Wise Town Cafe — Restaurant in Ottawa

A small group of us went to Wise Town Cafe's "Whisky after dark", and we would not go again. The main issue was price transparency, so here are the numbers, in case you're considering attending their events.

Hi, in response to the Cafe's response to my review, I assure you I was there :) The details are accurate. The person who served us the whiskey was called Alex, wearing a green suit, and the person who came to the table with the machine had wavy hair and a vest with black lace in the back. We didn't get their name. I can provide more details about the event if you doubt I was there. One person bought the tickets for our whole group. Our group is also likely in the photos your photographer was taking throughout the event. Also, while the tickets said there would be a saxophone player, it was actually a violinist and a piano player.

We bought tickets online in advance for $60/person. Service was slow. In over 2 hours, we each only had: 2 drinks, and 2 bite-sized canapes. In total, we paid about $100/person.

The whole evening was odd and uncomfortable. We left feeling ripped off.

The event description vaguely said that food and drinks were included. However, we eventually found out that not all of what we were offered was covered by the ticket. Extra charges weren't mentioned when things were offered or brought to us. There were no menus or price lists. When we asked about pricing, the staff couldn't answer us and got annoyed, as if it's a weird question. One person said they'd check... And then ghosted us. We waited. And waited. Then we left to try to salvage the evening, even though it was only about the half way point of the event.

So unless you're willing to pay whatever surprise bill they bring you, and wait over an hour per drink, you may be as disappointed as we were.

In the end: the $60 ticket included one cocktail and 2 canapes; the "tasting" was one 1oz glass of whiskey which, with tax and 20% tip, came to about $35/person.

So the $60 ticket was basically a very expensive cover charge + a drink ticket.

They weren't transparent about what they were offering and what they were charging. When we asked questions, their answers were vague and, frankly, misleading. And then, without us asking, they randomly brought us the machine to pay, without a bill, and they couldn't explain what the amount covered... It just made things so awkward, especially since we were only half way through the event.

To be clear, while that is a wild cover charge for a coffee shop, the issue was not the price. Charge what you want, just be upfront about it.

It was also baffling to us that there weren't enough tables (even though you had to buy tickets, so they knew in advance how many people were attending). And at no point did they ask to see our tickets...?

There was live music but because of the layout and where we were, it might as well have been a distant radio.

Other people were visibly just as uncomfortable and confused as we were. Things were very disorganized.

Even days later, we're still in awe of how bad the whole experience was. Again, charge what you want, but the higher the price, the higher the...

Wow! The person who opened this business really wanted their investment to pay off as soon as possible. The prices are literally twice as much as you would pay elsewhere - not only in Canada but worldwide. I just took a trip to Vienna in December and even the fanciest restaurants or coffee shops there did not seem as expensive as this place (value for money wise). That’s not the worst part. They only have waiters to pick up your used dishes from tables but do not bring you your food, and don’t dare to ask why, they say “that’s the way it is” in other words “you are screwed and you shall remain screwed”. They tell you “cone back to the end of the counter in a few minutes to get your order”. They take too long so you have to get up from your table at least twice only to find out your order is not ready, then you give them more buffer time and when your order is finally ready, then it’s cold on top of that because your timing in picking up your expensive order was terrible. On top of that they give you a nasty look as if saying “about time for you to clear our counter space “. The food was very good I must say, but you’d have to be an absolute idiot and have no respect for what earning your money means to come back to this place and give your money away in return of horrible service. I feel so angry at myself for leaving a tip (for what?). I just left one out of decency and decor. People don’t seem to care as the place is packed, good for them, I guess, but this is definitely a rip off regarding value for money. $16 dolars for a tiny sandwich which Quality is just a bit above those at places like the Scone Witch ($7.50) and they deliver it to your table with a smile. I bet the owner also pays miserable wages to employees as they transmit such misery to customers in how they treat you, you almost feel as if they’re doing you a favour. The word WISE in the name of the business suits perfectly. Run by true wise guys. In the corrupt way of the word. It could’ve well been named “stupid customers”. Once was...

The employee who served me was really sweet. I love the seating choices and I love that it’s an open-late caffe. It was a little hard to find parking so going back is not going to be easy. Also the higher prices (compared to the average caffe) also makes it hard to want to return. Average cups of coffees are 5$ meanwhile they are selling their drinks for 10.

I got a lavender matcha because I’ve heard it’s all the rage this spring and I really didn’t like it. The matcha flavour was a little too much on the sweet/nutty/dull side (rather than bitter/tea/grassy which I wouldn’t have minded) and the lavender flavour reminded me of vanilla. It might be a me problem considering I don’t like vanilla. But if you like sweet drinks I’m sure this would be the one.

I’m more of a coffee person so I went back to try their latte and naturally, I’d say I liked it a lot better than the Matcha. It’s quite unique and tastes very strong and fragrant (almost spicy). Not as velvety and savoury as I tend to love, but paires well with food.

I love to balance the bitterness of coffee with treats so I tried their “chocolate crunch pyramid” and that was REALLY good. It’s a little pricy but otherwise it’s perfect. Great chocolate flavour, the “crunchy” components are not overwhelming at all and a great touch. I also love how it looks haha...