Foods from Grand Pizzeria and Bar
Comments
2018 Oct 20
They position the cheeseless Marinara Pizza ($13) as an appetizer but it works just fine as a more affordable lunch for one. The Grand has the best tasting pizza crust in the ByWard Market but also the most expensive cheese pies, so this is an appealing way to enjoy the quality without going north of $20 for a lunch.
Bonus 1: This is a Mealshare item, meaning that for each Marinara sold $1 is donated to Mealshare to provide a meal for someone in need.
Bonus 2: The in-house hot sauce is super tasty and I recommend scooping some onto your pizza to kick the dryer areas of crust up a notch.
Bonus 1: This is a Mealshare item, meaning that for each Marinara sold $1 is donated to Mealshare to provide a meal for someone in need.
Bonus 2: The in-house hot sauce is super tasty and I recommend scooping some onto your pizza to kick the dryer areas of crust up a notch.
2013 Aug 19
I went to Grand last week with some relatives from overseas. We all tried various things including a wrap, pizzas and pasta. All the food was good with the pizzas being the stand out. I did however find that my meatball entree may have been a reheated dish, and, if they had been prepared fresh, they would have shone as well. One thing that I have never encountered ( although I rarely eat out in such large groups) is that they include an automatic15% gratuity for groups of 8 or more. Not a complaint really, just an observation. As my British cousin was paying, he felt no need to increase the tip although it was debatable if our server deserved more.
2013 Aug 6
Date of Visit: July 14,2013
For many years, this particular location in Byward Market was the home of ‘Oregano’s', a family oriented Italian restaurant. The Italian tradition now continues at The Grand, where the focus is mainly on pizza (there are 20 different ones available), along with a number of pasta dishes and some interesting appetizers. After scouting out a couple of places for a later dinner, I decided to pop in here for lunch…
The Food
Prosciutto E Melone ... Rating 3 out of 5.
Seafood Salad ... Rating 3 out of 5.
Overall
If were it not for the heat, even in the shade, I might have been happy to while away the better part of the afternoon here as the service was great and the surroundings very pleasant. My meal was not especially remarkable but it was still good and I definitely want to return and try one of the signature pizzas sometime. Rating: 3 out of 5.
See full pictorial review at: sybaritica.me
For many years, this particular location in Byward Market was the home of ‘Oregano’s', a family oriented Italian restaurant. The Italian tradition now continues at The Grand, where the focus is mainly on pizza (there are 20 different ones available), along with a number of pasta dishes and some interesting appetizers. After scouting out a couple of places for a later dinner, I decided to pop in here for lunch…
The Food
Prosciutto E Melone ... Rating 3 out of 5.
Seafood Salad ... Rating 3 out of 5.
Overall
If were it not for the heat, even in the shade, I might have been happy to while away the better part of the afternoon here as the service was great and the surroundings very pleasant. My meal was not especially remarkable but it was still good and I definitely want to return and try one of the signature pizzas sometime. Rating: 3 out of 5.
See full pictorial review at: sybaritica.me
2013 Mar 15
Went there for lunch and had the Carne pizza with a shared bottle of wine. The wine is good price at $30 for a VQA wine. The pizza was okay. Not great, not bad. The worst element was that the crust seemed soggier than it should have been. The sauce tasted good, the toppings and cheese were both fine. Just something made it seem a little bit odd.
2010 Jul 4
I went to The Grand tonight with my partner and 3 friends. It was a spontaneous decision to go there, based on the fact that it' s a relatively new place that none of us had tried before and it had no line-up at 7:30pm on a Saturday evening. We sat on the patio.
Service was prompt even though it was fairly busy. Water refills were steady, and the server was in a good mood.
After ordering our mains and apps, fresh buns arrived. Despite there being 5 of us, we only received 4 buns in the basket. Minor oversight, and I wasn't in a bun mood (I was about to eat a pizza) so I didn't mind.
Apps were typical chain restaurant style - not bad, not great. We split a bruschetta and calamari order between the 5 of us. Each got a piece of bruschetta and several pieces of calamari. I thought the portions were reasonably sized and well presented.
Four of us had pizzas for our mains - 2 Grands (my partner and I split one) and 1 Calabrese. The other diner had the spaghetti and meatballs. The pizzas were a decent size, certainly suitable for splitting between 2 people unless you're ravenous. I'm usually not one to complain about salt, but the Grand pizza was very salty. While this can largely be attributed to the prosciutto, I found the saltiness to be overpowering and detrimental to the overall flavour. I also would have preferred the dough to be slightly more baked, and the pizza could have been hotter coming to the table.
The pizza was cut into quarters. Since my partner and I were eating it by hand, we wanted to cut it up into smaller slices. However, the chewy prosciutto was placed on the pizza in long strips that were challenging to cut without physically holding down with your fingers. If you're going to put prosciutto on a pizza, either cut it up into smaller pieces or fully cut the pizza before sending it to the table. Perhaps this pizza was intended to be eaten with a knife and fork and we missed that point.
I didn't try the Calabrese pizza nor the spaghetti and meatballs.
I'm sure this review will get flagged as questionable for me saying this, especially since this is my first (lol), but if you like this style of pizza you'll get a better one at East Side Mario's. Plus you'll get unlimited salad for the same price.
In summary - your typical tourist trap fare. Not bad food, but not good either. It's more style than substance, and the value just isn't there for me. Maybe I'm just cranky because I enjoyed an excellent meal at the Murray Street Restaurant the night before.
I'd go back if only to sit on their patio for a beer and people watch (it's a great location for that) but I don't think I'd order food here again.
Service was prompt even though it was fairly busy. Water refills were steady, and the server was in a good mood.
After ordering our mains and apps, fresh buns arrived. Despite there being 5 of us, we only received 4 buns in the basket. Minor oversight, and I wasn't in a bun mood (I was about to eat a pizza) so I didn't mind.
Apps were typical chain restaurant style - not bad, not great. We split a bruschetta and calamari order between the 5 of us. Each got a piece of bruschetta and several pieces of calamari. I thought the portions were reasonably sized and well presented.
Four of us had pizzas for our mains - 2 Grands (my partner and I split one) and 1 Calabrese. The other diner had the spaghetti and meatballs. The pizzas were a decent size, certainly suitable for splitting between 2 people unless you're ravenous. I'm usually not one to complain about salt, but the Grand pizza was very salty. While this can largely be attributed to the prosciutto, I found the saltiness to be overpowering and detrimental to the overall flavour. I also would have preferred the dough to be slightly more baked, and the pizza could have been hotter coming to the table.
The pizza was cut into quarters. Since my partner and I were eating it by hand, we wanted to cut it up into smaller slices. However, the chewy prosciutto was placed on the pizza in long strips that were challenging to cut without physically holding down with your fingers. If you're going to put prosciutto on a pizza, either cut it up into smaller pieces or fully cut the pizza before sending it to the table. Perhaps this pizza was intended to be eaten with a knife and fork and we missed that point.
I didn't try the Calabrese pizza nor the spaghetti and meatballs.
I'm sure this review will get flagged as questionable for me saying this, especially since this is my first (lol), but if you like this style of pizza you'll get a better one at East Side Mario's. Plus you'll get unlimited salad for the same price.
In summary - your typical tourist trap fare. Not bad food, but not good either. It's more style than substance, and the value just isn't there for me. Maybe I'm just cranky because I enjoyed an excellent meal at the Murray Street Restaurant the night before.
I'd go back if only to sit on their patio for a beer and people watch (it's a great location for that) but I don't think I'd order food here again.
2010 Apr 17
Actually Bloggin' Foodie, how they do pizza at Grand Pizzeria(what you described, is actually the authentic way they do pizza in Italy.) In Italy, the pizza is very much about the sauce and the bread, in western nations its concentrated on toppings.
Cheers
Cheers
2010 Apr 8
I dined at The Grand shortly after they opened.
The restaurant is very open and comfortable. The products that make up the extensive wine list are shelved behind the bar up to the ceiling, giving a bar-like feel in a classy way.
Fresh bread and dipping oil was served before the meal.
We were four diners, so we each tried a different pizza:
The Margherita(Tomato sauce, buffala mozzarella and fresh basil)
Salumi Di Franka (Tomato sauce, mozzarella, salami, prosciutto crudo, mozzarella,grilled red peppers, grilled zucchini and black olives)
Quatro Formaggio (Tomato sauce, mozzarella, aurizio provolone, scamorza, and parmiggiano reggiano)
The Grand (Tomato sauce, mozzarella, scamorza, fresh basil and prosciutto di parma)
I was excited to try this restaurant as it is new and is located where another restaurant was that I frequented along time ago. It was also getting rave reviews.
The pizza was ok. It was served with fresh grated parmiggiano reggiano and fresh ground pepper. Each of us ate our whole pizza and were pretty full. They were thin-crust pizzas but still pretty big.
The toppings were a little disappointing. When basil is listed as an ingredient, there should be more than one leaf. When we questioned the server about it, he said the basil was just a garnish... How ridiculous. I've never seen a "sprig of parsley", "sprig of rosemary" or a "slice of orange" that's meant to embellish the plate listed as an ingredient. Besides, this place seems to strive to be authentic Italian - I thought Italians liked their basil... alot. The other toppings, such as the zucchini, red peppers and olives, were also scarce. The amount of sauce and cheese was minimal. The amount of prosciutto was ok.
The flavours were good, but would have been much better with more of everything.
Pizzas range between $15-18 each. I find this a little pricey for what I got.
The large windows overlook a very busy pedestrian intersection which is perfect for people-watching.
The restaurant appears to be wheelchair-accessible because getting in the place is ok. Although there are wheelchair-accessible bathrooms, getting to them is tricky (a few angled walls and a door or two). I saw one person in a wheelchair abort her mission.
The restaurant is very open and comfortable. The products that make up the extensive wine list are shelved behind the bar up to the ceiling, giving a bar-like feel in a classy way.
Fresh bread and dipping oil was served before the meal.
We were four diners, so we each tried a different pizza:
The Margherita(Tomato sauce, buffala mozzarella and fresh basil)
Salumi Di Franka (Tomato sauce, mozzarella, salami, prosciutto crudo, mozzarella,grilled red peppers, grilled zucchini and black olives)
Quatro Formaggio (Tomato sauce, mozzarella, aurizio provolone, scamorza, and parmiggiano reggiano)
The Grand (Tomato sauce, mozzarella, scamorza, fresh basil and prosciutto di parma)
I was excited to try this restaurant as it is new and is located where another restaurant was that I frequented along time ago. It was also getting rave reviews.
The pizza was ok. It was served with fresh grated parmiggiano reggiano and fresh ground pepper. Each of us ate our whole pizza and were pretty full. They were thin-crust pizzas but still pretty big.
The toppings were a little disappointing. When basil is listed as an ingredient, there should be more than one leaf. When we questioned the server about it, he said the basil was just a garnish... How ridiculous. I've never seen a "sprig of parsley", "sprig of rosemary" or a "slice of orange" that's meant to embellish the plate listed as an ingredient. Besides, this place seems to strive to be authentic Italian - I thought Italians liked their basil... alot. The other toppings, such as the zucchini, red peppers and olives, were also scarce. The amount of sauce and cheese was minimal. The amount of prosciutto was ok.
The flavours were good, but would have been much better with more of everything.
Pizzas range between $15-18 each. I find this a little pricey for what I got.
The large windows overlook a very busy pedestrian intersection which is perfect for people-watching.
The restaurant appears to be wheelchair-accessible because getting in the place is ok. Although there are wheelchair-accessible bathrooms, getting to them is tricky (a few angled walls and a door or two). I saw one person in a wheelchair abort her mission.
2010 Mar 7
Terribly underwhelming pizza tonight. I ordered the Grand, their house special. It had prosciutto, two types of cheese and basil on it.
Except that there were only two leafs of basil, about the size of my fingernail. I mentioned this to our server, who didn't really seem to care, and said that this was always the case.
I'm of the mind, and perhaps I'm wrong here, that garnish should not be listed as an aspect of the entree.
We both found our pizzas to be really bland, and the crust - which was the highlight for us the first few times - was nothing special at all.
Perhaps this is the foodie curse, but I really don't think we'll be coming back.
Except that there were only two leafs of basil, about the size of my fingernail. I mentioned this to our server, who didn't really seem to care, and said that this was always the case.
I'm of the mind, and perhaps I'm wrong here, that garnish should not be listed as an aspect of the entree.
We both found our pizzas to be really bland, and the crust - which was the highlight for us the first few times - was nothing special at all.
Perhaps this is the foodie curse, but I really don't think we'll be coming back.
Older
Pizza 1
2017 Nov 4
At $16, the Margherita Pizza is pretty steep compared to other similar restaurants in town. However, it's also a little larger than the ones in the $12-$14 price range.
This is a nicely made pie, perfectly cooked and with a nice pink-sweet tomato sauce. Salt levels are appropriate, although the crust doesn't have the elusive and addictive flavour I've enjoyed most recently at Il Vicolo.
To deal with any perceived blandness, they offer that ubiquitous cardboard-powder parmesan cheese and a rather delightfully spicy house-made hot sauce. I found myself dipping the crust into a little puddle of that hot sauce on my plate to keep things interesting.
This is a nicely made pie, perfectly cooked and with a nice pink-sweet tomato sauce. Salt levels are appropriate, although the crust doesn't have the elusive and addictive flavour I've enjoyed most recently at Il Vicolo.
To deal with any perceived blandness, they offer that ubiquitous cardboard-powder parmesan cheese and a rather delightfully spicy house-made hot sauce. I found myself dipping the crust into a little puddle of that hot sauce on my plate to keep things interesting.
2009 Jun 2
So today was my birthday and we were out about in the market and decided to stop in at the Grand to try it out.
It was about 2pm and there was barely anyone there. Maybe about five other tables. We were seated immediately and our water glasses were filled promptly.
After much though, the four of us split two pizzas.
We went for the Quattro Fromagio otherwise known as Four Cheese and another that I cannot remember the name.
We ordered two bellini's and two Mill St. pints - no complaints.
The pizza came promptly after bread but was uncut! So we had to ask for it to be sliced since we were sharing.
We had fresh pepper and parmesan shredded onto the pizzas. The first bite was delicious, a thin crust pizza but not too crispy. It was not blackened at all like FF's was. (Sorry guys - I didn't take a picture!)
The flavour of the pizza was near perfect - it was definitely one of the best thin crust pizzas I have ever had. I loved it all and I would definitely go back again.
They give out black licorice candies with the bill so watch out if you don't enjoy them :) I've had a bad sambuca experience in the past and try to avoid them - but sometimes you just dont know until you have already popped the candy in your mouth!
It was about 2pm and there was barely anyone there. Maybe about five other tables. We were seated immediately and our water glasses were filled promptly.
After much though, the four of us split two pizzas.
We went for the Quattro Fromagio otherwise known as Four Cheese and another that I cannot remember the name.
We ordered two bellini's and two Mill St. pints - no complaints.
The pizza came promptly after bread but was uncut! So we had to ask for it to be sliced since we were sharing.
We had fresh pepper and parmesan shredded onto the pizzas. The first bite was delicious, a thin crust pizza but not too crispy. It was not blackened at all like FF's was. (Sorry guys - I didn't take a picture!)
The flavour of the pizza was near perfect - it was definitely one of the best thin crust pizzas I have ever had. I loved it all and I would definitely go back again.
They give out black licorice candies with the bill so watch out if you don't enjoy them :) I've had a bad sambuca experience in the past and try to avoid them - but sometimes you just dont know until you have already popped the candy in your mouth!
2009 May 31
I approached the Grand Pizzeria's pizza with very high expectations. It is very, very good, and in my experience the best pizza in Ottawa as of 2009. But... I believe the pizza I enjoyed at Pomodoro's in Montreal was superior by a small margin (thicker chunks of buffalo mozzarella, more basil, and a crust that was less soggy in the center). I will have to try Pomodoro's again to be certain.
That said, the Margherita pizza was awesome indeed. A delicate thin crust, nicely blackened on the edges, the faint taste of woodsmoke, a tasty tomato sauce, and a smattering of basil leaves. Mine was a little more blackened than those I saw at other tables. With many of the restaurant's seats occupied there was a 45 minute wait time for pizze and I assume that means they were cramming as many pies into the oven as possible. This could explain the uneven cooking results. Anyway, I like to think that if my pizza happened to be the one snuggled up to the burning logs then perhaps I also benefited by having a more pronounced woodsmoke flavour.
Highly recommended! Having tried the classic, I now look forward to trying some of their more interesting toppings.
That said, the Margherita pizza was awesome indeed. A delicate thin crust, nicely blackened on the edges, the faint taste of woodsmoke, a tasty tomato sauce, and a smattering of basil leaves. Mine was a little more blackened than those I saw at other tables. With many of the restaurant's seats occupied there was a 45 minute wait time for pizze and I assume that means they were cramming as many pies into the oven as possible. This could explain the uneven cooking results. Anyway, I like to think that if my pizza happened to be the one snuggled up to the burning logs then perhaps I also benefited by having a more pronounced woodsmoke flavour.
Highly recommended! Having tried the classic, I now look forward to trying some of their more interesting toppings.
Beer 1
2009 May 17
As an addendum, the one thing that I found a tad frustrating when we went is that they have the wine listed on the menu, but no cocktail or beer menu. Hopefully this is something that's in development.
Also, Sweets, I'm rather excited about trying the Peroni. I'd heard about it, but didn't think to ask because there was no menu.
Also, Sweets, I'm rather excited about trying the Peroni. I'd heard about it, but didn't think to ask because there was no menu.
2009 May 16
Beers on tap were pretty solid: Grolsch (Holland), Stella (Belgium), another import (possibly Heineken?) and four beers from Mill Street in Toronto. One of these was organic, and another a wheat beer. Their strength seems to be in a good wine list and offering cocktail options, but for those of us who like beer with our Italian food (Hi!), the selection is indeed quite good.
Pasta 1
2015 Mar 28
My first time having strozzapetti and I am glad it was this dish at The Grand. It came with a sausage in tomato sauce. The pasta was al dente which seems to be hard to find around town. The sausage was broken down nicely and came in good quantities. The sauce was on the sweet side while retaining some acidicity. Definitely a good and different option on a pasta menu. Other items looked good too. I will return to try them.
2009 May 31
The Linguini di mare was nicely done. We were quite thrilled to find a seafood pasta dish that didn't come with that ubiquitous border of mussels! This one has shrimp, scallops, and squid. The shrimp are large and succulent. The squid and scallops are tender, but the scallops are the little bay scallops (granted, large sea scallops would jack up the price of this dish beyond the restaurant's artificial $20 limit).
The pasta itself is fresh and cooked to a perfect toothy texture. The main taste of this dish comes from the fairly salty oil-based sauce, which seemed to contain white wine, garlic, green onions, and parmesan cheese. Nicely done, but only if you like bold flavours!
The pasta itself is fresh and cooked to a perfect toothy texture. The main taste of this dish comes from the fairly salty oil-based sauce, which seemed to contain white wine, garlic, green onions, and parmesan cheese. Nicely done, but only if you like bold flavours!
2011 Apr 23
Just a note: they do not have Calamari alla griglia on the menu anymore (when I went in april of 2011). They only have Calamari fritti which is fried squid. It was pretty good, but pretty much just your average deep fried shrimp with batter and that red sauce.
Fresh Foodie's calamari looks really excellent, but its not the same anymore.
Fresh Foodie's calamari looks really excellent, but its not the same anymore.
schnicken
The sauce is full of yummy garlic and it is a cold dish. I used to buy this all the time, and am still unable to find any here in Ottawa.
This picture is the first time I've seen anything coming close to it.
Warby: Your picture is making me hungry!
PS: Even some grocery stores in Montreal have a better tomato sauce pizza than here in Ottawa.