Vineyards Wine Bar Bistro

They got the best beer and wine selection in this area. The ambiance brings you back in time and gives you the feeling of comfort. Hats off to the owner for maintaining a great place. Will be back for sure.

What Bad service

Veggies : over sweatened Meat: unseasoned Starch: Bland service: bad My server was bad. Forcing a customer to pay 18% when the service is bad is unheard of. My bill came up to 626$. I paid cash, counted 3 times to make sure I had the correct amount. The waiter said I was missing 5$. She didn't want to count it again with me, she was to busy. She gave me an awful service and she received 18% but couldn't loose 5$ at the end of the night. If it was up to me, she would of had less than 10%. If it wasn't for the death look when I told her it was impossible that I hadn't given enough money, I would not have written this comment.

not good

Expensive, felt hustled constantly for drinks,waiters and bar staff arrogant and unhelpful. Service slow and food served cold. Will not return and will tell others to avoid this restaurant.

The service was not great - waited for...

The service was not great - waited for service-waited for bussing. Oysters could have been scrubbed, kept picking stuff off the shells. Dinner was awful. My lamb rare came medium, his steak medium came rare. Overcooked veggies - served cold. Very disappointing. If not for the live Jazz and extensive beer and wine selections, I wouldn't bother if I were you.

Sounds better on paper

This is not a bad place, unlike some of the reviews claim. However, the restaurant's website and awards won, make it seem much more impressive than it is. The restaurant is set in the lively and happening ByWard Market, in a basement cellar. As we came to Ottawa for the long weekend, we should have went somewhere else to enjoy a patio instead of sitting in a cellar. This would be a great place to come to in winter. The great bonus about this restaurant is the LIVE Jazz, if it wasn't for the music there wouldn't be much charm about the place. Although the exposed brick add to the ambiance. I had the $12 fries (which is basically 6 oz steak, fries and caesar salad - don't be expecting a huge steak - it is about the size of a palm). My fiancee ordered mussles, which I thought should have been more substantial (luckily we had some food before we came over). The flights of wine were OK, we chose Tour de France and Rib Eye. The best part was the dessert - the raspberry cheesecake. To die for. Delicious, light, with strawberry puree drizzling out of the crust. What really takes away from the experience is the fact that you have to walk over to the bar to order and bring your own flights of wine, beer, coffee (YES!). The waitress takes your food order and brings is over. I'm not quite sure why the food prices are soo high for the food, probably the location. Oh, by the way some of the other reviewers were right - my food (steak) arrived cold. Bottom line - come to hear the music, enjoy the experience of the flights of wine, be prepared to get your own drink, and lower your expectations on what the quality of food or service will be.

Vineyards is one of my favorite places to go in...

Vineyards is one of my favorite places to go in Ottawa. The cozy ambience can be casual or dressy, perfect for a romantic date or night out with friends. The food is pretty standard, but good. The beverage menus (wine, beer, etc) are amazing! I read in a magazine that they've won the Wine Spectator's award 20 years in a row or something. Well deserved because the selection is mind blowing. The table service can sometimes be lacking (depending on the server) but anytime I grab a drink at the bar I am always greeted with a friendly smile and great service. The one older bartender, who I believe is the manager, is extremely knowlegable and always offers great suggestions. Over all I really enjoy the place and suggest that others give it a try :)

One of the best places to go. With one of the...

One of the best places to go. With one of the biggest selection of beer and wine anywhere in the city this is the place to be. Vineyards was busy but the friendly bartenders knew the there stuff and made great recommendations for my group. The food was not expensive but really good. I am going to start being a regular here.

The service was good. The selection of wine and...

The service was good. The selection of wine and beer is wonderful. The Lamb chops were burnt but the rest of the meals were great. The seating was a little cramped. Over all we had a great evening.

Good frineds, good wine, good food and good...

Good frineds, good wine, good food and good service. What do you want more!

Please save your money, I went there to celebrate...

Please save your money, I went there to celebrate my birthday with friends and what a big MISTAKE! I made reservation for 10 and luckily 2 people couldn't make it because the area they reserved barely fit the party of 8. We ordered entree's but mine never showed up and I couldn't tell anyone because the waiters never bothered to check. When the main meal showed up my partner let them know that we never received it and was told "oh ya it's in the back, do you want it?" Then they returned to say that they threw it in the garbage. 5 of us orders the "12.00$ Fries" please save your 12$. I asked for medium well and got really really well and don't forget cold and my partner asked for medium rare and got charcoal. Not sure about the other people but when the waitress took the plates they were still all full. Yes they removed on order off our bill but still the waiters only asked us, none of the others in my party. Again save your money, and dont ruin your special occasion

Wow!!! This is possibly the worst restaurant in...

Wow!!! This is possibly the worst restaurant in Ottawa! The amazingly poor quality of the food, and I can't emphasize enough that the food was literally disgusting, is only made worse by the pathetic and apathetic service. The escargot was bathed in a puddle of water from its very recent defrosting. The oysters were clearly shucked either by a man with no thumbs or using his feet. The coquilles st. jacques was greasy, tasteless and accompanied by a pile of cheap romaine lettuce and two slivers of tomato that had seen better days. Saturday night in the Market and they ran out of french fries. When asked, the Manager couldn't quite figure out how one would go about turning a fresh potato into a french fry. When pressed, he said that they had no fresh potatoes. The manager, who has apparently been there 20 years, has run this restaurant right into the ground in a prime location in the center of the Market. Note: there were two diners in the Fish Market upstairs, also run by the same manager, on a Saturday night. That's difficult to accomplish! Not shocking though given that two of the "chefs" were smoking outside with another coming back in wiping his nose on his sleeve. What a waste! Vineyards has a really great, cosy atmosphere and a good wine selection. They need to fire the chef (if indeed there is one and not simply a number of large microwaves) and the manager and maybe this place could turn things around. We noted that other patrons coming out had very similar comments. My recommendation, avoid at all costs!!! There are too many other lovely places in Ottawa to waste your time on this poor excuse for a restaurant.