Via Cibo — Restaurant in Ottawa

I used to love Fiazza, so when I heard Via Cibo was opening in the same location and promoting a $10 pasta deal all day for their Grand Opening, I was eager to check it out. Unfortunately, my experience fell short of expectations.

I ordered the Gnocchi Gorgonzola with Pancetta, thinking it would be part of the $10 promotion. The signs and social media posts promoting the deal didn’t mention any exclusions, so I was surprised to find out after looking at my receipt that the dish didn’t qualify. I wasn’t informed about this at the counter, and it felt misleading, especially for a Grand Opening.

To back this up, I’ve included a screenshot from one of their social media post and a photo of my receipt.

Feeling hungry, I also tried the garlic bread. It was just okay. It wasn’t pre-cut, it was fairly greasy, and it wasn’t anything remarkable.

As for the gnocchi, while it looked appetizing, it was incredibly salty. I found myself drinking a lot of water to handle the excessive saltiness. Even more frustrating, despite having more staff than customers, no one came by to refill my water glass, even though they walked past and saw it was empty.

A Grand Opening is an opportunity to create a great first impression, but this visit left me wishing Fiazza was still around. They offered better quality food, were upfront about their prices, and took care of the little details, like refilling...

Review to follow, but these guys are clearly faking their reviews. Check how many reviews mention the phrases "on point" "hits the spot" "hits different" "hidden gem" "straight fire" "fr fr" or use the term "vibes" or "authentic." Also.. this "hidden gem" has only been open for like 2 weeks and they're touching on 250 reviews? there are restaurants that have been here in Barrhaven that have been open for for nearly a quarter of a century that don't even have that many reviews.

Ordered through uber eats, the alfredo penne the pomodoro spaghetti, and some cheesy garlic bread. Both pasta dishes were bland af with barely any sauce on either and the garlic bread was mad greasy. For the price, even with the penne and spaghetti being BOGO, this was a complete rip off. Could legit do better with a box of Barelli and a can of Hunts...

I came in craving Alfredo pasta with garlic sticks, but was told it would be served as a weekend combo. I agreed, expecting garlic sticks as described. Instead, they brought garlic bread with cheese—something I specifically don’t like and didn’t ask for.

When I tried to explain the mix-up, the supervisor was dismissive and insisted I had to accept the dish as it was. He raised his voice and made me feel uncomfortable, refusing to make any changes. The interaction was unpleasant and unnecessarily aggressive.

I ended up taking my food and leaving the restaurant, feeling frustrated and disappointed. This experience completely ruined my day. I’m writing this from my car, still shocked by how poorly I was treated. No one should be forced to accept something they didn’t order, especially not with that kind...