Cantina Gia

Had a great time here. The chicken was soft and well cooked. The salad was amazing as well as the pasta. Would definitely come back.

Vibes 5 out of 5. Cute decor throughout the restaurant, and food being served on unique plates.nnBut the food was just ok. Went for brunch and the eggs benny wasn't worth $20+. Honestly, the best part was actually the salad with a delicious vinaigrette. The rosemary potatoes were also better than the eggs benny.

Unfortunately this place did not live up to our expectations of it. While the decor is a pretty vintage, the place is so strikingly loud that we couldn't even hear each other properly. I think they're catering to a more younger, louder, North American clientele. The place feels more like a lounge than a restaurant. Which is fine, but I would not go there expecting a classic, traditional Italian cuisine experience. The focaccia was actually quite good, but served cold for some reason; warming it up would have really elevated it. The mushroom pasta was good though heavy. Unfortunately the tiramisu has alcohol in it but the blueberry panna cotta was very nice. Their version of a Jos Louis was interesting but did not quite do it for me. Lattes were very good and I believe they topped them with salt which was a very nice touch. Service was fine and friendly.

Gia Cantina is a beautiful Italian restaurant. The design is a mix of old and new which I love. If your looking for space to rent for an event or host a dinner you won’t be disappointed with the atmosphere. The service was decent. I have a gluten allergy and the waiter went through the option with me which was nice. They even had gluten free calamari which was a plus - I haven’t went to another restaurant in Ottawa that serves this. The calamari was crispy and served with a creamy sauce which I enjoyed. Unfortunately I was disappointed with my main dish. I ended up getting the mushroom pasta and it was a good size but was lacking flavour. Another thing to take note of is there aren’t any gf desserts. Despite this, my friends ended up getting some of the other options on the menu and they really enjoyed them. Overall I had a good experience and am not opposed to returning again to try more options.

Such a beautiful restaurant. Had the eggs Benny for brunch, and the stars of the show were the salad and the potatoes so crispy and flavourful.

Directions to Cantina Gia with public transportation

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