Caravela - Ottawa

This was my first time at this resturant my family and I reserved last minute. And this place is seriously just so amazing! The food is incredibly delicious, we got the cod cakes and mussels to start. For the mains mussels as a main again, seafood pasta and I got the rabbit stew and I dont think ive had a meal this good in years. I super recommend this place! Our waiter Rico was super nice and very attentive. I also got the creme caramel for desert and gotta say COME HERE!!!

Didn’t even get to order out, walked in, I’m assuming whoever came up to me was the owner, didnt say hi, didnt even respond when i said “how are you” I asked to place an order for take out and he responded “no, we’re full”. Super short-clipped and unprofessional. Will not ever try to even come back. First and last time I walk into that place.

The restaurant is in a strip mall and looks and feels like a small bistro. The vast majority of the clientele were seniors when we were there for lunch on a Friday. We did not have a reservation, but got the last available table. The restaurant is very popular; I think I saw three different parties of two or three people being turned away after we arrived, because there were no more tables. We ordered two appetizers, two soups, two main courses and two alcoholic beverages (a beer and a glass of vinho verde, which was unfortunately served flat despite it being a spritzy wine). The service was slow. The server, an older gentleman who may have been the owner (judging from others’ reviews), seemed a bit distracted. After our soups, he asked if we wanted the bill, and we told him we had not had our main course yet, to which he responded: “what did you order again”? He came back a while later to tell us only one of our two dishes was ready and suggested we eat it right away and “shared” and then shared the next dish when it arrived. As we are a couple, we accepted, but would have preferred to receive the two dishes at the same time. The bill was very high, making it probably the most expensive lunch we ever had. The food was good and nicely presented, but it was not “out of this world” and not worth that hefty price tag.

This review is a bit late but worth the mention 5stars for this restaurant. Authentic Portugese food in Canada. The best cod cakes and grilled octopus! The seafood rice is absolutely amazing. ?

I frequently visit this restaurant and it never disappoints. The food is always fresh and well-prepared, and the service is excellent. I highly recommend this charming restaurant to everyone.