ottawa foodies

Ola Cocina is a very colourful building in the Vanier neighbourhood, behind the Metro grocery store. The interior is cute, welcoming, and colourful as well.

I tried the 3 tacos and 2 side special for $19. You can choose any of a dozen of choices. I went with shrimp, pork el pastor and duck confit. The shrimp was fresh and juicy. The el pastor was quite spicy but tender. The duck confit was a bit grilled and a bit sweet. Each with different toppings. The beans and rice were really good. I wasn’t able to finish them because I was pretty full after the tacos!

I will be back to try many of the other tacos! The waitress was lovely.

Ah yes, lack of clarity my bad. 2am post. Beer. Tnx AD.

Awkward wording there for anyone who isn't familiar with the story and ownerships... OSoloMeal is talking about two different people - the original and still owner of Ola Cocina, and the second person is Ion Aimers who partnered with the original owner to open a second location in Hintonburg and also owns/partners/supports the other restaurants listed.

The Hintonburg version recently changed their name too, makes the split a bit easier for everyone to see.

I remain a huge fan of the original Ola Cucina and its owner, but the few details I have re his involvement in Wilf n Adas, Arlington 5, Fraser Cafe, Pomeroy House and Rowan leave me hesitant to take Reddit and social media stories at face value.

I've also heard some questionable things about him but would not mention them here as they are not from first hand experience. I reviewed here a while back, still the worst tacos I've ever had at a restaurant, however I've never been to Taco Bell before. If I knew ion Aimers owned it I wouldn't have gone.

I decided not to tell these stories because:
1) They are one sided
2) I don't want to appear as slanderous

My comment was to convey my opinion of Ion as dubious and maybe elicit others with their own stories to agree with my opinion. Or ... maybe see support for Ion which will make me question my opinion.

@CCaper - aaaaAAAaaaaaaand?

Ratty: I thought something might be fishy (and not in a taco) about this back in March.

ottawafoodies.com

I have two stories about Ion, one where I was involved and one involving a server friend on mine. Both not pretty.

This thread on Reddit suggests a nasty split between the Hintonburg and original Vanier location.

www.reddit.com

I tried the new location on Wellington the other night. I was very excited to try it after reading some good reviews. I tried three tacos:

Tuna- This one was the best of the three. A small piece of seared albacore tuna was tasty and a treat for $4. The subtle flavour was overpowered by the guacamole and diced mango, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Steak (Alambre)- This one was decent but very watery. The taco was quite soggy.

Fish- This cod taco was definitely the worst of the bunch. The piece of fish was shaped like a fish stick and breading wasn't very tasty. I would no reccomend this one at all.

Overall, the food wasn't bad and the service was great. I highly doubt I'd go back. We all wished we would have spent a few more bucks and went to El Camino. Judging by the reviews on Google and Zomato, it seems the one in Vanier is much better.