Otto Ristorante Bar

I so wanted to love this place as it’s in the W hotel and in Montréal so what’s not to look forward to?
Well, the meal started with them not having the Nero Davola wine by the glass, from a short list of about 4 red wines by the glass. My waitress simply told me they had a cab. a merlot, and a Chianti, so I opened the menu and showed her the wine I wanted and she said «we’re out of that». Now, there are 1000 ways to better present this to a customer. I would up choosing the Chianti which was just fine.
My meal started with an appetizer of shrimp tempura. The shrimp were soggy! Flavorful, but soggy. Bla, I told her there were delicious (because they were) and I didn’t want to bitch about my meal
Next came the pasta and meatballs with a pomodoro sauce. The pasta was good, sauce was bland, and the 5 tender and flavorful meatballs were COLD! Not warn, not hot, NOT EVEN room temperature (visit was in October)! The insides were COLD.
When asked how re meal was I told her very pleasantly that they were cold and she offered an insincere apology and asked if I wanted a desert!
PostScript— I talked to the restaurant manager and told him of this experience, and he apologized profusely and comped the meal. Nice touch, but I still had a mediocre at best meal at the W! This raised it to a 2 star rating form the one I was about to post.

Service is ok, but what’s with making the waitresses wear hoochie mama dresses?! So not classy. Quite inappropriate for a nice restaurant. And the food is terrible — well at least dessert (which is all we ordered). On the positive side, the music selection was awesome.

I liked it a lot. It’s inside the «W» Hotel which is a bit fanatically over-​cool, and it features a ridiculous amount of red neon, but the menu is good, the place is chic, and it’s fun. With my guests I tried a couple of dishes that are tricky to prepare, and the results were excellent. Overall I thought the menu was very appealing although, as a person who doesn’t eat meat the selection of options was not that large. The food we ordered was very nicely prepared, plated, and quiet delicious with decent but to excessive portions.
The staff was quite friendly and helpful, although only so-​so in terms of being attentive. I think the owners must put a lot of emphasis on hiring very attractive staff, which is fine, but the youth of the staff comes at the expense of experience. That’s not a problem at a normal restaurant, but at a place with a good menu and substantial prices, a deeper familiarity with the wine list and menu might have been nice. That said, I was very happy with the experience and have already been back once.
The place only seems to fill up later in the evening so arrive early if you want something very quiet where you own the place, or late if you want a scene that is packed.

! We had a 50 th B-​day party past week-​end, 53 guests all exclaiming how good the food was, accents on the tuna tartar and filet mignon cooked to perfection that melted in your mouth. The service was fantastic, always a refill !!! From the sliders to the lamb chops served on the terrace as our guests arrived followed by constant clearing of empty glasses and napkins. I would recommend Otto for any function or a delicious dinner. Very honest gentleman

The service & food are excellent! I stayed at the hotel and since the forecast called for rain in the evening, I decided to stay in the hotel and eat at Otto. I read the reviews on Unilocal beforehand and wasn’t sure what to expect. Well, I was pleasantly surprised. I am somewhat of a food snob and I loved everything. The waiters were extremely attentive but not overly invasive. They always came to refill my water before it was completely empty. Also, a big plus for me is that they left a large bottle of water on each table. For others, this may not be a big deal but I drink alot of water and don’t want to have to flag a waiter down just to refill my glass. In this case, I would not have had to because the waiters at Otto were so attentive, but even if they weren’t, I would have been able to refill my water as I pleased. I did come on a Sunday evening and the restaurant had very few patrons at that time, but nevertheless, impeccable service.
Food: Starter — scallops: Cooked perfectly! So delicious. The dish also includes spinach, mushrooms, and pancetta. Delicious!!!
Main Course-​Seafood Linguine pasta. Again, very good. The highlight of my night were the scallops in the appetizer and the scallop in the main course.
Ambiance: Very nice décor. Modern without trying too hard. Music was also very cool. It sounded like a mix of modern French, African, and funky lounge-​y music. I enjoyed it.
I really don’t know why this place has such a low rating on Unilocal.Perhaps I lucked out by going on a slow night and picking the dishes I picked, but I would definitely come to Otto again and recommend it. Yes, it is pricey but it is on par with all of the other downtown/​Old Montréal restaurants I have been to of this caliber. Honestly, all of the restaurants in this area are overpriced so how can anyone fault Otto for pricing comparably? Just my opinion.

I visited Otto with a big group of people for a friend’s birthday and was pleasantly surprised. Overall the service was relaxed and friendly. They had no problems accommodating a large group and were patient with explaining various menu items to some of the people in our group with dietary restrictions. The food itself was better than I expected. Usually in glitzy places like this, the food looks good but is just alright at best. But this was really tasty. I had the homemade tagliatelle with meatballs and spare ribs. While it was pricey, I easily could have split this dish with a dining companion and we would have both still been satisfied. The desserts were equally good, well presented but also quite rich and decandant.
The décor is really special. Lots of red, and unexpected textures. It was the perfect backdrop for a birthday celebration (and lots of picture taking).
While I will not be running back anytime soon, I will keep this one tucked up my sleeve for future special occasions.

November 2012, staying at the W Hotel in Montréal. Hungry. Generally fearful of hotel restaurants. Lazy. Checked out Unilocal to see what people had to say about Otto, in my hotel. Horrible things. Scared. More lazy than scared — went to Otto.
I could not have been more pleased. I was away on business and traveling alone, so I oped to sit at the bar, located just to the side of the main entrance. Great bar service, well prepared martini. Relaxed and ready for dinner. Started off my meal with a salad that consisted of baby wild arugula, caramelized figs, fresh ricotta, hazelnuts, with a sage and honey vinaigrette. For my entrée I had the black cod, marinated daikon, black sesame seeds and pak-​choi. Everything was absolutely delicious.
I was able to get a late checkout a the hotel, and decided to have a late lunch prior to driving back to the states. Upon walking into the restaurant, the hostess remembered my name, asked me how my night was, and where I wanted to sit — bar or table in the main dining room. Nice to be remembered. This time I opted for a table. Great room, vaulted ceilings, huge windows looking out to the city. Lunch was just as good as dinner the night before.
Very satisfied.

I used to live in Montréal, and instead of going back to one of my favorite breakfast joints in town like Chez Cora or trying out a new (to me) and well reviewed place like Restaurant l’avenue –I was lazy and starving so just hit up the restaurant in my hotel.
I had the omelet with wild mushrooms and white truffle oil (came with potatoes, fruit, and toast) and a macchiato. $ 22 after tax.
I debated between giving this place one or two stars. But the service and food was so far from what you would expect that even though nothing was inedible and the macchiato was good, I would not recommend it to anyone.
Between the mushrooms and truffle oil, the omelet should have been oozing with an umami flavor. Instead it was incredibly bland and only with some salt, pepper, and tabasco could I even eat it. The fruit, potatoes, and toast were similarly mediocre.
Service? Had to wait a few minutes to even talk to a host in an empty restaurant to see the menu. Dear all restaurants in the world, please post your menus at the entrance. It took forever to get a water refill, and when I asked for a jam aside from the 2 orange marmalades on the table, my server brought 2 jams from an adjoining table (those single size jars), and one of them was used. Which is why you don’t take single serving condiments from one table to bring to another. To top it off there were only 2 other tables eating in the restaurant so there was no excuse for the poor service.
Best investment this place could make is a time machine near the exit so you could send yourself back in time 30 minutes and go eat somewhere else.

a truly forgettable dining experience, with the exception of their cheese plate…

Utterly underwhelmed.
I, as many of the other reviewers here, was a guest at the W Hotel, and weary from a travel-​day getting here. My group of three came in fairly late, although not close enough to closing that we were the last guests. It was at that point that I had just about the only pleasant experience at Otto — a kind and gracious hostess welcoming us and seating us.
The disdainful waitress who replaced her at our table seemed offended that she had to actually speak to us to suggest specials and take our orders, although she did do us the favor of leaving us alone and sparing us her withering glares for extended periods of time. The tuna tartare was quite delicious, but the risotto was mediocre at best, although given the amount of time it took for the dish to get to us I would have thought it was being prepared with great pomp and ceremony. Maybe they were preparing our waitress’ dinner instead, as I noticed her eating through the glass divider while we were left forlorn at our table.
I put it plainly to the hotel’s Resident Manager — I will always be a regular at the W Montréal, but unless things change I will never set foot in Otto again.

i agree with todd m. otto is decent for a hotel restaurant. we went there last night upon checking in at 10 pm. it is open until 11 pm. we didnt feel like exploring and were lazy. there were only 2 other tables there and it seemed quite slow — not surprising for a wednesday night… it wasn’t horrible and we didn’t get the pretentious vibe that others have commented on. im originally from la — so trust me, i know pretentious! its the typical modern décor that matches the w hotel vibe. i agree — the hostess and servers are good looking — i like the natural beauty vs. tons of makeup. hubby had the risotto with truffle which wasn’t amazing but ok. i had the arugula salad — tomatoes were fresh and i enjoyed the corn in it. there was a little too much dressing though. the salad portion was great for $ 12. the entire meal was $ 70 or so with drinks. it’s pricey but that’s typical hotel restaurants right? i did enjoy the white cranberry juice since it wasn’t too sweet. in a crunch i could do the otto again but with so many other amazing dining options in this city, i’d rather explore. also for $ 70, i’d rather go to fereirra café on rue peel. :) definitely edible and decent if you are in a bind and staying at the w — otherwise i would pass too. perhaps order takeout from houston (which is next door)…

I never had their breakfast (hence can’t comment on other reviewer’s negative experience), but I just went there tonight for dinner. Forget the hot wait staff (which is always a plus), their dinner menu is solid. We had the Tuna Tartar and Risotto with mushrooms and black truffle, and both came out better than expected.
As for the hot waitstaff, I live in both LA and NY so pretty girls are dime a dozen to me, but what makes Otto’s waitstaff so much more attractive (other than their French Canadian accent) is their sweet personality and charm.

I only ate here since I was staying at the W.
I will admit. hot waitresses.
but then again, u are in montreal. so nothing new there.
welp. thats all that this restaurant has going for it. They really try to go for fancy french-​inspired dishes but they end up just trying too hard. The flavors don’t reaaaally work.
can’t really say much more.
breakfast is okay though. pass!

I think I have been spoiled by really good restuarant that just happen to be in hotels. When I go to a four or five star hotel I expect the restaurant to be of the same level. Otto unlike other W restaurant was pretty average. It’s only be a week since I ate there and I can barely remember what entrees we had. There was only one vegetarian choice and while the portions were sized for americans, nothing was exceptional.
The desserts were expensive but very tasty, with interesting combos of flavours and textures.
If I had not been staying at the W I probably would not have gone to it but for the business meeting dinner we were having it was perfectly fine.
The bill was around 50 a person without drinks.

Otto has its home in the W Hotel in Montréal, and despite the chic lobby, bar and restaurant, Otto, for the most part, delivers good food without frills.
I’ve dined at the restaurant four times in four years, and since 2004, the kitchen has matured and the menu has freshened a couple of times (not counting seasonal shifts). Chef Nick D’Onofrio took over the kitchen in 2006, and since then, the restaurant shifted from a menu of Italian fusion, to something more traditional.
The core is now firmly Italian cuisine — respectable pastas, Osso Bucco, several fish dishes, rack of lamb. The starters are fine — tuna tartare, beef tartare, salads, tempura seafood.
One doesn’t expect to be dazzled by hotel dining, and one can certainly note the higher prices typical of hotel restaurants, but Otto gives a reputable meal, with a wine list that represents France and Italy nicely, but features little in the way of California wines beyond commodity brands like Mondavi, Kendall Jackson, and Sebastiani. (You’ll find this often in Montréal restaurants.)
If you’re staying at the W Hotel or nearby, or you’ve had enough to drink in the cool W bar and you’d rather crawl a short distance to dinner (we appreciate both circumstances), you’re more than likely to be pleased with the results.