Cantina Gia - Ottawa

The food is pretty mid, nothing special about it besides the pasta noodle itself was great. But I found everything to be lacking in flavour and very under-seasoned. Wished the bread was served warm, would’ve been nice.The restaurant itself was very beautiful and the waitress/service was great.Probably won’t be coming back… really wanted to love it :

It’s no wonder that you pretty much need to book a reservation to eat at Cantina Gia the food is just that good! The lamb ragu was perfectly tender and well seasoned, and the pappardelle was divine. The Gigi was ok, but I didn’t get as much rosemary flavour as I would’ve liked. Don’t expect to hangout here for long after you’ve finished eating there’s most likely another reservation following yours! The food was great, the atmosphere was wonderful, and it was a good experience overall!

The food was fantastic. We sampled the lamb ragu and cacio e pepe, and both dishes were incredibly tasty with generous portions. The lamb in the ragu was tender and full of flavor. We also started with calamari, which had excellent seasoning and breading that complemented the dipping sauce perfectly. My only downside was that the calamari itself was a bit chewy. Additionally, I found the seating arrangements to be an issue. As a party of two, we were only given the option of counter or bar seating when making our reservation. This made for a somewhat awkward dining experience, as there wasn't much space to sit comfortably or fully appreciate the restaurant's ambiance.

The service left a lot to be desired, and unfortunately, our meal was quite disappointing. The dishes lacked flavor, and the pasta was overcooked. Overall, it was a letdown of an evening, especially since we were really looking forward to trying this restaurant. On a positive note, the Tiramisu and Affogato were enjoyable.

The focaccia and arancini were tasty. However, our main courses were a bit bland and lacked seasoning (the spaghetti with meatballs and the daily special of beet and goat cheese pasta). While we had a pleasant experience, we don’t plan to return.