Citizen - Ottawa, Ontario

A staple on Elgin. If I can make one suggestion to someone reading this review. YOU MUST GET THE MEATBALL! It is absolutely amazing. Everything is. From the food, to the service, to the atmosphere. They have made this spot a staple for me

When I say this was probably one of the BEST meals I've ever had, I mean it. This has easily become my favorite spot in Ottawa. We came here for our anniversary and were treated to a nice glass of bubbly to celebrate. The service was phenomenal. Our server (I wish I ... got their name!) was super kind, knowledgable & overall a real gem of a human! We had the burrata to start, and shared the Raviolo & cauliflower with halloumi as our mains. The burrata was soOooOo tasty. The pickled veg and bread really complimented the dish. I will go back just for that! I tried the Grog cocktail which is like a tiki-vibe tropical drink. It was sooo tasty, not too sweet but had such a depth to the flavors. The fresh nutmeg on top really elevated the drink. The raviolo was to die for. I was a little hesitant to order as I was told it was one big piece of pasta and I didn't want to leave hungry, but I'm so glad I went with it because with the other dishes it was the perfect amount of food. I loveee burre blanc, and the richness of the dish was offset by the most amazingly tart and salty pickled veg. I immediately had to google what a "Rideau pine ramp" was because it was diviiiineee. Everything was cooked to perfection and perfectly seasoned. The cauliflower dish was scrumptiouss! Every bite was as intriguing as the last, it has so many complimentary ingredients that really bring out the best in each other. You can tell that the menu was created with a lot of thoughtful intention behind it. I can't say enough how good it was. I found myself doing a happy lil shoulder-shimmy dance with every bite. The chef really knocked it out of the park. All the staff we interacted with really made the experience memorable. I love a elevated dining experience that isn't "too much". We were indecisive on which dessert to get everything looked FIRE and after our jaw-dropping meal I wanted to try everything! We asked the server to surprise us. She said she would give us the featured dessert... A strawberry shortcake. When the desert came we learned she had switched it up last minute and brought out the sticky toffee pudding. And WOW. Good move on her part, it was FABULOUS. I had to restrain myself from licking the plate. Overall, this was an exceptional experience. I've been accused of being a picky eater in the past because I often feel places miss the mark with their execution of dishes. Especially when things have a higher price tag. I just think I have higher expectations than the average bear. Having such a beautiful meal to celebrate our special occasion makes remarkable meals like this one even more special to me. Thank you to ALL the staff at Citizen for making our anniversary such a beautiful experience. I have been raving about Citizen/Town to all my friends and encourage anyone reading the reviews to give it a try! I will DEFINITELY be back. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Read more

5/30 - visited all the way from Kitchener for my birthday dinner. Our witness Emily was amazing! She was so attentive, friendly and helpful with making recommendations with dishes. The flavours in the food were so unique, everything balanced each other out. Still thinking about the Chicken Agnolotti 😩😭 best ... meal for the books Read more

Nice Casual atmosphere. Cocktails were great and fun, although a bit on the pricey side. We ordered the white fish appetizer which my girlfriend found delicious and I just thought it was missing a little something more. We ordered the trout main and the pot pie special. The pot pie ... was delicious, however we were disappointed with the trout, especially at that price point. The trout itself was good, and the pasta with chorizo was good, but it just didn’t work together. The pasta was too spicy and it took away from the fish. Extremely disappointed with that considering it’s also the most expensive thing on the menu. With all that said the service was fantastic. Couldn’t have had a better waitress. Read more

Hands down our favourite restaurant in Ottawa. We’ve eaten at 3 Michelin star places, etc, and I’d rather come here every time. To describe it - just delicious well balanced food. Consistent, never disappoints. The menu changes often and there is usually a mix of various cuisines represented. Prices are always ... fair. Their rotation of 4 cocktails is consistently delicious, balanced. Great wine menu. The customer service is always fantastic. Highly recommend checking it out! Only potential feedback is chairs are a bit firm for large male to sit in for 2 hours. Super small detail but would make 5.5/5 stars Read more