The Whalesbone Elgin Street

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.

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 wasn't 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 can't do it properly, don't do it at all, IMO.

I'm giving three stars ("It's okay") because I feel like I got jipped. I tipped well because the service was bomb, but again, $45 for 100g of salmon.

We always love going to The Whalesbone on Elgin. I made a point of complimenting the service to the manager. The food was excellent as well of course. I’m always taken back with how great the staff is there. It is really appreciated. Even with the restaurant being busy our drinks and food came quickly which was awesome. We always have such great experiences there. Even food intolerances were accommodated without any felt inconvenience of the staff. It was handled with ease. Our server was awesome as well as all of the staff. Thank you for always going above and beyond the norm. The great service is noticed and it means a lot.

First time visiting Whalesbone on Elgin St in Ottawa. We ordered the hot seafood platte. It has steam white wine mussels, Argentinian shrimp, bacon wrap scallop, fish cake, and one lobster roll! The food quality is not bad, but the sauce is a bit too salty! I wonder if I will drink lots of water tonight. Overall it is recommended everyone to try the platter.

Le Whalesbone Elgin Street est définitivement un des meilleurs restaurants pour manger du poisson et des fruits de mer. Lors de ma visite, j'ai commandé l'assiette de fruits de mer froide pour deux personnes. Le plat était superbe à regarder et encore meilleur à déguster. Un endroit qui est définitivement à recommander!

What a great dining experience! I highly recommend their fresh mussels. Everything we ordered was amazing! The food came out relatively quickly, drinks were on point and the staff were so friendly.

Delicious dinner! Well prepared and served by a super friendly team. We felt like we were the only ones in the restaurant, the service was so personable! I would definitely recommend the hot platter!

A beautifully appointed restaurant with an awesome eclectic decor. Incredible seafood and meat selection. Amazing staff. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced better servers…. They were always extremely attentive and were always keeping an eye not only on the patrons but on each other. It was like watching friends just want to care for each other. It was beautiful. We thoroughly enjoyed our food and the amazing dishes. It was an incredible experience that we are already looking forward to repeat. Kudos to Kaitlin and Nicole for taking extra care of us.

On our Ottawa top 10 restaurant list. Green Gable mussels are a must. The accompaniments for the raw oysters are bang on. Every dish I’ve ordered I’ve been pleased with. Bar staff and wait staff are dynamite!

I've been here at least a dozen times, and it's fantastic! I bring friends, family, and everyone in between here. Now look, my mother's from Newfoundland and she's got a mean tongue for seafood that's not from home and she likes it. Once to twice a month I like to treat myself to the oysters, and they're always top notch! The staff are awesome and friendly and the music is always great!

Went for an easy dinner on Elgin at the Whalesbone.we recommend trying to sit at the front of the restaurant or on the outside patio due to general level of noise that seemed a little overbearing at times.

The seats/chairs are not particularly welcoming and after a while you are glad to stand up for whatever reason. Where's the restroom/washroom?

We had a great server and found all of the staff to be very attentive and you felt they were doing their utmost to ensure you had a good dining experience.

The fish was fresh as my brother and I shared the chilled sampler and Mom had the chowder. The food was simple and clean.

The restaurant was very accommodating to my gluten sensitivity and tweaked the food as needed.

The cost of the meal for three was $85 CAD per person including tax but excludes the tip. The meal included four cocktails, two glasses of wine, and two snifters of liqueur and pressed coffee.

As a further note the restaurant is wheelchair accessible and the facilities at the rear of the restaurant are totally accommodating. To lock the washroom door there is a red button on the wall beside the door opener button.

It was a hot day and I was wondering whether to wear shorts to the restaurant. I looked at the prices on their online menu and decided this is no place for shorts. When we got there we were greeted by a server wearing shorts! This is a casual restaurant. We had the Lobster Bucatini, the Chinook Salmon and the Seasonal Vegetables. The Seasonal Vegetables included sauteed kale, green beans, carrots and broccoli. All items tasted great. The salmon had a nice sweet taste. It came on a bed of "farmer's veg" which were exactly the same as the Seasonal Vegetables side so keep that in mind. The lobster was a bit pricey for what it was in our opinion. Street parking is free after 5: 30pm on weeknights.

$17 Negronis! Didn’t know I was in NYC. Management was rude when inquiring on price. Definitely won’t be back.

Edit: No budget brother. But I've been around long enough to know that $17 for your rail gin and old bottle of vermouth is a rip off. You can take some feedback without getting sensitive.

Ohhhh this place is incredible.
My friend Nick lived in Ottawa growing up so I asked him where we needed to go while in town and he immediately told us about the Whalesbone.
On our last trip we popped in and had an unforgettable experience so we came back for round 2! We loved it just as much!
My background is in the restaurant industry and I can tell you the place runs brilliantly.
Hosts are friendly and get you seated immediately.
You will be given fresh water a moment later and greeted by your server with fresh buns and butter quickly as well.
Food is brought out quickly by friendly expediters, this is important too because in places where your server brings it, that’s a sign it’s sat under a warmer for a bit and that the restaurant doesn’t operate as a team.
There’s plenty of helpful folks keeping drinks full and clearing plates which is lovely too.
No gaps in service whatsoever! We were so well taken care of.

The Oysters are delicious and super fresh, your server will walk you through what you got. There’s an array of oyster sauces and toppings.
We also love the scallop ceviche, it’s bright and delicious.
I forgot to take food pics because it was too yummy.

$$$$

The vibez the music and the staff are top notch. Fabulous service from start to finish!
Sasso and his crew are just so warm and welcoming.

Big up yu self!

Its so nice to visit a different city and find a little piece of the Rock representing strong.

The music was on point, for that evening’s visit they had some wicked (REAL GOOD) reggae music bumping.

We had a reservation for 5pm we got in were seated right away.
Our first bar tender/ host was just so in tune with us. He vibed and gelled so well, made excellent recommendations and my Moscow Mule was spot on!
They had the real deal ginger beer, which is everything in the mule! (Just needed my copper mug and idda been set). But who cares what its in, its all about the drink inside and he made it bang on!

Now to the appetizer, well first they brought out fresh hot baked bread— you’ve got me if this is a winner, so fresh and well baked with butter balls to accompany.

I loved that they had hot AND cold appetizer options. We tried the clam chowder, they could have just brought us the whole pot to clean up, RICH flavour full and just full on hearty! We had some oysters, you have to try the scotch bonnet pepper sauces, they have 2 different ones, and boy are they HOTTTTTTT, but FULL of flavour. Dont mess with it if you cant handle the heat, but what I love most is that its fulll of flavour not just burning overpowering heat!

The mains, we had, lobster pasta, the pork belly and scallops, poke bowl and salmon. I mean if I could give 10 stars this just topped it off.

Then ofcourse the host offered dessert. By then we just couldnt say no.
Lemon cheesecake, AGAIN BRING OUT THE ENTIRE CheeseCAKE! One slice we so regret taking to go, we really should have gotten one each! So just means we gotta go back!

We also tried the chocolate mouse cake, one slice again-really needed more!

Fabulous, staff, food, atmosphere and music!

Ill definitely be back.

I was so enamoured by the whole experience I was tooo excited and forgot pictures!

So another reason to visit again.

Its a nice and central location, accessible by transit, bike, car or foot traffic. Very accessible to wheelchairs or other mobility needs.

Dope spot!
The aromas alone would draw you in!

Really appreciated and loved every single staff that stopped by to say hi and even interact with the smallest one of us all at the table!
For a busy seafood restaurant as it was, they all made sure to welcome the little guy at the table!

Thank you all again. We will for sure be back when in the city!
Sasso keep it up!

I had seafood chowder which was Ok. It was missing on taste. I also had tuna poke bowl. It was hardly a bowl, very small dish, quite pricy for the size and medeoker taste. Sadly it this visit to Whalebones was a disappointment. I found disapointing drop in qulity and taste and increased prices (similarly like everywhere else sadly)

Wow! You would be remiss to skip by the Whalesbone on Elgin. A very neat and eccentric dinner spot on Elgin St. The long bar offers plenty of sweating for a casual cocktail and dozen oysters. There is plenty of indoor seating as well as a small outdoor patio!

4 of us went for dinner. We had some fresh brioche table bread brought over by staff. We sipped on red wine, the Oyster Caesar and Moscow Mule. The Caesar was refreshing and came topped with a shucked oyster. The Mule was good, however a slight negative was the size and lack of copper mug. It is a mule after all.

For starters we had oysters which were freshly shucked along with a plethora of home made accoutrements. The calamari was lightly battered, crisp outside yet extremely soft insides. It was fabulous. The beef tartare was also incredibly good however lacked a bit of salt.

For mains our wives went with the burger. They were huge with a heaping plate of fries. The burgers are cooked to your liking as well which is sometimes hard to find.

My friend and myself split the meat platter. It came with a half jerk marinated Cornish hen, 6 meatballs in a delicious red sauce, a perfectly cooked Striploin steak, 2 hunks of pork belly, 4 beef croquettes. Im not entire sure what they were, but my best description is shredded beef with a cheese mixed in, light battered and fried. This was the highlight of the meat platter!

Believe it or not after all that dessert was ordered. We split the chocolate mousse cake. It was velvety and not overly sweet. It was heavenly.

The food quality, the staff, the everything was perfect for a night out. It is a bit pricey but you get what you pay for. Do not miss out on this place

The ingredients are really fresh, but the taste is slightly bland for the high price tag. The portions are, however, relatively generous, but the poke bowl tasted like it had too many ingredients to it and tasted quite overwhelming and no significant singular flavor.

Oysters never disappoint and the sauces and whiskey that comes with the oysters are a nice extra. Tuna starter and beef tartare were delicious and so was their burger and truffle fries. Would go back here any day of the week.

Best seafood in Ottawa. They have the best oysters and variety of toppings, especially their house made hot sauces with mango and scotch peppers. The main courses are always delicious; I had the miso glazed Sable fish and completey zoned out of the conversation at the table as I was lost in the deliciousness of the broth and fish.

Absolutely love their oysters its very fresh and delicious. The price point is definitely on the higher end but their food quality makes up for the steep prices.
Expect loud atmosphere / music and bring a sweater or cartigan because they tend to keep the temp cooler. Strongly recommend.

I can only comment on the seafood platter both the hot and cold - in two words - way overpriced. The hot platter consisted of mussels (very basic), small scallops wrapped in bacon (like u-30 size), a forgettable lobster and shrimp roll with little shrimps and not much lobster, 5 bad crab cakes (we split one and took the rest home to feed the dog (literally), and then a shrimp and tomato dish which was ok (I like cherry tomatoes the best in this whole platter). The cold platter was a little better: 1/2 of approximately a 1.25 lbs lobster (basically a 2.5 ounce lobster tail), scallops (not that great), 4 or 5 cocktail shrimp (size 15 to a pound), snow crab legs (small size - slightly larger than a Chinese buffet, approximately 18 dollars a pound at the grocery store), cubed season ahi tuna (pretty decent), seasoned mussels (so so). So for two people - 330 dollars before tips for 2 platters plus 2 beers and one cocktail. And we were still not full! I would go for their other dishes if you are visiting the restaurant. Comparable seafood like at Joes seafood in USA is way better.

The sablefish was overpowered by the miso glaze. Black cod is one of my favorite fish, and it was not treated with the delicacy needed to highlight its flavor. 12 oysters were 42 dollars, which is more expensive than the finest restaurants in downtown Montreal. The steak was over 40 dollars, had a large tendon in it, and only came with fleur de sel; it was extra for the sauce, and 16 dollars for brown buttered new potatoes (who serves a steak with no sides or sauce for over 40 dollars). I get that it was dry-aged (wow, you managed to leave it in a fridge for 30 days), but it just being served alone in a cast iron pan was depressing. To top it off, the cocktails were sub-par, especially the Dark and Stormy.

Slow service, mediocre food.

We waited an hour for our food and 40 minutes for water. The food itself was not very impressive either, especially at the current price range. Baked oysters were plain and uninspired, though the presentation was admirable.
The miso sablefish was over salted.

The pork belly and scallops dish, while plated very artfully, was strangely cooked and did not present a well balanced flavor profile. The scallops were seared on 1 side for a little too long and barely seared on the other side, something I don’t remember ever seeing before. Whole grain mustard was also spread across the whole of the dish in a haphazard manner. The experience was one where the scallops were simultaneously over and undercooked and every bite had a little too much acidity. Worth noting the pork belly was fine and the only redeeming part of the dish, but for a $45 dish, I’d expect a little more than pretty presentation and a nice pork belly.

Whether this was a one off bad experience or reflective of their overall quality, I don’t know. The Whalesbone also has a meat program, that we did not try, and they dry age in house (in a display visible from outside the bathroom). I can’t comment on the fruits of that labor, but I hope it’s better than what we sat through

Fresh oysters wonderful Seafood. Friendly staff and great service. Make a reservation I checked this place out you won't regret it!

We had a wonderful experience at Whalesbone (Elgin Street) on Sunday, October 17,2021. The food was outstanding and our server Chris (Christine) was amazing.
We were visiting our friend from Toronto and our dinner at your restaurant will be a memory that we will not forget

I just called for a reservation. As I did so many times. Left my name time and phone number. I don't know who picked up the phone call and they are unprofessional. First negative experience. Thanks！

Absolutely love their oysters its very fresh and delicious. The price point is definitely on the higher end but their food quality makes up for the steep prices.

Food was great. It was flavorful, fresh and well presented. The baked oysters were so good! Drinks were also super tasty. Service was great, friendly servers and our food came fast. Overall, great dining experience.

I’ve been going to Whalesbone for several years! It was my go-to place for oysters after work with coworkers and friends. Staff are consistently always super friendly and service is amazing. Dishes are always delicious and I walk away with a full and happy belly! Some of my favourite dishes- clam chowder (a total must if you love this soup), waygu burger, lobster buccatini, tuna crudo and the calamari.

From the cocktails, oysters, ribeye and dessert. Food was excellent. Presentation was lovely. But the service was great in fact hilarious. Thanks Angela for making our stay in Ottawa memorable. Definitely recommend!

Service was very good, friendly staff. Food is expensive for the quality you get. We mostly ordered seafood dishes so didn't try the steaks (so can't comment on meat). Seafood preparation was very mediocre and taste mostly came from oil (deep fry), lots of salt or sauces that you need to dip in. I was hoping from the hype of this place that the dishes would have great flavour but it's very basic. The best thing we got were the oysters. Can't go wrong with fresh oysters!

Always excellent food. Knowledgeable staff you understand the menu. Nice atmosphere and excellent service.

Great atmosphere on the patio.

The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly.

And the food is simply delicious we loved the calamari and my favorite was the dip on the seafood platter but the bacon wrapped scallops were a close second. The lobster roll was the only meh item.

Amazing food, wonderful service. Out server Angela was beyond fanominal! She was one of the best servers I have ever encountered in my life. We will be back and definitely asking for her. Thank you for a wonderful experience!

Great atmosphere. Back patio is cute and ambience inside is great! Food is delicious as always and staff are great. It is extra fun to sit at the bar and enjoy their company!

Everything was delicious! We started with oysters and we ordered a second round because they were so good! The patio was nice and inviting. I can't wait to go back!

Great atmosphere with excellent service and amazing food. The hot seafood platter was ample for more than 2 people. Loved everything. Get there early evening as it is hard to get anything after 7.

Only place in town to get oysters! Sunday $2 a shuck. You can't go wrong. Staff are amazing and make you feel at home. Great atmosphere and sitting at the bar is the place to be.

Recently tried out Whalesbone with my family, and found the overall experience underwhelming. We ordered a wide variety of appetizers and mains, and throughout, there were more misses than hits. Two of the biggest disappointments were the oysters and the lobster spaghetti. A variety of other dishes had some positive features, but were more above average than really good.

In terms of positives, a clam chowder was excellent, and fried calamari was good. The vibe at the back of the restaurant was also very fun, but the experience, and quality of our meals did not justify the premium pricing.

The food was absolutely amazing, the decor was beautiful and the staff was so friendly! Will be back again

If you haven't been here yet, for the love of god GO. Worth every penny. The steak is out of this world. Pair it with a nice red. Get the oysters cause you deserve it. And the broccoli.

The oysters and seafood chowder were good but the hot seafood platter was disappointing. The mussels were super tiny, shrimps don't taste great.

Delicious food and fun chic pub vibes. Great spicy sauces paired with oysters. However, pricey for pub food.

Visited Aug 26th lobster bucatini, oysters mussels mushrooms jumbo shrimp all very delicious not to mention service was terrific. Strongly recommend this joint. Would love to visit more often, worth the 4hr drive from Toronto. Wishing them best many years of success.

Easily one of the best restaurants in Ottawa, especially if you are looking to enjoy some of the most decadent seafood arrangements around. Their desserts are made in house by their very own pastry chef as well!

Food is outstanding - last time I went we had oysters, calimari, tuna crudo, scallop & pork belly, and lobster bucatini. Everything was fantastic. For dessert we had the chocolate and raspberry mousse and the banana miso tart - also fantastic.

Had the seafood platter and everything was delicious. Servers are also super friendly! Great environment

One of the best restaurants in Ottawa. Love the whole menu. Service is great. Seafood quality is fantastic. 10/10

The food was underwhelming. For the price, I would expect a lot more. My salmon was nicely cooked but the portion was very small and the side was just root veg. (Maybe some in-season vegetables would be nice?). Their selection of dishes was small. I expected more from a seafood restaurant.
To be fair, the service was good and the restaurant was nice. Too bad the food just didn't measure up.

For starters the entire staff is respectful and constantly willing to help, any chance they get. We got seated super quickly and the restaurant follows all COVID-19 protocols. The food was full of flavor and everything we ordered was delivered just as we asked. I 100% recommend for an amazing and memorable dinner!

My wife and I went for a date night here and it was all we hoped for and then some. Having lived in Ottawa for a long time, we both wondered why we hadn't tried them out before.
The food is absolutely amazing. Fresh seafood, prepared perfectly.
We were looked after by Evan and James. Both guys were very knowledgeable, friendly and professional. We had a blast and we'll definitely be back to try more of the menu!

We had a fantastic time on the beautiful patio. The food was delicious and the staff was so friendly, professional and happy. They were full of energy and very knowledgeable about the menu. We shared fresh oysters? , ceviche and mussels to start the meal. My husband had the tuna Poke bowl (more fish than rice - which was glorious) and I really enjoyed my lobster/shrimp roll. They accommodated my request to make it a lettuce wrap - no problem. We will definitely come back.

This was very interesting experience… we were kicked out from the restaurant by manager who told us “ please leave”… we came in and we were told that they have table for 1.5 hours. 5 min prior the time we got the bill and were kicked out. The only detail is that there were still lots of free tables around including the bar… when we asked why we get kicked out with so many empty tables around, the manager yelled at us and asked us to leave … this is the worst experience from the service perspective we had for the long time. I hope the owner reads this comment

The wait staff were very friends, responsive and attentive. The food itself was beautifully presented, cooked perfectly, and the flavour profiles thoughtfully crafted. I really enjoyed this restaurant and would return next time in Ottawa. I had the halibut and my wife had the lobster pasta dish.