ottawa foodies

TOPIC continued from Forum - Restaurant Closings :(

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I went past Nate's on Merivale Road tonight and it has closed and the space is for lease.

Oh, no! That was our go-to place for smoked meat!
I'm going to miss them. I could go in a buy a case of cherry coke (Cott) for a decent price, too.

Pho Bamboo on Bank at Alta Vista had the traditional 'closed for renovations' sign up for a few weeks, but now a big 'For Lease' sign is up.

Bummer, i enjoyed their satay soup and the faux bamboo decor (oh hey i just got that... hee ...).

Detroit Soul Food, due to undisclosed issues, has been forced to permanent shut down their shop on Gladstone.

James C. you beat me to it. Really sad to see him close. I'm also surprised- it was usually pretty busy when I went there or walked by

Reading back on some of DSF's tweets over the last few weeks leads me to believe that their closing has something to do with a landlord/rent issue. They look to be seeking out a new spot though!

Pho Bamboo used to be good but they never cleaned the shrimp they used.

And my last visit there 2 years ago, they had the old take-out menu and I ordered from that and they charged me a entire higher price for my items.
If I wasn't so hungry I would have left.

So dirty shrimp and awful service...buh bye...

NatureMan, you're surprised? I'm not. It's this guy's fourth restaurant attempt, including a food truck. I've also heard from friends who are big fans that the quality of his food and his hours of operation were rather inconsistent at this latest place.

Just heard that the Barley Mow near Landsdowne (not affiliated with the chain) has closed their doors...

@ProscuittoEggS- You're definitely right, the hours were crazy inconsistent. One of his recent tweets makes me think there might have been some rodent problems in the restaurant. Really bizarre, still not sure what really happened. It's was pretty sad seeing him selling all of his stuff on twitter and Facebook :(

DetroutSoulFood: I was just paid $300 to leave. What an insult. Instead of fixing problems before I had to leave. They forced me to go to reno n exterminate!

Last month I wanted a Jamacian roti, and found Groovy's Roti Hut is closed for good. :-(

The Barley Mow by Lansdowne has 'Closed for Renovations' signs on it now.

DSF is tweeting he's doing catering, so you can call him to make you food.

Firkin and Flyer is closed. New owners I hear but it won't be a Firkin.

No Firkin way!

:)

Damn, I used to get 15% off there when I showed my flight license.

Which Firkin and Flyer? The one on Merivale near Baseline has been closed for a while. Is this the Hunt Club one?

Firkin & Knight was at Baseline and Merivale, Firkin & Flyer is in T&T plaza near airport.

I hope the Barley Mow near Landsdowne (actually in Old Ottawa South) re-opens again soon. What's the deal about the chain? I've been to the newish Barley Mow in Westboro twice and not really impressed at all ... I've had much better experiences with the one on Bank Street.

Bank St was the first Barley Mow and has a different owner than the rest of the chain.

Bank St Barley Mow appears to be one of those rare occasions where the 'Under Renovation' sign is serious. Have seen contractors working there and the owners around.

I suspect they saw a massive influx of people before/after Landsdowne events and figured it was time for some investment in the premises.

I heard that the landlord took over the property and that the operator of many years has left. The owner of the property owns and runs all the other Barley Mows. But that location was independent. And way better.

So the NCC is doing some work on the building that Black Thorn occupies so it sounds like they're going to be closed for 8-10 months as of Sept 14...

Ballygiblin's appears to have closed its doors yesterday.

www.insideottawavalley.com

That's a shame, Derek & I worked together @ the Prescott back in the '90's, I know he put his heart & soul into it..

Terry

Looks like Hy's Steakhouse will be added to the list as well, notable given they have been in business for 60 years.
ottawacitizen.com

Re Hy's - seriously, that's a surprise. Anyone have any inside scoop on how far apart the rent discussions were?

I noticed while at Ikea on the weekend that the Montana's next door has closed down. The sign has been taken off the exterior of the building.
Has anyone heard what might be moving into that spot? It's a tricky location as it doesn't have any visibility from a main road but I have my hopes up for a pub style restaurant. I'd love to see something like a Heart & Crown open up there. Big Rig is just too pricey for the area.

It's been closed for at least a year, IKEA owns the land, from what I understand they're going to knock it down...

A year?! That's funny, I've been to the Milestones next door quite a few times during the past year and never noticed that it was closed. I guess if the sign was still up on the building nothing would have looked out of the ordinary. It's unfortunate that the building will be torn down, the area is in need of more restaurants.

Actually they've been closed since November of 2013, the 'New' IKEA blocked them out of sight, most of the staff were re positioned @ the other locations..

I don't know if I'd agree that they need more restaurants in the area, the restaurant across the street (Used to be Fritsby's) has opened & closed a dozen times, the Montana's had the weakest productivity in Ottawa, most people that go to IKEA eat @ IKEA..

" ... most people that go to IKEA eat @ IKEA."

Does this say something about the food at IKEA?, the goods at IKEA? ... or both?

Regardless of what it says (or doesn't), I find it quite funny.

I do agree the main clientele of the restaurants in the area probably isn't Ikea shoppers. As a resident of the neighbourhood I was just excited by the prospect of more options than Milestones or Big Rig.
I've never actually tried the food at Ikea..if they also served alcohol it may have to become my local watering hole? ;)

I haven't been there in a while but I think that IKEA does serve alcohol. The food is more than decent for the cafeteria style place that it is; certainly good value.

The new Bridgehead on Iris also serves alcohol (beer) as far as I know - after 4 pm. They were planning on expanding their food selections too but I'm not sure where they are on that yet. They've always had sandwiches, soup, salads, burritos and wraps for lunch/dinner selections.

Bridgehead is a pretty savvy company, they've evolved quite a bit the last few years...

Captain, all I meant by "most people that go to IKEA eat @ IKEA" is simply that it's a big store, parking is a bit of a pain, the restaurant is right there or if you choose, there is a bistro counter just outside the of check outs. The convenience alone makes dining @ IKEA an attractive option..

We use them quite a bit, they sell lingonberry (Partridgeberry in Newfoundland) as well as Cloudberry (Bakeapple in Newfoundland) jams & sauces.
Every time I'm in, the counter is lined up. I think it's genius to have a these facilities inside IKEA...

IKEA sells beer. I need lots of beer before I can go to Ikea😀

Terry, I think "most people that go to IKEA eat @ IKEA" sounds funny because it reminds me of "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas".

I get pretty hungry and thirsty after being forced to walk through the whole IKEA (just for one item ... and I missed hidden the 'short-cuts'). The bistro counter provides a cheap hot dog and pop to for relief and sustenance.

I didn't want anyone to think I was being an IKEA customer snob..

The West End Well will close by the end of September.

After trying to adjust their operations over many months, they have come to the conclusion that their business model is not financially viable. They will be winding down the operation of the co-op’s grocery and café by the end of September, however, the meeting space on the second floor will continue to be available for co-op meetings and community gatherings.

It's too bad about West End Well. They were one of my best customers.

I found a lot of interesting items there that I honestly had a hard time finding elsewhere. It wasn't really out of the way, and I could get there on the bus with a short detour on my way to work.

Oh no I love west-end well - right in my hood. I will shed many tears for this. That's really disappointing.

It would seem that La Shish on Clyde has shut down. Not a shocker. I hadn't been back in about 2 or 3 years since getting chicken shawarma with uncooked, flabby skin/fat layers included. Service was usually rude as well.

Dislike. I used to go to La Shish a lot and never had a single complaint

What he said. Only went maybe four times but it was fine, even good, food and service.

I was reading that West End Well was asking for more customers to shop there in a newspaper article.

Also that they were keeping the second floor space open for community groups-not sure for how long. I think this was an article in Metro newspaper.

Back Lane has closed for the time being, I understand that they are trying to re-finance..

My heart breaks for George & his great staff, hopefully he'l be open again soon!

Terry

Fingers crossed for them. I have enjoyed many great meals there.

wow, that a bit suprising. always seemed to be people eating whenever i walked by.

Saw the sign on Back Lane the other day and the talk of the hood is permanent closure. Sad times.

Alas the Celtic Cross Pub on Somerset @ Bank is the latest casualty.
A note on the door says they didn't make the rent....
Will miss the steak pies.

Article on Back Lane

ottawacitizen.com

Sweet Rosie's in Holland Cross is closed up and unlikely to return. This is a loss for the Tunney's lunch crowd looking for a quick soup, salad or sandwich and for another small independently owned business.

I work at Tunney's pasture and have been talking to the son of the owners. Parents have run the place since the mid-80's. Son recently took over operations and there were noticable changes. Last week he said that their lease was up in the winter and the landlord was not going to renew (something about building a 3rd office tower). He said he was not going to wait until then as the freezers were not working, etc, and wasn't going to invest money at this stage in the game. Too bad to see a family run business disappear.

Crap on a cracker.

I'll really miss them.

Looks like Mellos is probably out at the end of the year, with the landlord offering Ace Mercado the lease to expand.

I guess some of us might argue that Mellos died the day a bacon-and-egg breakfast hit $9 and words like 'curry gastrique,' 'eggplant katsu,' and 'arugula' showed up on the menu.

www.cbc.ca

I'm certainly going to miss the current incarnation of Mellos. Mike Frank has been putting out some really great food in the last three years and has a pretty devoted group of regulars, myself included. I now count him as one of my good friends, a relationship we established over the Mellos kitchen countertop.

It's pretty brutal that the landlord is just tossing out an institution that's been around since 1942. I know business is business and it's the owner's prerogative, but they aren't even offering the chance to pay the same rent Ace, they're just out.

That looks like one of the craziest short-sighted business decisions in the world.

Knee-cap a 73 year old institution for some guy who has been around for a year? That guy could totally end up being a fly-by-night and gone in another year.

At least the other one is still there :-) Mellos Coffee Shop

I never would have went to Ace Mercado again after the first time, but now I have another reason not to go. Also- Per Foodieprints, Rene Rodrigues (Navarra) has nothing to do with this, he just created the menu. From my understanding it's just the greedy owners of Ace Mercado and the Landlord. I'm also confused by the decision- if anything Mello's should be expanding into Ace Mercado, it's always empty these days

I always thought Ace was the bottom of the list when talking about expensive gourmet taco joints in town (El Camino, Side Door, Ola Cucina).

They must have a customer base though, they only opened a little over a year ago and are already expanding?

It's a shame,

Pretty sure that Erik Karlsson's girlfriend's brother is one of the managers or part owners or whatever of Ace Mercado and they've capitalized on that and are now known as a semi high end hipster "place to be seen" joints. EK65 and his crew are there quite often. That's what I've heard at last...

Ive been a couple times at night during the weekends and the place is always packed.

At root tho', it's the landlord's property - they can do whatever they want with it unless they're breaking some kind of agreement, and no one seems to be suggesting that's what happened.

Bummer about Mello's but there isn't some 'higher law' that requires the landlord to do anything more than give notice.

Relatedly has anyone been to Ace for tacos and if so, any good?

Sure there is no "higher law" but there sure are a lot of places that have been around for years that are closing.

(OFF topic but the Sassy Bead/Pom Pom /Fru Fru empire has scaled back dramatically they are running what's left of their empire of a clothing/shoe boutique out of a little hole in the wall location on York Street).

Now back to Mello's - what I don't understand is what entitles the landlord to keep the sign up. Wouldn't the current business owner/tenant have legal right to it since it's purpose is to mark the location (and name) of his/her business.

As for Ace Mercado; I've been twice. Once when they first opened up and I liked the concept that they specialize in tequila (I like tequila but know very little about the drink) --- this is unique for a place like Ottawa. Was there more recently this summer, sat on the patio with a girlfriend and appreciated that the waitress was very honest about portion size and didn't try to get us to order more food than necessary. We shared the an order of the grilled ceasar salad; interesting presentation, a little big (2 whole romaine hearts) for a small table and hard to eat/share but very tasty. First time I saw this on a menu with this sort of presentation - must be in style as I saw it later in the summer in Vermont and maybe somewhere else as well (the Belont?). Second dish we shared was the corn husk chicken tamale, the corn masa was a bit dry but the filling had a complex flavour profile. We had more than enough food (and we are not small eaters). Easy on the buget which meant we had more $$$ to spend on those yummy tequila drinks. :)

Not sure about the sign issue. There used to be a restaurant on Elgin called Party Palace which closed about 25 years ago. It was somewhat of an institution at the time and they were believed to have had one of the best breakfasts in Ottawa at the time. McDonalds moved into the space and kept the old Party Palace sign up replacing it with red signage and the McDonalds logo. Party Palace was a popular diner at the time much the same way Mellos is now so I assume McDonalds was paying homage to the former tenant.

Also, on Elgin where the Harvey's is now, that used to be the Elgin movie theatre and I think they kept the signs up from that.

-I have not seen too many grilled salads in Ottawa, but in Montreal and Florida, NY and the US it seems to be a trendy thing the past couple years at least.

Tamales are good, but I do not see them at places downtown too much lately.
Whole Foods makes them sometimes and there is a couple places on Bank st that have them sometimes...

Also, just remembered on Walkley there used to be a Robbies restaurant- an Italian place that only seemed busy during the weekend with older people.
Well, a year ago the restaurant closed and it is now a MOSQUE that is there.

@flexie - yeah, i hear you on the decline of the older places. At root thats a function of market and product and greed/good-business, where a landlord who wants more money than a leasee is willing/able/going to pay is entitled to not renew a lease.

The story w Mello's seems to be that the landlord didn't even make an offer, so i assume whatever Mercado is willing to pay is lots, likely more than a doubling of Mello's lease.

The contrast that comes to mind is Hy's, where it's surprising that a high end landlord and high end steak restau couldn't arrive at a meeting (meating) of minds.

@flexie - the Bank St Pom Pom is "unofficially" closed right now I'm told.
As for the Mello's sign, it is apparently owned by the building owner, not, sadly, by the operators of Mello's.

Mandarin Court on Baseline is now closed. It has been replaced by a Green Papaya.

Zydeco Smokehouse will close for good on Dec 23

That's a shame but I'm not surprised & unfortunately there is going to be more, we could lose well established restaurants all over Ottawa in the next few months...

It's tough out there...

I think you may be right Terry ... unfortunately. Back in Feb 2014, we've seen a downturn in the restaurant business which you attributed to a reduction in Federal employees, bad weather, the high cost of gas, etc.

What do you see as the current challenges facing your trade ?

Me ... I was predicting closures partly due to an oversupply of restaurants (and food trucks, pre-made food at supermarkets etc.).

ottawafoodies.com

The number of restaurants listed in the Ottawa yellow pages has risen from 2000 to over 2800 now.

www.yellowpages.ca

A rise of 40% in just 16 months. (That's 1 restaurant per 360 people - using 1M as the population of Ottawa)

The population hasn't risen 40% in the last 16 months. Are people spending 40% more eating out ?

Is the Yellow Pages updated frequently enough to account for the places that have closed?

After a quick check, it appears that YP have removed closed restaurants (in this thread) up to about August.

This check showed me that although the search is for Ottawa restaurants, it also includes Gatineau and outlying towns. So there is approx one restaurant listing per 465 people.

A great deal of the 'new' restaurants are in the burbs because people are moving out of the downtown core & moving out to Kanata, Richmond, Manotick, Stittsville etc..There was a mini boom on Bank Street, the market hasn't really expanded, Elgin has a new Clocktower but not much else new there...

Our biggest issue was the Federal PS cutbacks, as I said to my MP Pierre Poilievre; we're a factory town, our factory is the Federal Gov't & when the factory starts laying off employees everyone suffers, for every Federal PS worker losing their job, it affects 3 other people..

the other issue in our neighborhood is of course parking & traffic, I must take a phone call a day asking about parking, it's something that has never been addressed properly. Simple tire checks rather than a straight white line would help to utilize the existing parking spots, would be safer for Bikes, pedestrians & cars, designated left turning lanes on the major intersections would be a benefit to all vehicles (bikes, Buses, cars, delivery trucks) ..

I have a friend that lists existing restaurants for sale, right now he has over 1100 looking to get out from under, most are selling just to pay back taxes & creditors..

Not everyone is suffering, some places are doing just fine but it's tough even for places that you'd think are doing well so support your favorite venue, they need you to survive..

"Zydeco Smokehouse will close for good on Dec 23"

Fnck.

Word in the Market is that Real Sports could be closing their doors in early 2016...

Just adding the info here that the Black Bear Pub and Bay Street Bistro are now closed.

As a follow-up to the Mellos story there may be hope for the diner yet: www.metronews.ca