Canvas Resto-Bar

I think this is highly over rated. Expensive and based on «meat and potatoes» nothing new here.

Another great place in Hintonburg, great quality food without being extremely expensive, Canvas is a quaint little place just off the main Wellington strip. We popped in her for supper on a Sunday and were very impressed with the décor, the service, and the food. The décor is nice and spacious, with big windows that can be opened for better air flow and walls covered in neat art.
First the service, the waiter was really friendly and attentive. He was easily reachable to answer any questions and even had time to chat a bit about music with us! Despite also waiting on a large and rowdy group, we were never left waiting too long for anything.
Foodwise, I had a Bison Burger that was moist and juicy with an incredibly tasty sauce and excellent cheddar. It was cooked perfectly and had high quality meat and excellent seasoning. My girlfriend had an Indian curry dish with chicken (it comes vegetarian standard but for a small fee you can add meat) that she said was excellent, served on a bed of rice. We also split a dessert that was really tasty! For drinks they have an excellent wine menu and a few beers on tap, you can also get St. Ambroise from a tall-​boy.
Overall I was really impressed with the quality for the price, will definitely go back.

This small restaurant is by far one of the bests I’ve eaten at in town. It has a very casual and comfortable feel to it (you can wear jeans and not feel out of place). Fresh local food, great wine and beautiful presentations! Servers are genuine and attentive to details, and food always leaves a lasting impression. Highly recommend!

I’ve been here three or four times now for lunch, and the lady working there has remembered us every time. I’ve had several different items there, and all of them have been good. I’d always recommend the frittata of the day though, they are delicious and decadent, and they’re more than willing to make alterations to it to accommodate dietary preferences (I don’t eat pig, personally).
Décor is beautiful and sleek, the location itself is small, but manages to fit in a lot of tables as well as the bar seating as well. I’ve had their wine deals before and some of their hand-​selected beers, and they’ve always been well-​chosen as well.

In September a local developer offered a $ 25 coupon in conjunction with four local restaurants if you came in to look at their sample condo suite for their new development. I decided to play out one of my bucket list fantasies and took advantage of the offer (so would love to have the $ 600,000 condo, two floors and the wonderful view it will have).
I chose to go to the Canvas Resto-​Bar on Holland Ave in Ottawa. I didn’t know I needed to make a reservation so when I showed up and they asked I thought I would be disappointed but they seated me (I don’t recommend that you do this because they began to fill up quickly as I sat there). I showed them the coupon I had from the developer and they didn’t even blink an eye, treated me as a regular guest.
I didn’t order any wine, but the water was iced and deliciously cool (it was a hot October 31^st in Ottawa).
I ordered the special of the day — Steak (seared on the outside and juicy on the inside) with two red-​skinned potatoes (quartered and baked and lightly spiced) and a blooming Leek (the white of a leek halved and dipped in a light batter then lightly deep fried). Everything was perfection. The steak was a good size, juicy, tender and properly seared. The presentation was beautiful with the sauce drizzled around the plate, the steak and potatoes on top of some of it and then the steak was topped with the leek. The potatoes were crispy on the outside and baked inside and the Leek was a tremendous surprise. I have heard of blooming onions before but the delicate, mild taste of the leek takes on a completely new nuance when bloomed.
While waiting for my main dish (which did not take long) I was offered (and I accepted) locally baked slices of crispy bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. It was a delicious appetizer for the upcoming steak.
The servers were polite and prompt despite the growing crowd. And, when I was finished eating they didn’t jump to get me out of there as many restaurants do but waited for me to ask for the check.
The light jazz music added to the overall appealing, relaxed atmosphere of the restaurant. The meal was $ 24, and well worth it and with tip and tax it was not an expensive evening.

I ate here as part of a large group — we were large enough to close down the place for the night, since it’s not a huge restaurant. But I was impressed from the moment I walked in a ordered a Caesar from the bar — the waitress took such care in making it!
I had the tomato soup to start (very thick and tasty, and I’m not a soup person). This was followed by a good salad and the steak frites — outstanding. The dessert was a small sampler, so probably not representative of the standard menu,
Service was a particular highlight. The waiters were relaxed, friendly and efficient. Can’t wait to come back!

had a very yummy fish taco lunch here with an old co-​worker friend who lives next door. She is in often enough that the owner came over and introduced himself to her which was a nice touch. It was a smaller lunch menu and I am curious about what the dinner menu would be like as I would have eaten one of everything for lunch. Great meal portion size for the cost (I even had room for a great dessert). We had quite a long lunch (meal and desserts with coffees) chatting and catching up — it was a nice place to be able to sit and watch people passing by, the patio will be my choice of places to sit next time the weather permits :)

Lovely neighbourhood restaurant. Friendly service, excellent food, nice atmosphere. The space is very pleasant and cozy, with large picture windows overlooking Holland and Spencer. We were a large group of 9 yet they accommodated us with aplomb. It was a super-​nice evening and we will be back.

A lovely neighborhood spot. Great service, funky atmosphere and tasty food. What could be better? I’ll tell you what: a nice wine list and a $ 15 corkage fee. Hallelujah! We’ll be back.

Tasty food, friendly service and a good wine list.
They server brunch on weekends as well, although I haven’t tried it. Have been for supper several times. I believe the owner works on the floor so you can talk to him. Their menu seems to change regularly and they have a good drink list, with some interesting wines.
The place is small, and there is a lot of windows so it can get a bit noisy when it gets busy. We went with my mom for her birthday and she is a bit hard of hearing, and the lady at the next table shhhhhed us. We laughed about it after because when she did it I mouthed to her than my mother was deaf and she was SOOO embarrassed. They were almost done their meal anyways. Luckily my mom didn’t see me say that to her or she would have been embarrassed as well.
They don’t seem to flip many of their tables even on a busy night so this is a good place to not feel rushed (although check with your server before camping out all night!). We were there for almost the whole dinner service, when we got there there were only a few tables, and it filled up and emptied while we were there (probably 3 hours)

The brunch was only so-​so. Small portions, smaller than on the picture in the window, only two pieces of «fresh fruit» instead of the pictured five. Nobody’s food was great, and it was all expensive.