Flora Hall Brewing — Restaurant in Ottawa

Neighborhood, a term illustrative of residency; of mutual interest; if you’re a neighbor, you’ve met; you’ve exchanged - thoughts or ideals; maybe just random pleasantries. Maybe you went deep; maybe you talked about life goals or just said “Let’s chill and decide on a good beer!” When you arrive at Flora Hall, you arrive via the neighborhood. Maybe you came from Bank St., walking past the rows of locally owned businesses who survived the Pandemic. Maybe you walked past some that were reborn during the pandemic; having harnessed the same creative drive that birthed Flora Hall. It’s the kind of ingenuity that saw a 100 + yr old structure from the worn sidewalk of Flora St., and said - this is what the neighborhood needs! The neighborhood needs a “Hall”. A commune of music enjoying, beer-centric, food-smart, folk who walk in and greet their friends (the staff) with a hand gesture or maybe an exuberant arm movement pointing to their favorite table or chair.

Maybe, you came up Flora St.? Past the row of brick-laden Ottawa homes, with their smattering of updated or historical, years’ gone-by facades. Maybe you saw front porches, with a chair, or weather-worn, upper balconies with windows slightly ajar to let the breeze in. Maybe you saw an Ottawa neighborhood.

When you come to Flora Hall you enter and look up at the “Scrabble Board” menu of on-tap delight. You will almost always find your word score available on tap. On occasion, the neighborhood taps Flora Hall out and you have to pivot. It’s OK, though! Plenty of beers to make your word score a points smorgasbord. The Scrabble Board menu always come through!

Next, you feel the warm touch of a classy, leather-bound menu to greet your eyes in measure with your pallet. Depending on your visit, you might find yourself in new waters. The menu is not stagnant. It mirrors its Brews-menu neighbor. Often changing to greet the neighborhood upon entry and reward your walk up.

If you are a neighbor, this is your proverbial clubhouse. Your walled-sanctum avail’d to you each visit and waiting to reward you with head tilting and nodding delight upon each sip or bite. You might ask, like I did, when’s that being released or tapped? The answer might dictate your schedule. You might think, damn - I need to make sure I’m available that day, for sure. I want to be the first neighbor to sip that libation. To tell Dave - “Thanks for seeing a Hall.” For seeing a neighborhood. For seeing a place where any and all are welcome to enjoy what sometimes is taken for granted - an excellent meal and a phenomenal brew.

You can’t get Flora Hall outside the neighborhood. It isn’t dispatched in wide swaths or mass-produced. It doesn’t go beyond certain boundaries (K1 or K2), yet. It’s still, at its heart, a brewery designed to meet the demands of the neighborhood. Beer is always available on tap or in cans at 37 Flora St. You can get it delivered, if you’re in the...

A bunch of us went here for lunch mostly because we wanted to support a local brew pub. This was a mistake and we will not be returning. The service was bad. The beer was fine but overpriced. The food looked good but was not acceptable in quantity nor quality.

First off, our server seemed quite impatient. Now, we were talking among ourselves every time she approached, so I can understand a certain level of frustration, but you shouldn't express that if you are a server. I worked for many years in a restaurant, and I understand how difficult a job servers have, so I try to be as understanding as possible, but I expect the server to also put in some effort. We were there for lunch, so it wasn't the end of a long shift. The bottom line is she was inattentive, curt and impatient.

Without question, the beer is better than that served at Clocktower, Three Brewers, or Lowertown, and marginally better than most of Mill Street's offerings. Unfortunately, one pays more for less, as the IPA comes in a "less than a pint" glass for the price of a full pint elsewhere. Get the stout instead: you get a full pint. Compared to places like Mill Street or Lowertown, you are definitely paying a premium, and if your palate is forgiving, the difference in quality is not so great as to support the pricing.

Now, we went for lunch, and maybe the menu is different, but I think we ate most of the items - salad, pizza, sliders, chicken, flatbread - and the food did not score well. The price for the food was in keeping with other brew pubs, but the amount and quality of the food provided was very under par. The presentation, however, was fantastic (except for the chicken adobo, which was quite ironic, considering it was the best reviewed of the food). When the food came, care and attention had obviously gone into it's presentation.

The actually quality of the food did not match its presentation. The salad is anemic at best - slice an apple and pour some oil and vinegar on it and you're good. The huevos rancheros was really pathetic, lacking any kind of character and tasting more like condiments on pita than anything else. The pizza and sliders were fine, but not notable. The only positive reviews was for the chicken adobo, which was apparently quite good.

In the end, the dedicated driver was quite angry because if you weren't imbibing the overpriced beer, there was very little to recommend this venue. We will not be returning, which is a shame. I would have been very happy to have a brew pub in the area.

My suggestion is go to the LCBO, pick up some beer there, and go to the Korean diner just down the street on Bank. You'll save yourself some money, and while the ambience is absolutely worse, you'll get some good food that will fill you up and you can have some good beer for a decent...

I think it’s a first time ever I write a review on a restaurant. There are good and bad places, and I had different experiences with restaurants in the past, however Flora forced me into writing my very first review about my absolutely terrible experience with that place and their customer service. My fiancé loves craft breweries, and I thought it would be a good idea to take him along with couple family members to this place for a birthday pint. I contacted Flora and learned that they don’t take reservations, and we can simply drop in and they will accommodate us on a first come first serve basis. We decided to give it a try and were ready to be put on a waiting list and wait. When we came there on the birthday day, they told us the place is full, and waiting time is one hour. We were prepared for it and told them we can wait. However there is no waiting list, they don’t call or text and they simply told us we can’t even wait outside for our turn as there is no such a thing. We simply have to leave, come back in one hour and hope for the best. Great, thank you, Flora, that’s exactly what I want for my fiancé on his birthday, to wonder around for few hours hoping for the best. I must say it’s a very first time I experience such a bad and not accommodating service with a restaurant. To add, we almost left the place but I noticed that there was a couple of people waiting for the table inside. I came back and asked to speak with manager and if something can be done as they confirmed that couple was waiting for a table. I was greeted by a manager with very unwelcoming and even rude attitude. Her name is Alli and she said that she is a top manager and there is no one above her who I can speak to. She also told me that we are not allowed to wait because there are 4 of us but that couple is 2. I totally get the covid factor and limits inside the place for waiting but I said we are totally fine to wait outside if it guarantees our seating in one hour. I also asked why someone is allowed to be in line and wait, and someone like us gets turned away. The answer was, well, because there are just 2 of them but 4 of you, which did not make any sense to me. Are we now getting discriminated by the number of people who come into a restaurant? I think this place is totally overrated and does not appreciate their customers at all. Don’t waste your time, especially if you plan to celebrate an occasion there, my fiancé’s birthday was almost ruined. The only good thing about this place is the location, as there are tons of other great places in the area, and you can find much better and much more welcoming option once Flora management kicks you out. Well done Flora, great way to...