Feleena's — Restaurant in Ottawa

I regularly go here when returning to Ottawa and absolutely love it. Friendly staff, delicious food, and more often than not an owner on site.

I usually go for a Negra Modelo in a bottle (they have Modelo Especial on occasion as well), or a Margarita to drink. The Margarita is a classic make with no bells or whistles and it packs a considerable punch - which is personally exactly how I like it. They typically have quite a few rotating premium tequilas on bar that you can ask them to make it with if you want to switch it up.

Food wise I have had almost everything over the years. The guacamole remains some of the best i've personally had; chips are made in-house, and any one appetizer is typically good for two people (to get started). For my main I usually get the Carné Asada (cooked to your preference - I do it rare), or the Pechuga de Pollo, typically switching my choices of sides up on the fly - they have 6 to choose from and if I recall you can pick two (staff and ownership are pretty down-to-earth though so if you wanted to get a sample of 4 or something i'm almost positive they'd have no problem doing that).

Atmosphere is eclectic, warm, and exceedingly comfortable. The summer brings with it a giant patio that just about doubles the restaurant's size so keep that in mind if its nice out and you're in a rush.

Family-owned and operated for well over a decade, this restaurant is a fixture in the community and its not uncommon to find the neighbourhood youth getting their working start here as a host or bus-person.

Staff are friendly and personable, and with any luck you may even get to know the owners who are often present during dinner service - though they are often quite busy running things so no guarantees.

Overall an excellent dining experience, with a decor and atmosphere to match. I highly recommend for locals and...

Overall, the encounter was quite unusual:

After calling around 11 am to secure reservations, we arrived at 5:15 pm only to find that our names were absent from the reservation list. The owner somewhat shifted blame onto us, suggesting that making a reservation at 11 am was risky due to the kitchen staff handling calls at that time. If that’s the case, it would be more effective to either instruct the kitchen staff to improve on their message-taking or advise patrons to call back when someone equipped to manage reservations is present. Fortunately, we were accommodated on the patio.

The ambience was notably pleasant on the patio and throughout.

The food was rather lackluster. The dishes appeared rather dull and devoid of flavour. I had the chicken tacos for reference.

Our server provided an exceptional experience.

A peculiar incident unfolded right behind our table. The owner approached two gentlemen and conveyed that while the establishment doesn’t impose a strict two-hour seating policy, they do anticipate tables to be occupied for approximately two hours. The gentlemen were in the midst of their meal and drinks, unobtrusively minding their own business. Moreover, there were available tables on the patio, rendering the situation not one where others were waiting for a table. The owner asserted that it wasn’t a financial matter and engaged in a minor disagreement with the gentlemen about their duration at the table. The exchange created an uncomfortable atmosphere for nearby patrons and, regrettably, left a sense of diminished value for those of us who overheard the dialogue.

All in all, the experience was...

After walking by many times, we finally made time to visit the always-busy Feleena’s. I am so glad we did! This is a completely immersive experience - incredible decoration of the entire restaurant, loud chatter, artwork everywhere, and wonderful servers. The food was so fresh and flavourful, absolutely delicious. Our server was the cheeriest, fastest, loveliest person! Very efficient, and she had a smile and a kind face for every single table she was servicing. Incredible service. I think we’ll have to go back a few times soon just to sit in different areas of this fascinating cantina. So much to look at!

Edited to add that as hard as it is to believe, our second experience here was even more wonderful than the first! The staff here truly go above and beyond with their friendliness and service. 10/10.

Edit: Visits #3 and #4, as good as ever!

Edit: Alright, visit #5 and I'm taking my review down a star, but only because this feels like a major issue. Knowing that our dishes would be too spicy, we decided to order a kids meal for our baby (10 months) - who only eats a few bites for each meal, and would usually just share with me. Unfortunately, the kid's beef taco was spicier than our two adult meals combined. If this was served to a toddler who took a bite without their parents testing it first, I can imagine some tears. Any indication on the menu that the children's meals are spicy would be great, but no kind of warning for that level of heat in a children's meal seems inappropriate. Still terrific food and service, but I wouldn't feel comfortable recommending the children's meals for...