Erling's Variety

Review summary

1. S

   Sebastien

   Ottawa

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Food and service were superbe, but the music could be too lound for some custumers. I was also surprised there were no "little" something for my wife's anniversary. We will be returning to this location, I highly recommend it.
   

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2. S

   Simon

   Toronto

   7 reviews

   5.0

   7 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Delicious inventive dishes. Polite, respectful, charming service.
   

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3. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Ottawa

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 16 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Every dish we tried was amazing and the service was excellent. Can’t wait to go back!
   

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4. M

   Michael

   San Francisco

   7 reviews

   5.0

   7 reviews

   Dined on 14 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   It was a quiet night for Earlings, which made perfect to celebrate our anniversary. Our go-to hideaway.
   

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5. K

   Karolyn

   Ottawa

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 9 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Loved the overall quality of food. Small plates and big on flavour. Ordered the duck, scallop/shrimp dish and Shepherds pie gnocchi. All delicious.! Lovely experience and will be going back when in Ottawa.
   

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6. P

   Patrick

   New York City

   11 reviews

   5.0

   11 reviews

   Dined on 2 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Enjoyed our experience immensely. We shared six plates between the four of us (plus two desserts) and the dishes were excellent! Service was attentive, but not intrusive.
   

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7. K

   Ken-Melvin

   Montreal

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 25 October 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This is a hidden gem for newcomers in Ottawa! It changes constantly and the vibe is cosy and warm! The food - a magret de canard, a decadent chocolate delight and other amazing meals, you will never be disappointed! I highly recommend this restaurant and I hope that we can continue to support restaurants like Erling’s Variety!
   

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8. M

   Marion

   Ottawa

   5 reviews

   3.0

   5 reviews

   Dined on 23 October 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   The escargot were disappointing Day cheesy lacking butter garlic taste ! Service was intrusive: multiple visits to asking more wine wanted .
   

   Erling's VarietyResponded on 31 October 2024

   Dear Marion, Thank you for your feedback. We're sorry to hear we didn't meet your expectations. To clarify, the 'day cheese' is Avonlea cave-aged cheddar from PEI, with we hope you'll appreciate next time. Our escargot aren't classic garlic butter but if you ask and we have them around we will be happy to make them traditionally for you. We pride ourselves on our servers' attentiveness, as we understand how important timely service is when enjoying a meal. Our servers are expected to offer more wine when a glass is empty as most of our guests would be insulted/frustrated waiting. Sorry if that came off pushy. I assure you it wasn't our intention. If you ever consider giving us another chance we would love to welcome you back. Best regards, Liam Vainola Chef/Owner
   

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9. A

   Alecia

   Montreal

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined on 22 October 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   TLDR: - slow service - extremely small portions for the $20+ price tag per dish - nice presentation - food was good, nothing spectacular Order: - happy hour oysters - happy hour fries - shepherd's pie gnocchi (loved the gnocchi but not much in the way of shepherd's pie filling) - mushroom flatbread (flatbread was difficult to cut with the provide steak knife and unappetizingly chewy) - prawn and scallop dish (can't remember name but it was good) - one non-alcoholic drink - three alcoholic drinks Bill with tip: ~$200 (left still somewhat hungry) Our party: Two people (one ex-chef and one foodie) Dining time: 5:30 to 8:30 The portions are extremely small. Fortunately we were there for happy hour so we took advantage of the $2 oysters and $10 fries. The oysters were good and all the same variety. We had ordered 18 in total, 12 for my friend and six for myself. The six came first so instead of me eating my six while my friend watched, we shared and finished them quickly as you can imagine. The other 12 came quite some time later. The mignonette and wild berry sauce served with the oysters were and could have been more generous which, now looking back, was a sign of the portion sizes to come. The fries served with aioli were disappointingly nothing special given they were a happy hour option. The server didn't come back to be able to get in another happy hour drink before it ended at 6 (we got there at 5:30). I noticed the server standing around looking at the restaurant tablet rather than her noticing we were ready to order/giving her telling glances for her attention. It should be noted there were about three to four tables in total with two people each at any given time. My friend and I both agreed that we won't be returning or recommending.
   

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10. E

    Elizabeth

    San Diego

    9 reviews

    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on 18 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Great restaurant. Delicious, affordable, great service. A gem !
    

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