Joey's is a chain establishment, which we usually shy away from, but Jeff Fuller (CEO and President) has managed to create a unique and personalized dining experience with each one of his restaurants. Each location is suited to the local vibe, but they all have a few things in common: "great food, fun times and exceptional dining experiences". We can certainly attest to each of these facts. The service was great, the food was fresh, bold and dynamic, and the atmosphere is nothing shy of extraordinary. It is very apparent that considerable time, effort and quality design was put into every square inch of this restaurant.
We will focus on the culinary creations as it is the main reason why we will continue to frequent Joey's for many of our dining events to come. We obviously shared a number of appetizers and the servers were very knowledgable and flexible with our gluten free guest orders. We started with the Calamari Fritti with tempura vegetables and spicy aioli, the Japanese Gyoza and the Mezze Plate. The Mezze Plate came with crispy pitas, but they added some fresh cucumbers and carrots for a gluten free palate. All the appetizers were to die for.
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| Calamari Fritti ($13) |
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| Mezze Plate ($13) |
Our main dishes were as equally savoury and unique. We tried the Ahi Tuna Club topped with bacon, sweet pepper relish and onion rings (yes, onion rings), and the Sashimi Tuna Salad paired with mangos, peanuts, avocado, crispy noodles, and cilantro ginger dressing. We also tried the Steak and Sushi, a Japanese twist on the traditional Surf & Turf, which was served with prime steak, ponzu sauce and rainbow roll. All of the entrees were delicious. Looking back at our photos and perusing through the menu again is making us hungry for another trip to Joey's.
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| Sashimi Tuna Salad ($19) |
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| Ahi Tuna Club ($17.25) |
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| Steak & Sushi ($25.25) |
The location also couldn't get any better. With its proximity to the shops and sporting events at Landsdowne, Joey's is in the centre of Ottawa's newest entertainment hot spot. That being said, you will probably be waiting for a table longer than usual if you don't have a reservation, and apparently they don't take reservations on game nights. So make sure to keep this in mind.
Next time we return, we will tackle their delicious dessert menu as we were too stuffed to order anything sweet.
Verdict: 9/10
Hours: Sunday to Thursday 11:00 am to Midnight; Friday and Saturday 11:00 am to 1:00 am
Price: Appetizers $7-$20; Main dishes $15-$35
Joey Restaurants (Landsdowne), 825 Exhibition Way, Ottawa, ON
http://joeyrestaurants.com/locations/#!/restaurant/1597/canada
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