Ottawa Foodies

my family and i tried amate for brunch this weekend. the lunch menu has changed from what the earlier posters have tried. we stuck to the brunch menu of eggs - served from 10-2pm. i can't remember the names of the dishes, but my husband had the diablo type eggs. this was two toasted corn tortillas, with a fried egg on each. one covered in a spicy red sauce, the other a spicy green. included was a side of refried beans - authentic mexican style. it was really good and he is very excited to go and try more dishes.

i had the vegetarian omlette. this has a roasted pepper type sauce on top. it was not spicy, but had a lot of flavour. on the side were beans and a pile of lettuce with tomatoes and onions. it also came with warm corn tortillas to scoop everything up with.

the coffee was very good, a papua new guinea blend from south america (no diner style coffee here). we also had a can of mango nectar - delicious. you can help yourself to ice water and extra coffee (refills are $0.70).

my son is too young to eat anything on the menu, so he enjoyed the snacks i brought for him. the owner was very friendly and made the rounds checking on people. it had a steady stream of customers of all ages. all the tables were constantly changing over.

there was a family with two kids behind us and a mom and son just as we were leaving. the young son told me that he had the best hot chocolate there and recommended it to us :)

for 4 coffees, 1 juice, 2 brunch dishes and an extra order of tortillas to sop up the sauce(not sure if we were charged for these) was $24.

We were in today and had the Tacos.

Tasty. Real tasty. I like the food HOT, so we asked for extra "Salsa Diablo", the devil's sauce... a great depth of flavour that was more then just spicy! MMmmmmm

Also on the menu are burritos, tostadas, and other real mexican city street food!

worth the trip!

manana

We had a delicious breakfast here a few weekends ago. There's only a few tables, and really nowhere to wait, so I'd try to go early or later. In short, the food was delicious -- it was so nice to find authentic Mexican food in Ottawa. The sauces were excellent -- I had an omelette with beans and veg, covered in a chipotle sauce, and my husband had the burrito. We enjoyed both. We particularly enjoyed the homemade hot sauce the waiter brought at our request. It was genuinely hot, but the flavor had depth -- he indicated it was made with several different kinds of chiles, some I wasn't familiar with.

The restaurant doubles as a little store, which when we went didn't seem very strategic -- several parties walked out upon seeing all of the tables were full, but no one seemed to be browsing or buying any of the housewares/handicrafts for sale. Who knows, that may be a breakfast thing. Just seemed that the space might be better used for more tables. Regardless, all of the pieces for sale actually contributed to the atmosphere, so perhaps they're onto something.

The only slight complaint would be that the waiter (who appeared to be the owner) doesn't seem to be a "natural" at waiting tables. Interactions with him were slightly awkward, and we had to hail him and ask when we wanted more water -- neither time was any offered. Minor issue, and certainly nothing that would keep us from going back. On the upside, he knew a lot about the food and was able to answer all of our questions in detail.

Amate Food & Handcraft
1311 Wellington St. W.
613-742-6283
info@amate.ca
I took pictures but am still having trouble getting them down (or up!?loaded…) Decided to write this up anyway. Will post pics later.
I noticed this place about a month ago on a Saturday when my daughter and I were looking for a non-brunch spot on Wellington St W . We didn’t go here because it was very busy but we were definitely intrigued…
So last week my son and I decided to stop in—we debated about Vina Del mar but decided to try something unknown. What an awesome choice!
The food is “authentic” Mexican—and very tasty and tho’ I’ve only been to Mexico once it was very much as served there and not so “Tex-Mex”.
The space is small and crowded but seems to work. There are 4 or 5 tables that seat about 14 people. Be prepared to be intimate! The owner is very interested in helping out with choices. The menu is limited and the specials change weekly. They serve an all day breakfast and also offer starters and mains—dessert on weekends only.
Boy ordered Enchiladas de Pollo (tortilla with chicken—he chose the mole sauce which was nicely spiced—not eye watering but still spicy, served with onion, cheese, thick cream and lettuce).
I had the Taquitos Flautos ( rolled chicken tacos with salad, cheese and beans). Absolutely delicious—I devoured it all—I love food but most often bring some home; I ate everything and scraped the plate! I had red sauce but he brought some very spicy extra and the green sauce to try—nice touch.
The patron beside us tried (for her first time ever) plantains (Tostones Amate)—toasted plantain with chipotle mayo, smothered with cheddar. It looked awesome and she said tasted good—tho’ she had never tried plantain and expected them to be more banana like. (she did ask if the chipotle mayo was available to buy as takeout—not yet, owner said!). She was still hungry so ordered a Tamale (chicken, corn flour, she chose red salsa—at this point we were sharing all details of our choices—all excellent!) She loved the tamale (again 1st time for her) and I can’t wait to go back and have 2! (only $3.75 each, steamed in banana leaf and looked fabulous—she raved!)
There are 6-7 choices for all day breakfast—several styles of eggs with beans, salsa, bacon, tortillas, ham, plantains…look yummy!
Several starters, tortilla soup, sides, and a few mains. Crepes for dessert—weekends only. A weekly bring home special (stuffed peppers with 2 sides the day we were there).
Prices are very reasonable, servings generous, interesting drinks (not licensed yet).
2 drinks, 2 mains (quite large) came to about $22.00
Owner’s wife is from Mexico City and they are really trying to do authentic Mexican sauces. Very good from what we tried—needs a little polish perhaps but they are trying hard—service friendly and quick, and thoughtfully presented, delicious food. Good luck! Try this place—it is great!