Gezellig

I chose Gezellig to celebrate my husband’s birthday with friends and it was great. I made a reservation in advance and they let me know about gratuity charge for big parties and additional charge because I brought the cake. The service was thoughtful and efficient, great ambiance and good food. We had a blast !

It was simply perfect! The eggs Benedict were great, full of flavour and as I'm a huge lover of them I would really suggest the mushrooms on toast and the french toast. Both were out of this world! We came for brunch on a Saturday and unfortunately couldn't come back for a dinner. Hope we can do that the next time visiting Ottawa. But besides the perfect food also the place is gorgeous and the service so lovely!

A great venue for casual fine dining in a fun area. The food was good but quite expensive and could use a few tweaks. The lamb was beautifully cooked but the curry could be improved. The appetizers were great and we had no complaints. One of the desserts we had was superb and the other was far too dry. The service and wait staff were on point. Order: Local Asparagus ($20.00 each) x1 - Crunchy (almost raw) asparagus wrapped in prosciutto - Tasty cheese base with a brown butter vinaigrette - Refreshing and light appetizer Ricotta Gnudi ($17.00 each) x1 - The gnudi was a bit chewy which indicated it was a little under done - The overall taste was good - The portion size was quite large for an appetizer Beverly Creek Braised Lamb Shank ($45.00 each) x1 - Beautiful presentation - Perfectly cooked lamb that fell off the bone - The couscous was tasty and cooked well - The coconut curry did not taste of coconut and tasted more like a tomato sauce, rather than a curry - The garlic naan was okay but there are better options from cheaper local Indian restaurants - The raita was great and refreshing Coffee Cake ($11.00 each) x1 - A great tasting coffee cake - The cake itself was incredibly dry - This should be paired with a drink (like a coffee) or a sauce should be added to the dish to alleviate the dryness Butterfinger ($12.00 each) x1 - Exceptional dessert - Great pairing between the peanut butter, caramel, and marshmallow - The Butterfinger itself was quite rich but the pairings helped lighten it Mr. Pink ($15.00 each) x1 - A sweet and fruity cocktail - Perfect for summer Mr. Blonde ($15.00 each) x1 - A wine forward cocktail with a nice elderflower taste Atmosphere and Site: - The restaurant is located on Richmond which is populated by numerous local & boutique businesses - The ground floor of the restaurant is brightly lit with big windows - The upper floor of the restaurant is more dim and less inviting - The entire restaurant's walls had curated art pieces Service: - Great service that was quick to take our orders and checked in on us regularly - The wait staff were able to move us from the top floor to the bottom floor upon request - The food arrived incredibly quickly (even with most of the tables occupied). The appetizer and drinks we ordered came out 5~ mins after we placed it, the main came out 10~ mins after that, dessert came out 5~ mins after we ordered it

There is something about going to a restaurant and be let down by the food. The disappointment and sadness one can feel is quite tragic. Compared to where I typically go to, Gezellig is on the higher end. With the numerous 5 star reviews, I had great expectations. However, those expectations were simply a dream. I know everyone has different tastes but I didn't find the food good. If you asked me to reorder the food for half the price, I wouldn't even want to fork out the money for it. There are far superior food at a fraction of the price. I can tell the chefs had wonderful techniques as the meat dishes were cooked to perfection. The Beverly Creek Braised Lamb Shank was tender and juicy. However the problem was with the flavour, or the lack of. I suppose the chef wanted us to taste the natural flavour of the meat and didn't marinade it with anything. But the dish was very bland. As for the coconut curry, it was citrus based, no hint of coconut.The Naan bread itself was quite forgettable and had no garlic flavour (not sure because it took on the curry flavour as it was somewhat soaked in the dish or that it was quite sour to begin with). I was hoping the Naan would be more buttery. I also didn't enjoy the planning of the dish. Firstly, there were two forms of carbs in the dish (couscous and Naan bread) while there were no vegetables. Secondly, as the couscous was placed at the bottom, coated by the curry, it soaked up all the citrus sauce. After eating half the dish, I kind of wanted a palette cleanser as I was getting bored of the bland citrus flavour. Lastly, I wished the dish was presented on a plate because cutting the meat off the shank in a bowl was challenging. You had to cut the meat off the bone without tipping the bowl over. At the same time it was hard to get to ingredients in the bowl when you had to maneuver the bone around the bowl. Overall the dish was underwhelming and didn't fit my flavour palette. As for the Alberta Beef Ribeye, it was cooked perfectly and had the most amazing gravy. It was quite fatty and was harder to get through as the service went on. Depending on how you feel about fatty meat pieces, your like and dislike of the dish may vary. The asparagus and mushrooms seemed to have just been blanched with no flavour. The portion of the dishes was surprisingly big. Our party all struggled to finish our dish. The service, environment and atmosphere were amazing. The waiter was observant and caring. The environment was very AC'd. The atmosphere was lively yet relaxing. You didn't had to tiptoe or whisper. It was just very comfortable to be in the restaurant.

To say the staff at Gezellig’s set the new bar in terms of customer service in fine dining would be the understatement of the year. From the incredibly courteous young ladies who greeted us at the door to being seated, to having our food and drinks served with a smile and graciousness made our first anniversary together the most memorable night of this entire year. The food was incredible with the lamb and pork belly served with the carrot salad falling apart in your mouth like butter. The lamb was also a sharp contrast to my choice of the salmon which had the acidity of the lemon paired with a perfectly crisped, flakey salmon that held up to the other flavours on the plate. A special mention to our server James who went above and beyond in every way to make the night memorable. He brought easy conversation, amazing recommendations and insight into the wine pairings with the meals with a relaxed approach that never made you feel rushed. Thank you all again.

The service was excellent. It was our anniversary and we treated to a complimentary glass of bubbly. The atmosphere was nice. Generally was a pleasant place to visit. I have to say though there wasn't really anything special about food. It was good, just not great and at $40-$52 per entree I was expecting something better. Absolutely go check it out for yourself. You might be pleasantly surprised. But for us I think there are better options in and around Ottawa.