The Bistro - Eat. Drink. Connect.® in Ottawa

My family and I went to Toronto recently to catch a musical, and we stayed at the Courtyard. Given time constraints, we ait in the hotel restaurant. What a mistake. My son had a burger and my husband had a grilled chicken burger. While they like the fries, the burgers were mediocre cafeteria food at best. But the real disappointment in the meal was mine. I had what was decribed as a "Harvest Salad". It was supposed to have a maple/lemon dressing. I can guarantee it had lemon juice but I was hard pressed to find any maple. There was so much lemon on the salad it was inedible. It reminded of those salads women's magazines in the 80s tried to convince women to eat to loose a few pounds. I could not finish it and left the table hungry. Also there was a fly in my water. Next time I stay at this hotel, I am skipping this embarrassment of an eatery and getting take out from the many establishments around the hotel.

The hotel is perfectly fine, no complaints there. But if you decide to stay here, go out and eat somewhere else in the Byward Market area, lots of far better restaurants to choose from. This "Bistro" is extremely overpriced (paid $17 for a bottle of water and small cookie!). And the food is just really not up to par with other great restaurants in the area. Recommendation - stay at the Courtyard as it's decent value for a central hotel, but go across the street to the fantastic restaurant in the Hyatt Andaz hotel.

The food is expensive, quality is quite poor. Toast is just a plain slice of bread from a supermarket store, you won’t find any artisanal or sourdough bread here. Coffee is plain, and made by a machine. Overall, quality is similar to airplane food.

While staying at the Courtyard by Marriott and seeing good reviews of the Bistro, we came here on the last day for breakfast. The food was overall ok. The flatbread was especially great. The burrito was a bit tough (the tortilla was a bit over toasted/grilled). In the photos I’m also showing the normal French toast vs. the kids menu French toast. The service was great. Staff was friendly. The restaurant is open concept located on the ground floor adjacent to the hotel seating area. Overall a good choice for breakfast.

Best breakfast burrito I’ve ever had! Comes with a side of salsa and guacamole. Was very impressed. Arrived hot. I honestly wasn’t expecting much but was very impressed. Daughter had a breakfast sandwich that looked really good. She said it was very tasty. Manager came by to make sure all was well.

2 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 tomatoes slices, 1 toast, and some potatoes for $28. They only let you tip on top of the 13% HST. Making a 20% tip really a 22% tip. Why do I have to tip a percentage of the HST?

We got there early enough on Saturday night to get seats on the balcony/mezzanine above the dance floor with a great view of the band. The acoustics were good--not great--but it was a good sound and a great time.

Super convenient for a quick drink to take up to my room. Fast service and the breakfast food is amazing! Really like staying in a hotel with a nice attached restruant.