Ottawa Foodies

I love this restaurant. The food is amazing. The gnocchi is perfect! I find the price to be very reasonable for the quality of the food. That said the decor needs work. They could really use a bit of a makeover. However the ugly decor will not keep me away because the food is great.

Went here for romantic dinner. Food was top notch, chef made a puttanesca for my husband (was on menu of web site but had been taken off) and I had a pasta with pork cheeks that was really lovely. The amuse bouche at the beginning was delightful. Service was fine but overextended (surprisingly full on a blustery Tuesday night). Atmosphere doesn't do the food justice, missing a level of attention (fiddling with lighting, cheap decor) that I assume is all spent on the food. Price reasonable for this kind of place.

This is a place for foodies, not people looking for a bargain (or appetizers that serve two!)

I went here two Fridays ago after making a reservation on line 45 minutes before arriving.
I'v heard the ads on Live 88.5 for this restaurant so I gave it a go. Other tast bud challenged reviewers from Ottawa give this place rave reviews. I had the elk ravioli. It tasted like stewed beef with no flavor with carrots mixed in. It was one large ravioli more like a Jamacain roti than ravioli but had no real flavor. Did the chef forget about Italian herbs? We had the prosciutto appatizer. I'm used to an appatizer being for two people but this was for a child more of like a peice of art work. I left this restaurant hungy after spending $90 on dinner for two. I don't mind expensive eats but I expect to be full and not just a plate worthy of a picture. Service was also bad having to wait an hour for our meal. I can leave this place for the rolex mercedes crowd.

Hello All,

Just got back from lunch today. After reading all those great posts and the review from the Citizen I had high expectations. But I found it disappointing. The service was very slow and the waitress seemed very hurried and harried. I am willing to overlook so-so service if the food is great but...

I had a minestrone soup which was not much better than something out of a can. For the main I had the pasta with sun dried tomatoes, chicken and goats cheese. The pasta was overcooked and they were very skimpy with the chicken and sun dried tomatoes.

I don't know if they were just having an off day or if I ordered the wrong dishes but it was nothing special. However since the concept is great, I will try again and hope that today was really just an off day.

S

I went to Napo with a friend for dinner last night. We had a fabulous meal.

First of all they have a great selection of Italian style cocktails that you don't often see. Some are standard but some were unique.

I had a Campari and soda to start and my friend had a frozen Frangelico and cream martini. A nice start to the meal. Love trying new things.

For our appetizers I had the creamy corn chowder soup. This was to die for. Perfect consistency and small cubes of potatoes to give it the chowder angle.
My friend had the crab stuffed ravioli with roasted corn and herbs (?). This is an appetizer sized portion and consisted of 3 ravioli’s. I tasted it and it was very good.

For mains: I had the Cannelloni stuffed with duck. It was topped with a tomato sauce and whipped ricotta cheese and arugula. Smoked duck on the side. This was light and fresh and tasty. My only complaint is that there was not very much duck inside the cannelloni.
To accompany this I had a glass of the 2006 Ceste Barbera d'Alba, Piemonte. It was a full bodied red that went well with the duck.
My friend had the house made gnocchi with proscuitto and gorgonzola. She raved about it and used the bread they gave us to finish off the cheese sauce.

We then shared a dessert of chocolate and hazelnut torte. Moist and rich and chocolaty. YUM!

Our server was Stephen and he was both helpful and pleasant. When my friend expressed concern about portion sizes (she doesn't eat much at one sitting), he offered to make her a half portion of the gnocchi so she would not be too full. Very accommodating.

The restaurant is pleasant and comfortable but could do with a bit more lighting in a few spots. We found it very dark.

My bill for an aperitif, appetizer, glass of wine and main course was only $41 including tax. I gave $7 tip so my bill came to $48. This is amazing for the quality of food.
I will be going back soon with Mr. KSW in tow as he was quite jealous to miss out on the experience :):)

This restaurant is hosted in a little house on Bank St. I didn't like the interior decor so much but, finally I found an "Italian" restaurant in Ottawa!
Napo has an interesting seasonal menu. All my plates were fresh and well presented. Wide range of fish and meats. The wine list is short but acceptable: only Italian and Canadian labels. My server was friendly and very slow. The service can be improved. This new restaurant has potential to develop. Interesting!

best italian food ive had in a long time

Hot home made Focaccia with two types of organic olive oils....YUM!