Foods from The Daily Grind
Comments
2012 Jul 7
The daily grind is tailored to a number of different audiences - families, artists, people with special dietary needs - but manages to appeal to a wide clientele and works. The friendly staff add to the laid back environment and have made me a repeat customer,
The cafe has the best GF baked offerings in Ottawa, and believe me, I've worked my way through a lot of stores and bakeries! Not only does the Daily Grind produce great GF baked goods, it would also hold its own against Ottawa's non-GF bakeries. The price point is reasonable for the quality of the food, particularly given it is GF. Just to note, you can also special order cakes for those of you looking for a superb GF birthday cake.
As one might expect, the Daily Grind has excellent brewed coffee. You might also want to try the yummy fresh squeezed lemonade on hot day.
The specials change daily, offering additional variety to the standard menu. Ingredients are always fresh and of the highest quality, including, organic beef and chicken. I've sampled the Texican offerings (enchilada, tacos), sandwiches, and numerous specials, including the beef burger - exceptional! (There is always extensive vegetarian and vegan offerings as well.) Make sure that you try the homemade salsa.
Would highly recommend taking a leisurely stroll to the cafe to grab a meal, and of course, dessert! Leave plenty of time to savour it.
The cafe has the best GF baked offerings in Ottawa, and believe me, I've worked my way through a lot of stores and bakeries! Not only does the Daily Grind produce great GF baked goods, it would also hold its own against Ottawa's non-GF bakeries. The price point is reasonable for the quality of the food, particularly given it is GF. Just to note, you can also special order cakes for those of you looking for a superb GF birthday cake.
As one might expect, the Daily Grind has excellent brewed coffee. You might also want to try the yummy fresh squeezed lemonade on hot day.
The specials change daily, offering additional variety to the standard menu. Ingredients are always fresh and of the highest quality, including, organic beef and chicken. I've sampled the Texican offerings (enchilada, tacos), sandwiches, and numerous specials, including the beef burger - exceptional! (There is always extensive vegetarian and vegan offerings as well.) Make sure that you try the homemade salsa.
Would highly recommend taking a leisurely stroll to the cafe to grab a meal, and of course, dessert! Leave plenty of time to savour it.
2011 Dec 14
I've visited the Daily Grind a handful of times since their recent (a few months ago, I think) opening, and they seem to be off to a pretty good start, aside from a few minor setbacks.
The food, to start, is amazing. The selection is great. They really do have something for everyone - soup, pie, quesadillas, even PB&J.
However, everything is very pricey, so be ready to spend a pretty penny for a rounded meal. In addition, I would say that their portion sizes for the baked goods could be a little more generous, especially considering the price (although I realize gluten-free items have to be a little more expensive). I would also mention that the two different size options (small or large) for certain of the baked goods, especially the bars, is kind of unnecessary and annoying. Pay 0.25 for an extra edge of pumpkin bar? I dunno, it threw me off a little.
Prices aside, it is all definitely worth it. The Mexican hot chocolate and pumpkin bar I had (pictured, total of 7.50, ehh) were delicious.
I also had the homemade soup and hommemade Pogo (so cool and a bite of nostalgia without the guilt) for lunch today, and was just as impressed, despite having to lay down about 10 bucks.
Also, while I commend their attempt at creating a family and kid-friendly space, based on their inclusion of an arts and crafts menu for parents and kids to complete together, I reeeally don't see how it will work. To me, a childless student, the ideal cafe means a quiet, calm space for studying. Cheap, delicious food doesn't hurt either. Although I've rarely seen children there since its opening, I can't imagine that encouraging their presence would do anything more than diminish the slightly more lucrative population of students and adults that frequent cafes. Leave the arts and crafts for home, or daycare, or school... not the cafe.
Maybe I'm being a little harsh, so I'll let the parent-patrons correct my slightly (slightttttly) biased missteps.
The place also seems a little understaffed at times, and the waits for food and drink have been long enough to annoy me at times, but what I ordered ends up being sooo good that I quickly revert back to smiling contentment.
So, if you're in the mood for a delicious baked good, an entire meal, or a yummy drink, I would definitely reccomend The Daily Grind, as long as you don't mind spending a little extra for gluten-free and quality. I know how hard it can be for my roommate to find something gluten-free and yummy, so this place definitely gets major props for that. I just hope it doesn't get lost in trying to do too much at once, or under a pile of little kiddies and crafts.
The food, to start, is amazing. The selection is great. They really do have something for everyone - soup, pie, quesadillas, even PB&J.
However, everything is very pricey, so be ready to spend a pretty penny for a rounded meal. In addition, I would say that their portion sizes for the baked goods could be a little more generous, especially considering the price (although I realize gluten-free items have to be a little more expensive). I would also mention that the two different size options (small or large) for certain of the baked goods, especially the bars, is kind of unnecessary and annoying. Pay 0.25 for an extra edge of pumpkin bar? I dunno, it threw me off a little.
Prices aside, it is all definitely worth it. The Mexican hot chocolate and pumpkin bar I had (pictured, total of 7.50, ehh) were delicious.
I also had the homemade soup and hommemade Pogo (so cool and a bite of nostalgia without the guilt) for lunch today, and was just as impressed, despite having to lay down about 10 bucks.
Also, while I commend their attempt at creating a family and kid-friendly space, based on their inclusion of an arts and crafts menu for parents and kids to complete together, I reeeally don't see how it will work. To me, a childless student, the ideal cafe means a quiet, calm space for studying. Cheap, delicious food doesn't hurt either. Although I've rarely seen children there since its opening, I can't imagine that encouraging their presence would do anything more than diminish the slightly more lucrative population of students and adults that frequent cafes. Leave the arts and crafts for home, or daycare, or school... not the cafe.
Maybe I'm being a little harsh, so I'll let the parent-patrons correct my slightly (slightttttly) biased missteps.
The place also seems a little understaffed at times, and the waits for food and drink have been long enough to annoy me at times, but what I ordered ends up being sooo good that I quickly revert back to smiling contentment.
So, if you're in the mood for a delicious baked good, an entire meal, or a yummy drink, I would definitely reccomend The Daily Grind, as long as you don't mind spending a little extra for gluten-free and quality. I know how hard it can be for my roommate to find something gluten-free and yummy, so this place definitely gets major props for that. I just hope it doesn't get lost in trying to do too much at once, or under a pile of little kiddies and crafts.
Mers
I had the black bean, vegan cheese tacos with a side salad. The food was flavourful and pretty filling, but as has already been mentioned, the prices are a bit steep for what you're getting.
FWIW, the two who ordered the soup specials (lemon, coconut, rice soup and sweet potato peanut butter soup) were sorely disappointed. The lemon soup was left pretty much untouched because of the over powering lemon flavour, and the other soup tasted entirely of peanut butter but was edible. The two who ordered salads and tex-mex were happy with there meals, but the others who ordered sandwiches were less enthusiastic.
The service was understandably slow (as well as friendly and slightly forgetful) since there was only one person in the kitchen and one serving, but we waited a fairly long time to order and to receive our food. I would consider going back again with a smaller group to see if this was a one-off poor experience or if it's the norm.