The Whalesbone Elgin Street in Ottawa

I rarely leave a review, unless very impressed or disappointed. This one, unfortunately, is the latter. Whalesbone was recommended to us for date night. The hard steel chairs are not comfortable or welcoming at all. The HVAC blows volumes of cold air. Our server spilled a drink on my seat and our table and I had to get paper from the washroom to clean it myself. Our meals were enjoyable, but atmosphere is key for me and did not meet the mark.

Pleasant staff, fresh seafood, good atmosphere.

I had pleasure to experience the best experience at Whalebone, in Oct/2024! Staff are so welcoming & make you feel at home! Food is incredibly delicious, and do not forget to order the best clam chowder on earth! So look forward to my next visit! Food

great service and the oyster shucker guy aka Barnes is the shit!!!!

Small group of us went to Whalebone on Elgin for a special event. Overall experience was simply OUTSTANDING! The food was delicious, varied and on point. Drinks (cocktails, beers, wines) were all excellent. The atmosphere was vibrant and exciting, and our server Shane was efficient, knowledgeable, courteous and friendly. He clearly helped bring the whole experience to a different level - well done! Cant wait to go back!

Very moist Carrot Cake

This was an absolute amazing seafood experience! To start I had oysters from BC, PEI and NL which were super fresh! They were a great start to our mains! I had the lobster pasta with ricotta that was Devine, not too heavy and just the right amount of salt. I also tried their Tuna Poke Bowl which was amazing, it was light on the mayo and the fish was really well seasoned. Their truffle fries were also the bomb!! Highly recommend coming to checkout! Vegetarian options: There s a lot of seafood options, didn t see many vegan options on the menu. Parking: Very close to City Hall parking garage and 10min walk from the NAC parking garage. Wheelchair accessibility: The front entrance has a steep concrete ramp with bumps, might be hard for some wheelchairs to get over. Call ahead to ask for assistance.

Great food. Large space for large groups or singles to enjoy a selection of fine food and drink.

Killer Seafood

Amazing and wonderful service by Tiffany, Craig and team!!! Thank you for a beautiful evening and delicious foods! We will be back and bring our friends and families! Thank you most genuinely!

The BEST oysters of all time. An absolute must every time I visit Ottawa. Sundays are the best night to visit!

My wife and I dined here tonight and the food was great, but we had an unpleasant experience. We remembered that we ordered a ribeye steak, but when it was served, it was sirloin. We asked the waitress to confirm and she directly said that we had ordered it wrong (but we remember that we did not discuss sirloin at all). Her rebuttal was ridiculous to us because even if she directly admitted that she remembered it wrong (I am very sure because she did not write it down immediately when we ordered, but turned around and wrote down the order at the counter), we would not ask for a refund, but just wanted to confirm what was on the order. We finished the dinner with self-doubt, and I still paid the tip in the end, but we were very disappointed with the experience.

All 10/10. We had great pleasure...everything was delicious! I really liked the Caesar salad with shrimp - its the tastiest Ive eaten in Ottawa. I will definitely come back thank you

in depth description from the waiters on where the oysters were from, the best oysters i ve ever had. perf margaritas

Amazing servers

Great staff, great food

This is top 3 in Ottawa. The bar is the ideal spot for enjoying a glass of wine, oysters and fries after a long work week. The atmosphere is a vibe and the staff are great.

The place is nice, but the food isnt worth the prices. I ordered the lobster pasta, and it didn t live up to the cost. My friend ordered a steak, and it was a very small portion with no sides. I wouldn t go back. It was okay to try, but you can get better food for the price elsewhere.

Although the menu is limited, the food that we ordered was fresh and tasty. Although the staff was very friendly, they seemed a little scattered and undertrained. Because there were more servers than clients, I would ve expected more professional service.

Absolutely incredible service, the cold platter was so beautiful. The oysters were so good, I loved the scotch bonnet sauce option!

Amazing all-around FLASH FRIED CALAMARI: You need to order this!! Lightly battered and fried perfectly. The calamari melts in your mouth, the best I ve ever had! SEAFOOD CHOWDER: Delicious & creamy, well-balanced and seasoned perfectly. STEAMED GREEN GABLE MUSSELS: Spicy coconut and bok choy paired so well with the steamed mussels. Such a large portion too, would order again! CEVICHE DE PESCADO: strong flavours, fresh fish, great with the tortilla chips PAN ROASTED MUSHROOMS: Very good. A large portion but good as a side if you re sharing amongst friends.

Great place for fresh oysters. Sunday after 3pm oyster shuck a loonie special, come with small whisky to clean your palette and other condiments, the mild onion sauce tastes better. Seafood chowder tastes average, tuna appetizer tastes great, other things on menu expensive.

We had a truly great dining experience here. Excellent quality, presentation, and service that left us glowing afterwards. Highly recommend!

Great seafood and service to match

The service was great. Very attentive. Tuna Tostada, Lobster Roll was great. A bit loud. But overall very good.

Fantastic food! So fresh and flavourful! The scallops and pork belly were exceptional! Wonderful and polite staff and fun atmosphere.

Fish and chips only available for LUNCH 2 days/wk. Should be available for dinner. Dinner menu very limited. Caesar salad and lobster roll are both overpriced. And lobster and shrimp roll was mostly lettuce and sauce! I would have sent it back but we were celebrating a friends birthday. You would expect this place to have a lot of fish dishes but its disappointing. We do enjoy the scallops and pork belly but they need to do better with the menu. The staff are fantastic.

Like most Canadian restaurants, products of neither good nor bad quality are little highlighted and flooded with sauces lacking in finesse. The best fish and seafood restaurant in the area it seems. This says a lot about the level of local gastronomy. The welcome is excellent with attentive staff. Very friendly atmosphere. Salty addition. We still had a good evening. Will we go back? Probably not

Music really not modern and too strong to ignore. An overpriced and really uninteresting Côte du Rhône. Decent seafood, nothing more, those that were cooked were not finely cooked, fatty, too many spices. Not haute cuisine which is usual in Canada but at this price its annoying.

Not the tastiest dishes, although the civiche was worth it. The location is good, and the layout is great, but overall, this location is not worth a return visit.

I have never had a more disappointing birthday dinner experience in my life. I would not recommend this establishment to anyone who needs to eat gluten free or dairy free. My partner took me to this location to celebrate my 40th birthday. I am celiac which means I cannot safely ingest gluten. He called prior to ask about the fryer and was told they had a dedicated fryer. When we arrived they told us that was wrong and that I would not be able to eat anything from the fryer. Upon further inspection I realized my much of the menu was not accessible to me because I am GF/DF. We wanted seafood and so got the chilled platter. I was only able to have protein. There were no starches or anything substantial for me to dip with (for the tuna tartar). Our server suggested cucumber slices these were served so thinly cut they were translucent (what can you scoop with that) and were arranged on a plate in a way that looked like they were being served to a 2 year old for a snack. Zero effort, literally thrown on a plate. I eventually relented and asked if they could do something with potatoes or anything and what I got was butter drenched and gave me issues despite having communicated to the server that was exactly what I didn t want. And again, these were plated cafeteria style. It was extremely expensive and I stopped at the store on the way home for a bag of chips. Horrible way to celebrate my 40th. I will never go back. The only reason I am giving it more than one star is because the bit I could eat was alright and my partner enjoyed his food. If you have no food restrictions this could be the place for you, but if you do stay away. They don t care.

Old Downtown

Always a great meal when we dine at Whalesbone. Steak Tartare is a family favourite. Fun atmosphere. Great service!

Group reservation for 14 was an amazing experience with excellent food and service. James was very helpful in coordinating special requests for our group ahead of time and everything was as discussed. Look forwards to returning!

Very good choice of oysters and excellent fish tacos! The patio at the back is pleasant in good weather.

Nice atmosphere and sweet servers

It can be a bit loud, not making conversation easy. The staff is super friendly and great in recommending menu choices.

Amazing food, amazing service, it was just perfect !

I have never had such delicious Salmon! Friendly, welcoming and helpful staff. Great atmosphere Wheelchair accessibility: Extremely accessible with staff aware of needs

Fantastic experience. Seafood platter was delicious. Service top notch, thanks Andrew!

The Whalesbone has been on my to do list for years and it did not disappoint. Great food and great oysters.

We ve been to the Whalesbone for birthdays, anniversaries, and date nights. The food is always phenomenal and the twoonie a shuck on Sundays is a treat. Our last two outings for our anniversaries we ve been served by Chris who is so kind and dedicated; she even remembered us six months apart! Everyone at the Elgin shop makes us feel like we re a part of the family. I wouldn t dream of celebrating special occasions anywhere else!

food yummy. service good. patio has has wasps which scare me.

Service has always been friendly at the Whalesbone. The atmosphere was surprisingly good for a Monday evening. Food is fine.

Best place for oysters!

we enjoyed our time there. the service was great, and everyone was very friendly and helpful. the food was up to our expectations, and we all left with full stomachs and happy faces. the lighting was a little bit dark, so it was slightly hard to read the menu for some people, but overall very cozy. would totally recommend this place, and we would definitely come back here whenever we come to Ottawa.

Fresh oysters, great food and friendly service in a cool atmosphere.

Must try in Ottawa if you like seafood, great service and oysters.

Good food and service but a little loud for our tastes.

My favourite upscale spot in town! Oysters are always delicious, and their starters (tartare and chowder) bring me back every time. Don t forget about their dry aged steaks

Crazy overpriced, horrible service - waited 1 hour in between an appetizer and main course and there were only two of us. $160 for one appetizer and two mains one beer and one coke. With that price you might as well go to a five star restaurant with good atmosphere and service. Never again.

Came here with a friend and her parents to celebrate her birthday. Had heard many good things about the food menu from many people. Service was good and the food was decent. My girlfriend really enjoyed the oysters. They offered many vegetarian options that were not on the standard menu which I appreciated. We were having a positive experience until something happened that really left a bad taste in our mouths. My girlfriend and I both work in the industry and we are familiar with how things work. We had made a reservation for this table and typically this means your table is reserved for a minimum of 2 hours. To our dismay the moment we finished up, the hostess at the front had come up to our table and informed us you have to wrap it up as there is another reservation here for this table now . Her delivery was rude and distasteful. This was really aggravating as we still had wine in our glasses to drink. It had also only been about an hour and a half since we had started our dining! What s increasingly frustrating is my girlfriend hardly ever gets to see her parents, so being told you have to hurry up and leave when it s a special day to her makes it even worse. I understand having to ask tables to leave that are finished dining, but asking guests to leave when they still have wine and haven t been there for two hours is unacceptable. If this is a standard practice at this establishment (1hr30min dine time) it should be communicated properly to the guests dining before hand. We were not informed of a dine time when we booked the reservation or when we arrived. We left this experience feeling uncomfortable and our glasses of wine half full. Will not be coming back as this experience really upset my girlfriend as we had to cut our time with her parents short on her birthday.

Came for $2 oysters. Was more casual inside than I was expecting but staff was great. We also had fried calamari - definitely recommend Would like to come back for more seafood. Plates looked great.

Every time.i come the service and food is great although they mess up my order and I end up eating after everyone.

Great service Good ambience. Good place for oysters and seafood chowder Food : 4/5

Loved it here! The seafood was fresh and delicious. Also great service.

Steak! What else do i need to say? Steak! Splendid taste and flavours. Great wine pairing... a delight! Food

This was our first visit and most certainly wont be our last! Seafood done right and expertly cooked. Everything we had was fantastic. We received great service and enjoyed the overall ambiance of the restaurant. Looking forward to visiting in the future!

The tartar was under seasoned and sub par. The chips with it even werent very good. The bread was OK but only OK. The poke bowl wasnt great. The top layer was decent, but more than half was filled with unseasoned rice in a blob. The water wasnt even cold, no ice. Very disappointing from a restaurant I used to hold in high esteem/

A week ago, we came for an early dinner with our 11mth old baby, our cousins, nephews and nieces. The food and atmosphere were great but the service was unbelievable! Our server s name was Chris, who made sure all of us and the children were well taken care of. Our baby was fussy that evening, and as I was trying to get her to sleep in her stroller over to the side, Chris offered to stroll our baby so we could eat our mains, which had just arrived! I told her that was incredibly generous of her but I d be fine. She then brought over a plate of food so I could eat while I continued to stroll our baby to sleep. Later that evening there was a slight mixup with our final drink order so she offered it on the house. After we were done and had left the restaurant, she ran after us to return our booster seat which we had forgotten. To say Chris went above and beyond is an understatement! She deserves incredible praise for her level of service and care. Please hire more Chris s and give her a raise!

Honestly don t know how to express the deliciousness of this dish! I have never tried it before and wasn t sure what to expect from the description on the menu so i will tell you all now ROASTED BONE MARROW ohhh and also don t ignore the calamari because you think calamari is calamari . This melts in your mouth! Well done! Definitely will return!

Excellent food and excellent staff. All food was served to perfect temperatures. What a great restaurant!

We reserved a table for 7:30 p.m., and the host was very prompt. The service was great. I ordered the bouillabaisse, which is one of the best Ive ever had. The price was worth it, in my opinion.

I had a wonderful dining experience at the Whalesbone Elgin street recently. The food was absolutely delicious. The staff made sure our experience was enjoyable from start to finish.

Oysters are so fresh, will definitely try again!

One of the best restaurants in Ottawa. Love the whole menu. Service is great. Seafood quality is fantastic. 10/10 Updated review 2024 - still one of the best restaurants in Ottawa. Love the Thai mussels.

This place is always a really solid experience!

The Well Bone has become our must-have in Ottawa With the oyster starter and the seafood platter

Good prices food and drinks. Nice staff.

Wonderful food. Excellent friendly service.

My favourite restaurant in Ottawa, go here

It was my husbands 50th birthday tonight, and we have never been to The Whalesbone. Wow. Delicious food & maybe the warmest, friendliest and most properly attentive server Ive ever had. The point of my review here is really to praise the server we had tonight, because he deserves it. I didnt catch his name, but he had dark hair and a medium-length dark beard, wore an X-files shirt and was in his 30s. Please give this guy a raise. Hes the kind of employee that is the reason why someone has a good experience dining out somewhere. I want to even say that good customer service has gone by the wayside mostly but even if that wasnt the case, someone like this employee is very special. I wouldnt doubt he is also someone everyone loves to work with there. Hes a special human being. Give him a good raise please :)

Food was great. Service incredible. Great spot in Ottawa.

Delicious food. Amazing Oysters and great service!

Oysters and the cold seafood platter. One of the best meals weve ever had. Jamie was awesome and took great care of us. We will be back again for sure.

Cool environment. Busy restaurant. My only complaint is that the food courses were rushed. Our apps, salad and entree were served at the same time.

Hot platter was excellent (loved the bacon wrapped scallops), waitress was so nice, atmosphere was fancy but relaxing! A little pricey but it s seafood so expected.

I ve come here a few times, the food is always consistently good. Oysters 5/5 Appetizers 5/5 Mains 4/5 The service is a little weak at times, it feels kind of uninviting.

Memorable, top notch meal! Look forward to going back.

Beautiful atmosphere but metal chair can be uncomfortable for long stays, amazing service, food was a tad too salty for me but that comes down to personal preference. Still recommended. Order the steak!

Cameron made our night dude! Met us with the energy we needed for our night and what a fun place. I have never tried Bouillabaisse, and am I ever glad I did! What an incredible punch in the flavors. We enjoyed the fresh buns and the toasts but filled too much for what was to be our fav carrot cake. Tiffany took over from Cam our man and made us feel equally as special. We meet lots of people and found the staff experience, including the lovely lady who sat us, to be among the best weve met.

Excellent Service and Food WB NEVER disappoints!

Wonderful place! Calamari was delicious!! Everyone enjoyed thier mains. Fries and bacon wrapped scallops were just ok. Will be back to get about 25 orders of the calamari.

What a place chosen by a bud turning 50. Server paced things. Food incredible. Great vibe. Good reunion with the lads.

We went on a Sunday... Quiet, nit a lot of people out. Best time to go. The food is ridiculously good. I had oysters, octopus and chorizo, and tuna tostada. Peanut had the Rib eye.... and as big as that Rib eye was.... she left nothing on her plate! Even the simple fries we could not leave alone.... Im sorry... but if you are local and you have not been, your DEFINITELY missing out the service was amazing. And the ambience was cool. This is my 2nd time and they did not disappoint.

The Best Clam Chowder in Ottawa!

My second time here & the food has been delicious both times plus the service is fantastic. We sat at the bar and our server was great & was always making sure our drinks were topped up and we had what we needed. Btw, the ceviche is soooo good. Will definitely come back!

Our group of ladies celebrating a birthday last Saturday had a great experience at the Whalesbone on Elgin St. Mitchell, our server made us feel welcome and joined in the celebration without missing a beat. He anticipated our needs and went above and beyond to make all of our special requests for the evening come true. The food was presented well and tasted fantastic. Top notch service, atmosphere and most of all memorable. Thanks Mitchell 5*****

Everything about out dinner. Oysters, wine, calamari, ceasar salad, octopus and chorizo, horseraddish, mignonette - just to name a few. Thank you Kristeen amazing seating

I came here for my tenth anniversary with my partner and it was a genuinely wonderful time from start to finish. We were taken care of by Jamie, a consummate pro who got us hooked on oysters and took fantastic care of us the whole meal. If I could give the man and the place more stars, I would.

Just had an excellent ten year-anniversary with my partner here! We were served by Jamie who was an absolute delight from start to finish! I didn t think I liked oysters before this, turns out you just have to get the right kind of oysters. Will definitely be coming back soon!

First time at The Whalesbone. Party of 4. Ordered one hot platter, one cold platter, side Calamari, side of chowder and Truffle Fries and of course some drinks. The hot platter was ok. I didnt really enjoy everything. I preferred the cold platter for sharing. Next time, Ill go for single servings for specific items.

Really great food super fresh seafood. Calamari was incredible. Service was quick and friendly and kind and everything you want in a server. Music was great. The only thing Id say is it isnt a place for a quiet meal its very loud. Id tou want a place to chat its hard to hear the other person . Maybe its the day of the week tho it was busy may long weekend. But dont let that deter you super awesome place.

We started by tasting the oysters, our favourites are the ones from New Brunswik. As a main plate we choose Bouillabaisse and moules, both are out of this world the atmosphere ans the staff are amazing we will certainly return soon!

Everything was perfect, obviously the spread on the menu isnt huge but they finesse all the sea food they make Dietary restrictions: Seafood

Love the platter we tried. Gravy comes with mussels and prawns were amazing.

When in Ottawa, highly recommended to include this in your checklist. Exceptional food and outstanding customer service.

Visited this location for the first time recently. We were a big group, about 14 people and the food and drinks were all superb. It s on the more expensive side but definitely worth it. My only complaint is the food took so long to come out because we ordered the 58oz ribeye and they didn t warned us how long it would take to cook. The entrees came 2 hours after we were seated.

We got a fresh Caesar salad and the hot seafood platter. Very good food and service from Jamie. A must try experience for tourists and locals.

I liked it! Nice atmosphere, great oysters, good lunch. Touch pricey, but not terrible. Highly recommend

Awesome place with awesome food. Great variety of food and the service was great. Super cool casual atmosphere. Would love to go again and will always recommend

Always a great time. My favourite caesar salade ever!

Took my family for some oysters ($2 / oyster). Adam went an extra mile to serve us and took the time to explain to us the ordered food. Thanks Adam and staff for your kind service!

Service felt rushed and inattentive, a noticeable difference from our last visits. Still great food and atmosphere but it felt like our server was having an off day or maybe she was just overwhelmed a bit by the crowd for a Thursday. Not terrible but not great either. It felt like we barely got our orders out and the server was already 2 tables away. Im sure she was busy but it didnt feel like the same personal service we received on our last couple visits. Still a great venue and atmosphere. Just wish the service was a little better. We even had to change tables half way through the visit which was weird. I feel like if you mention the reservation is for a birthday or any kind of occasion at time of reservation, there would be some kind of accomodation, but it didnt feel like that this time. My gf and I have been taking eachother here for years for birthdays but this time felt forced. $300 later, this is the first time I wasnt blown away by the service. Ill assume its a blip on the radar this time.

Wow! This place is great. If you like seafood, you wont be disappointed.

hallmark Ottawa food and drink... :)

Our experience was genuinely phenomenal. Service - although the servers seemed slightly snoody and annoyed, at times they were friendly and at the very least they were plentiful and on you like flies. I felt very well taken care of despite. Food - we had the cold seafood platter. This is where the gripe begins. And I say that with melancholy. The crab legs were perfect. Tasted like they were straight from the sea. The lobster was slightly tough and the scallops practically raw, but the sauce for the scallops was fan-freakin-tastic. The tuna was nicely prepared and tasty. Funny enough the muscles were amazing the sauce and fixings were well matched. They give you 4 xl shrimp for some reason, it doesnt add to the value of the dish that cost 135$. In my opinion given portion size it was a 100.. 110$ dish at best. So a 25-30% gap in price which doesnt make a difference if its perfect. But it wasnt. We also had oysters. They give you 4 bucks a shuck and they brought put 4 types of oysters. The sauces were fairly delicious. But a choice of which oyster you can order would be appreciated along with a description when the order is being placed... so there is no surprise when it arrives at the table. All in all I say phenomenal. A few small areas of improvement (and I say small) would merit a 5 star review.

I love this place. I was there for my husbands bday dinner. All the dishes we ordered were so tasty and the service was amazing. I wish I could go there every week.

Fantastic place for seafood with great service. Prices are higher than some places, but very reasonable considering the quality.

Scam for the price, not worth it. Good if you dont want to do the dishes and you are a big group but would advise to go somewhere else

The restaurant is nice inside, the food was good, two of us asked for salt so it was lacking a bit of seasoning. The reason I wont come back is that around an 1h40 after arriving to our reservation a waitress came and told us that there was another reservation in 5 minutes... So... Just to let us know... No matter how you tell that to the clients, you are kicking them out... and we all felt like it was rude/awkward and we left immediately. It never happened to me anywhere and I went to a lot of restaurants. No time limit was on the reservation and nobody kindly let us know when we arrived that we had any time limit, which we would of respected without a problem. I would suggest that you let the clients know ahead of time, if they have any time restriction to avoid that situation.

Phenomenal service, food, and ambience at the Whalesbone. It was my first time in Ottawa in a while and I read the reviews, and I was not disappointed. I only meant to get some food to takeaway, but the hostess said the food would be best fresh, so I was sat at the bar where Jamie served me and another solo diner. Amazing attention to detail and service (our water glasses were never empty), constantly making sure we were alright- but never excessive, great conversation, and even got some recommendations for the rest of the trip. We ended the night with some churros (fantastic!) and bourbon on the house. What a welcome to Ottawa, cant recommend this place enough.

Fairly standard pub atmosphere and overpriced for the portion sizes. Good quality dishes and their seafood was very fresh but we were still hungry after ordering dinner. Slow service and partner and I were amazed to see children allowed in a pub. Would not go back.

Amazing experience, oysters, cold platter, all amazing. I do wish the oysters were bigger for the price that you pay though, better to catch during specials; delicious nevertheless.

Very good meal but small plates for the price.

Overall good restaurant but a little too expensive for what you get. The Negronis seem more like 2 Oz with multiple ice cubes (no king cube?) which is ridiculous for a 17$ drink. The service was okay, they seem to do a tag team effort which is fine except for when something like your drink order falls through the cracks, also youre not sure who youre supposed to be tipping. The bacon wrapped scallops were excellent.

Really exceptional chowder

Great place to have a good evening, thanks Peter and Craig and the staff for the warm welcome and always good vibez.

Great oysters and great service

Excellent food. A bit expensive, but went here for a group event. Atmosphere is good, the place was a bit cramped though.

My husband and I loved our experience at the whalesbone on Elgin. It was beautiful! The vibe was so good, service was awesome and the food oh my GOD it was delicious! We will absolutely be back.

Nice decor and staff. I do think the food and drinks are a bit overpriced though.

Excellent food, enough menu variety, decent bar list. Waiters who care!

This place is a must visit if you re in Ottawa! The food was incredibly well presented and the flavors were layered with favorable precision. The staff (mine was Shane at the bar) really work hard at making a connection and ensuring you have the best experience while also making you feel like a friend or family!

The food is great, vibe is solid but the service is next level! Great team and highly recommend for a nice night out.

A friend and I went out to celebrate Valentines Day. We sat at the bar and Chelsea was our fabulous bartender / server. My friend said she made a great Caesar. She made me a spicy grapefruit mocktail, which was great. We started with a dozen oysters with a mix of two kinds from the East Coast plus some from BC. They were delicious. Loved the variety of sauces to chose from. Next up we had the Ceviche de Pescado, which was also delicious. In hindsight we should have skipped this dish though as we ended up with way too much food. For our main we decided to split the Hot Platter with a side of Brussels Sprouts. I wasnt big fan of the Brussels Sprouts. Possibly a personal preference, but I didnt feel the flavours worked well together or something had gone wrong with the recipe. The platter had an amazing selection of seafood. The mussels were small so were bit overcooked. The rest of the food was amazing, with the Lobsterr & Shrimp Roll, Bacon Wrapped Scallops and Argentinian Prawns being my top 3 picks. In all a lovely meal with great service. Thanks again Chelsea and the talented team at The Whalesbone Elgin Street.

Excellent food and service. A must!

Great experience overall, really enjoyed the hot seafood platter. I think the pricing is fair for what you are getting. The oysters were great!

So very disappointing. Was looking to come back here after many years expecting EXCELLENT top notch seafood, especially at those prices!! Was really looking to splurge on a really good meal. What we got instead was just boring food. I make better at home. Nothing authentic or thought out. The calamari texture was weird like chicken. The jumbo shrimp cocktail was literally FIVE small/medium shrimp at an outrageous price!! And our main courses were honestly boring as hell. Go to the Pelican Fishery where you can get better food, more engaging service for like $10 less a plate.

The seafood chowder soup is good and the meal package is delicious thanks

Last night we enjoyed a really nice meal at the Whalesbone on Elgin. We had an early reservation as we had a show to see at the NAC. Made it just in time to the Whalesbone for happy hour, yippee. Service was excellent, friendly, fun and efficient. Our party of four enjoyed scallops, salmon, octopus and a wagu burger.

Great service and atmosphere. The staff here have a personality of their own. Good menu of seafood and non-seafood options. Food was seasoned so well. I prefer a thicker cut of fries with the burger. Oysters + condiments cannot be beat here. They really dress up the platters.

Great spot Meat platter - ditch lamb kebabs. There not good. Bring on some lamb chops. Food : 4/5

Food is pricey, tastes okay

Such a treat to come here. Great seafood, service, and atmosphere.

Great atmosphere and quality food we always stop by for dinner when in the area!

A great place with amazing food and fantastic service.

The Whalesbone excels in offering a diverse array of canapés, each bursting with unique flavors and expertly prepared. We ordered a selection from their catering menu. From the rich and perfectly balanced Lobster Crostini to the crisp, delightful Calamari, every dish served was a culinary masterpiece, reflecting the restaurants commitment to quality and taste. Process to order was simple and straightforward and the entire team was accommodating and helpful during pickup. Would recommend for anyone considering ordering for a private event. Can t miss at The Whalesbone!

Great staff but Adam was absolutely amazing. Can t wait to go back, amazing service.

The meals are very good, there is good service. Vegetarian options: Mention it Dietary restrictions: mention it

It may be on the pricey side but it is worth every penny! The service is 100/10 and everyone is so friendly, knowledgeable and on top of things. We never had to wait long but also wetent rushed in any way and they providing a truly special experience. Only thing I did not like was the metal chairs, they were wildly uncomfortable and my legs fell asleep while eating dinner. The booth seats are better in comparison but still not a seat I really want to sit in for a whole meal. Vegetarian options: Some veggie options were provided to the vegetarians in our group and they said were absolutely delicious

All around great spot! We had the hot platter and it was all fresh and delicious. Great atmosphere after work as well.

Great place from all the angles! Staff, food, atmosphere are beyond 5 star rating! Definitely worth a visit if budget allows as prices are pricy (tautology intended)! Overall, experience was excellent!

Its expensive but its real real good

This is the second time weve been here, and both times have been top notch. Oysters are incredible with their homemade sauces. Great wine and cocktail list. Mains and appetizers are delicious! Food : 5/5

Great Canadian sourced oysters and seafood. Very fresh and cooked them just right.

Amazing freshest seafood is served here. The overall experience is enhanced with the excellent service and nice atmosphere

Amazing

Awesome food and great service! Our party tried about 70% of the menu in one sitting and were left quite satisfied with every item. The only drawback in relation to the atmosphere that I found is that the music could be a tad lower as it was difficult to understand people sitting at the opposite end of the table.

Food was great, service was on point. Value for the price was solid. Unfortunate you are so busy, and we had to leave before we were ready, but we knew the time limit when we got there. I run a business, so I understand, it is just unfortunate. I would return, but I like trying different places, so likely would go to a different restaurant next time in Ottawa, but I will for sure tell people about what yall have to offer. The variety of oysters were DELISH! The meatballs were probably the best Ive had in a restaurant, and enjoyed the rests of the foods we had! Thanks!

Recommended by a friend, on a recent trip to Ottawa. Such a good call! The staff are all fantastic- friendly and attentive- which made for a great atmosphere. The food was excellent- make sure to try some east coast and west coast oysters. Id go back in heartbeat.

Great spot. Food and service were great

Excellent time here at The Whalesbone. Seafood platter was indeed so fresh and delicious, it made us all speculate just when was this bounty, pulled from the sea? The abundance made us feel quite greatful. The service was very good, as we were tended to by a few fellas, and never left to languish. My only criticism of this fine establishment is that this bar/restaurant is REALLY LOUD. Maybe not a problem for others, but it was for me. Who knows? The decor is fine and warm, but all surfaces are hard and no surfaces are absorbent, so it gets Really Loud. They need some sound absorbent baffles added as decor, or fabric tapestry wall art to tone down the volume. Will I be back? For sure. The food was great, the service was great. Cheers!

Nice restaurant with some great seafood options. Its always full so make sure u reserve a table as they have limited seating capacity.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at this Restaurant. The food was exceptional, boasting tender and high-quality meats and fish. The ambiance was warm and welcoming, and the service was impeccable. Our waiter was attentive, ensuring a seamless dining experience. While the prices are on the higher side, the portions are generous. Additionally, the service was efficient, with our food arriving promptly. A place that is definitely to be recommended!

Excellent choice for a sea food in Ottawa.

Friendly and welcoming staff with delicious and flavourful dishes (pork belly and scallops, oysters, calamari, wagyu burger, and truffle fries.

First time, had a great experience.

Went here last weekend and had the tuna tostada, steamed mussels, and Caesar salad. The salad was surprisingly very good, the other items were good too.

An excellent venue for a large group. The service was exceptional and the food was amazing.

Great place that impressed! Staff were attentive and personable; the atmosphere was friendly and warm. A great place to hit the town after a hard week or for a nice date night. The food was excellent; for two people, we had oysters (east coast, was nice that there was variety in what we were given) that came with a wide section of sauces and the whiskey was a nice touch. The chowder was a good choice for a cold night. Calamari was worth it as well; not the plain, greasy stuff you get at a lot of other places. We also had the Brussels sprouts, and even though I don t like them normally, the way they were made here was pretty darned tasty. Will definitely come back! Vegetarian options: Vegetarian and gluten free options available. Dietary restrictions: Vegetarian and gluten free options available. Parking: Parking nearby at city hall or NAC; plenty of options!

Good food! Good service. We had a great time. (Drinks are quite expensive.)

Service and atmosphere are 5 out of 5, but I do go to restaurants for the food and drink. The food tasted great, but the value wasnt there - and this is coming from a former chef who regularly dines at diners and fine dining restaurants. A $33+tax+tip salmon and fries dish was basically just that. The fries were good (nothing to write home about), and the salmon was bang on. But it was no more than 100g of salmon. For $40-45 (all included), I want more than 100g of salmon and a half plate of fries. I left hungry, and no one should drop $40 on lunch and leave feeling hungry. My colleagues got margaritas which are also expensive (all the drinks are too expensive), and they lacked the salt rims and one aficionado said it tasted like they used marg mix for their cocktail. No salt and maybe marg mix? If you cant do it properly, dont do it at all, IMO. Im giving three stars (Its okay) because I feel like I got jipped. I tipped well because the service was bomb, but again, $45 for 100g of salmon.