Das Lokal - Ottawa

Das lokal is a hidden gem in my opinion because I no idea how popular it actually is because I've only ever been there in the off hours! BUT that being said it's one of the few places that still has a food service menu in their in between lunch/dinner hours (granted it's limited but still!! . Great menu, great drinks, great vibe. Love it!

Came here tonight for dinner. Restaurant is cute and super cozy. We both got the schnitzel and I got a German lager on tap. All was excellent! Good service as well.

I visited on a cold and rainy October night, and there was no heat in the restaurant. No one ever really explained or apologized for the lack of heat, although they made blankets available to help people stay warm. Very strange. The food was just okay. You can find far better schnitzel and German food elsewhere in the city, that's for sure. See, e.g., Duna Bistro. Maybe it was simply a super-off night for the restaurant... Still, it would have helped a lot to have had someone explain that to us.

After such a long winter, so it seems, we felt like it was time to go back to some of our old favorite addresses to update our list of great places for diner. At the top of our list is Das Lokal. Our meal started by the soup of the day, a smooth cauliflower and kale soup with a touch of parmesan. The rich and creamy texture was all we needed to start our diner. Das Lokal, which has German roots, is the best place to taste or try a schnitzel at least in Ottawa. It 's not a meal that I would eat everyday but the Das Lokas 's schnitzel always brings back memories of trips I made to Germany or to Austria. If you 're looking at a healthier dish, the parm crusted smashed turnips is definitely a great choice. Just look at this presentation! And the mix of sorghum, kale, turnips covered by herb and chopped apple. Just yummy. But a bit too salty though. A meal is never complete without dessert so they say. At Das Lokas there 's no doubt that they do their up-best to have you remember their sweets. Between an apfelstrudel and a sticky toffee pudding, not easy to choose. But the pudding came first in this friendly competition. The wine list, which is somewhat short, had some good surprises with some Austrian bubbly but also some less interesting reds.

Fantastic charcuterie, good local drinks, ample space (outdoors on their patio), and friendly, relaxed, helpful staff make this a fine place to meet friends.