Ottawa Foodies

Just returned from dinner at Milagro. I brought my team of 16 here, most of them from Toronto or Montreal. I was weary of the mixed drinks, based on comments here, so stuck to wine but did not say anything when over half my team ordered a mixed drink to start. That was a mistake. One commented that her margarita tasted "medicinal". I tried it -- it had a slight home cleaning supply taste to it. Another had the "Tango" martini, which she pronounced as "horrible". 3 others were okay with their drinks, but I overheard them discussing whether or not they had been accidentally served virgin drinks, as they seemed to completely lack alcohol. All ordered beer the second round.

As for the rest of the experience, the atmosphere was nice and our server was quite friendly. The one thing I found odd on the service side was that once we'd been served our main courses, she didn't reappear for close to 45 minutes. With a group our size, on an expense account, she could have easily sold 2 more rounds of drinks had she simply come back to check up on us. Instead, we drank water.

The food varied from "okay" to "not great" depending on who ordered what. Two of my colleagues ordered vegetarian enchiladas and could only eat one of the three. Granted, the description was accurate, but I guess they were expecting some sort of veg (one of them commented "a few peppers or mushrooms... anything... would have been nice). They were filled entirely with cheese, and lots of it. They didn't necessarily dislike the enchiladas, just found them extremely heavy and, well, cheesy.

The refried beans that others got with their fajitas seemed to have been sitting under a heating lamp, as they had all formed a hardened crust on the top. No one touched them. Otherwise, folks seemed okay with the fajitas, with the exception of the salsa which they found "bitter" (I found it tasted like someone had opened a can of chopped seasoned tomatoes -- it tasted just like Ro-Tel, a canned Mexican diced tomato that you can buy in the US).

Based on a recommendation I read here, I had the salmon, which was actually quite good, if not rather bland. It was a nice sized piece that was perfectly cooked. Once I got my side of hot sauce and smothered the salmon, veg, and rice, I was pretty happy.

All in all, I would not return. I recognize that Mexican food can be hit and miss in this town, so my expectations are often lower, but I still found Milagro to be pretty bad.

I find the food here to be hit and miss, service too. The "combo plates" (tostada/enchilada/taco/burrito etc) were ok once, and less so another time, when the weird, pot-roast-esque shredded beef tasted altogether funky, and the chicken and beef both had no spiciness or Mexican flavour at all. The next time we stayed away from the "combos" and things were better. Service has also been sketchy. If you are there in the later part of the evening, like 9pm+, expect the servers to be MIA in the back somewhere, and you will need to approach someone when you want to pay your bill.
The real reason I added this note though was to comment on the margaritas. They are nasty! They aren't even made with ice. It is some kind of gelatin. It was served barely cool, and warmed to a goopy, unmeltable mess in no time. Nobody finished theirs. And they cost like 10 dollars!!!

And that reminds me I have also been to Milagro recently for lunch. Alas no pictures, but I can concur with the others that the food was tasty, and the service reasonably attentive and competent. I had the Enchiladas Mole (beef option). The plus side was that the beef was not ground (shame on all the places in town that jam ground beef into their enchilads) and the Mole was quite good. My criticism is rather personal, as the Mole was not quite as strong flavoured (chocolatey?) or spicy (a little more gentle heat) but that being said I've NEVER been to a place where the Mole is those things. I suspect that my preference for Mole is not how it's traditionally made, but I could be wrong. My other complaint was the drinks that I and my companion had. We had 'Mojitos', and I have to admit I'm not very experienced with them, but there was ZERO alcoholic bite to them. I had to go back to the menu to make sure I hadn't ordered a virgin drink or something. Also, there was not any flavour of mint to the drink. It appeared like the mint leaves were just tossed in, rather than properly bruised to release the mint oil.

Food Dude's post reminded me that I too have been to Milagro recently, but have been far to busy to give feedback.

Out visit was in June, as friends of ours were in town and Agave, our usual go-to-Mexican place, was full!

In this instance, Milagro was also full, but they were able to seat us sooner rather than later, so the waitress told us to come back in 25-30 minutes.

When we came back, it seemed as though she had forgotten about us, but seated us shortly after.

The food was quite good, but a bit pricier than it was worth, although as Food Dude mentioned, the portions are quite large.

IMO, they have the best mix of cheese/sauces/veggies for their fajitas, which is what I ordered: Comes with cheese, sour cream, salda verde, guacomole. Only comes with three or four tortillas though, and extras are 25 cents more, which is odd. I know the price of flour is going up, but c'mon now! The veggies themselves were rather bland, tossed in a mild sauce before being grilled/sauteed. The beef that I had was tender and yummy.

Overall, I like Milagro, and the fact that they have a patio is a HUGE bonus. Their mole sauce is wonderful, and their drink list is fairly good. However, I can't seem to find a spark within it that makes it one of my favourites, and consequently I am left with an experience that I remember, just not in the loving way that we remember our favourites.

New to the Westboro neighborhood and to posting to this excellent forum.

Went last Monday night with a friend. We were greeted promptly and seated quickly.

Service was timely and attentive. Timing is everything with table service.

The food was good. Appetizer of chips & guacamole came promptly. (I wished for warm - and prefer Farm Boy's chips.) I ordered the Mole Enchiladas (A new-to-me dish. Trying to break out of the usual Mexican = Fajitas). The portions were generous: I left a bit on the plate. When I leave a bit on the plate that is an event.

Surprised to find they have an upstairs patio. Will return before winter.

Went to Milagro after picking up our canoes for camping on friday. We wanted something farirly quick but nice and it definately fit the bill. I have been here for lunch a couple times in the past and have been impressed with the food. Lots of flavour and unique choices. The dinner did not dissapoint.

We had a mojitos and thought it was very good. I have had the real thing in Cuba also and this is the closest I have ever found to it. Not sure why the other review said it was too sweet. Perhaps it depends on the bartender making it.

I had the salmon vera cruz which was amazing. I am usually hesitant to order salmon in a restaurant because it is always dry, but this was cooked with vegs in a banana leaf which kept if very moist and the flavour was wonderful. I highly recommend it. My husband had the chicken chimi (which he has every time we go out to a Mexican restaurant) which better than most other in Ottawa. My brother had mole enchiladas which he raved about. My sister in law had the fajitas. She really liked that they marinate the meat before grilling; gave it an extra kick of flavour. All in all we were impressed. It is a slightly more upscale Mexican restuarnt than most but with 2 drinks, 2 mains and the tip, the bill was only 60, and definitely will return.

Sat on the patio for the last day of WestFest, ordered a carafe of Sangria to share. The sangria was okay to me (never having had it before so wasn't sure what to expect). Boyfriend had a double mojito, which was terrible. Overly sweet, like the taste of 7-up or Sprite, with sugar pooled in the bottom. Didn't have any limes in the glass either. Didn't eat anything, but the drinks weren't much of an enticement to return. The nachos people around us ordered looked good though.

I went here with my mother yesterday for a snack to fill the empty pit that was my stomach. We shared the vegetarian nachos and I must say they were really good. The house sauce was yummy and the use of green olives was a nice touch.

My husband and I tried the Milagro grill about a year ago, not long after it first opened. At that time, we honestly were not terribly impressed. The drinks were fine, but the service was a bit spotty and the veggie quesadilla we ordered to share was basically just tortillas and cheese with a tiny bit of vegetables.

However, we gave them another chance tonight, sneaking in a quick bite after the Sens game. We both ordered mole enchiladas (his chicken, mine cheese) and large lime margaritas. Both dishes were delicious, and we both admit they do a decent lime margarita here. Service was also better than the last time we'd been in; more prompt and friendly without hovering.

We'll likely go again sometime.

I really liked Milagro for the food,environment and service. Their Mole Enchiladas, Tamales and their combination platters are delicious! I also love their mix drinks and deep fried ice cream.

Tried the Mole Enchilada's (Chix and Beef) a while back. They were so good I still remember them. Tasted quite like the ones at Pancho Villa vendor 701. There is a connection with these two vendors... owned by brothers maybe ?

They have lightly seasoned baby calamari rings fried to perfection, served with jalapeno and roasted garlic aioli. The thing that makes these babies different is that they are rolled in corn flour, giving them a crispy, delicious texture.

Had a similar experience with the mojitos at Milagro the last time we were there (see above). Almost a seltzer with a bit of lime, rather than limeade, really.

Sounds like a dud to me, Pete! A good Mojito should have flavours of mint, lime, and rum all in perfect balance. From your description, I take it you tasted only lime. That makes for a pricey glass of limeade! :O

This is a repeat of data from my review of Milagro. My Mojito was 'ok'. There was no taste of alcohol. I have had other 'expertly' prepared drinks where the alcohol 'bite' was very well hidden, but my impression with this Mojito was that there was less 'expert camoflage', and more lack of actual alcohol. I admit that I don't know Mojitos very well, so I will stop short of accusing Milagro of shortchanging me on rum, but if it was a drink I was more familiar with, I would certainly 'point and accuse'. Further, there was no mint flavour to the drink, and I could detect no bruising or abrasion on the mint leaves to indicate they were properly 'abused' to release their oils. (i.e. it looked like they were just tossed into the drink) I am looking forward to hear other people's comments on this.