Mandy's — Restaurant in Ottawa

Mandy’s is a charming and eclectic little salad shop, though it leans a bit on the consumeristic side with “Mandy’s” branded merchandise at every corner. The staff were wonderfully attentive and helpful, which was especially appreciated given the high level of activity.

I ordered The Steak salad and a black Americano to go. My order was ready in about 15 minutes (quite fast considering the crowd).

The coffee was fine, but nothing special. It’s made from an automated espresso machine, so if you’re looking for a better cup of coffee, I’d recommend heading a few steps over to Ten Toes instead.

The salad cost $30, which some argue could be reasonable for one featuring steak, a pricier ingredient. I have a pecan allergy and asked for them to be left out; the staff noted it clearly and even offered to substitute something else (I declined), which I appreciated.

As for the salad itself, it was just okay. The avocado dressing was bland and lacked depth. There was a large clump of Boursin cheese that made it hard to mix evenly. The roasted sweet potatoes were undercooked (surprisingly so, given how small they were), and I could barely taste the crispy onions. On the positive side, the steak portion was pretty ok, sliced thin, and very tender, though it lacked seasoning and sear (I assume likely because it’s pre-cooked elsewhere and served cold).

My favourite part was the lettuce, incredibly fresh, light, and crisp. You can tell they use high-quality greens, and that really stood out.

Overall, I wouldn’t go back to Mandy’s for a salad, as I wasn’t fully impressed given the price. It’s a stylish spot with great service, but the food didn’t quite live up...

I was so excited when Mandy’s finally opened in Ottawa! I’ve tried their Montreal locations and loved them. Unfortunately, this location doesn’t live up to the same standard.

I’ve been three times now, and each time there was something wrong or missing with my order. The first time, I waited about 40 minutes for my salad, only to get home and realize it had the wrong dressing. I had ordered regular ranch but was given the jalapeño ranch instead. It was so spicy I couldn’t eat it! The salad itself was about 3/4 full and looked wilted, more like a bagged salad than what you’d expect from Mandy’s. I felt like I’d wasted $35.

I decided to give it another chance, thinking maybe it was just a bad day. I went back a few weeks later at an off time (around 3 p.m.), but after waiting 50 minutes with no food, I had to ask for a refund because I was about to be late for an appointment.

Still wanting to like the place, I gave it one last shot. I planned extra time, waited 45 minutes, and ended up with another underfilled, messy, wilted salad that was missing ingredients and looked nothing like what’s shown on their social media or what I’ve had in Montreal.

Sadly, I won’t be going back. For the same price, you’re better off going to Lollo Salads in the market. I’m really disappointed because I genuinely wanted this to work out.

Side note: The front-of-house staff have always been very kind and understanding. The manager on duty seemed stressed and overwhelmed. I hope the team knows they’re doing their best despite the...

TLDR: overpriced for what is offered, possibly long wait times, great great customer service, beautiful design and aesthetic, might be out of your favorite options because they can’t plan ahead.

First off, I’d love to say the customer service was excellent! To the point where I had to make sure to ask the name of the person that helped us, Kanishka. He was very observing, kind and very helpful. This guy will be going places!

As for the food, the salad I had was the seared tuna, the tuna itself and dressing tasted great! My problem is the small portion size of the tuna and the incredibly long wait time.

We got there at 17:00P.M. And the place was only half full. We asked for 2 salads which they said they’ve ran out of. Seriously? You run out 4 hours before closing?

We had to change our choices (they tasted great btw) and had to wait for more than 30 minutes (which is a huge management problem considering salads are 90 percent prepped during mise-en-place). Also noteworthy that none of the staff let us know that we might have a long wait time.

The price is too high for what is offered. The tables are too small. And the management definitely doesn’t know what’s going on in terms of how many customers they are gonna get during the first few years.

I get it, the kitchen staff are new and that explains the long wait time, but I don’t get how you run out of 2 items hours before closing, this shows lack of proper planning from...