Fil's Diner — Restaurant in Ottawa

My husband and I travelled across town to come to Fil's because our 2 previous experiences there, about a year ago (breakfasts) were good. Yesterday, even though we still really liked the diner vibe and old music, the experience was really bad. Fil's is connected to a pub through an open doorway and to a bowling alley through a closed doorway. We arrived for dinner and waited a long time to be acknowledged (we were the only ones in there besides one man who left) and after we were acknowledged, it took a long time again to have our order taken. Turns out the waitress was at the bar side dealing with a client there who needed to be removed from the premises (we actually heard the whole thing from our table). Finally we gave our order - fish & chips for my husband, Ground Sirloin Steak for me. The waitress came back to confirm what I wanted, pointing to the item (Ground Sirloin) on the menu and I said yes. My meal was to include mashed potatoes, veggies and garlic bread. When the meals arrived, my husband's was as described but I got a plate with a hamburger steak with gravy and onions and fries. The small plate of garlic bread was actually hamburger buns buttered on the bread side, some burnt. I told her my plate was not right. She left it on the table and told the cook about the problem. Instead of taking my plate to the kitchen to reassemble it to include everything, she came back with a small plate of mashed and another small plate of frozen veggies that were very unappealing. By the time I got to eat the steak, the gravy had congealed into a thick mass and was cold. I took one bite out of the garlic bread, then stopped because it was cold. My husband said he didn't enjoy his meal because the fish was bland and not fresh. When it was time to go it took a long time to have someone bring our bill. Our waitress was sitting at the counter - when we finally asked for our bill, she asked someone else to bring it, that person was prompt. Paying $20 for the mess I got really irked me. I did because I knew I'd never be back. Everyone was nice and polite with us, but not enough to make up for bad service and terrible food. A positive - the restaurant was very clean. Possibly the breakfasts are still good there but I'll never know because my husband says he's never going back. I do not recommend...

Updated

Fil's is very much an "old school" Retro Diner feel. It is as if you have traveled back in time to the 1950's.

The chef that is on Mondays is very creative and puts a new spin on Burgers and I have not tried a Burger yet that I did not like.

I really enjoyed the chef's take on a Croque Monsier.

The Daily Special, on Mondays, is the way to go. They will even switch out the Fries for the Daily Soup.

I have tried the Club Sandwich which is truly delicious on their perfectly toasted Authentic Rye Bread.

I have yet to try one of their delicious Milkshakes. Whenever someone orders a Milkshake, I always enjoy watching the smile on their face after they have taken their first sip.

The service is very friendly and the staff from the Pub help out time to time because the waitress for the Diner is also in charge of the Bowling Alley.

Update:

Fil's loses a star because of their Fish and Chips.

The Fish and Chips (in my humble opinion) should not be served on the regular menu and instead be reserved for a Daily Special. Because the day they make it, it is quite good. Then it is refrigerated and refried. This seems to "hold" the grease which looses all of the flavour and crispiness.

The Fries are hit and miss. Sometimes they are quite good and other times I wonder when the last time they changed the grease in the deep fryer.

The Meat Loaf with Mashed Potatoes and Vegetables is tasty. I also ask to have the Gravy served on the side.

The Pizza is quite large and enough for sharing. The breading is very unique and one can add as many toppings as one wishes.

What I do like is that their Eggs, Meat and Produce are sourced locally.

At some point, I do plan to come in to try and sample the...

I’ve been to Fil’s Diner a bunch of times.. I should have seen the red flag the last time I was in when the owner was yelling at the server to remove the single serve honey from the tables because ‘the customers will steal them.’ Today I went to Fil’s for breakfast with 3 other friends before heading out of town. I ordered the Fil’s Wakeup Call with white bread, scrambled eggs and bacon + a side of sausage. Eggs: so overcooked they tasted and smelled like fish Bacon: one piece super burned and the other extremely undercooked and covered in oil… basically raw Sausage: sour and seemingly past their best before Toast: untoasted white bread (everyone else at the table had burnt bread) Home fries: my saving grace until I bit into one with an eye and a thick unwashed skin

At no point did the server quality check our meals. If they had, I would have given honest feedback so that they had an opportunity to correct the issues.

Went to use the bathroom and 2 of the three toilets were smeared with feces. You could smell the bathrooms as you approached them.

Myself and another person at our table had diarrhea the rest of the day. Not ideal for...