Pleasantly surprised

My wife had gone for dinner with a few friends last month. She found the food delightful. The menu was varied and enticing and the food was definitely worth the visit. However, they all found the service deplorable: slow with little concern for the customer. I went yesterday for lunch expecting good food but poor service. I was pleasantly surprised... more

Try the mussels and crabcakes

We stopped in for lunch and sat on the patio (this place is away from the core of the market and quieter which we liked). Both the service and food were good and the presentation of the dishes was well done. We had the mussels in white wine sauce with fresh bread on the side which was tasty, the crabcakes... more

Great sangria

we stopped in here by chance and really enjoyed the food. The restaurant has a patio both in the front and the back. The food was really good, the service was great and the sangria the best that we had on our trip. It is worth stopping in when you are tired, hungry and thirsty.

Very Poor

Sat out on the patio, it was very pleasant, but hot. Asked for a Bud Light Lime,didn't have it. Asked for Miller lime, didn't have it, Asked for cider,only on tap. Asked for a half pint, only sold it by the pint. The ladies at the next table were asking for half pint beers and were told the same thing,only... more

Good option on the edge of the Byward Market

We've been here many times over the years and met up with friends for brunch yesterday. There are so many options for this type of place within a few blocks. This is a pleasant setting when the courtyard is open, reasonable food, and our server was friendly. Sadly, the courtyard that makes the back patio such a pleasant setting is... more

More than at first glance

My friend and I were strolling in the Market looking for a spot for brunch and asked to peruse the menu to see if they offered anything interesting, and at first glance we saw an attractive little street-side patio with all the umbrella tables taken... that's when we were taken through the restaurant to this shade/covered large back patio... if... more

Outstanding Pizza

I ate today at The Black Thorn Cafe for the first time, but definitely not the last. The striploin pizza had blue cheese sauce, carmelized onions, mushrooms, mozzarella, and was garnished with arugala. An absolutely scrumptious combination!! I will definitely return to sample their other menu offerings .

Friendly Pub in the Byward Market

While in town on business I asked the 20 something concierge where I could grab a quick lunch. She mentioned living near this place and suggested going for mussels. Good recommendation.
The pub area is cozy and inviting. It was a Saturday afternoon and there was no crowd given it was winter and cold. Mussels were prepared three ways. I... more

Pub before restaurant

Went in for a quick bite and drink. The small pub/bar area had a very pleasant and peaceful atmosphere. Extremely quick and friendly service. They were out of a few local draughts but still had some variety available. The food was just ok. Their burger buns seemed store bought and the home-made-eqsue fries were ok. The flavour and sauce of... more

Decent restaurant, limited menu

The Black Thorn Cafe is located in an older building (with lots of charm and a great patio) in the Market Area of Ottawa. The staff were great, prices very reasonable but the menu is limited in it's selection.
The restaurant is also fairly small so I would suggest a reservation (we had one).
I tried the Lobster salad which... more

Family celebration

We went out for a family celebration and we all enjoyed our meals. It wasn't very busy on a Wednesday evening, but the ambiance was very nice, the Duck was great and the service was very friendly and attentive.

Nice place to stop for a cold beer

Relaxed atmosphere. Friendly service. Cold beer. Easy conversations. All the ingredients. A nice place to stop for a beer with friends.

Salty Salty Inventive

I hate writing bad reviews of places especially when located in gorgeous old historical buildings, which is the case with this very atmospheric, very well kept, very friendly and very attentive restaurant. Yes, everyone at the restaurant was wonderful including our server-personable, attentive, professional, pleasant. But the food! What an overpriced disappointment. I had the Mariposa chicken... more

Pub Food High Prices

It was a nice pub but it was over 100 for burgers and fries for 4 people....Burgers were tasty but could have gotten the same for 5.00 instead they were 15

A good place for a meal

Went to the Black Thorn after visiting the summer exhibit at the National Gallery of Canada. The Café is located in the By Ward Market in an old 1860 stone building. Lots of charm to the place with 2 terraces one in front and one in the back courtyard area. The waiter was bilingual spoke French and English well. Very... more

Great Eggs Benedict

We went here expecting a reasonable brunch but were blown away by the excellent Eggs Benedict. My wife had the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon while I had mine with Canadian bacon. We almost always have tasters of each others meals - while the smoked was good, we both concluded the Canadian bacon one was better.
The photograph tells the... more

Yum

Cooking is my passion so I seldom eat in restaurants. However, four weeks ago I chanced to walk into The Black Thorn. From the fabric napkins to the paying of my bill.......all was perfection. The soup was fresh, flavoursome, DELICE. The lobster salad was....well.....as I was eating my salad a few couples and singles came in...asking the servers, " Do... more

great service and food

Liked the dining room with the fireplace and the outdoor patio. the food was great and the service was excellent. the Hostess very polite and pretty.

Great Birthday Dinner

We had a lovely meal with 9 people for a birthday party. Service was friendly and efficient. The food was great and well presented.

Terrible Pizza

Just went to Black Thorn yesterday and the memory is still vivid. I ordered sangria and pizza. Took a long time t get drink and then pizza. Drink was great. Pizza was not. Toppings were scarce and they forgot the parmesan which was supposed to be on it. My wifes salad was great Lobster and shrimp.

Delicious Meal

It is sometimes hard to even get into a restaurant in Ottawa, and with a large group, we were pleased to find a table at this popular Ottawa watering hole. We sat out on their back patio, which normally has a pleasant, but quiet view, so we were disappointed in the construction fence blocking any view, but our meal was... more

Amazing

This is a place that we come to again and again when we attend our National Meetings in Canada's Capitol. The service was amazing, the list of different beers and wine was incredible and our waiter was very knowledgeable! Its definitely a place to eat that makes you eat out of your comfort zone and that's what we love! Pizza... more

Fantastic Brunch

Three friends and I stopped at the Black Thorn for lunch on the way to our cottage Saturday morning and we could not be happier with our experience. The eggs Benedict with smoked salmon was perfectly cooked and fantastic. Not your typical slimey salmon - real smoked salmon that our server told us was done in house -- fantastic.
Service... more

Good entree

Visited with friends this week. Service was very friendly and welcoming. Had the spinach dip and seafood orzo which was very tasty. I also had the creme brulee for desert and unfortunately it was terrible. However I wouldn't let that overshadow a good meal and friendly service.

Bugs in water, over priced, rude waiters

Made reservations weeks in advance online and never got confirmation. Arrived and asked for a booth seat in a clearly empty restaurant and was refused. My friend noticed a small dead fly in her water; after inspecting mine there was a fly in there as well! Told waiter and didn't get so much as an apology. Was extremely hot in... more

Such good food

This was a great place for dinner. The food was fantastic, hot and delicious. A touch expensive but for a special place in a beautiful building and great food, splurge a little :-)

Disappointing, warmed-over brunch

We tried the Sunday brunch here, and it was pretty awful: the eggs benny was barely warm and smothered in alarmingly orange, slightly congealed "hollandaise". The coffee wasn't great either.
It's a shame about the food (the brunch, anyway), because it's a great location, with a bright, sunny front patio and shady courtyard seating at the back. Great-looking interior, too.

Great mussels and martinis

I went on a Wednesday for drinks with work colleagues, and had mussels and cider. The mussels, in the spicy curry broth, were perfect. The broth was just spicy enough, and the soft bread and pepper butter just perfect to finish the bowl up.
The next week I went on martini night, and shared spinach dip. Bland and not very... more

real food made by a chef

Nice decor but kind of noisy (lots of hipsters packed in). Organic meat. Kind of high prices at supper time ($30 for an entree). The good thing is that this is real food made by real chefs, not processed food microwaved by teenagers like you get at chain restaurants. On the downside, the taste was kind of overpowering for me.... more

Awesome

When you are away from home, at least you look for places that can give you a different experience and this place covers this perfectly. Food is delicious, well sized, the place atmosphere is right to get a great night. I highly recommend the duck: Delicious.

Total waste of money! Avoid by all means

I ordered a salmon salad. The salmon was too cold to chew on, was not fresh at all, and had a stale taste to it. Though this was not specified on the menu,the onions were way too pickled, making the whole salad sour. Also, the waiter was just terrible, she was very defensive and got really annoyed and rude. Additionally,... more

Unfortunate Experience

I ordered the salmon salad and it tastes like someone splashing vinegar directly into your mouth (and I usually love vinegrettes). The Chef was clearly heavy handed with the dressing.
Towards the end of the meal there was a surprize in my food - a long hair. A few mins after my unfortunate discovery I got up to tell the... more

Restaurant From Hell - total garbage

After having read the mediocre reviews on tripadvisor for the Black Thorn I should not have gone to this restaurant.
If I could give this restaurant a rating of zero I would.
- I ordered a chicken dish. The chicken was dry and tasteless, as was the rest of the food. The vegetables were hardly cooked and seemed to be... more

Service terrible

Me and my friend sat down, we waited 45 minutes and nobody ever came to offer us water, menu nothing. I have never experienced that in my life. When me and my friend walked out and left, the waitresses looked at me and said sorry. Wow! My best friend had made reservations there for her bday and made her cancel.... more

great service

First visit - was there for a drink and shared a charcuterie and cheese platter with a friend after work. Really great service. The pink lemonade was nice and cool. Will go back in the summer to enjoy both on their patio.

Inexperienced

I visited the Black Thorn the other week on a Thursday and was very displeased with my experience. For the price, the execution was incredibly lacking. Sloppy presentation led way to lackluster tastes (my sweet potato mash tasted like salt and chalk). Furthermore, the server could not tell me what was in the mash without checking with someone in the... more

A Favorite of Ours

TA should really update the average cost of a meal to 25-40 dollars. The 10-20 dollars is for the sandwich menu served at lunch. The dinner menu has been changed to the season and the 'pub' food has become pricier than "Social" down the street. We opted for Social and by the quality of the food at "Social", maybe just... more

A favourite restaurant/bar

I think first of all the atmosphere..its one of the few bar/restaurants where there is a lovely patio overlooking a quiet courtyard with a fountain in the summer. The menu is interestingly varied for a pub restaurant. Favourite is to have two appetizers..especially their moules. Also one of their thin crust pizzas as all have unusual toppings and are a... more

Excellent for lunch or dinner

Always really enjoy my meals here. The selection is excellent and the wine list reasonably priced. I love the salads and the pizzas.

Terrific service, great soup

We stopped in for a late afternoon snack based on an advertisement outside for beef barley soup. We're so glad we did. We received wonderful service and some of the heartiest soup we've ever had. With a full bar, small but interesting menu, and awesome service, we hope to return soon.

Good food, nice pub

This was my second visit to the Black Thorn, and both times I've eaten lunch there with co-workers. The service is fine, friendlier the first time I visited, but certainly competent both times. We came in with a group of eight people for lunch, and were offered a choice of sitting outside or in the back dining room. We picked... more

A Warm and Friendly Place

I happened upon The Black Thorn while trying to find a nice place to get out of the rain. I was greeted by a friendly welcome from the bartender. The Black Thorn has a wide variety of beer on tap and the bartender was kind enough to provide me with several samples before I decided on one - a Mill... more

Great beer and close to everything

Great atmosphere and nice patio's right beside the courtyard.
Our server was attentive and the drinks were fantastic.

Awesome dinner option

A great location with a hip atmosphere. Best of byward! Seriously great spot, inspired menu, good wine selection. Gotta love the terasse!

The most unaccomodating place we've ever been to

We had been looking forward to our trip to Ottawa and our dinner at The Black Thorn for a while, having read about its history in the ByWard Market. On a quiet Monday night, we made our way there, 5 adults, walked through the empty restaurant and went to the terrace in the courtyard to take advantage of the beautiful... more

Good food, decent service

Had supper on the patio with friends after a visit to the National Gallery. Even though it was a Saturday and we were an hour early for our reservation, we were still seated immediately on the patio. The service was good, albeit not very personable and the food was excellent. The mussels in a spicy Cajun sauce were delectable and... more

Great place for food in the Market

Just went to the Black Thorn on Sunday for a late lunch and ended up having brunch instead because it just looked soo good at the table next to us.
I had the farmers breakfast and quite enjoyed it. I'll have to go back again and try what I was supposed to try (thin crust pizza).
In addition to the... more

The Black Thorn is Excellent

Excellent food, service and location! A must visit in the Byward Market in Ottawa, Ontario Canada.
The food is of exceptional quality and presentation. The salads are amazing. The service is consistantly good and prompt. Atmosphere is very pleasant. I would highly recommend this restaurant!

Over priced, but good food

We visited the Black Thorn after a visit to the National Gallery and were happy with the quality of the food and the service, however, the prices are a bit steep for pub food. The food is good, but it is nothing extraordinary and two hamburgers, a salad, two soft drinks, a low quality glass of wine and a beer... more

Good brunch but bad service

It's too bad that the waiter had to come see us 3 times to tell us our food was coming soon ( 30 minutes later), because once we finally got served, it was really good. They had no peanut butter to eat my toasts with ( what kind of breakfast restaurant doesnt have peanut butter ???). The terraces are nice... more

Limited but great vegetarian options ($11 'high protein' salad), portions are perfectly sized (small enough to be presentable, large enough to satisfy). Sufficient wine list. Front patio is good - atmosphere on back patio appears to be VERY nice (looking onto scenic courtyard, but was VERY busy on a Saturday night). Location is convenient and in classiest end of the Market, but Blackthorn still... more

Food and decor are great...very chill atmosphere but still classy. However beware, some wait staff have attitude... more