Figaro Coffee House — Restaurant in Ottawa

Atmosphere: It's decorated better than Tim Horton's - kind of like Starbucks, but with a European kind of vibe. When it gets busy, it can be very loud.

Food and Drink: I've tried the croissants and carrot cake and they were not good. They were kind of like store-bought quality, but with coffee-house prices. I would not get the treats again because I don't like to be ripped off. Sorry, but Tim Horton treats are even better than this. The savoury food is hit and miss. The avocado toast is very nice, but it was short of tomatoes - just one cherry tomato and you have to like the taste of arugula. Once I got watery soup and other times I got very flavourful, tasty soup. Coffee and Americanos are okay. One thing I like is that they will warm up the treats if you want. Muffins are nice warm and with a side of butter.

Service: The service is so, so. They are at times busy, but recently I was waited on by a gentleman in his 30's - perhaps the management. After I ordered, I went back up to the counter to ask him a question about one of their product. He did not know the answer and said he would check and then he just stood there and ignored me. So, I went and sat down. Okay, I thought maybe he will check later, but he never did. When I asked him the question I made sure it was not busy at the time. There was no line up or anything. In fact he went outside for a minute and was on his phone. The younger staff I have dealt with are not overly friendly. I think they must feel rushed and stressed because of how busy it can get.

Parking: Parking is tight if you want to part right outside the building, but there is plenty of parking further away.

Verdit: You may ask why do you go there? Because independent coffee shops are in short supply in this area and it's nice to occasionally take a break and go on your lunch hour. But, how I was ignored left a bad taste in my mouth and so I think I will stick to...

This is hands down, the best cafe in Ottawa! They hit every beat: atmosphere, service, value, and quality. I've yet to come across an employee that doesn't seem happy to be there which says a lot imo.

My fave is their oatmilk cappuccino. Every baked good I've had has been divine and I struggle making a choice because it all looks so good and never disappoints. If you try their brownie, definitely get it warm because, chocolate heaven.

Their coffee... I don't even know how to express how happy it makes me. I love my coffee strong and theirs has that awesome strong flavour BUT without the bitterness! It's unbelievably smooth and highlights everything good in the bean.

Even my daughter, who is super picky with sweet things, finished her hot chocolate (with oatmilk), saying it was the best she's ever had. For reference, whenever she gets a tall hot chocolate at Starbucks, she rarely ever finishes it and here she downed a medium (12oz).

Update: just tried their sandwiches for the first time, and it just reaffirmed that this is a place that cares about everything on their menu. All the ingredients were fresh, the bread was great, and they were generous with the protiens.

My only wish would be for at least a couple vegan treats. But...

I was excited to try this place but unfortunately it disappointed me. Got their "Dream Lemon loaf" and hot chocolate.

The lemon loaf was served on a chipped plate, wasd dry and didn't really have a strong Lemon flavor. Took one bite and knew I didn't want the rest. I rarely bring things back, but I did this time, and not even a sorry or offer to change it. The hot chocolate tasted to me like it came from nesquick syrup or something similar, didn't have more than a few sips of that either.

Saying that, my friends enjoyed their drinks (coffee and tea) so maybe I just picked the wrong thing or it was just the lemon loaf that had been there a while.

The other thing that I wasn't super impressed with was the staffs reactions to a water spill. When I got there a kid had spilled water all over the floor, when I left 45 min later it hadn't been cleaned up. There was enough water spilled to make it a tripping hazard, so I just let the person at the front know in case the family who was there didn't tell them about the spill and they hadn't seen it. Again, no thanks pointing it out, or "we will clean that up" just a cold "ok".

The atmosphere and decor was nice. Maybe it was an off day but I personally did not like...