ottawa foodies

When we've been to Les Grillades before we've made a selection of appetizers our meal and thoroughly enjoyed it. This week we had their shish taouk and am glad we did. It made for a very tasty and filling meal. It is a plate with cubes of delicious marinated, bbq'd chicken, mildly seasoned basmati rice, salad (iceberg, cucumber, peppers, tomato) and a bowl of thick garlic sauce for the chicken. It also came with complementary hummus and pita (and the pickled turnip and garlic sauce) for a starter. I asked for some mint tea and the server asked if I wanted mint leaves in it - worked for me! No room for dessert. Left a tip at the table then went to the cash to pay mama for our meals and off we went, contented.

One of my favourite restaurants in the city. They only have shawarmas monday-friday but they are the best in the city. I am also a huge fan of their charcoal grilled chicken. Excellent service, excellent quality and highly recommended.

This place is the Best! for Lebanese. We're not talking slapped together shawarma you eat in your car. This is a sit-down restaurant (though I'm sure take-out is available) with friendly service and fresh made to order barbeque meats! And a wide selection of delicious appetizers.

First thing when you sit down, your table is given glasses and a jug of water. Nice, since many places won't even remember to bring you water if you ask specifically for it. Then complimentary appetizers arrive: for a group of up to 4, about 4-5 fresh warm pitas, quartered, served with a dish of delicious hummus drizzled with olive oil and parsley, a dish of the Strongest garlic sauce I've EVER had, and a dish of pickled turnips! For larger groups the amount provided is upgraded accordingly. If you run out of any of the items more are happily brought, still free.

It can be hard to fathom a whole additional plate of food after sampling these treats. But many options from the BBQ are so tempting. My favourite is the soujouk, I think it's a spiced beef/lamb mix that is skewered and bbq's. My friends have all been impressed with their other kebabs, kafta, lamb chops, etc. Other diners rave about the bbq chicken. These plates are in the $11-12 range, super affordable, and come with really tasty rice and a fresh salad. My soujouk platter is in the picture. I will be back for sure! I've only been at dinner time, I'm not sure if anything is changed for the Tunney's lunch crowd, but I'm sure it's still delish!

Les Grillades is a great little restaurant. The service is very friendly (family owned I think) and their dishes are delicious.

I would recommend getting a bunch of the appetizers and sharing, but thats what I prefer.
I had the meat kibbi (its a round ball of meat that has bulgar and ground meat on the outside, and ground lamb and pinenuts on the inside and then deep fried or baked)I have my Moms kibbi to compare it to and it was still super delicious.
I had cheese samboosik, a pastry that is fried with Lebanese cheese inside, almost like creamy feta. I also had the fattoush, the Lebanese salad with pita bread in it spices etc. I also had the wara ainab, the grape leaves - those were tasty as well and had a variety of other things! Their Turkish delight is also freshly made there, I have never had such soft Turkish delight in my life!

If you are looking for aunthentic Lebanese cuisine and want to get something other than Shawarma this place is for you.

I have lunch here probably twice a month. This restaurant is family owned. Chef Ali is very attentive to his clients. The lady at the cash will often prepare some very strong tea for clients after their meal, for free!

When the restaurant is very busy for lunch and the chef thinks that the Shawarma chicken could be cooked a bit more, he whips out a few chicken kababs and places them on the fire. (Free upgrade!)

The garlic sauce is intense! You will be tasting it all afternoon, and others will be smelling it off your breath...

The hummus is very nicely prepared with a bit of drizzled olive oil and parsley. You have to ask for extra pita bread to eat with it.

With out a doubt, I would recommend this restaurant for lunch to anybody looking for good authentic Lebanese cuisine. I have not had supper here... yet!

Note: The decor could use some work.

Tofu - I second your sentiments about their lamb. It was excellent the last time I tried it, I also had their lamb kofta, which was delightful. The owner and his wife are very, very nice... try the m'saka - roasted eggplant & chickpeas in a tomato & onion sauce with mint... delicious.

You're thinking to yourself... but this is your average shawarma place... i've been there, i've seen it etc. But ah.... what you may not know is, Les Grillades turns into a nice dinner place in the evening. We're talking waiters, menu's, the whole deal.

The bigger deal is the food. Its amazing. I got the lamb chops and they were amazing! Some of the best I've had in Ottawa. My friend had the chicken and she said it was amazing. Even the rice that comes with the meal is delicious. Even the hummus served with the bread is delicious. I've had a lot of hummus in my time... but there was something about this hummus. It was so delicious I asked the server to pack the rest for home.

I know I said it before but it warrants repeating... amazing lamb chops.