The Keg Steakhouse + Bar - Hunt Club — Restaurant in Ottawa

Wow where do I begin.

We reserved a table of 15 for 8:30 and arrived early at approximately 8:20. They didn’t have a table ready and insisted they’d seat a table of 10 and 5 separately and we said we’d wait for the proper service and table that we reserved. 20 minutes after our “supposed” reservation slot they did not listen to us and in fact tried to seat us separately anyways. As a person who has worked in the industry before I can tell you straight away that this was only done to push us out so they didn’t have to stay later when doors close at 10.

Upon FINALLY being seated properly it took the staff at least 10-15 minutes just to get bread and drinks out. When we ordered tequila shots they came in glasses on ice. They had been sitting out for so long the ice melted into the tequila and thus the shot was useless. Two girls ordered the same drink and got completely different ones. Both mixed terribly as both were pure grenadine.

My girlfriend and others ordered the Beef Wellington and Prime Rib and were told afterwards that it wasn’t available only to then learn from them after that apparently it WAS available! This is when we asked for the so called “manager” Emily to provide an expansion as to what was going on. She gave us a weak apology and said that the house would cover apps and drinks.

The servers were completely clueless of the menu as it said Wellington was to be served medium rare only for them to presumably ask if we wanted the Beef Wellington well done. Considering it came out well done anyways I’m sure they were asking the leading question to hopefully have us say “yes!” As the Wellington was most likely already overcooked and grey just like it came out.

When we finally got our entrees the plates were hotter than the food which obviously meant they were sitting out under a lamp waiting for servers to bring it out. There was clearly ZERO communication between the front and back of house along with management and anyone with a brain could tell we were being completely short-changed.

The cherry on top? When our bills came the apps and drinks were NOT covered and we had to ask for them to be removed! They did NOT honour their promise and instead only took the appetizers off. All of this was happening while the manager and kitchen staff sat at the bar waiting to leave.

I spent $140 on food and service that could’ve been better at McDonald’s. This was the first time I went to The Keg and was NOT impressed at the least. I cannot lie to myself and believe this service was a fluke. My gf and I will not be going to another Keg again. This was a disgrace to the food industry and Emily should be ashamed to even call herself a manager. I just hope others see this review and know to stay away from this franchise or at the very least...

Been to this keg a few times as we live nearby. Tonight was our last time and we won't be back. Food was ok, chain restaurant expensive steak place ok....but as the kegs reputation IS steak and atmosphere, i can think of numerous other places that are better at both (Chop, moxies, Joey's). Being a Saturday, we expected it to be busy and without a reservation we were told 45-to an hour when we showed up at 6pm. No problem, Saturday peak time, totally expected. However, they "reserve" the bar and we spent the next hour and 15 waiting for a bar spot, and sitting on a bus bench in the crowded lobby. At no point could we have a drink while we sat, no appetizers samplers were offered, no hospitality... Just an endless of stream of Ottawa's people of Walmart (who had made reservations unlike us) stroll in....does no one dress up for a nice meal anymore?? I guess crocs, socks, sweatpants and dirty sweaters are the new vibe? This contributes to a classy meets circus vibe for the restaurant as over half the people coming in while we waited were dressed for a trip to mcdonalds. We eventually were shuffled to the bar, and provided no drink menu or anything. The bartender was the friendliest person in the place serving us a menu and eventually a drink each. After about 15 minutes (so now 1.5 hours after arriving) we were greeted by another employee who pointed to our table and then followed us over. She then wondered away to get menus as we had not seen one yet. She returned and literally dropped the menus on the table and left. Then our server for dinner came along, she was obviously very busy. She did the bare minimum asking for our order and bringing bread. Someone else brought out food. We never saw her until she came by to ask if we wanted desert. The whole visit was extremely disappointing, the atmosphere is non-existent and the feeling was assembly line get you in and get you out. Not one person was overly accommodating or doing anything to make our visit enjoyable. I understand its Saturday evening and the place waa busy, but this visit is similar and consistent with the last two visits to this location, so on that note, we will not return to Hunt Club Keg, and definitely do not recommend if you are looking for a nice evening out to a classy steak place, as Hunt Club Keg is not that anymore! I'd recommend driving 2 min west and grabbing a...

Purpose : Date Night (it has been months since our last)

Place: We love the Keg due to its consistency and classic menu. They also have good seafood specials

Service : Fast and Friendly Five minutes : menus and introduction Ten minutes : Table water, Drinks ordered Fifteen minutes : Drinks arrive Twenty minutes : KEG table bread arrives hot and fresh And so on, considering how busy they actually were, well done!

Food : Keg Consistency as always, however!!!

Food Substitution/Changes : Minor changes or substitutions at this location saw my wife's favorite part of the garlic shrimp dish come without a brioche bun and with a sweet version of the house bread, which was not as good and could not hold a candle to the usual brioche.

The butter provided with the house bread was different than usual, it was whipped in it usual fashion but the garlic mix was strange and more sweet than usual almost like sugar had been added. .

Typically the Keg would give you regular butter that was a long time ago, then they switched to whipped butter which is awesome, now they are whipping it and adding garlic which I love. It is however a bit sweet, axe the sugar if it's there at all!

The tuna tartar was also lacking tiny little extra garnish like green onion and a fair amount sesame seeds which have been present at other locations on many other visits.

Meal summary :

Despite subs or small chnages our meals were fantastic, See below our order.

Drinks : Pinot noir x 2 Madri draft beer pint x 2 Table water

Apps : Garlic shrimp with cheese Tuna tartar

Mains : 10oz filet medium rare with garlic mash and seasonal veg (carrots and beens) 7oz filet medium with garlic mash and seasonal veg (carrots and beens)

Desert : Too full this time around but normally, go for the cheesecake, creme Brule, or Billy miner are my top three choices.

Total bill pre tip $245.00 Tip $40

They have adjusted their pos system to account for gift cards so you do not have to worry about tipping the restaurant staff on the remainder! The tip options consider any gift cards used.

Overall a great experience but not the BEST EVER!

Good location, would recommend...