Montana’s BBQ & Bar — Restaurant in Ottawa

A perfect little bit of everything

We felt venturous and decided to try the new Montanas in Barrhaven during one of the busiest days of all: Mother’s Day. We were told our waiting time was going to be between 45 minutes to an hour. My joke of ‘we don’t have a reservation and we need a table for 16 people’ was received with shy smiles..

Never the less, only 15 minutes later, we were sitting at our table! So far, great!

We showed up around 6PM, in an effort to avoid hungry hordes as we anticipated that was going to be a busy day. Our gamble and lack of planning paid up.

The ambiance was great. Lots of daylight; the music was soft enough so to allow us to have a conversation, and we were welcomed by friendly smiles. Staff seems very busy at all times, but our order was taken in a reasonable amount of time, and our food arrived promptly, well presented and still steaming.

We had nachos. We haven’t had those in a while; I don’t know if we were just too hungry but they tasted great! The ratio sauce-meat was perfect. I believe they used a combination of cheeses, because they balanced very well with savory warm and fresh tortilla chips. Honestly, one of the best nachos I have had in a long time.

We ordered the usual: hamburgers, pasta. My wife ordered the sirloin steak and I ordered the big smoked platter.

My kids went silent. This is always a good indication that the food is good. My wife steak was perhaps a bit more cooked than she ordered it (Medium well). I tried the last piece on her plate and I did find it was well cooked. I don’t like well cooked meat but I must confess that the piece I tried was very flavourful. She said her food was very tasty.

My food was well balanced too. A good balance of spiciness and flavour. I had pulled pork, sausage, shrimps, ribs with a very generous portion of crispy Cajun onions. This combination was full of flavours! The BBQ apple sauce introduced an interesting twist and combined the whole beautifully. I hadn’t eaten all day. Despite this, I couldn’t finish my plate. I had to take the ribs home. That illustrates the large quantity of food that we were served.

In summary, we will definitely go back to this Montanas’ location some time soon. My kids and wife also enjoyed the desserts (Cookie in a skillet, ice cream and fresh-and-steamy doughnuts). The personal was very friendly and checked on us periodically (while giving us the proper amount...

Cheers Lee,

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and for me, that place has been Montana's with Lee at the helm. Just like Sam Malone in 'Cheers,' Lee has a unique talent for making everyone feel like family. With his quick wit and infectious sense of humor, he can turn even the hardest day into a bright one. He knows us all by name and has an impeccable taste in beer that keeps me coming back for more.

Lee's leadership has been nothing short of outstanding. He has cultivated and raised a wonderful staff that mirrors his own dedication and warmth. Notably, Matt, whose regulars always appreciate the little touches like a chilled glass or an extra side plate without needing to ask. Dakota’s big energy always makes me feel like a main character, whether I’m in her section or not. And Ozi’s spider sense for pop culture is the kind of chit-chat I hope to hear bouncing off the walls of my favorite watering hole.

Lee has a knack for uncovering hidden gems and turning the ordinary into something extraordinary. One day, he casually suggested pairing cornbread with maple syrup, a combination I had never considered. It was as if he handed me a key to a hidden door, revealing a simple yet life-changing delight. I thought cornbread was good before, but Lee’s recommendation elevated it to a whole new level. This is just one example of how he’s added small yet significant joys to my visits.

To commemorate Lee's time at this location, I rendered this piece capturing the essence of my beloved Montana's. In the painting, Lee stands second from the left, a reminder of the warmth and camaraderie he brought to us all.

As Lee moves on to manage another location, I want to express my deepest gratitude. His presence will be sorely missed, but the impact he's made on my little corner of the world will never fade. So here's to you, Lee – the Sam Malone of Montana's. You’ve made my 'watering hole' a place where everybody knows my name, and even if it is a hard name to forget, I will always remember you for it.

Cheers to new beginnings, and thank you for all the memories.

WEAR YOUR INSIDE...

We had a reservation for 9 people for dinner at 7pm on Thursday January 2, 2025. Several persons in our party arrived at 6:58pm only to be informed by the overwhelmed hostess after a 5 minute wait that she would need to bus tables and it would be another 10 minutes before our table would be ready. At 7:25pm we were finally seated... the restaurant was not that busy at 7pm, although it may have been earlier. wWhen we arrived the restaurant was about half full but there were a lot of dirty tables that had not been cleaned and reset. Once seated our server Matt did appear after 5 to 10 minutes, introduced himself and took our drink and appetizer order as well as our main entrees. The drinks arrived in about 5 minutes and the 2 spinach dips arrived about 10 minutes later luke warm. Matt and several other servers returned about 20 minutes later with the 7 entrees that were ordered. This appeared to be a good sign, however all of them were luke warm. There were burgers, a steak entre and a rib platter, all of which had seasoned fries or regular fries that were almost cold. When we were seated and even when the food arrived we still had not been given our cutlery and had to request it twice before it arrived at our table. Our server Matt only came by once after we finished our entrees to see if anyone wanted dessert. We were never asked if we wanted refills on our drinks until Matt came back to ask about desserts, but by this time we were just ready to leave. Our party ended up only being 7 people but we still spent over $30 per person for a very disappointing dining experience. My partner and I on a regular basis enjoy eating at Montana's. It is usually the one on Merivale Road, at which we have always had Great, friendly and attentive servers and service. Our drink order is taken right away and the food comes out hot. We will not be frequenting the Barrhaven...