Reviews of Arlo Wine & Restaurant (Winery)

Mohammed Sami

Wines!

Sally Nadeau

Nice decor. Cocktails weren’t anything special, neither was the food. Definitely not worth the price. Very disappointed.

Han B

Dinner

Joelene !

Nice experience

Gabrielle Bishop

wonderful, beautiful food and experience!! highly recommend coming here. the patio was beautiful and the steak was fantastic. i’ll definitely be returning as the menu often changes!

Shae McGlynn

Love this spot!!! Nice terrace in the back and the food is amazing! The staff is great!!!

Patricia Kiperchuk

wonderful, beautiful food and experience!! highly recommend coming here. the patio was beautiful and the steak was fantastic. i’ll definitely be returning as the menu often changes!

Diana Mendes

We had an amazing night at Arlo. Food and wine selection were on point! We had a couple appetizers to starts and shared 3 mains and enjoyed every single dish. The restaurant was also super cute.

Egor Evseev

Best spot in Ottawa for wine hands down, staff is so perfect it hurts my feelings

Ron Melchers

Great experience. Good food made with heart. Friendly staff. Nice room. Will be back.

guillaume labelle

Kind workers

Katie Ng

Such a beautiful spot and the staff is amazing. They’re kind and knowledgeable. The food was amazing and the wine was even better! Definitely a must try

Sami Mehta

With apps at around $20 each and mains in the high-30s to low 40's, the menu itself sets the stage for an experience that is going to be above average compared with your usual date spot. While we appreciated the simplicity of the menu itself (one page, nice and clean), and the descriptions therein, the food itself was just pretty-good with a presentation to match. We (my date and I) stayed optimistic as each drink and app came out, it quickly became evident that the food doesn't quite live up to the prices...We felt, like other reviewers, that the food was OK, but not really memorable in any way (and a bit too salty - does the chef smoke?) and too oily. The presentation of the duck skewer was really underwhelming...While the patio is a nice place to be with well-dressed people making the most of their evenings, it was strange to see the servers dressed so casually with kind of laiser-faire service style (they do this at the Whalesbone too which always strikes me as kind of disappointing). Don't get me wrong, they were all really nice, but it's strange when all the guests have put in a little effort but the staff didn't get the memo...If the prices were 1/2 of what they are I would totally not say a thing about it, but on a $200 bill for two, maybe leave the baseball caps in the locker(?). I'll certainly come back at some point as I want to give local restaurants a fair shot. Please don't let my review dissuade you from trying it out. They're putting in effort and I think that with some tweaks it could be worth it.

Jessy Desjardins

Best restaurant in Ottawa. Amazing wine selection, incredible food. The fish option is perfectly cooked everytime.

J. B

Went in and had dinner at the bar, wow. Beautiful space, cool music and incredible wine and food. Bartender was knowledgeable and attentive, multiple staff and managers stopped to talk to us, and everything we ate and drank was perfect. This place belongs in Montreal or Europe and might honestly be too good for Ottawa. If you can get a reservation (we couldn't for weeks and for good reason), you need to try it.

philippe clairoux

Some of the finest wines I've tried and friendly, homey hospitality.

Veneta Nikolova

Awesome wine spot and tasty selection of vegetarian food.

Elyssa Lanoix

Just the nicest experience—amazing food, on-point wine recommendations, and the most lovely patio. Service that makes you feel at home. This place is it.

em tee

I loved my experience at Arlo. I dined here for a wedding rehearsal dinner and the service was fantastic. Most of the people I was with had some sort of dietary restrictions/allergies, etc. and the server was professional, friendly, and accommodating about all our requests. I thought the food was delicious, and I did not drink but my girlfriends said the wine and champagne they purchased was great. Not to mention the venue is beautifully laid out, they have a great back patio space and the indoor layout feels upscale and chic. DO try this spot!

Chris Coveny

This is the type of restaurant you go to when you want an actual experience rather than just a meal. We sat downstairs by the wine cellar, which was a great atmosphere. The service was excellent, with their wine knowledge at a very high standard and also able to make great conversation. My apologies, I wish I remembered her name! I attached a photo of my favourite wine of the night, cheers!

Tina Ferreira

Arlo, named after the folk musician, represents the eclectic and out there funk people like about natural wine and farm-to-plate food. This counter-culture is led by the best food and beverage professionals this city has to offer, and, as the care and character flows from the tube amp through the B&W speakers, the marriage of good food, wine, and companionship makes this place the holiest. Takes a lot of guts to execute a restaurant this classy during a global pandemic. TL;DR Great place run by good people. Something for everyone. Ask for everything though, trust me.

Andy Krista

Positive dining experience overall. The food was tasty and thoughtful, if not a little expensive. Stand out dishes were the coppa with cantelope, yak tartare, and the Icelandic cod with crab beurre blanc. If you're into wine, you'll love Arlo's extensive wine list. The upstairs and patios have a really nice ambiance, but unfortunately, it was raining and busy, so we were sat in the basement dining room. Our waiter Tim took good care of us.

Hugues Boisvert

Great experience and I totally recommend Arlo! Excellent service, music, ambience, wine, and of course, the food! Attention to detail is on point and I can't wait to go back. Thank you Arlo team for providing exceptional quality and a lovely evening. See you soon!

Micah Rakoff Bellman

Excellent service, interesting beer selection (Tilquin, Cantillion). Steak tartare was excellent as was the baseball cut steak.

Andrew B

Great food, great location, great ambiance! Expensive if you’re getting the full package so make sure you set your expectations. Excited to try their patio this summer! I’m told they do live music.

GJS001

The food was good, we had the Seafood Bungalow. However it needed a vessel to scoop up some of the seafood (bread, crisp, etc). Also, very disappointed that there is no dessert available (other than raspberry sorbet). Who doesn't offer dessert? Finally, we had made a reservation for that patio but were seated indoors, way too close to other customers.

Neena Sidhu

Fantastic food and wine on the patio. Steak was excellent as was the eggplant toast and other dishes. Great spot for a date night in the city. Visited again February 2021 and food was amazing. Keep up the great service, ambiance and exciting dishes.

Meghan MacPherson

Impressed is an understatement. The team at Arlo hosted a group of us in "The Apartment" a couple days ago - WOW! What a cool concept! The atmosphere was warm, inviting and very unique. I was particularly impressed with the quality service and DELICIOUS food and wine. We were treated like royalty. Highly recommend!

Merit Trax

Great atmosphere with adequate and friendly service. The menu was limited, and written on a chalkboard that was rolled between tables on the patio; you had to take a picture to refer back to it. Recognizing this may have been a measure to deal with COVID-19, but a more thoughtful process could have been put in place with printed menus that are recyclable and changed daily. The food just seemed ... flopped on a paper plate given the above average price point. Again, another measure to adapt to unusual circumstances with COVID-19. There was a wide selection of bottles at high price points (60-100), from a printed menu I had to ask for. That said, there was a limited menu of glasses on the same chalkboard. The chalkboard referred generically to ‘orange’, ‘white’, etc. so it wasn’t clear to see if there was even value in getting a bottle, or if the same chalkboard wine was available on the paper menu. Altogether the entire restaurant experience was a bit of a veneer of aesthetics and atmosphere trumping the quality of food. Overall, there is opportunity for the restaurant to mature a bit on a few aspects.

Stephen Hoff

Lovely atmosphere, good bites and an excellent wine selection

Ryan Causton

Salty food and vinagre in place of true flavor food. Service was good, facility not ready for public and bathroom barely working. Very disappointed overall and expensive.

Vrushab Shah

Upscale casual dining with a great patio. Small menu with excellent creativity in food preparation and presentation. Strong wine list with a lot of unique selections. Very knowledgeable servers without being overbearing. Small portions at premium prices but a good choice for a fun dinner with friends.

Cesar Mendez

The food here is spectacular and the service is amazing! Would definitely recommend to any foodies looking for a cool and different experience!

joey bidner

Oysters were out of this world! High quality and the raspberry mignonette was an excellent combination. Salmon crudo was spectacular, pickled shrimp was very good, and duck brochette was tender, spicy, and meaty. Pear gallette was a classic pastry.

Jen Riddell

Great atmosphere with friendly and helpful service. Food was delicious; wine was outstanding.

A

Service

Glenn

Delicious appetizers. Lot of options for vegetarians only on appetizers! We tried one of the $60 bottle of beer. These expensive beers equivalent to a size of standard wine bottle (750ml) and it does tastes great!

Ufuk Orhun

First time dining indoors at Arlo (after having visited their patio for drinks this summer), and really enjoyed the experience. The celery salad was delicious!

Marie-Eve Giguère

Had high expectations walking in unfortunately did not deliver as expected. Cozy restaurant with beautiful private patio. Friendly staff and large wine selection. Where Arlo fell short is on the food and presentation. The fresh garden veggie plater left us a bit confused with the presentation… Overly priced for some “elevated” meat and potato meal. A few small pieces of duck breast and duck hearts on a skewer with a large size of fries to over compensate were roughly put together. The few bites we had were tasty but nothing to rave about. The same was to be said for my partner’s plate. With Ottawa’s selection of tasty restaurants, I am not sure I would give it another try.

Brandon Fong

Such an amazing experience. My partner brought me here for my birthday and we truly had an awesome night. I never caught our waitresses name but she was so informative, kind and fun. We tried a few different wines and each one was unique and tasty. The food was beautifully presented and tasted amazing. Thanks again for such a great night. Definitely coming back!!

Mitchell Scott

Great place, very cozy. The service was excellent. Wine recommendations were great by our server. I have ordered oysters and their cod. The cod was amazing, I’m still dreaming about it haha Will definitely be back for more!

Tom Christie

Best spot in the city hands down. Fantastic food, even better wine list and a classy space free of pretentiousness.

Mandy Gulliver

Meal type

Jack Harrison

Amazing experience on all sides, food, decor, services, wine!

Shubho Biswas

Alex and his entire team did an amazing job, in making our night magical. This was our 3rd visit since the pandemic started and the service and food was ACES! Absolutely one of the best if not the best restaurant in the city, with a spectacular wine list that isn’t pretentious. Well done!

Dustin Windsor

3.5 stars Great wines and service, and a nice vibe. The food is good quality, but the value is average. Avoid the seafood platter. Tasty and fresh, yes. But super overpriced for what it is, which left a bit of a sour taste in our mouths (metaphorically). The wines though, are fantastic.

Alexandra M

Absolutely great experience, amazing wine selection very knowledgeable staff, comfortable atmosphere and very well prepared food with great flavors.

Patricia Kiperchuk

My partner and I had our first experience at Arlo this past weekend while visiting Ottawa. To say it was incredible would be an understatement - from the energy when you first walk in the door to the final bite of dessert, the entire experience was one we won't be forgetting anytime soon. The service was absolutely above and beyond (Chelsea, you made our evening!) and the food was FOOLISHLY tasty. I'm Celiac, and felt more than accommodated and safe to eat here. The appetizers were so innovative, the mains were succulent, and the crispy squash for dessert was unreal. You can tell the people who own and manage the restaurant really know what they want to highlight. We'll be frequenting Ottawa in 2022, and are looking forward to our next experience at Arlo!

stephen stot

Amazing staff, great food and laid back atmosphere. Amazing selection of great wines. Been back and will continue too.

Cecilia Haslett

Great meal & service! Staff very knowledgeable & courteous. Their opening was delayed by COVID & construction on the interior still underway but they have a lovely patio in front & back to sit. The chefs are also working right in front of you in the back patio as well, grabbing fresh herbs on site for some of the dishes. Their current menu is limited but has a variety for both the non-adventurous & adventurous palates. I had the eggplant toast & the steak, both delicious! They also serve great quality wines & if you don't know what to order, their staff will certainly be able to pair one for you. Will certainly be back!

Anna V.

Dine in

Denis Potvin

AWESOME restaurant, the service, the food are simply incredible!! Alex and his team/partners are amazing! a MUST go in Ottawa.

Rita Elazar

Just lovely, great service, food was wonderful (seafood bungalow - ceviche especially, lamb, duck). Gorgeous wines. Looking forward to going back.

Kevin Tribe

Every dish was a delight. We had the oysters, duck, salmon, and shrimp. Fries out of this world. Ordered a second order. All prepped and flavoured to our taste. Service excellent. Highly recommend.

Lucas C

Amazing food and wine with a super friendly service. The food is so unique and carefully prepared. We took some foodie guests from Montreal there and they loved everything! We highly recommend Arlo!

Marie Dorgan

I really enjoyed the food, service and ambience. Overall, I was very impressed.

scarlett smith

Great food, wonderful ambiance and fabulous wine list

Amer Wahab

Our new favorite wine bar for amazing natural wine. The team is fantastic, the staff are wonderful, and Alex is a "wine wizard". You walk in and feel extremely welcomed (which is why we keep going back). My wife and i have gone 4 weekends in a row, now that tell's you its special. The patio in the front and back are the ultimate date spot, they have done an amazing job. The natural wines are obviously the highlight and if you haven't tried Natural wine, head to Arlo and let the staff guide you! I'm sure we will see you this weekend for a 5th in a row.

Anne-Marie Laurin

Really enjoyed my time there, food and wine were on point, and being that it’s an uncomfortable time right now, it made it extra special to be at a place that felt comfortable to be at.

Robert Krantzberg

I go to this restaurant monthly and every time is such an amazing experience. My favorite restaurant in Ottawa, hands down!

Scott Burns

Beautiful decor with warmth and welcoming ambience. Personable service but never intrusive , food were done with care from heart and beautifully presented.

Liam Forde

Worth every penny just for the experience. Gorgeous patio with an ambience equally conducive to a group or a romantic meal. Service best I’ve experienced in Ottawa for many years. Assuming Alex served us (I never catch names first time) only because I cannot believe anyone else could have shared so much information re the wine and food with the knowledge and fervour of an owner and co-owner, chef Jamie Stunt, had to be in the kitchen. Wanted to try something new so I ordered the duck only to discover I don’t like duck. Alex blew my son’s mind with how immediate his response was that they would absorb the cost of my meal. I refused to accept the offer as my discovery I don’t like duck was certainly not a reflection on the chef’s preparation or presentation. Definitely recommend Arlo to anyone looking to experience a high end venue with a laid back atmosphere.

C Rae

I was here last night with my family and I was thoroughly impressed. The food was wonderful and the service was fantastic. We had drinks and ordered some great dishes. I had the lime daiquiri and mezcal cocktail, both were very good. We shared the seafood bungalow which was delicious. Everything on there was done to perfection. For the main course I had the cod with beurre blanc sauce. It was fantastic.

Amanda Gauthier

Best natural wine spot in Ottawa so far. Worthwhile and every changing menu with an amazing European vibe and a knowledgeable staff.

Brooke Walsh

Intimate patio experience and exceptionally managed care by the proprietor and staff. We enjoyed several incredible wine offerings and an equally impressive menu. Each offering was delicious and paired incredibly well based on suggestions from Alex. Thanks Arlo team. Can’t wait to see what comes next!

Mary Rose

I've been three times now, twice at the patio and once indoors. I think i might be missing something compared to my fellow diners...the patio has a great vibe, there were some teething issues but this is understandable. However, the last visit was quite average and i really wanted it to be better as the people who work there are lovely people. I'm afraid being kind doesn't make up for the uninspired menu and saltiness and way overpriced bill. More than half the menu is cold and the remaining items are overpriced and not very flavorful. Needs some rethinking to attract customers more than once to pay steep prices for ordinary food and warm service. How about some stew, chili or a great casserole that tastes good with no pretention?

Ada Oliver

Really nice vibe, extensive but expensive wine list. The owner/sommelier helped us select wines in our price range (which was already higher by 30% than our normal price range). The food was also a bit pricey, but tasted delicious. I would say the seafood bungalow was a disappointment - smaller than expected, and not as good as other places. Skewered duck was the best item we ordered!

Caroline Phillips

Sophisticated upscale food made simple to enjoy by the layman. 6 stars. Ps. Coldest beer on tap