The Barley Mow (Kanata) — Restaurant in Ottawa

For the first time since outdoor patios opened, I rode my bike to the Barley Mow in Kanata on the afternoon of July 22/20 and decided to have a drink and a snack. When I arrived, I noticed that the tables were very well separated keeping the customers physically distant from each other as per regulations. The young waitress who greeted me was wearing a mask. She allowed me to bring my bike inside the fenced area and told me that I did not need to wear while I was on the patio. I chose a table where I could stay at least 6 feet away from the servers and other customers. I then noticed there was another, slightly older waitress who was wearing her face mask under her chin! She was serving customers and speaking to customers all without keeping a minimum of 6 feet away from them. Because neither the customers or her were wearing a mask, the risk of transmission of the virus was obviously there. This behaviour continued throughout the 1/2 hour I was there. Obviously it had been going on before and continued after I left. When it was time for me to pay my bill, this same waitress who was not wearing her mask, came to my table with the ATM portable machine. She was right at my table before I had a chance to realize she was coming. I immediately asked her to step back because I did not feel comfortable with the fact she was not wearing a mask. She politely stepped back, wiped off the machine and left. I did not see her again. I left quickly and will definitely not be returning there.

I have now witnessed first hand that this type of employee behaviour being allowed by restaurant owners and managers combined with the relaxed inhibitions of customers under the influence of alcohol, is very clearly one of the many reasons why covid-19 cases are spiking...

Went there last night with our family. We ordered the kids food first and drinks. 20 minutes later only 1 person had received her drink. Took 30 minutes for all of us to receive them. The kids were thirsty and hungry and it took 1 hour before receiving any food. The waitress was nice but she was inexperienced. She confirmed our orders 3 times and wrote everything down and still came back to our table confused. The place had us, one other large group and a few people at the bar. No reason why it should have taken this long. The fish and chips were good but the Tipsy stew was basically gravy with mashed potatoes and bread (missing meat and veggies stated on the menu). The Malaysian chicken was basically pasta noodles with a little chicken drowning in sauce that was watered down. My daughter was walking beside one of the tables (which is supported by 3 legs only-not safe) and went to hold on to one and it fell on her. Shattered a glass. When the waitress came over to clean it up she said that this was the 3rd time today that one of their tables fell over because they are poorly built! 3rd time! (If the restaurant is aware it is a safety issues, they should fix it before someone else gets hurt). After our meal the kids were waiting for the waitress to come around and ask which desert they wanted (it was supposed to be included in the kids meal). She never came. Nor did she come with our bills. We got tired of waiting and one by one we went to pay at the bar. Waste of money. The whole experience left us...

It was okay and my first time ever eating here. Sat down at 12:20PM, had food by 1:40PM. I was with others who all generally ordered the same. Meat was pink undercooked but still safe to consume and I usually don't complain. Order was messed up. I upgraded to Poutine since I was worried about food amount (I eat once per day and I didn't know what it was like there), but only received regular fries and still billed for it. Condiments were wrong too. Burger and fries were adequate.

Our waitress was very nice though. By around 1:15PM, it was mostly empty wait staff hanging around chatting. I guess they didn't believe in refills. They go fast because of the amount of ice too. It was unfortunate seeing all of the available staff, but not checking on refills or fixing errors.

Considering the high costs of the food, I assumed decent food serving sizes and quality of food and service. But they were small and also very inconsistent between plates (e.g. fries and sides with main dish.) Everyone was really surprised by the menu prices. Very high even with inflation.

I left still hungry. If someone else is paying, I might go there for free food. But my first visit was disappointing and I have no plans...