Jack Astor's Bar & Grill Lansdowne — Restaurant in Ottawa

A Disappointing Experience at Jack Astor's Lansdowne

I’ve always been a fan of Jack Astor’s, but my recent visit to the Lansdowne location completely changed my perspective. A few weeks ago, after returning from a deployment and enjoying a successful fight night at Lansdowne, I decided to host a celebration with my family and friends at this restaurant. Sadly, what should have been a joyous occasion turned into a frustrating experience.

Upon arriving, I ordered a round of premium tequila for everyone. My wife opted out, so I took her shot as well, bringing my total to two drinks. Shortly after, I attempted to order a few bottles of wine for our group, only to be informed by the waiter that the manager had decided to cut me off. This decision baffled me, as I had only consumed two drinks and was hosting the celebration.

I tried to discuss the matter with the waiter, clearly upset but respectful. Unfortunately, the decision stood, and even my friend’s attempt to mediate only resulted in permission for me to stay in the restaurant—but with no further alcohol service. To make matters worse, the manager refused to speak with me or provide an explanation for the decision. We suspect the issue might have been related to the volume of our group, but we were celebrating late at night and weren’t disturbing anyone.

Despite this, our waiter provided excellent service, and the food was fantastic. However, the lack of respect and poor handling of the situation by management overshadowed the positives of the evening.

While I’m not one to hold grudges, I can confidently say I won’t be returning to any Jack Astor’s location in the future. My friends, many of whom are business owners, feel the same way. Respect is a cornerstone of hospitality, and this was a clear failure on the part of Jack Astor’s Lansdowne.

I hope management reflects on this poor decision and learns from it, as it’s a shame to see such potential for a great night...

My husband and I attended prior to the Red Blacks game Oct 18th/25 and there were MANY open tables both inside and outside. They don't take pre-game reservations! Upon arrival we were told there would be a 20 minute wait, despite the MANY open tables. Perhaps this should have been our first tip that something was missing. We decided to wait based on the menu. Once seated we were greeted by a kind waiter, who stated he was new, and he said he would be with us in about 10 minutes to take our order, given the business of the restaurant. In the end, our waiter was great, and the service was excellent. This was the best part of our experience. The rest was 1 star. Our food came quick. But our food was horrible especially for the price. We ordered the veggie nachos and 2 veggie burgers (hold the meat) .. one with poutine and the other smashed potatoes. The veggie burger was absolutely horrible, it was thin and teeming with cumin and absolutely no flavor. The toppings added nothing. The burgers tasted frozen. The poutine was very small, included a couple cheese curds and the gravy that appeared to be out of a can and they charged $5 extra for it instead of the included fries. The smashed potatoes were semi cooked and looked boiled and they had chopped onions. My husband had a couple bites and didn't touch the rest. I had a Stella that was $11.50 and my husband's 2 VERY small Ceasar's were $25!!!!! At this price these days, I base whether I come back to a restaurant on what I can make at home and there is NO WAY I would ever return to this place. We paid $160 for this meal including tip. We will eat at home the next time. ...

Took my son to see an Ottawa Blackjacks CEBL basketball game on a Thursday night. Made a reso for 6pm, place wasn't full but it was busy. We asked to sit outside and enjoy the atmosphere of some live music and the overall Landsdowne area. Probably 40+ seated tables outdoors and a SINGLE server for them all. Took about 15 minutes to get our drink order placed, and we ordered food at the same time. I also asked for a couple of crayons so my son could doodle on his kids menu while we waited. We ordered a kids gluten free cheeseburger/fries (kids menu), and a chicken and goat cheese wrap. We didn't get the crayons until about 6:45, then our food arrived 2 minutes after that, a full 47 minutes. By this point it's approaching 7pm and the game starts in 30 minutes. I asked for extra ketchup (see pictures) since they give you about a teaspoon's worth and a mountain of fries (they were tasty). But don't count on the extra condiment showing up. Service was non-existent as it was clear the single server was way too busy to be running the entire patio alone. The food was overall at best a 4/10 and we had to pay when it arrived to avoid waiting another 15 minutes for the server to show up with the machine. My son had fun, he couldn't care less. But the experience was poorly managed by the restaurant, especially given that it was a game day they needed more...