Grounded Kitchen, Coffee & Bar — Restaurant in Ottawa

The staff here clearly have fun and put a lot of love into their craft!

I was there for lunch, and I had dill pickle drumsticks with sherri maple flavour. They brine all of their drumsticks for 24 hours in dill that they pickle themselves! The flavour combination between dill and maple was very unique. Something I had not seen before elsewhere.

The service here is fantastic! The staff really want you to enjoy your food, and genuinely take an interest in your opinions of their dishes. My servers, Derek and (I apologize if I botch the spelling) Aliya, were so authentic and genuine! Qualities you love to see in the service industry.

I originally went in for food simply because I was hungry, and left with more food than I intended. After having lunch, I got one of their toffee cookies to-go, which tasted amazing once I microwaved it back home! This spot is a half-resturant, half-cafe, so of course I also got some coffee to go, and this place has no limits! I tried a "bullet-coffee" for the first time, which is just a double shot of espresso with coconut oil and butter. Apparently, it improves cognitive function and metabolism - making it particularly good for those on a keto diet. Also, to all eco-conscious coffee lovers out there, if you bring your own mug, they reduce your costs by $0.50.

Finally, this place supports local artists, placing handmade mugs on display for sale. You pick up a mug from the shelf, find a business card inside, and e-transfer the cost of the mug to the business owner, which I think is an adorable an ingenious way of supporting small and local business owners!

I definitely would not mind going back to try their designed...

SERVICE - Went there for dinner with a friend. Service is absolutely amazing. Our waitress was warm helpful and just overall great! The service was so on point...you're not interrupted while eating or talking and you're not rushed out!

FOOD - My friend and I ordered the double bbq plate and a side of fries.

I do need to admit I'm not an avid meat lover but my friend is. We got the chicken, brisket and shrimp, you can choose 3 proteins and it comes with coleslaw beans and cornbread.

Overall I would rate the food at 3/5 the fries were a solid 5/5.

Our brisket was overcooked so the waitress didnt even question it she brought us a few new pieces. The new ones were delicious! Soft and perfect amount of fat.

The owner came as we just finished the new brisket and apologized, explained what may have happened and immediately told us we aren't paying for the meal. He gave us some brisket pieces to take home. Honestly I was shocked! I have never encountered this in Ottawa.

The owner coming and doing that made me want to buy coffee beans...something I had thought about but I didn't need. I wanted to support for his generosity in doing that so we got talking about the beans and I grabbed one.

AMBIANCE- Cute patio! Really private and overall cozy at night. It's what mainly attracted me and got me to want to try the place!

THANK YOU AMIR for turning the night around...we would have been happy to pay and appreciated you coming to apologize but going the extra mile really left us with a good memory and we will likely be back to try your...

Wish I could rate it separately for food and service, so I have to settle on 3 stars, but it should be 5/5 for the food and 1/5 for the service. So first the food: daily feature panino (chicken, avocado, bacon) was superb! Bread was fresh, bacon was crispy, avocado was plentiful - just wonderful! And the chef seemed very pleasant too. Lunch prices certainly seemed reasonable for a downtown restaurant. Now the bad part… while courteous enough our server was extremely inattentive. No one paid any attention when we entered and so after standing in the doorway like idiots we had to ask if we should seat ourselves. Once the food came the server never once returned to check on us. When I decided I wanted a glass of wine after my meal I had to go in from the patio to order it from someone who didn't seem to be familiar with their own wine selection, then I had to carry it back to the table myself. It was about 90 minutes away from their closing time but it felt like we were keeping them closing and going home early - especially when the window/opening into the patio slammed shut while we were still outside. Since the food and chef were wonderful I think next time I'll make my order to go so the servers won't be...