East Side Mario’s - Ottawa, Ontario

My husband and I have been dining here for about 2 1/2 years since moving to the area. I can say that this location and restaurant in general holds the record for a consistently good time. The food is always great but what really makes this location special is the ... staff and atmosphere is amazing. I have been coming semi regularly and it’s so refreshing to see low staff turnover, and people that genuinely seem to enjoy their job. I had George the other day and he was friendly, attentive and really on it. Last October I had Brad for my birthday and I will absolutely never forget that birthday, I was laughing the entire time. When we have Lucy, she always remembers me by my engagement ring. It’s also very refreshing to see the manager on the floor. Talking to customers, helping bring out food, bussing tables. I’ve overheard him plenty of times telling staff they are doing great and offering hi-fives. It is very refreshing to see. The food is awesome, but what makes this place great truly is the team behind it. Read more

Update April 12, 2024, took our 13 year old grandson for a birthday dinner and Brad was an amazing server. Made sure we all were taken care of and even organized a birthday surprise birthday sing-a-long and desserts resulting in a beaming smile I've never seen before on this grandchild. ... Thank you for making this a wonderful experience.Loved my sample platter, not too big that I was overstuffed. Went for lunch yesterday, three adults and a 10 year old child. We arrived right when they opened at 11 am so were served and seated immediately. Service was great, our server Massie took care of the childrens meal, Fetucine Alfredo, right away giving colouring while waiting followed by drinks. A nice thing about going early was we weren't rushed out. My husband and I had the All You Can Eat Lunch with soup, salad, and loaf. The creamy Potatoe Soup was to die for. Had the Caesar Salad that included everything it's supposed to followed by a Chef Salad. Both were fresh and tasty. For $13.99 per person that meal was a bargain and a wonderful lunch. This is a great place to bring children for a nicer meal than fast food. Bright, clean, and lots to look at. I'd go back. Read more

Great Place To Celebrate A Birthday! We had a large gathering last Thursday to celebrate a birthday. Not only they were able to accommodate our group, the service was excellent, the décor/atmosphere was great, and especially the food was awesome. I liked the idea of the unlimited salad and/or ... soup and ample supply of buttered loaves of break. We will certainly be coming back! (UPDATE: Visited the place a few more times. Reason I downgraded to 4 is because of the deceiving advertisement on the so called "specials". For instance every Thursday they have the $50 for two. My wife & brother-in-law ordered that one. What wasn't clear is that one had to also order drinks at $4 which she though was included in the price. She felt cheated! Also I noticed a few items that seemed too-good-to-be true but aren't! Still the staff were super polite and even though the last time we came our main dish took more than 40 min to arrive we were allowed to have as many soup-of-the-day, salad, and buttered garlic bread as we wanted without restriction. And that's the ONLY reason we'll be coming but we will NO LONGER fall for those deal specials of the day.) Read more

Went there with friends on Friday night for dinner. The place was really packed. Service was great. Tomato soup, the complimentary bread, and chicken parm with spaghetti were really good. Highly recommend them. Definitely check this restaurant out if you are out for dinner with family or friends.

I didn’t have the best experience in this location. Hopefully it gets better in the next week. It was a busy day (Saturday), and it took forever to get drinks and salads. I can’t even talk about the refill, cuz you can imagine yourself. Child’s drink never came and it ... was added in the final bill, which was removed once I complained. The server was very nice, btw. Bread and salad was good, and the food too. My kids had a great time, despite all of the above. Read more