Vineyards Wine Bar Bistro

Great food, music and service! Came here alone on a work trip from Toronto and it was a perfect decision. Steak and fries were good for price.

I’ve been to this Bistro a few times in the last year and I’m never disappointed! They have an amazing wine and beer selection! They have a book you can choose from but the staff have their list knowledge on point! They recommended beautiful pairings!
The live music they have is a great touch! It’s a very cozy spot in the heart of the bustling Market and it’s an absolute gem! Would highly recommend!

Well normally the promise of an extensive wine list, live Jazz and oysters would be appealing. There were many high points to the evening including the mussels and crab cakes. I ordered a glass of Malbec that was also delightful. The musical accompaniment – a bit of Amy Winehouse was – I guess – appropriate. But when I notice an odd shaped and smelling raw oyster on my plate I had to point it out. This is not an oyster bar so I guess that may not have caught it. The server asked if we would like her to replace it. We said, «No». I guess I was expecting her to remove the plate from the bill. She didn’t. I would recommend the Vineyard but definitely not the oysters.

We went for a Buck a Shuck night (Fridays and Saturdays) and had a ton of oysters and appetizers. The oysters were all solid. Not huge, but a decent size. But they only provide you with Tabasco and sweet vinegary sauces, so if you’re into sauce, bring your own. We brought 3 of our own hot sauces and they made a big difference. The charcuterie plate was ok and the fries were meh. Service and beer selection is amazing! Oh and the dipping sauce for the bread was so good, I wished I had brought tupperware to bring the leftover oil dip home! One big too bad was that there were no real interesting veggie options. Overall, decent place!

A friend of mine and her sister-​in-​law were in town for a couple of days and had to run some errands downtown, so we thought it would be nice to meet up after work to have some drinks and eats in the Market. She asked that I suggest a place, as she is pretty indecisive, her sister-​in-​law hadn’t really been around Ottawa, and I always want to try new places that I’ve never been before. I was looking for daily specials and happy hours, and saw that it was Girls Night Out on Wednesdays, even though I had no idea what that meant/​included. We found out later when we got there that the Girls Night Out special is a cocktail flight for $ 12. Additionally, they have happy hour every day, including weekends, from 4−6pm. During this time, there are half-​price appetizers, excluding the fresh oysters, $ 10 wine and draft beer flights, and $ 12 bucks of beers.
I was advised by some coworkers that the restaurant’s in the basement, with The Fish Market Restaurant on the main floor. For those of you concerned about the possibility of a fishy smell, there was none at all for the entire time we were there. There are two different staircases at opposite ends of the restaurant as well, one by the washroom, but both lead back upstairs to the Fish Market/​outside.
We started with our drinks while we looked at the menu. I ordered the cocktail flight on special. I chose the Ragin’ Cajun Caesar, Pimms Cup, and Cosmo martini. The Cosmo was pretty standard (vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice), a bit sweet, but good. The Pimm’s Cup was a little different but one of the better ones I’ve had. It included Pimm’s, mint, cucumber, orange, lemon, and lemonade. The Ragin’ Cajun Caesar was my favorite and the most unique of the three, which had jalapeño vodka, Mott’s Clamato, celery salt, sriracha hot sauce, and horseradish — it was spicy but not too much, and quite savory. I found the size a little surprisingly large for a sampler, with the exception of the Cosmo, which is meant to be smaller as a martini anyway. All were great and made very well, without too much of an alcohol taste to them, though still strong enough.
Since none of us are very picky eaters and open to trying anything and everything, we took awhile to order. Our server brought us fresh bread, which we could smell while it was being sliced on the table across from us, and olive oil with fennel seeds and pieces of olive, bell peppers, and possibly a bit of tomato for dipping. The bread was perfect — thick slices, crusty on the outside and soft inside.
We decided on oysters to start. They weren’t cheap, so we ordered two each. It came on ice with the standard fresh lemon and horseradish, seafood sauce, mignonette sauce, and a few other vinegars and hot sauces. Nice and fresh, shucked properly.
We also ordered the bruschetta and calamari appetizers, and the tortellini main, all to share. The bruschetta had fresh tomato, black olive salsa, goat cheese, and balsamic glaze drizzled on top. Not the standard bruschetta but tasty nonetheless. There were eight crostinis, more than I expected, not loaded with bruschetta — just the right amount of all of the ingredients. The calamari was fried with seasoned flour and came with sour cream dill sauce and fresh lemon. I didn’t taste much of the dill in the sauce, and though I would have preferred a bit more batter or binding of some sort (it was falling off of the calamari), the flavor was good. The tortellini was really, really good! I’m a big meat-​eater myself, but although we didn’t add any chicken or shrimp, the three cheese (parmesan, ricotta, and romano) tortellini was great and filling itself. It was in a creamy gorgonzola sauce, with mushrooms and sweet red grapes, garnished with chives. Though it is a «thing», serving grapes in pasta is not very popular in these parts — it was very good and I would suggest trying it if you never have before. The gorgonzola wasn’t too strong — I love blue cheese so I would’ve liked a stronger flavor, but it’s mild enough and others that aren’t such big blue cheese fans would also likely enjoy.
Overall, the food was delicious, high quality, and well-​portioned — not too big, not too small. The prices are average and affordable, but even better during happy hour. Our server was incredibly patient and accommodating, happy to answer any questions we had. It’s too bad there isn’t any natural lighting, but I will definitely be back!

We weren’t sure what to expect on the way into the basement, but since we were just looking for a quick drink, it seemed like a safe bet.
Turns out, this little winebar is overflowing with character. The very Parisian décor and dim lighting fit perfectly with its basement locale.
The wine selection was excellent, and we were pleasantly surprised by a happy hour appetizer special. The Mediterranian Trio was especially tasty, and it was nice to see the flatbread not drenched in butter — its flavour coming from its perfect grilling instead.
Overall, we’d go back in a heartbeat. I’m particularly looking forward to their Fourteen Dollar French Fries…

I’ve been to Vineyards a few times and this last time I was super disappointed. 1– if you are gluten free or have Celiacs I don’t recommend eating here. They said the sweet fries were gf and not battered but when they came to the table, they were battered and tasted like old fishy deep frying oil. 2-​The wine flight I had tasted off like the bottles were left open for days. One tasted and smelled particularly quite off. It’s really too bad that the quality of this place has gone down. I first visited this place on my first date with my fiancé and we really liked it.
Update: I was contacted by the owner who was very sympathetic and concerned. We discussed my visit and what can be done to fix the issues. I was impressed by their professionalism and the attention they paid to addressing my concerns. As this establishment has sentimental value, I will gladly return and give them another chance and write another review.

Un peu cher pour ce que c’est…la nourriture est correct, le service était un peu lent. On nous a servi une «mise en bouche», c’était de l’huile de canola avec des morceaux de poivrons et de l’anis dedans, dans laquelle on pouvait tremper du pain grillé. Disons que c’était pas super bon…

My family and I came here for the first time. My dad really enjoyed the wine and jazz. There were many selections for wine and beer. I also enjoyed the food. Crème brûlée was a bit disappointed and this was not a place for steak. The reason I didn’t give 5 stars because of the service. The service was not that great. We had to seat ourselves because I didn’t make a reservation.