Ottawa Foodies

I like the idea and the concept.

Burgers (and milkshakes) are huge so perhaps that's why I don't mind the price. I don't eat ground beef so the other meat choices is necessity in my books. I'm also a fan of the combinations.

Is it something I would eat all the time? No. Are there better places, I'm sure. But with my aversion to ground beef, if my date is really hankering for a burger I would suggest this place so we can both leave happy

1

For the prices they are charging one would expect far better quality. It is a burger joint you would think they would at least have fresh buns. Just another example of big corporations taking profit more serious than the food.

1

Last week I visited for the first time since the change of ownership. Not as bad as some people are making out but I missed the option of having organic beef. I also seem to recall them having Beau's on tap but they only had bottles this time.

1

The Works has definitely changed since it was sold to corporate investors. I find the portions have gotten smaller and the ingredients are less fresh. I also noted that the beef seems different (I switched to the local elk burger at one point), much drier and less taste. I ate here for years and I no longer do so.

6

The Works is crap, plain and simple. This will be my last review, the only reason I got burned (figuratively, and literally) more than once at this place is because I did not want to bail on office luncheons there. From now on, I am bailing at any function at this pseudo-burger joint.

Some of the driest meat you will ever have in a burger anywhere. They don't bother telling you that the bbq sauce they drown the burger in is boiling hot tar and will scald your lips. Actually, they probably nuked the whole thing come to think of it. They put inedible whole chipotles with the seeds in the burger that would scald the tongue of the most masochistic of Thai diners. And I like my spice.

The gouda was kraft singles, no more no less.

Horrible, horrible brand.

I've gotta give a tip-o'-the-hat to the Glebe location. The last couple of times we've ordered take-out from there it has been really really good. Maybe some locations do take-out better than others.

4

It had been a while since our last Works visit. We ordered their tower o rings. I can say that these frozen rings are a bit above the average but fresh would be a whole lot better. My Not Yo’ Burger with added double smoked bacon,fried tortilla, avocado, fire roasted cheese dip a blend of diced ripe tomatoes & minced garlic was a tad overcooked and lacked the juicy drippings a great burger is known for. The pasty white stale dry wonder bread bun needs to go or at least steam or toast the thing geesh. I got the Kraft dinner on the side instead of fries. I tried my wifes fries and they are now cooking them crispy but they really had no flavor. Two burgers two drinks and half a tower o rings $54 guess that is the norm now. We had to ask our server about the fries and as suspected they are frozen. One would think fresh fries woud be cheaper and tastier. Darn battery died before I could get a pic of our very average burgers. There was a wait for a table so this place is popular.

1

I've been going to the Works since they had the one location on Beechwood. They make great burgers and it's always been a treat. Recently as some of you may know they were bought out by someone and are being franchised, so there's a corporate kind of approach now. My wife and I went yesterday to St Laurent, and the music was really annoying-hair band from the 80s, the whole album, not just one or two tunes, Forty minutes later we asked if we could get some variety in the music, and were told NO, it's all programmed. The music was really intrusive and prevented us from enjoying our dining experience. Now, I know it's a burger joint, not fine dining but still. . . . .

4

I think pretty much everything that needs to be said about this brand has been said, but I'll add my two cents anyway.

Burger: average at best. Is it really so difficult to make bacon to order, instead of serving reheated petrified product? Very few places are not guilty of this cardinal sin of burger making. The Works is one of the offenders.

The barbecue sauce is splashed on after cooking for sure, cause it's cold and it doesn't infuse into the beef, either in substance or flavour. The burger is overcooked. The bread is the biggest abomination: that crappy, bland supermarket Durivage issue. You know the one, that when it first came out like 15 years ago, it looked exotic, because it's got grainy cornmeal or something on the top bun, which incidentally is separated in two sections by a large groove in the middle. Anyway, it sucks, and it's untoasted.

The rings are some of the best I've had, but I don't choose a restaurant for the onion rings.

I like the fact they have some beers that I haven't seen elsewhere, like Barking Squirrel and Mr. Huff, and 1-2 others, in addition to the standards like Beau's and Steam Whistle.

Overall, not a bad place. But pricey, gimmicky, and not reinventing the wheel, really. Unless you're a freak who goes for the pickles and peanut butter on your burger.

1

Delicious burgers, fun atmosphere, and friendly service (albeit a bit overpriced). You are paying for "gourmet" burgers! On average, a burger costs about $13, so be ready for a bigger splurge than normal. Highly recommend upgrading to "elk" for the extra $4.00. I ordered the poutine appetizer, 'sexy" and "down under". Really unique combination that actually taste pretty good! All of their food and desserts are just so yummy!! If you want an intimate (i.e. quiet) setting, this might not be the place for you.

I'm totally obsessed with the curry mayo. The rings are just a good bonus...

Rings were perfectly ok, but a "Tower of Rings" should have more than a 10 rings. Overpriced.

These were good but I find the rings at Dick's to be superior in flavour and texture.

Threw caution to the wind last time I ate at The Works (Westboro), and ordered my Navan Breakfast (Havarti, chipotle ketchup, caramelized onions, double-smoked bacon) Elk Burger done medium.

As the menu states, I did have to sign a waiver.

But, man, was my burger tasty. Flavourful, juicy, and pink. Like many people, I've had my fair share of tough Works Burgers, so this is one way to get around it.

Were I to get a beef burger, I'd likely request it done medium-well, rather than medium, just in case.

Remember, of course, to use your discretion when ordering your burger anything less than well-done.

I tried the Beverly Hills Lawsuit (fried egg, leaf spinach, havarti cheese & double smoke bacon) this visit and was once again underwhelmed by the dryness of the meat. Even though it's cooked medium-well (quite pink) it is somehow very dry. Maybe the patties are just too thick or maybe the burger needs some kind of sauce. Either way, I found myself having to dip the burger into ketchup to get it down. The only real flavour in the meat is the nice grill-smoke flavour. Patties that are very thick like these should be seasoned! The egg added nothing to the experience and I couldn't taste the cheese. There was a generous amount of spinach (although too stringy for me) and the bacon was tasty.

Wifey enjoyed her Spartacat Special (gouda cheese, crispy bacon & fresh avocado). The avocado was a bit unripe and she didn't mind the dry meat as much as I did.

Here's my story from May 2005: After having had several great meals at the Beechwood location, I visited the Westboro restaurant with a friend who had never tried a Works burger. Service was friendly although uninformed (the waiter told us all of their buns have sesame seeds when in fact none of them do). On a whim, I tried a turkey burger. Bad idea!! I was sick for the following week with salmonella food poisoning -- not a fun time! Both of us remarked that our burgers were tasteless, dry, and quite overpriced. Nothing like the experience I remember from the Beechwood location. I will not be back. (Yes, I should have returned a *pink* turkey burger, but I dismissed it as normal because I'm not a ground meat expert and I know that ground pork is sometimes pink when cooked. The fact is, a burger restaurant should know how to safely cook burgers!)

The 2-cup Oreo Cookie milkshake was the high point of my meal. Very nice indeed.

Wifey's kid size (1-cup) Creamsicle shake was awesome too. Note that this was the "flavour of the day" and when I asked our server why someone should choose the flavour of the day she replied, "Because it's delicious and you get some vitamin C." Quick thinking on her part. :-)

They have tons of flavours! My favourite is the chocolate peanut butter milkshake. The burger and side itself is already a large enough meal so go for the kids size shake!

These have a flavour reminiscent of carrot tempura. They are decent but I prefer tempura. :-)

They sell Beau's and Steamwhistle.

I had Beau's lug tread and it was great in a pitcher :)

The poutine at the work's is good enough to be a meal in itself. With all that ooey gooey cheese. And that gravy! Delicious! And its vegetarian gravy. Which is great for me.