Foods from OCCO Kitchen
Comments
2019 Jul 16
Since I could not find a page for the downtown location, I am adding my thoughts here.
The one thing that I found awesome: No cabbage and such in their tacos! Just like lettuce in the old days, cabbage has become the new filler. I quite enjoyed my pork belly taco.
I also had the OCCO board, which I was not crazy about as it has many deep fried items. The maple chili wings however were amazing and I would definitely order them again. The calamari was pretty good, but again not a fan of deep friend items.
My friend also had a taco with a salad.
Cocktails were quite good, but I cannot recall what I had. Service was very nice as well.
The only issue I had with the place is the noise level. We had some "loud" talkers near us and it made it quite difficult to hear each other - however that is the acoustics and I would simply request to move next time.
The one thing that I found awesome: No cabbage and such in their tacos! Just like lettuce in the old days, cabbage has become the new filler. I quite enjoyed my pork belly taco.
I also had the OCCO board, which I was not crazy about as it has many deep fried items. The maple chili wings however were amazing and I would definitely order them again. The calamari was pretty good, but again not a fan of deep friend items.
My friend also had a taco with a salad.
Cocktails were quite good, but I cannot recall what I had. Service was very nice as well.
The only issue I had with the place is the noise level. We had some "loud" talkers near us and it made it quite difficult to hear each other - however that is the acoustics and I would simply request to move next time.
2017 Apr 24
We visited Occo at their restaurant on Innes, last friday night. The space, as you would expect from its power centre location, is big and impersonal. Ceilings are high, decor is basic with a dark brown, grey and beige colour palette and the space is generally noisy. There's a teppanyaki setup leftover from a previous restaurant that occupied the space. We were told they had plans to turn it into a taco bar. Needless to say, the place is not much to look at and you need a lot of people to have any sort of ambiance.
The menu is intended as high-end street food with a focus on local suppliers and house-made everything. We ordered the corn dogs, fries with dressing and gravy (sampler size), candied bacon burger, fish taco and pork belly taco. That was more than enough food for two. We also had a few beers from their nice selection of both on-tap and canned/bottled offerings.
Our first observation was that all the food came out warm not hot. The tacos were almost room temperature. Overall, everything was nicely presented and flavourful. Our favourite dish was the corn dogs, battered and fried jalapeno and cheese smokies served with honey dijon and house ketchup. The ketchup was a hit with my dining partner. Tacos were also very good despite being served only warmish. They didn't skimp on the fillings. The pork belly taco had a nice chunk of meat in it. Fries with dressing and gravy, a Newfoundland fast food standard, were a tasty discovery, but the dish was only warm because of the gravy.
The burger was less of a hit. Although the homemade bun and toppings were ok, the patty had a wet and mushy texture that we really didn't enjoy. I don't know how you can get ground beef wrong, but they did. We ordered it with their "heirloom" salad which didn't seem to have anything heirloom about it, but I suspect that is due to the time of year. The salad was otherwise tasty.
Our waiter did not offer dessert which is fine because we were too full anyway.
Service was very good. Our waiter was extremely affable and took time to explain everything and make sure we had no questions before we ordered.
In the end, the minuses outweigh the pluses and I don't think we'll be going back unless we happen to be in the area and have no better options. We certainly won't be schlepping out to Orleans just to go there.
Sorry no pictures. I'm kind of shy about that sort of thing and the ones I did take came out all blurry.
The menu is intended as high-end street food with a focus on local suppliers and house-made everything. We ordered the corn dogs, fries with dressing and gravy (sampler size), candied bacon burger, fish taco and pork belly taco. That was more than enough food for two. We also had a few beers from their nice selection of both on-tap and canned/bottled offerings.
Our first observation was that all the food came out warm not hot. The tacos were almost room temperature. Overall, everything was nicely presented and flavourful. Our favourite dish was the corn dogs, battered and fried jalapeno and cheese smokies served with honey dijon and house ketchup. The ketchup was a hit with my dining partner. Tacos were also very good despite being served only warmish. They didn't skimp on the fillings. The pork belly taco had a nice chunk of meat in it. Fries with dressing and gravy, a Newfoundland fast food standard, were a tasty discovery, but the dish was only warm because of the gravy.
The burger was less of a hit. Although the homemade bun and toppings were ok, the patty had a wet and mushy texture that we really didn't enjoy. I don't know how you can get ground beef wrong, but they did. We ordered it with their "heirloom" salad which didn't seem to have anything heirloom about it, but I suspect that is due to the time of year. The salad was otherwise tasty.
Our waiter did not offer dessert which is fine because we were too full anyway.
Service was very good. Our waiter was extremely affable and took time to explain everything and make sure we had no questions before we ordered.
In the end, the minuses outweigh the pluses and I don't think we'll be going back unless we happen to be in the area and have no better options. We certainly won't be schlepping out to Orleans just to go there.
Sorry no pictures. I'm kind of shy about that sort of thing and the ones I did take came out all blurry.
2017 Apr 24
Had a pretty mediocre burger at their Innis location last Friday. The meat was a tad dry with some over charring going on. It came out fairly quickly and not that hot so not sure if some pre cook is going on. It was my first visit so I didn't realize their homemade ketchup is very sweet and downright unpleasant and that was taste forward on this burger. The bun was fresh but a bit big for the burger and could have used some toasting. Bacon was available but again was candied. Sugar seems to be prominent over salty at this establishment. It came with scratch pickles that were undetectable. The place is a bit dark inside with lots of tables. The only natural light comes from two large window at the front of the restaurant. Service was good and seating comfortable. The stand out was the pork belly taco that was amazing.
2016 May 5
Went to the takeout one on St. Joseph when I was in the neighbourhood and was told the Innis location is open now.
Had fish tacos and the fish is nice and crispy and the mango, etc. nice touch but having had good Mexican food in San Antonio, I was a little disappointed with the bought flour tortilla and the fact it was cold. At least warm it up please.
Had fish tacos and the fish is nice and crispy and the mango, etc. nice touch but having had good Mexican food in San Antonio, I was a little disappointed with the bought flour tortilla and the fact it was cold. At least warm it up please.
2015 Nov 13
The first words out of mouth after my first bite of the Candied Bacon Cheeseburger was OH MY GOD! This burger was so flavorful and fresh I didn't want to put it down. Everything is homemade and yummy. I was seriously blown away by the flavor. My partner had the beef taco and fish taco and was definitely satisfied with her choice. I took a bite of the fish taco and it was nice and crispy. If you live in the east end, definitely worth visiting. If you live in other parts of Ottawa, try to make the trek to Orleans it is well worth it.
2015 Oct 17
I was lucky enough to visit for lunch the other week. Enjoyed a LOCCO burger which was topped with homemade ketchup, black pepper mayo, lettuce and tomato – absolutely delish! The patty was obviously hand formed and the bun was much better than your typical hamburger style. Two of us shared a large garlic & herb fries, served with homemade ketchup and spiced mayo. This was a filling lunch.
Although the place is small, the menu is quite extensive with a number of different burgers to choose from (including a fish burger), as well as options for tacos and salads.
Because we were there past the lunch hour rush, we were able to snag two stools (of the approx 8 stools) up against the bar-like table by the window. The place was hopping with a number of takeout orders too.
A very welcome addition to St. Joseph Blvd. in Orleans. I will be back.
Although the place is small, the menu is quite extensive with a number of different burgers to choose from (including a fish burger), as well as options for tacos and salads.
Because we were there past the lunch hour rush, we were able to snag two stools (of the approx 8 stools) up against the bar-like table by the window. The place was hopping with a number of takeout orders too.
A very welcome addition to St. Joseph Blvd. in Orleans. I will be back.
2015 Jul 30
We’ve been wanting to have lunch here in Orleans for a while now, it’s not cheap but the quality speaks for itself and everything is scratch made by them. Both of us had the following burger and fries, it was all DELICIOUS. Highly recommend.
Candied Bacon Cheese Burger - AAA Chuck Patty | OCCO Burger Bun | Our Ketchup | Honey Pepper Mayo | Crisp Field Lettuce | Vine Tomato | Candied Bacon | Aged Cheddar | Our Pickles
Garlic and herb fries
They give a side of their homemade ketchup and mayo for your fries. This is mostly a takeout restaurant but they do have seating along the window and a wall. The only downside was that either they don’t have A/C or it was broken this week. As much as we were enjoying our hot delicious food, we inhaled it in a rush to get into our air conditioned car.
www.occokitchen.com/
Candied Bacon Cheese Burger - AAA Chuck Patty | OCCO Burger Bun | Our Ketchup | Honey Pepper Mayo | Crisp Field Lettuce | Vine Tomato | Candied Bacon | Aged Cheddar | Our Pickles
Garlic and herb fries
They give a side of their homemade ketchup and mayo for your fries. This is mostly a takeout restaurant but they do have seating along the window and a wall. The only downside was that either they don’t have A/C or it was broken this week. As much as we were enjoying our hot delicious food, we inhaled it in a rush to get into our air conditioned car.
www.occokitchen.com/
charsiubaobao
The modern décor did provide a nice ambience to the restaurant. Service was pretty prompt and cordial, although our waiter seemed a bit impatient when asked about his recommendations and when I first walked in, I made eye contact with 2 of the staff (waitresses?) who just looked at me but failed to greet me or direct me to a table. It was a bit awkward but the rest of the evening went fine.
The food was alright but nothing to write home about. Most of the things on the menu felt like standard pub food with a minor twist and while I'm usually excited about "twists," these ones fell short for me. I got the OCCOnda Fries and a Pork Belly Taco while my friend got the Candied Bacon Cheese Burger. We both agreed that all of our food was a bit on the dry side with my friend, having been, concluding that the food she had at the Orleans location being better. The OCCOnda Fries, while not bad, were basically a more expensive version of one of NY Fries' poutines, but drier due to a lack of sauce. Similarly, the Pork Belly Taco wasn't bad but at that price point, I've had better.
Overall, OCCO Kitchen & Bar is not bad but I probably won't return.