Swan At Carp - Ottawa

The Swan is one of our favourite restaurants, an old building with historic charm. The food is always delicious, thanks to Joe in the kitchen. The...

This was our first and not a good impression!As we walked in, we had no idea where to go and no one greeted us. Once we were finally sat, we found the waitress to be funny and charming. Unfortunately, that is where our positive experience ended. The food was subpar at best. We had the K-FC fried chicken dish and the pork schnitzel. The chicken was impossible to cut and nearly inedible. It was clearly made earlier and re-fried. The schnitzel was served with potato salad, which was clearly Costco-bought. We had just served the same salad to guests earlier in the week. There is no doubt it wasn't home-made. The chicken sides were also store-bought. We expected MUCH more from two Cordon Bleu trained chefs!!! Other guests around us had the calamari and spring rolls, which were also not home-made and difficult to cut. Kirkland's best definitely is doing well at the Swan in Carp. With so much competition close by it would be expected that a little could-be-gem would make their own food. The decor is also extremely dated. This place needs help!!! It baffles us to think where the other reviewers were eating!

I hadn't been to the Swan in decades, but went recently for a work lunch. What a pleasant surprise. The food and service was superb. I had the smoked jambalaya, which was excellent, and our whole group raved about their selections. The kitchen struggled a bit timing wise with our very large group, but the food was well worth the wait. I will be back to try other dishes.

This restaurant is a total hidden gem with excellent food. Strongly recommend. If you're in and around the carp area This restaurant is an excellent place to go.

We have nothing but good things to say about The Swan. The four of us had pre dinner drinks in the pub area, followed in the dining room by appetizers, wine ,main courses, dessert and coffee. Everything from the service to the carefully prepared dishes was excellent. Cost was what we expected $175 plus tip.We are returning soon for another celebration meal.