Double Decker Diner & Dairy Bar

Saw this very cool looking chip truck stand and decided to give it a try! We were a group of 4 and we decided to order 1 small poutine and 3 small fries with a couple of drinks. The poutine was okay, a lot of gravy for my liking, like a lot– and the fries were all right. I was a tad bit disappointed to see that there really wasn’t much variety on the menu, no veggie dog or burger options, but what can you do. I was a bit surprised at the price, 28 $ for our order. Although the double decker bus is very cool, both inside and out, I felt that for what you got, it was a bit too pricy for my liking. Very glad I tried tried it though.

A friend took me here when we were in the area and craving poutine. I thought it was pretty cool that the double decker bus was turned into a food «truck».
There were a few in line and waiting for orders, but it was moving quickly. We split a large poutine, and I got a bacon cheeseburger with sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions, and a root beat float. I think I actually liked the burger better than the poutine — the burger was large and juicy, flavorul, and messy. The poutine was good, but I wish the fries were left in the fryer just a minute or two longer to get a bit crispier. The root beer float was also good, but only a cupful and mostly of ice cream.
I was definitely full. I wouldn’t say I was unsatisfied and the food was pretty good, but I’ve had better around the city. By far one of your better options if you’re in the area.

Now back in Manotick! Same Royalty themed menu.
The burgers are not the best in town (beef could be seasoned more) but probably the best you can get at a food truck. The sign says they are homemade but I wasn’t sure. This time I had the Octoberfest sausage and it was the best period!
The fries taste good but have a very soft texture which doesn’t handle vinegar well. Dave C’s review also suggested there was something lacking here. The sign says they are fresh cut but I’m not so sure. In the end it was all very filling and satisfying.
A nice added touch is the seasoning and authentic Southern hot sauces provided — from the shop across the street, Chilly Chiles.

This place I believe used to be in Manotick however since being sold it has been relocated to the area of Greenbank and Jockvale Rd where the driving range is. I loved this place when it was in Manotick and would always see line ups of people waiting to order. Their patio area was also busy and full of people sitting to enjoy their food. This was partly the reason why I decided to give it another go.
The upper deck of the double decker is interesting and still accessible. It’s probably not highly recommended on any days above a warm temperature as I could see it being quite uncomfortable upstairs eating. I ordered the standard poutine and found that they had put way too much gravy. At the beginning it was tolerable however towards the end when the gravy over powered the remaining fries, the poutine became a soup (see my photo). Despite this I’d still probably return and give it another shot. When I do I will update the rating, as applicable, or leave it as it is.

This foray into the seedy underworld of Ottawa poutine began much like any other day (by waking up and wondering if it was too early for poutine). I tried to repress the inner whispers of the poutinaholic («just a little one can’t hurt…») but it’s not a problem if you aren’t poutining alone. Right?
So, on to the Double Decker Diner and Dairy Bar in Manotick, just south of Ottawa. If you don’t know about Manotick, it’s this idyllic village comprised mainly of an upper-​middle class, family-​centric commuter population (side note: I did no journalistic research whatsoever into this; it’s an assumption that I will consider true until called on). The Double-​Decker Diner & Dairy Bar actually is a double-​decker bus, kitted out as a chip stand and painted red for visibility. The upper deck is purportedly a seating area for nastier weather conditions, but it was another beautiful day in Eastern Ontario so we sat at one of the picnic tables.
Service was fast and friendly for the mid-​afternoon clientele and while I was mainly focused only on poutine, I noticed a number of people were opting for the vanilla shake, so I think we can be suitably impressed by the menu’s «other» items. A sign stating that clients should take note of the reflections caused by the red umbrellas over the picnic tables before fearing their burgers could lead to salmonella mayhem (admittedly very loosely paraphrased) made us laugh — you have to wonder how often the owners had heard that complaint before resorting to signage.
To the poutine: as with any respectable chip stand trying to make a mark in the oversaturated Ottawa Valley, the fries were served hot, fresh and crisp and the cheese was all curd. Gravy was a bit thicker than I am used to in the chip stand market, but one of our group was insistant that it should be even thicker — split opinion. Cheese portions were decent but again, not generous enough to take this poutine over the top. In the end, the poutine was just decent and kind of boring.
There are dozens of chip stands and trucks in Ottawa, and to make one stand out above the others — well, you gotta work for it. Ottawans and Quebeckers love us some good poutine, and we want tasty, stand-​out gravy and massive amounts of the gooey cheese curds that make our mouths water. While the Double-​Decker may do stand-​out burgers and ‘dogs (I’ll probably never know), the poutine was basic and fairly unremarkable.
Overall, the standout on this poutine location is just that — location. The double-​decker bus is great and makes me wonder how Londoners would take to poutine. I’d like to think the English would be accepting and that if only the Queen had the chance, she would take the word of poutine back to her people. Preferably on a red double-​decker bus.

so after reading a friends review of this food truck (bus) and hearing about the citizens award for best fries — we decided to take a drive and try this for ourselves… nice area to sit and have dinner, picnic tables on a nice neatly trimmed lawn at the driving range in barhaven.
we ordered two burgers, a chocolate and banana milkshake, and a water and split a french fry. the meat in the burgers was nice and cooked properly — the bun had too much bread though and too filling, the fries had a nice colour but honestly they weren’t that hot, and weren’t that crispy. they had been precooked and just seemed like they didn’t fry them off enough… probably worried that they would overcook them — either way not great.
the shake was awesome, i don’t like a really think shake and it had tons of banana flavor — tasty shake. So for me, if i lived there i would go, but from ottawa, i would do hintonburger, the butchery, baja burger… and our new favourite BITE THIS.

The Double Decker Diner is one of my favourite hidden gems in the city. While it is located in Barrhaven (or as you downtowners like to say, «Farrhaven»), this food truck is well worth the trip to the suburbs. Voted Best Chiptruck in 2010 and Ottawa’s Best Fries 2011 (Eastern Ont/​West Quebec on CTV Ottawa), it’s obviously a local favourite.
The Double Decker was first stationed just south of the city in Manotick, but recently moved to Barrhaven, perhaps to lure more customers. The British themed bus is hard to miss at Jockvale and Greenbank right beside the On the Green Driving Range. I love their set-​up: tons of picnic tables outside and great scenery plus the upstairs of the bus is decked out in a retro diner theme and is always spic and span whenever I stop by.
The bus is family owned and operated and the service is always fast and friendly. Their milkshakes are to die for — I’m a huge fan of the chocolate mint. My sister and I frequently stop here for poutine (fresh, squeaky curds and yummy gravy!) but this weekend I sampled one of their «palace corgis» (yes…it’s most likely because I had my corgi with me and I thought it was ironic — don’t judge!) — a delicious cheese dog. It was awesome. I mean, I know it’s just a hot dog with cheese but it really hit the spot.
I still think I’d go for the poutine next time, but they also have soft serve and floats which I can only imagine would be awesome in the hot summer months.
Go visit the Double Decker — it’s by far one of the best chip trucks in Ottawa.