The Whalesbone Oyster House

Wow. One of the best meals we have ever had in Ottawa. Everything was exceptional. Staff was super friendly and knowledgeable. Each dish had great flavours and presentation, but also smell. When things came to the table we started moaning with pleasure from the scent.
Everything was great but favourites definitely include the Thai mussels and the yellow fine tuna which was cooked to perfection. Will be back for sure.

I recently moved to Ottawa and was looking forward to going to the Whalesbone after getting so many recommendations from friends. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with my meal.
The positives:
Great atmosphere, great wine and great staff.
Not so good:
The Oysters were overpriced and tiny, but tiny oysters seem to be trendy right now. I don’t know if it’s because I just moved from Montréal, but paying $ 3.50 an oyster seems absurd to me. Maybe it’s just the Ottawa price, as all food is particularly expensive in this city.
I had the lobster risotto, which I was so excited to try. Unfortunately, it was so salty I had a hard time finishing it. I commented at the end of my meal and the server agreed that the restaurant is a bit heavy on the salt. Consider yourself warned if you’re sensitive to it.
When I spend so much on a meal, I expect to be blown away. I expect to taste fresh ingredients not covered up with salt. For $ 50, this should have been the best risotto I ever had, but didn’t even come close to the one I make at home.
That said, my date enjoyed her meal (she had the mackerel).
I will not be back.

Kinda grotty (= hip?) crowded. Good assertive staff. Salmon — think of all that dirty oily fish feed in those farm pens). Nice oysters a bit small all over these days. Chowder very good cool served in hot bowl — reheat ordered. 5of 11 menu dishes on menu had bacon or pork– overrated. Albacore tuna Ap excellent and wi chowder + 6 oysters plenty.
Uncomfortable bar seats; good company there.

Nice décor, cool vibe, a bit on the loud side so definitely not an intimate venue but great for dinner with friends. Found this random Unilocal search when looking for a quick bite after a Sens game. This place did not disappoint, really great oyster platters, tasty mains although I can’t remember what I ordered but I’m sure the menu has changed since then. They source only sustainable fish and claim some kind of certification but ingredients in general seemed pretty high quality. Staff was friendly, service was at a leisurely pace but the place had a cool vibe — not quite as stuffy as some of the chain-​establishments aplenty. Can’t believe it took me this long to review this place as I’ve already been twice but I would highly recommend.

Try the lobster entrée here. Can’t go wrong with the seafood in general.

Delicious food, service is ok with a beautiful atmosphere. You do not get what you pay for: little portions for a very high price. Even though the restaurant was not full our waiter keep disappearing every time he did a card transaction, we had to wait for him to come back and do another transaction… And off he went! Strange (a total of 5 payments)

I lived in Ottawa for two and a half years, and it wasn’t until I moved away and came back for a visit that I finally made it to Whalesbone. People, don’t make the same mistake I did. Check. It. Out.
The oysters are the way to go. Get a good selection of different oysters from each coast and make sure you try them with the different sauces. They are super fresh and a great way to start the meal.
Their menu changes daily, and there’s always a good mix of fish with other seafood.
The service is great. The restaurant is really cramped but it doesn’t detract from the experience at all. We sat at the chef’s table, which is right by the kitchen. It’s incredibly warm, but means you can watch them preparing all the different meals. It’s great for getting an idea of what you want to eat. It’s not great if you plan on just having a few oysters, because I guarantee it you’ll want to try everything that goes by.
I really have not a single bad thing to say about this place. It’s divine and has to be on everyone’s must visit list when they’re in Ottawa.

Whalesbone is a great place and has become an Ottawa staple. They do however play it safe with the menu, rarely making additions or changes to their dishes. Definitely one of the best in the city. Their ceviche is excellent. Try a ‘Dark and Stormy’ drink while you’re there, you won’t be disappointed.

Whalesbone is good, certainly fun, but perhaps my expectations were a bit too high when I walked in to their dark garage of a restaurant. The menu – beyond the main attraction, oysters, that is – feels a bit erratic and scattered. Paired with a space that is sparsely decorated, Whalesbone feels like the kind of place my friends and I would have conjured up in university – plentiful beer, a hodgepodge of tasty but not mind-​blowing food, distant but pleasant service, and, because why not, churros. The food and interior feel too hip to be catering to the bureaucrat crowd, but too pricey and narrative to be a college hangout. So the end result is an experience that is fun, enjoyable, but perhaps not memorable in any particular way.

We came out on friday night around 8pm and good we came in a bit early cause we did not have reservation and it’s packed. We got a seat at the bar, which is pretty cool, got to see all the oyster actions.
The oysters are soooo good. From the west coast to the east coast. Loved ones from PEI. We got a deal $ 35for a dozen. Sooooo delicious!

Good food. Service is attentive. Portions a little light for my likings. Deecent wine selection.

I love it. Great oysters with many choices of great sUces, and I’m not even a big oyster fan. Can be hot and crowded.

I’m in town visiting for a few days and decided to try whalesbone based on a local’s recommendation and the great reviews on Unilocal.
The place is fine, but not worthy of 4.5 stars! I started with a dozen oysters, which were fresh and delicious, but poorly shucked. For a place with «oyster» in the name, I expect better. I had oyster shell in almost every piece. As I was sitting at the bar and having a good chat to the shucker, I felt too bad to say anything!
The walleye was next — way too salty for my liking. Lacked sophistication.
Having said all this, I enjoyed the atmosphere and the staff are great. The old school vinyl is a nice touch too. It’s a shame the food let them down.

The steelhead trout I got was one of the best fish meals I ever got… Highly recommended, I love that place!

Great lunch. Seems to be a «men who lunch» kind of haunt. Go early, it gets crowded and it will always be small. Avoid sitting at the tables just across from the bar. I got an elbow in the head.
Seafood was excellent. Lunchtime menu has simple hearty stuff (bahn mi, fish and chips, lobster roll) etc.
Friendly service. More like you just dropped in to a buddy’s place than formal dining.

My previous experience with Kenny Rogers and food was limited to his chain of chicken joints which were popular in the late 90s. This changed when I walked into Whalesbone and heard him crooning on the turntable behind the bar.
As I was drinking a local pint, eating an array of oysters and listening to Kenny’s dismay about Lucille, I was feeling that life was good.
The euphoria didn’t go away when I got the scallop ceviche or walleye main either. Both were well executed, balanced and beautifully presented.
The banana cream pie was on the sweet side but delicious nonetheless.
The only thing that keeps it from 5 stars were the prices. Although the oysters were a fair market price (around $ 3 each), the scallop ceviche at $ 20, the walleye at $ 30 and the dessert at $ 11 were all are a little on the high side.
All in all, Whalesbone has a great vibe with great food and great service. It’s well worth the gamble. Just bring your rubies.

Always a favourite and one of the tops in my go-​to list. Great menu that changes often enough, great service, and, of course fantastic selection of oysters. If you haven’t been, go. Go right now.

Kleine bar/​restaurant, macht einen irischen bzw schottischen eindruck. Es gibt fisch und austern. Eine grosse exzellente weinauswahl und täglich wechselnde dessert
Dies war mein zweiter besuch im whalestone und ich muss sagen es ist vermutlich das beste restaurant bzw der beste platz um essen und trinken und geselliges beisammen sein zu geniessen.
Man kann hier auch alleine kommen, dann wird man an die bar gesetzt und kann sich köstlich amüsieren. Ausserdem bekommt man dann hautnah eines der highlights dieser kleinen kneipe mit vielleicht 30 sitzplätzen mit — der chef steht hinter dem tresen und öffnet austern, zwischendurch lauft er ein paar meter zu seinem shellackplattenspieler und legt eine neue vinylplatte auf.
Ja es ist laut in dem laden, die musik und das geräusch der leute ist allgegenwertig aber genau das macht den laden ja so besonders
Essen: das essen hat einen michelinstern verdient — bilder sagen mehr als worte.
Es gibt eine kleine auswahl von 4 – 5 vorspeisen 4 – 5 hauptgänge und zwei desserts … Was will man mehr für jeden etwas dabei

I should probably downgrade elmdale tavern to 3 stars as well…
It pains me to give this place a 3 because they source from local farmers and only serve sustainable seafood which are things that matter to me a lot.
The servers are extremely attentive and nice.
While the food was decent, we had the lobster risotto and Ontario walleye with BC clams, it is not worth $ 100 (after tax, tip, tap water).
I agree with Mark G’s comment, the lobster risotto was fine, if I only had to pay $ 30-​$ 35 I would not have a problem with this place. «For $ 45, I feel cheated».
For $ 45 I better have an orgasm in my mouth. I was waiting and waiting for my happy ending but it never happened =(
I had to give myself the happy ending when I returned home.
The broth that was served with the walleye was extremely salty.
It also felt like 50 degrees in there since we went when the humidex was 40 and there’s no A/​C at Whalesbone.

I hate to rain on this parade, but.
Had the lobster risotto, and it was good. Not memorable, but good. Lobster might have been a tad overdone, but it worked. If I had paid $ 30 for this dish, I’d be satisfied. For $ 45, I feel cheated.
I went here based on some previous reviews claiming this dish was «phenomenal» and «one of the top 5 dishes I’ve ever eaten», but I only had it 3 hours ago, and I’ve already forgotten it.
Maybe it was the hype, or maybe it just wasn’t that wonderful.
I won’t be back, because I work hard for my money, and if I am going to spend this much ($ 57, incl. tax and tip) on one dish, it had better be at least somewhat memorable.
4 stars for the dish, –1 for the pretentious pricing.

Charming décor in a small space with a lively atmosphere helped along by vinyl music. Garage door window brings the outside in, while the vines growing out front keep it private — cute! (Very beach house.)
Knowledgeable wait staff are friendly, helpful and casual — they’ll sit down at our table if there’s room to go over the menu and answer questions. Got a great wine recommendation.
Ordered the Civeche (sp?) and we enjoyed it — though I enjoyed it a lot more without the hot pepper garnish which was overpowering for the scallop.
Steelhead trout was perfectly prepared with almonds, raisins, couscous and sauce. I cannot put into words how delicious this was, with eye appeal and texture to go along with the flavor. Often trout is improperly deboned — this was done the right way and not a bone was to be found. (Thank you!)
Walleye was hubby’s option. He found the fish itself bland but the surrounding components were fabulous. I had a taste and thought it was also delicious with a bit of smokiness.
Considering this is really an oyster house — and I don’t do oysters in the shell, one might think it was a bit of a wasted trip — but I enjoyed it. Yes, it is on the expensive side — if you plan to have a glass of wine, appetizer and dessert, plan on $ 75 *or more* a person.
I’m going to mark this as ‘not good for groups’ as the place is small, holding 30 customers at most — but there is one table at the front that can handle about 8 people. Call for a reservation! Even at 8:30 on a Saturday night, they were full up and turning away walk-​ins.
Would I return: Yes.
Would I recommend: Yes