. Had Erling's served all dishes this well put together with that portion size I wouldn't be rating them mediocre. Honestly, this dish is the only reason why I'm giving 3 stars. Final comment, back to prices, there was not much variety for reasonable priced wines.... $80, 100, 120 or $240 for a bottle of red wine. I guess that makes sense if it's $16 for wine by the glass. BUT that glass of wine should have been $12-$14. Put a bottle of wine on the menu for $40 and $60. I don't see the point of over inflating wines, get a...