Tennessy Willems — Restaurant in Ottawa

If it was possible to leave 3 and a half stars, it would have been done. Anyways, now on with the review.

I had worked here for a short-time, and during a time where unprecedented challenges were commonplace. I had a positive outlook on Tennessy Willems with the hopes of advancement opportunities where hard-work and dedication would pay off over time. However, I had come on board at a very complicated time just before the patio was disassembled for the season and at a time where everyone was fighting for hours and financial survival. The free food was very helpful in the process and it was among the best pizza in all of Ottawa.

In my point of view and with all-due-respect, it was totally unnecessary to bring in more staff in a time where "everyone was fighting for hours". I do not know much about business, but I would have done whatever I could to give the staff the hours that they needed to meet the cost of living. Ottawa is quite an expensive city and working as little 11-12 hours a week was not going to do it. At first dishwashers were excluded from the tipping pool, but I presume that they are now part of the tipping pool. Dishwashers are also the backbone of food service and restaurants and that they deserve more respect.

I had met some great people here, and were quite passionate about their work. This was the type of workplace that I really wanted to be a part of, but the fair game was not all there in the end. Staff had lost hours because of over-staffing, who were then forced to look for second or other jobs and this was quite concerning because to me this exemplified the concept of "entitlement and favoritism reigning over hard work and dedication" and that the staff who put Tennessy Willems on the pizza map of Ottawa deserved a fair hourly wage with semi part-time or full-time hours.

I do not know if things changed for the better at Tennessy Willems after the unceremonious parting of ways and do not plan on revisiting anytime soon because of the "your check will be mailed" remark by the now-former kitchen manager, who made it clear that I was banned, but this was all for the greater good in the end.

Despite my own unprecedented experience, I would still recommend Tennesy Willems for any pizza enthusiasts, but this is only possible if the owner is not overly-present at the bar rambling about too much lettuce is on an overpriced Caesar salad or other nonsense within an earshot of the patrons and staff, because this only drives down the anticipated ambient experience. Whenever possible the patio offers up a better dine-in experience away from unnecessary drama on the inside.

Thank y'all for reading and good luck with your experience at...

Had been wanting to try this place for a while…

Well sorry not sorry but this was a huge disappointment.

The Cesar salad was pretty gross, too much vinegar not enough creaminess, had a hair on the cheese, it had a somewhat foul taste, so we didn’t finish it. Should mention my salad had a small hair, I left it on a plate on top of the peace of cheese it was on and didn’t say anything waiting to see what the waitress would say, she didn’t notice and I didn’t feel like having that convo in the cramped quarters. Also worth mentioning Cesar came out extremely fast, so not sure if it sat…

The pizzas was edible, onions were all cut to different lengths (ya I know I’m too picky), didn’t have enough cheese in my opinion, toppings were not great, bread was nice and crispy and was cooked nicely with good dough (based on taste).

Service was good, quick, friendly, courteous.

Music was a little too loud, the seating was incredibly and uncomfortably cramped.

Prices were higher than I would expect based on the quality of food.

We were craving pizza and wanted to try this place while in the area, honestly probably won’t go back based on the food and my stomach pains a few hours after…

I had great experience at pizza nerds which is where I should have gone, nothing ventured nothing gained I suppose, I know better for next time I’m craving wood...

recently listed in the Top 10 pizza places in Ottawa, I was anxious to try out Tennessy Willems. Picked a lovely Monday evening and was encouraged by the crowd. Easy street parking too ! Less than warm greeting upon arrival and told the wait would be 45 minutes - I think in an effort to actually encourage us to leave. It only took 10 minutes to get a table and there were another 3 available to choose from ... Our server appeared promptly but seemed surprised that we were not ready to order yet - hadn't even had a chance to crack the menu - but perhaps they are used to regulars here. We ordered Helen's and the Margherita which arrived quickly but a tad burnt in areas. I get that wood oven pizza is inconsistent by nature but this was disappointing. The flavour of the pine nuts was lovely on the Helen's but I did prefer the Margherita. However, we could not overlook the fact that the pizzas were very dry even though the toppings were quite plentiful if not that flavourable. Tried the dipping oil and garlic dip but neither really helped. Interesting menu variations so perhaps we chose the wrong ones ... The music was very loud with staff also singing at the top of their lungs at times making it difficult to have a conversation. I applaud their efforts to use local and interesting ingredients but will not be in a...