Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar

Name: Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar
Address: 1208 WELLINGTON ST WEST, OTTAWA, ON, Canada, K1Y 2Z7
Telephone: (613) 761-1138
Price range: CAN$31 to CAN$50
Rating: 4.5

4.5

66 Reviews

CAN$31 to CAN$50

French

Make a booking

2 people

17 Feb 2025

7:00 pm

Booked 3 times today

Experiences are available.

Neighbourhood gem
Good for special occasions
Good for business meals

Established in 2003, Absinthe is renowned for its commitment to fine food. The restaurant is a modern bistro, using locally sourced ingredients, prepared in an inventive and sophisticated manner. Enjoy the richness of Absinthe cuisine which features meats, cheeses and produce from eastern Ontario and western Quebec, prepared with classical French culinary techniques.

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
CAN$31 to CAN$50
Cuisines
French, Contemporary French
Hours of Operation
Lunch Tue–Fri 11:30–14:00 Happy Hour Tue–Sat 16:00–17:30 Dinner Tue–Sat 17:30–21:00
Phone number
(613) 761-1138
Website
http://www.absinthecafe.ca/
Payment Options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress

Location
1208 WELLINGTON ST WEST, OTTAWA, ON K1Y 2Z7
Area
Downtown
Cross Street
Hinton and Wellington St West. Between Holland and Parkdale.
Parking details
Street Parking
Public transit
Tunney's Pasture is just around the corner.
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

The best beef wellington you'll ever have!
CAD 97.00 per person
Multiple dates available
Indulge in our four course "prix fixe" FOR TWO. Start off with with our featured "snack". Followed by our seafood trio. Roll out the red carpet for our savoury, perfectly cooked and mouth watering beef wellington. And to finish, your choice of creme brûlée or mousse au chocolat. Limited quantities available.
I'm so fondue of you!
CAD 69.00 per person
Multiple dates available
Join us for our famous fondue night every Tuesday! (2 person minimum) Start your experience with our cave aged cheese fondue, served with toasted bread and cruditées (extra charge). The second portion of your meal is our signature fondue Bourguignonne. Beef tenderloin, served with a variety of in house made sauces. Green Goddess/Rosemary Blue Cheese/Bérnaise/Lime Habanero. Finish the night off with our 70% dark chocolate fondue, served with fresh baked good and fresh fuit. (all courses of the fondue can be ordered à la carte)

SoupCAD 12.00
Mushroom Velouté / Herb Oil / Crème Fraiche
SaladCAD 12.00
Artisan Greens / Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette / Parmesan / Toasted Pepitas
Scallops PétonclesCAD 17.00
Seared Scallops / Safron Fennel Sauce / Tomato Jam
PatéCAD 17.00
Pork / Duck / Pistachio / Piccalilli / Cranberry & Walnut Bread
Smoked Salmon Belly DipCAD 13.00
Smoked Salmon Belly / Smoked Ricotta / Lemon / Dill / Crostini
From the Sea, Seafood TrioCAD 20.00
Fish Cake / Tarter Sauce - Salt Cod Fritters / Lime Habanero Mayo - Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp / Romesco
CheeseCAD 17.00
Cranberry Walnut Toast / Fruit / Chutney - St- Ambroise / Cows Milk / Semi- Firm / Washed Rind - Mouton Noir / Sheeps Milk / Semi-Firm - Tommes du Haute Richelieu / Goats Milk / Semi Firm / Washed Rind

Mains

PastaCAD 27.00
Ricotta Gnocchi / Persillade / Pine Nuts / Lemon / Parmesan
The Burger and FritesCAD 25.00
House Frites and Aioli / Tomato / Pickles / Cheese / Bacon / Secret Sauce
Beef StroganoffCAD 39.00
Sautéed Beef Tenderloin / Mushroom / Sour Cream / Dill / Eau-De-Vie / Fettuccine
Mariposa FarmCAD 38.00
Duck Breast / Grainy Mustard sauce / Fiddleheads / Mashed Potatoes
FishCAD 37.00
Roasted Salmon / Sweet Pea Coulis / Jardinière Vegetables
Steak FritesCAD 39.00
Marinated and Grilled AAA Steak / Green Beans / Frites / Horseradish Aïoli

Desserts

Chocolate Mousse / Caramel / ChantillyCAD 12.00
Crème Brûlée / Malagasy Vanilla / Buttery SabléCAD 12.00
Ice Cream and SorbetsCAD 12.00

See Website for Special Menus

https://www.absinthecafe.ca/

What 66 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.4Food
4.4Service
4.3Ambience
4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Ottawa
Neighbourhood gem
Ottawa
Neighbourhood gem

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar stands out with its "excellent food," warm ambiance, and attentive service. Diners rave about the beef Wellington, flavorful cocktails, and "delicious" fondue nights. It's a beloved neighborhood spot offering "great value" with a relaxed atmosphere, perfect for celebrations or a cozy meal with friends.

66 Reviews

J
Jessica
Toronto
11 reviews
5.0
11 reviews
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Delicious neighbourhood spot serving classic French plates for 2 decades. Great wine list.
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E
Elizabeth
Ottawa
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Fantastic experience, taking dear friends out for dinner in our lovely capital! The 4 of us LOVED our meals. Best steak ever! Bonnie our server was excellent, friendly, knowledgeable ... Thank you for a wonderful meal/evening. We will be back! Cheers, Liz
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J
James
Toronto
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We went to Absinthe for my spouse's birthday - it was fantastic! They had my spouse's 2 favourite meals - gnocchi and beef stroganoff - both were sensational. The service was excellent We will be back!
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J
Jennifer
Montreal
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Wow ~ fondue night was super popular and for good reason ! The staff have this down to a fine art ~ making this a wonderful evening. We had reservations for 5:30 and got there a bit early which ensured that we were able to take advantage of Happy Hour ! We got a bottle of wine for half price to accompany our fondue meal. We opted for the fixed $69/person and found it was very worth it. Cheese fondue followed by a beef fondue and crowned with a lavish chocolate fondue. A classy evening that was fun ~ yes, totally delightful. I particularly liked that they dimmed the lights in increments throughout the evening ~ attention to detail. Wonderful service. Would highly recommend.
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N
Nick
Ottawa
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Fondue menu night is always a special night. Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves with the cheese and beef fondues… too full to order the chocolate for dessert so we’ll clearly need to come back for a second swing at it! Thank you for having us.
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J
Joe
New York City
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on 8 February 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Consistently excellent food and service. Normally quiet which I really appreciate but a bit louder and busier than normal at this visit.
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d
dale
Washington DC
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on 6 February 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Excellent multicourse meal. As always quite the experience
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J
Jane
Ottawa
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 6 February 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Lovely quiet atmosphere. Attentive service and very delicious food. A special mushroom soup, generous portion, was delectable. We wanted more. Steak frites and salmon dishes were excellent. We highly recommend the créme brûlée and chocolate mousse. Go for the “Death in the Afternoon” cocktail, Ernest Hemingway’s creation!
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J
Josie
Ottawa
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 28 January 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent value for your money. The three of us thoroughly enjoyed our dishes,, taste was fantastic and so was the plating. Our waitress was lovely, cheerful, very knowledgable and the music was so good that I asked if they had this playlist on Spotify. Will definitely be back for the fondue dinner that the waitress mentioned was popular on Tuesday nights.
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M
Marc-Andre
London
2 reviews
2.0
2 reviews
Dined on 21 January 2025
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Meh - food good but really over priced for the limited quantity. I would not recommended, we took the fondue and the Salomon. Very underwhelming portions for the price.
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FAQs

Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar is rated 4.5 stars by 66 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people

17 Feb 2025

7:00 pm

Booked 3 times today

Experiences are available.

1208 WELLINGTON ST WEST, OTTAWA, ON K1Y 2Z7

Dining areas

Additional information

Cross Street
Hinton and Wellington St West. Between Holland and Parkdale.
Area
Downtown
Hours of Operation
Lunch Tue–Fri 11:30–14:00 Happy Hour Tue–Sat 16:00–17:30 Dinner Tue–Sat 17:30–21:00
Price
CAN$31 to CAN$50
Cuisines
French, Contemporary French
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Street Parking
Public transit
Tunney's Pasture is just around the corner.
Payment Options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.absinthecafe.ca/
Phone number
(613) 761-1138

Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar

Make a booking

Dining areas

Additional information

Experiences

The best beef wellington you'll ever have!

I'm so fondue of you!

Menu

Appetizers

SoupCAD 12.00

SaladCAD 12.00

Scallops PétonclesCAD 17.00

PatéCAD 17.00

Smoked Salmon Belly DipCAD 13.00

From the Sea, Seafood TrioCAD 20.00

CheeseCAD 17.00

Mains

PastaCAD 27.00

The Burger and FritesCAD 25.00

Beef StroganoffCAD 39.00

Mariposa FarmCAD 38.00

FishCAD 37.00

Steak FritesCAD 39.00

Desserts

Chocolate Mousse / Caramel / ChantillyCAD 12.00

Crème Brûlée / Malagasy Vanilla / Buttery SabléCAD 12.00

Ice Cream and SorbetsCAD 12.00

See Website for Special Menus

What 66 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

How is Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar restaurant rated?

Is Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar currently accepting bookings?

Make a booking

Dining areas

Additional information