East Side Mario's

Avis

• KG

  Kirsti Gooda

  Aug 23, 2026
  2.0
  Stay away from this location! I made a reservation for a celebration. We mentioned what we were celebrating in the reservation, at the host stand, and again to our server. No one acknowledged it. We went on a Tuesday at 6pm and the place was dead. That should have been our first hint. They sat us beside the bar, by the patio entrance. We placed our orders after waiting 20 mins for our server to acknowledge us. We watched him fumble at the bar, in which he ended up getting a blue liquid on his hands. He used a bar cloth, but didn’t wash his hands. He then proceeded to walk around the restaurant and tell everyone (even tables that weren’t his) that he was part Smurf. When he brought my kids their drinks my daughter (7) asked why it didn’t look like the picture. (It looked grey and not like the vibrant blue on the menu), he looked at her and just said “because it doesn’t.” This was 6:48. We waited 48 minutes for drinks. When he was walking by chatting with other tables and servers about his hands I asked him where our food was. He looked at me like I was crazy. By this time it was after 7. I saw him walk to the manager. Point at us and say something. I assumed the manager would come and see us. Instead he turned and walked away. At this point my daughter needed the washroom - which was a horror show all on its own. The amount of toilet paper on the ceiling, that hadn’t been cleaned was atrocious. It has clearly been there for quite some time. My spouse and son said the men’s room also had some. When they brought our soup and salad we asked for parm. It didn’t come. Finally I asked another server. At 7:13 we had devoured the soup and salad and asked for more. My server told me we couldn’t share with the kids. I wasn’t eating without them. So I just nodded - but still shared. Finally at 7:26 our food arrived - just for the adults. When I asked about the kids food the girl who brought the two adult entrees snapped at me and told me they were still working on them and “patience is a virtue”. I didn’t want to spoil the night by talking to the manager. By the time all the food came out the two adult entrees were cold. Also they didn’t have any more cheese. Our server came over 10 minutes or so later, and asked how everything was as only the kids were eating. So I asked for cheese, and boxes. I also asked for 2 loaves of garlic bread and butter to take with us. He told me he wasn’t allowed. So I explained that our food was cold by the time the kids food came, and we now had to go for bedtime as the next day was going to be a massive day for us. He reluctantly brought me boxes and the bread. I cut it and popped it into the bag, and then he brought the bill. Our server - Ryan - then felt the need to tell us the suggested tip was 20%. The food was great apart from the salad (I have no idea how long it sat but it was super soggy), the leftovers were also incredible. But the service we got was next level awful. We will be in Ottawa often over the next year. We will not be going back to this location.
• ND

  Nathalie Dennis

  Aug 20, 2026
  3.0
  Colin, our waiter was awesome! So much fun but also very professional and attentive. He honestly made our dining experience great. He was so good with handling my children and checking in on us. The food was not that great, not terrible, but nothing special. The restaurant is definitely outdated and needs a good revamp. Our table was old and sticky due to the varnish needing to be redone. The restaurant definitely needs some love and attention. But Colin made it all worth it. I would reccomend if you want to go to East Sides go to Innes road and ask for Colin.
• ML

  Marie France Leduc

  Aug 18, 2026
  5.0
  Un service exceptionnel ❤️ Nous avons eu la chance d’être servis par un jeune serveur, Ryan S, absolument remarquable. Dès qu'il a remarqué que nius etions francophone, il a pris la peine de nous servir en français, ce que nous avons grandement apprécié. Il a également porté une attention particulière à notre confort. Comme nous étions deux adultes assis tout près d’un groupe de plusieurs enfants, il nous a gentiment suggéré de nous installer à une autre table, afin que nous puissions profiter pleinement de notre repas dans un environnement plus tranquille. Cette petite attention, faite avec beaucoup de délicatesse, nous a vraiment touchés. Nous avons reçu un service impeccable, attentionné et professionnel du début à la fin. Un grand merci à Ryan S, ce jeune serveur pour son excellent service et pour avoir pris le temps de rendre notre expérience encore plus agréable. C’est exactement ce genre de petites attentions qui font toute la différence! 👏❤️
• DH

  D H

  Aug 8, 2026
  1.0
  Going for lunch with my daughter (who previously was enamoured by the kids bowtie menu and is now a teen). Here's what $50 gets you: 1. DOUBLE-BACON CARBONARA The menu description is "Crispy bacon over linguine with Alfredo sauce, green onions and even more bacon." - In the picture (bottom bowl) is mine after 4 bites: watered down sauce, some generic bacon bits (zero chunks or strips of bacon, NO green onions, and four old, tiny whole mushrooms. 2. BUILD YOUR OWN PASTA - In the picture (top bowl), Penne with watered down alfredo sauce, extremely unremarkable. We asked for the chicken on the side, and it was also unremarkable - and barely cooked from what I could see. Caesar salad was made with old lettuce (dark green with rotted edges, wilted) although it tasted alright. Bread loaf was the highlight of this meal (after 20 years, you would hope they got this right!). 3. ATMOSPHERE. This restaurant is clearly owned or run by a large Indian family; No issues with that (although going to an "authentic Italian restaurant" owned by anyone other than Italians seems odd, just like I wouldn't appreciate an Indian Food restaurant owned by Chinese people or Germans running a Chinese Take-out). What I have issue with is that they are conducting family business right in the middle of customers with no concern of their atmosphere. The same three or four men kept walking back and forth on the closed side of the restaurant between the front door and the kitchen, all huddled together, at least 6 times. On the bar side, where we sat, there was something going on behind the bar (looked like a fridge repair) and then three people sitting in the middle of the section doing "business" stuff: wrapping up cutlery in napkins (with unwashed hands, I might add, since that girl was moving chairs and tables as well), two others huddled around a laptop. We moved from our initial booth because the back of my side (shared with the people in the next booth) was extremely loose and we were constantly shoving into each other and practically banging heads because of no division and the thin, ill-repaired back. 4. SERVICE: Our server was quite good (MOHIT) and was attentive and quick. The only issue was some dropped butter on the table, which he quickly replaced, but otherwise no issue. Checked out quickly, brought our food and checked in on us. SUMMARY, TL;DR East Side Mario's has always been a staple in my family, but this location will not be visited again (and this review is going to their head office).
• NA

  Nausheen Atif

  Jul 30, 2026
  1.0
  I am extremely disappointed with my experience at East Side Mario’s Orleans today. My friend and I were dining with our children and had requested separate bills from the start. During the meal, our children did what many kids naturally do—at the age of 9 and 11, they wanted to taste some of the soup, bread, and salad that their mothers had ordered. We were not asking for extra servings, nor were we attempting to take advantage of the all-you-can-eat promotion. The server approached our table and raised his voice, telling us we were not allowed to share food. His tone and manner were embarrassing and humiliating, especially as other customers turned to look at us. The situation made us feel singled out and unwelcome. My children witnessed the entire interaction and were very upset by how we were treated. They repeatedly said, “We don’t want to come here again,” because they felt embarrassed and uncomfortable. What should have been a pleasant family dinner became a negative experience for them. I have worked as a restaurant manager for many years and understand very well how important customer service is to the success and growth of any restaurant. Policies are important, but how those policies are communicated to customers is even more important. A respectful and private conversation would have been appropriate. Public humiliation is not. Because the situation became so uncomfortable, I asked the manager on duty to sit down with us so I could calmly explain what had happened without drawing further attention from surrounding guests. Instead of first addressing the way we had been treated, the discussion focused on explaining the restaurant’s policy. The issue was never the policy—it was the way it was enforced. During this conversation, my food became cold, and both my children and I lost our appetite. We were unable to properly enjoy the meal we had paid for. Our table of five spent almost $100, yet we left feeling disappointed, embarrassed, and upset. I have been a loyal customer of this Orleans location for nearly 20 years and have recommended it to countless friends and family members over the years. Unfortunately, this location, which has always been close to my heart, continues to disappoint in one way or another. After today’s experience, I am seriously reconsidering whether I will return. Good customer service is not just about serving food—it is about treating people with respect, dignity, and kindness. Sadly, that is not what we experienced today.