Fairouz Cafe

The food was the worst I've ever had at a restaurant in this price range. The service was very slow. Got the menu 15 minutes after being seated.

We went there for dinner as a family. We had a reservations for 9 but unfortunately had to wait 10 mins before being seated. This was just the start. Our server an Asian dude never came back for the water and drinks we had asked for. In fact we had to go up to ask for it again. This time we were served by a different server. The drinks came in at the end of the meal. No one came back to ask if we needed anything. Then the Asian server came and handed me the bill and said nothing. This was an absolute bad experience and not fine dining at all. If you are looking for proper service look elsewhere.

Not sure what the fuss is about? We love Middle Eastern food. Truth is, we'd never go back. We saw all kinds of reviews for the precious location, obviously something has changed. I hate slagging small businesses, but, when you're competing for dollars these days.do it better.

The warm olives were good.

First time tonight and neither my partner or I were left disappointed (we left full and happy actually!). Fairouz has a different take on the typical Middle Eastern dish. The flavour was just phenomenal - from the first to last bite. I really enjoyed the ambiance. Small, warm, and cozy. Our server, Felix, was also part of the pleasurable experience. Friendly, suggestive, welcoming, and knowledgeable too! Always great to be served by someone who knows their product. Was also attentive regarding the food allergens that were mentioned in the reservation. Thank you, Fairouz and Felix, for the lovely Saturday night dinner!

I've been visiting Fairouz since before their move to the 15 Clarence location. This place always delivers a fantastic experience! However, more recently, I've noticed an unfortunate decline in the flavours, the options, and importantly, the portion sizes of the food here. I will continue returning to Fairouz, but here's my experience:

Appetizers:
Muhammara is ALWAYS exceptional here. Lots of pomegranates, lots of delicious walnuts, 10/10. They used to have a 3-dip sharing platter, but that has left the menu unfortunately. Definitely disappointed that the muhammara has gone up in price quite a bit, and remains in a tiny little bowl (probably 100g per serving or less). Still delicious, I often pop in just to eat a muhammara quickly. They have those shared flatbreads/pide. The duck was amazing, not very middle eastern, but still delicious. The lamb was also amazing. The flatbreads with the sojouk have left the menu unfortunately, and those had VERY traditional flavours (think heavy fenugreek, explosive paprika, lots of aromatic and perfectly acidic sumac). Another disappointment unfortunately.

Mains:
My biggest issue this time around was that all the mains have taken on a mandatory sharing-style format. Some great things on the menu have left, and quite frankly the biggest mistake here was removing the lamb burget with Labneh sauce. I can't really express my disappointment here, that was a mainstay of the menu, and one of the reason some of my friends swore never to return to Fairouz unless that burger comes back.
Tawook became a half chicken, marinated, with some tabbouleh and NO rice. All for $60. Honestly a bit insulting; why would chicken be this expensive, and the quantity of chicken was TERRIBLE. And the rice is an add-on for $15. Too much. And this was intended for sharing, but come on.for $60 it better be a whole chicken, juicy, with tonnes of salad, rice, and sauce, with bread on the side etc. Still tasty, but whoever set these prices might be disconnected from reality. The lamb sirloin was amazing, delicious, and reasonably priced, and quite a good serving too! 10/10 here.

Drinks:
The mixologist/bartender here makes a mean cardamom old fashioned. 10/10. I don't think it's on the menu anymore, but just ask for it.

Desserts:
Knafeh was 10/10 as well! We were all super pleased! My French-Canadian guests absolutely LOST their minds when they tried this, and my Arab friends were also similarly very pleasantly surprised!

Overall:
Great spot, great service, fantastic ambiance. Drinks are good, appetizers are great, desserts are fantastic. The mains are alright, honestly overpriced and great items left the menu. Our group of friends still regularly visits and orders a bunch of muhammara bowls, hummus, labneh, and babaganoush, with some drinks, and we're set! The bread is also incredible! Price point is pretty steep given the serving sizes, but your taste buds will thank you.

Improvements (for the restaurant) :
-Bring back the burger with labneh!
-Increase amount of chicken in Tawook dish, or add rice to it
-Bring back the trio dips, but the hummus and babaganoush in that trio dip should be plain (no fancy sirloin or truffle, just the original Jiddo's-recipe-style dips)
-More bread per serving!
-Please bring back Jordan River wines! You had a Syrah not too long ago that was OUTSTANDING.

*Update* Human rights violation. Unacceptable. Was just denied entry with a service animal. When asked are you sure you are denying us, we were told "it doesn't matter"

Owner has replied and provides false information. Their "investigation" lacks evidence and is clearly one sided, which is the server or host defending themselves. We were NEVER offered to speak to a manager. Also we were NEVER told the restaurant is short staffed. It was a very simplist "NO YOU CANNOT ENTER" and we pleaded it was a service dog, asked if you are denying us and we were told "yes, is does not matter"

Attention! Le menu sur internet n’est pas le même que celui sur place. Par exemple, la courge est à 32$ sur le net et 44$ sur place. Arnaque et décevant. Les goûts sont particuliers… du fromage halloumie avec de la crème fouettée…
Ne pas y aller!

Overall, the food and experience was very good, but the price seems off. My family and I shared the 4 person shared meal. I think it was around 250$ before taxes and tips. There was plenty of food for all, the flavours were amazing, but 250$ for humus, pita, olives, chicken and a few other items is steep IMHO. I don't mind paying that amount or more for food, and I have done so at le Baccarat, les fougères and l'atelier, but I feel you get more for the money at these other restaurants. I don't regret going but I wouldn't go back unless they balance the overall value of the experience.

All the food was fantastic, and especially the babaganoush and the baklava. We had the fish. It was great We loved the uniqueness of each section of the restaurant having its own aesthetic look from the teal of the bar area to the classic ambiance of the dining room.

Not great value for money - staff is great but some of the items we ordered were a total miss on taste. With a limited menu there is little room for mediocre chicken dishes.

Great lebneh
Awesome to have hot pita
Great staff. Amazingly attentive. Maybe too much by 15%?
The duck Pide was too salty

Went for a small birthday dinner here last week to try Fairouz after hearing great things. But the experience was fairly middling for me.

We started with the babaghanoush and freshly made pita, the latter of which was herbaceous, laminated with fennel. But the babaghanoush left something to be desired as it was milder as opposed to smokey and tender. We then shared the shish tawook, which was a generous portion of juicy chicken and tabloueh salad. But I would have preferred a crisper versus more rubbery skin on the chicken and the toum (for the first time in human history) needed much more garlic. Also, the baklava was overcooked and lacking flavour.

However, the service itself was lovely and the space is conveniently located and very cozy inside. Great option for tourists looking for something a bit above the rest, but for locals, I'd say skip

Dined here on Friday night after hearing great things and unfortunately left underwhelmed. The space is definitely beautiful and most of the food was good. The highlight from the meal was the hummus and lamb. However, the service was less than. After being seated we were not checked on for nearly 30 minutes. Our cocktails did not arrive until we were half way through our meal. We also were not warned that the halloumi was basically pumpkin pie and more fit as a dessert. We were really excited to come to Fairouz after hearing such great things but after the experience and service, or lack there of, we were disappointed, especially considering the price.

The atmosphere in this restaurant is great! Has a cozy feel and lovely decor. The staff is very kind and knowledgeable.
I was a little disappointed with the shish taouk - it tasted and looked like a rotisserie chicken rather than the traditional spices of shish taouk but still tasted amazing. It is served on a bed of tabbouleh which was delicious too I wish they put more of it!
The deconstructed muhammara was great too.

Fantastic haute-cuisine Middle Eastern style food. Flavors are very delicately balanced and nuanced, allowing for tons of taste exploration in each bite. I recommend going with a group so you can get a variety of dishes to try. If you have to get just one thing, my recommendation for dinner would be the Confit Duck Pide. Venue is very intimate and cozy, even during the deep cold winters in our national capital.

Unmatched high level of services. We went there for a dinner and it was just excellent. Food is excellent, very particular Mouhammara that I recommend, excellent spot. I recommend!

Went for valentines day. Food was delicious and the atmosphere was chic, yet coxy. The two of us shared the babaganoush, roz asfar and the Shish Tawook sharing plate. The service was excellent, the servers went out of their way to make sure my allergies were accommodated (gluten and dairy) and even gave us a special dessert for the occasion on the house. Highly recommend for a romantic evening.

If you're looking for a truly unique culinary experience, this is the place to go. I've eaten there many times, including 3 times on my birthdays. The wine list is curated to the menu so you won't find the usual common selections found at other restaurants.
We also found that the staff go above and beyond to ensure a memorable visit; for example, this week we asked to change tables after we had already been served water, and without hesitation, our waiter moved us, and did so with a smile. I appreciated the romantic corner table.

Everything was amazing. Service, food, drinks, ambience. Bring a few people and order dishes to share and try a bit of everything - it's all amazing! Hummus and baba ghanouj come with fresh baked pita that are absolutely incredible. Roasted brussel sprouts were the best! So good!

Had dinner here recently with a friend who is a huge foodie, we were both generally impressed with the quality of the food and the ambiance but menu lacked options. Starters were a little under whelming, Main and dessert were the two best parts. See photos for more details, overall I would return here mostly because the service was excellent and the ambiance was awesome

I think it is more of a bar than a restaurant. The food menu was super limited with the main dishes designed for more than one person. I was by myself in a business trip to Ottawa and was fooled by the high rating as a Mediterranean Lebanese restaurant. I had to leave before ordering as the chef refused to prepare smaller portions for one person.

Enjoyed a very good Sunday brunch from the visa infinite dinner series here. Wine pairings were excellently selected. Food was delicious with good serving sizes.

You know its going to be good when its full on a Tuesday night! Really loved everything on the tasting menu. Great choices of wines. Merci!

Disappointed. Tiny portions for a regular price, and I did not enjoy the taste. The salad was too sour, the steak stiff. I expected a nice restaurant meal, but got more of a $150 snack instead. They are way overpriced for what they serve

Food was outstanding. Highlights include the stuffed vine leaves, labneh, fish, chicken and Brussel sprouts. Lovely presentation and outstanding service. Fantastic!

Overpriced especially for the food portions. Simple/ simplified recipes that do not honor middle eastern dishes. Nothing special, lack of spices and lack of taste really. The space is lovely though if that's what you're looking for and the quality could be worse but it just doesn't justify the price at all. I would go back for their curcumin hot drink.

Managed to grab a couple spots at the bar for dinner. Bartender Tony was personable and gave great recommendations. We had the baba ghanoush, grape leaves, and the acorn stuffed squash. Portions were generous. Atmosphere was lively. Service was attentive.