great service good food will definitely go back again
Went for wife’s special birthday. Restaurant knew it was special cause they let us bring the cake ahead of dinner. Waiter was inexperienced and it showed throughout dinner. Very friendly but lacking skills to make the dinner a memorable experience. There’s questionable value for money. Limited wine list is expensive. Food was good but heavily salted.
The food was very good, especially the steak But the service was average for the price My biggest complaint would be the noise, it’s excessively loud for a restaurant. I like the ambience and the energy of a lively crowd but this was unbearable. Maybe it was the location of our table. But when you’re on a business meal and can’t hear your clients. What’s the purpose!! They should install sound absorbing ceiling tiles
I have been to this restaurant a few times, and as a steak lover, I have always enjoyed it. Mati has some of the best steak in town. Other than Peter Luger's in Brooklyn, I can't think of a place that prepares its steaks as well as Mati. There is just enough of that charcoal flavour, coupled with top tier cuts of meat to make Mati's steak a cut above the competition. My only critique is that most of the steaks are for sharing, so if you are single or your partner is not a big meat eater, you probably won't get much mileage out of a 50 oz tomahawk, a 32 oz porterhouse or a 24 oz Japanese A5 striploin. But I applaud Mati for delivering such a stupendous steakhouse experience for a restaurant that isn't, technically, a steakhouse! So even though my wife has never cared for this restaurant, I have always had a soft spot for Mati as the family's carnivore. However, I am reluctantly forced to admit, from our latest foray yesterday evening, that other than the steak, the restaurant just doesn't live up to its potential, let alone its prices. You want to love the food at Mati because conceptually, it seems like it should be amazing, but with few exception, most of it is overpriced and medioce. The seafood tower, which is probably Mati's signature menu item, is at best, a mixed bag. The "double" tower, which is the cheapest one, sets you back $125 CAD. This stuff isn't cheap. Unfortunately, the experience isn't as good as it should be. The lobster tacos don't really taste that much of lobster and frankly, seem a bit bland. Perhaps if larger chunks of lobster meat were incorporated into the filling the experience would be better? The salmon tartar is entirely average. The sushi roles are average and nondescript. I can't speak to the oysters as I don't eat those, but my wife did not seem impressed. Nobody at our table was raving about anything in particular on the seafood tower (each couple had ordered a "double" tower) Even the french fries that came with my ribeye were good, but nothing to write home about. The only item on the menu that our party really enjoyed (apart from the steak) was the brownie dessert. For what you pay at this place, the food should be better, a lot better. It is frustrating to eat at a restaurant like Mati where it delivers so well in some areas, but falls short in others.
Best seafood in the city!! Really interesting drinks and the food is amazing. The ambiance of the restaurant alone is enough to visit. Also I received amazing service from my server, Max, and the lovely host, Christianne. The staff made me feel so welcomed and comfortable. I was very well taken care of. I will 100% be back!Also extra points for gracefully dealing with the convoy goons.
We made a reservation for a birthday party at 2 pm on a Sunday, 3 weeks in advance and also did a confirmation the day before - not once did they mention food service ends at 2:30pm. A few of us arrive at Mati at 2pm, while a few others were coming later. When we sit down our server tells us we need to put in our food order IMMEDIATELY as last call for lunch is at 2:30pm. As some of the guests were arriving a little later, this took us by surprise. We would have gone somewhere else had we known this. We told our server we would review the menu and put in a order before 2:30. About every 5 minutes, our server would return and urge us to text our friends to ask them their order and would stress us out. Then, we order a bottle of champagne for the table and when the server went to pour our glasses, a bunch of the champagne overflowed onto the table... She also poured some of the OJ into my food as she was topping up the mimosas... For an expensive restaurant, they should properly train their servers on how to pour a drink. No compensation was offered or given for these spills. The food itself was pretty good... but not worth it when its expensive and you get poor service.
My wife and I have tried several fine dining restaurants in Ottawa and have most often left disappointed. Not this time. Had the chefs special sharing menu for $100 per person. Everything was absolutely delicious. Especially the beef tenderloin. Service was top notch. Highly recommended. Will definitely be returning.
I’d been to Mati on two other occasions and it was decent. This evening, my partner and I chose Mati for our 5 year anniversary and left incredibly underwhelmed. We were sandwiched between two parties of 4 who were friends and spent the evening yelling at one another, cheers’ing, and chatting with the owner (who, by the way, didn’t acknowledge us at all, perhaps because we didn’t spend $350 on a wagyu steak). Between the club music and our inconsiderate neighbours, I could barely hear my partner across the table. The service was subpar for a $300+ meal. Although kind, she knew very little details pertaining to the meals/cocktail menu. Our expectations were simply higher. I will say, the food was well cooked and well seasoned. I had the chicken and my partner had the ribeye steak. Both were great. The appetizer (fresh motz) was honestly sad. Very bland/little taste. The portions for the mains were reasonable. However, there are so many other places with great food and way better service. Bottom line: this restaurant is NOT for an intimate date night/special occasion. They play club music (loud) and promote a rowdy environment. Trust me, NOT worth the money if your expectations are an intimate, romantic, enjoyable experience. If we could redo, we would have gone to Les Fougeres (INCREDIBLE ALWAYS), Riviera, or North & Navy. Despite the well cooked food, we will not be returning.
New Year Eve dinner at Mati!Our experience couldn’t be any better!Food was great!! Our server is super sweet and lovely, tho I didn’t get her name. We might got the manager came over for telling us Happy New Year!! They did pretty well on social distancing during this COVID time :)A little bit pricey, but definitely worth for the treat for the end of the year!!Happy New Year and Happy Holidays to all the staffs at Mati!! ❤️
Another amazing meal at Mati! Probably the best restaurant in the city. Service and food is on point.