OLE Tapas — Restaurant in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue

Ah, anniversaries—the perfect time for romance, fine dining, and apparently, a crash course in food roulette! My wife and I decided to celebrate our special day with what we thought would be a delectable charcuterie board at OLE Tapas. Priced at $60, it boasted a mouth-watering selection including, crucially, goat cheese. Given that my wife can’t digest cow’s milk without turning into an unwilling marathon runner, goat cheese was our safe bet.

Imagine our surprise when the board arrived, only for us to find out that the goat cheese was MIA. No warning, no heads-up, just a silent substitution that would make any cheese-loving connoisseur cry. Upon inquiring, we were told they “ran out.” Out of cheese, fine. Out of courtesy? Not so fine. You’d think someone would have mentioned this tiny detail before we started nibbling.

Our waiter, bless his heart, tried to “see what he could do.” Spoiler alert: not much. The initial offer was to take back some untouched cheese and charge us less—what a generous offer to recycle our food into someone else’s meal! Then came Plan B: a complimentary tapa. We cautiously asked for the veal meatballs, but again, out came the bombshell: no sheep’s milk cheese either, just more cow milk!

At this point, we wondered if we should bring a farm next time to ensure the ingredients are actually what they say on the menu. It’s one thing to tweak a recipe; it’s another to leave your customers in the dark, especially when it could end with them spending their anniversary in the bathroom rather than basking in romantic bliss.

So, dear diners, consider this a public service announcement: check with your waiter twice—maybe thrice—before assuming that what you see on the menu is what you’ll actually get. And as for OLE Tapas, here’s a little tip: transparency is as essential in your service as it is in your kitchen (even if you worked in Hell's Kitchen). False advertising and menu surprises don’t just leave a bad taste in your customers' mouths—they’re also downright dangerous.

(P.S. Thanks for the 35% discount, but as we told you directly we didn't need any financial compensation, we therefore tipped the server an additional 35% on top of his usual tip).

In conclusion, our anniversary became memorable for all the wrong reasons. And next time, we’ll probably skip the surprises and just order plain bread. At least we know what’s in...

It was one of those afternoons when the world seems to be conspiring to make you happy. The air was warm enough to sit outside without a jacket, the trees around Canal St-Anne just tipping into their brightest colors, and the patio at Ole Tapas felt like the center of a small universe. Everything carried a touch of magic, the soft light, the easy laughter, and the sense that nothing urgent existed beyond that meal. When Chef Nikolaos Giannakopoulos came to greet us, his pride felt contagious, the kind that does not need to be announced. Our waiter, equally passionate, made us feel as though we were guests of honor in a private performance, not just customers at lunch.

The food rose to meet that mood. Jamón serrano that tasted of tradition, anchored by a goat cheese spread so lush we tried to wrestle its secret recipe from the chef, only to be told we would have to wait until it appeared in their mercado. Pan con tomate transported me back to Seville, the patatas bravas offered a sauce more soulful than fiery, and the croquetas de bacalao arrived golden, crisp, and fresh. By the time we pushed the plates aside, four dishes had become more than enough, though the temptation of the menu kept tugging. I left already imagining the joy of returning with a larger group, so we could stretch the table with even more small plates.

And then came dessert, as if the day needed one more stroke of perfection. Chef gently persuaded us into churritos with dulce de leche, and there was no regret in giving in. The sauce was sweet but measured, like the tender hug of a mother, the kind that lingers after you have pulled away. The whipped cream, made in house, was light and cloudlike, dressed in a dusting of chocolate. Candied fruits and nuts scattered across the plate felt like a playful last word, a reminder that food can surprise even at the finish.

When we finally stood to leave, the patio view had not changed, but somehow it felt sharper, as if the trees and water had been colored in more vividly. The memory of that lunch will stay with me less for its perfection and more for its warmth, the kind of afternoon where you realize life’s best meals are never just...

We went 1st time 2 weeks ago with our kids...and we had a very good experience...we discussed with the owner...we said we were happy with the service and discussed how difficult it has been for them with the covid restrictions.....that is why we came back after 1 week and brought our friends together (one couple). We arrive at 19:50 requesting a table for 6 and outside on the veranda. The restaurant has tables for 2 and 4....as the tables became available they were given to customers that came after us. At 20:15 the owner informs us that she cannot set us up a table for 6 outside....and she only has one table of 6 inside which seems that will not become available soon as people were still eating (she was trying diplomaticlaly to guide us away from her restaurant).....we said that there is not problem at all and that we would like to be seated in 2 different tables...one for 2 (our 2 teenage kids) and one for 4 (2 couples)....this is at 20:15....she says OK......as tables of 2 get free they continue to be assigned to couple customers that continue to arrive after us.....I tell her that the next table for 2 should be given to our 2 kids,,,,she says OK.....5 minutes later.she comes back asking the age of our kids (2nd attempt to lead us away fro her restaurant)...we answer...she says OK.....then after 5 minutes she comes back and she says that the kids will have to eat immediately without waiting for us to be assigned a table of 4 (3rd attempt to lead away)....we said OK.....last conversation happened at 20:25.....we stayed outside waiting until 20:50...a table was available...she never talked to us...and she never came to give us the table.....we graciously left to go to another place after having waited bor 1 hour...and having been treated with discrimination.......what a shame to treat your customers like that....and especially in a country like Canada......and the funny thing is that we took our friends telling them what a nice new restaurant we had discovered the...