Lago And Grill - Ottawa

Great dishes. Apps are huge and almost fill like an entree. Service was great. The restaurant is gorgeous and huge. Would be a great place for a private function, corporate party or birthday bash. Server also stamped our receipt and paid for our parking. Classy place.

Good Times. I have read many mixed reviews about Lago. I just got engaged and their venue looked ideal for a wedding reception, so we figured we might as well go and try out the food. I will admit at first, that I was worried when my fiance ordered a lemon drop that had 5 slices of lemon, no sugar and about a cup of ice cubes thrown in a martini glass. We generally don't return things at restaurants but it was undrinkable. The waiter was great about everything. He brought her a new (different) drink and gave here a complimentary drink as well. The food was delicious. I had the bacon wild mushroom chowder which was delicious and the Atlantic salmon which was great as well. My fiance had the maple salad an a mushroom frazetti pasta that she loved! We both split a dessert, a pumpkin creme brulee with pumpkin ice cream, which was amazing! We plan on getting married in the fall and if we choose Lago as a venue we will definitely be requesting that as one of the desserts on our menu. <br/ <br/ I've read alot of reviews saying that the drinks are weak. I ordered a rye and ginger to test it out and it seemed fine. Every drink my girlfriend got had plenty of alcohol. She even said when she drank the mojito that there was lots of alcohol in it and really enjoyed it, as well as the sangria. All in all it was a great evening. Our waiter was super friendly considering he was the only waiter due to an event upstairs and another waiter calling in sick. He felt bad that we had to wait a bit for desert (which we didn't even notice) and comp'd our desert. Other than the bogus drink (which was handled very professionally) at the start of the meal everything was fantastic! Will definitely go back again!

I've come here a few times now and the food is always amazing. Great atmosphere and wonderful service.

A really nice spot. Free parking accros the street. Lots of room, delicious menu, good service.

Artsy Canadian Contemporary Cuisine with an EXQUISITE VIEW!!!. Upon walking into this restaurant last summer, we were impressed at the contemporary design and layout of the restaurant. but what was most impressive to the atmosphere was the spectacular view of whole of dow's lake with all the boats docked near the patio going all around floor.<br/ <br/ since we love comfort food, LAGO has made quite an impression on us and we have been back many times. the menu changes seasonally as well so it is hard to fit it all in one review. <br/ <br/ my favorite is the beef tenderloin with lobster truffle butter which is an amazing flavor explosion for this tender beef. comes with generous sides of (VERY UNIQUE! braised beef short rib potato gratin and pancetta wrapped asparagus.<br/ <br/ another favorite is the atlantic lobster spaghetti with a large 1/2 length sliced lobster tail, claws and langoustines with a tasty roastes tomates and fresh basil. i enjoy fresh tasting seafood not overpowered by excessive sauces and spices and this dish was great!<br/ <br/ some of the new appetizers i've noticed are fantastic. what was striking was their amarena cherry BBQ ribs. WOW! cherry spiked BBQ sauce was a total knockout!!! <br/ <br/ another particular delicious app there was the beef carpaccio with truffle oil, pickled artichoke salad, a heaping pile of crispy onions (or crispy thinly sliced potato and large shavings of parmesan. <br/ <br/ the rare ahi tuna was delcious, done medium rare with an assortment of baby veg ratatouille.<br/ <br/ one of the seafood mains was a beautiful mushroom crusted halibut alongside with delcious buttered chanterelle mushrooms topped high with red watercress garnish, a heaping side of mashed potatoes with whipped parsnips and 3 different colored carrots. such a nice variety and artfully presentated.<br/ <br/ there are so many things in each dish that it is hard to isolate a favorite so much so that you want to return and try something else until you've sampled the entire menu. <br/ <br/ there was an incredible mac and cheese with black truffles which used to be a side dish to their grilled chicken which is now upgraded to a full lunch entree. not too many restaurants in ottawa use truffles and truffle oil! <br/ <br/ recently i had the pork on your fork dish with bacon braised cabbage with beau's ale (a local ottawa and organic beer . i'm not usually a fan of cabbage but this was a delicious mix with the tender bacon and pancetta-wrapped porn terderloin done medium.<br/ <br/ the toblerone fondue was amazing.<br/ <br/ i've noticed they use higher quality ingredients that justifies their prices compared to than similar bar and grill restaurants!! their kennebec french fries are incredible. probably the only restaurant in ottawa to use kennebec potatoes exclusively recommended by that famous chef thomas kellar!!<br/ <br/ i believe friday nights they have 2-for 1 apps and specially priced drinks. we stayed after dinner on saturday nights at 10pm where the they turn into a classy club with bottle service. seems to be really popular place as it was jam packed with classy and very attractive women who show up dressed to the nines!!! forget the byward market, LAGO has grown to have it all.<br/ <br/ highly recommended. i've posted some pics of their dishes on [hidden link] as well as those of my other restaurant reviews.