OX

It took 45 minutes for a thin crust pizza. Our lunch break was over before we even got our food and the waitress rolled her eyes when we asked for boxes to come to the table with the pizza so we could go back to work.
Horrible service, horrible waitress and it shouldn’t take an hour for a pizza in a empty restaurant.
I won’t be back.

My friend choose this place for her birthday dinner. i looked up the reviews before hand and saw that overwhelmingly there was an issue with the service. Our server was nice and was relatively patient, we have some picky eaters in our group. My complaint was that the food was a bit greasy and way over priced for what it was. I also found the menu limiting. I’m a pretty adventurous eater but nothing appealed to me.

My favourite restaurant. Small menu that varies day to day, season to season. Best coffee in town, by far! Fresh: I’ve run into the owner at the farmer’s market sourcing ingredients. Upscale, but rustic atmosphere has a classy, casual feel. Not the cheapest, but worth it!

What a great space! Both a upscale coffee house and a fantastic restaurant.
I first went here for my 40^th birthday with a friend who has a fair number of food allergies. The had opinions that worked for her and the food was amazing! The back restaurant is quiet enough to carry on a real conversation, and was perfect for a special occasion.
Since then I have been back several times, for both nice meals and long discussions over tea (or wine and cheese)
Definitely a must try in Downtown Guelph.

Solid 3.5 stars. Called and inquired about catering, which is something they can accommodate for our corporate clients, with some advance notice of course.
Friendly service, and Executive Chef Daniel quite helpful with making special dishes: snacks and meals.
Convenient location in DT.

This place doesn’t live up to the hype or the prices.
We had the ravioli which was pastey and undercooked. It was served with a tomato cream sauce that was pure chef boyardee.
I sat there with my wife trying to place the flavour profile. I had tasted this sweet/​savoury balance before. It suddenly hits me.
«PIZZA POPS!» I cry out. My wife hushes me with an embarrassed look on her face which also belies her shared experience. The ravioli were indeed, not quite as good as Pillsbury Pizza Pops, a treat I had not enjoyed since my Nana’s microwave had a dial on it.
I’d pay $ 6 for this dish, but alas this is a RESTAURANT!!!
From the moment we walked in I was re-​considering our choice. It was a weekday, it was cool outside and school was not yet back in sessions. We were ignored at the «wait to be seated» sign. People walking past like «You sposed to be here?». Finally we are approached by a hostess who asked if we had a reservation to which I responded in the negative. She informs us she might be able to squeeze us in (The restaurant is barren at this point, one table on the go a deserted patio). Wonderful, thank you so much for considering our patronage!
We find a seat on the patio and before our drinks arrive my wife says she finds it too cold. We head back inside. We are presented the specials which include mussels, a bit of a surprise in August. I ask «Is it not too early for mussels?» she says «huh?» I say, «Mussels are seasonal and are best in the fall. Have you guys gotten a really good supply pre-​season?» she says she doesn’t know and will ask the chef, which I find nice, until the chef comes out. He agrees that mussels are best later in the year, but the ones they have today are ‘OK’. I am persuaded to look past my second-​hand knowledge of shell fish and have my first fall entrée of the summer. MEH. FRIGGIN MEH.
Wine list, MEH
Menu, FREAKIN MEH
Service, HOLY MEH
Atmosphere, MEH MEH MEH MEH!!!
Now, I’m new to guelph and have been spoiled on restaurants in the past. I have always lived just close enough to Toronto to get out for dinner and drive back within 20 mins of finishing coffee. The restaurant culture there is top notch.
When I ask people around town «Nice place to eat» they all say OX. Hopefully I caught them on a bad day, because if this is the best that Guelph has to offer in the eateries, help me.
At least there’s Soora

The Ox was our temporary local while we stayed in Guelph.
It’s a cool place serving as a bar, café and restuarant and is joined on to a bookshop. A large beer menu is on offer and they brew a lot of their ales and beers in house, as well as make their own Cola.
The service is very friendly and attentive and they have a nice outdoor area at the back. If you fancy a quick read or book purchase, pop through the walkway into the adjoining bookshop. They also have a restaurant area inside
The bar also has a good food menu, with breakfast, lunch and dinner choices. I sampled the burger and in the morning the breakfast tacos. Both of which were really good.
There’s not too much on offer bar wise in Guelph and this place is one of the best, so worth a visit if you are in town.

We have eaten here a few times now and have yet to have anything on the menu that we did not enjoy. My wife and I are foodies, and hard to please. This is one of Guelph’s best places to grab a bite.

Ox closes it’s kitchen from 11:00 to 11:30 am to flip from breakfast to lunch… How crazy stupid is that! Of the six people who have come in, in the last twenty minutes five have walked out. Good way to lose business. Many restaurants seem to be able to change over for meals WITHOUT closing. Come in OX. figure it out.

I have come in here for lunch and some pastries. The packaging at OX is really nice. It has the feel of some bohemian hipster indie pub incarnation in the front. This transforms to a trendy Canadiana feel in the back. Bridging the front and back is the bar and open kitchen, which always gives somewhere interesting to look.
The restaurant makes me uncomfortable because it is more of the same: white washed hipster organic feel goodery. Unfortunately, the food doesn’t live up to the décor, or the price.
I have the «boards», slatherings of meat, cheese, veggies, and crisps. And I have had the pizza. But the dishes felt contrived, and unlike the upbeat and trendy setting.
Essentially, I can get the same value at the cornerstone, salsateria, buon gusto, etc.

We had dinner at OX this past Saturday and were extremely impressed with all aspects of our meal. In fact, I’d have to rank my meal as one of the top three I’ve ever had — anywhere. I had one of their specials, which was beef brisket served with an arugula slaw and lasagna potatoes. The brisket was tender and moist with a subtle glaze that didn’t over power the flavour of the meat. The arugula slaw was outstanding — I wish I had the recipe — and the lasagna potatoes, which is a fancy name for scalloped potatoes, were perfectly prepared. My wife and daughter split one of OX’s pizzas, which they both raved about. Our server was super friendly, informative, and attentive. The quality of food, the service and the price made for an exceptional dining experience. I can’t wait to go back.

Had a great time here in this downtown Guelph restaurant. My friend and I shared the fried olives (an interesting and tasty choice!) and the HotbOX pizza with arugula, cremini mushrooms, smoked cheddar and grana padano cheese with truffle oil. The pizzas are big enough to share. This one tasted great. Clever menu, cool atmosphere. will be back.

Try the foreign affairs ripasso red!
Nice lunch or brunch spot; with competent and friendly staff.
The kitchen has some very tasty and cool salads, and some comfort foods.
Nice to read a book, have a drink at the bar, and some munchies.
Guelph is lucky to have this fine addition!

Southerners have been enjoying chicken and waffles for decades. Up until recently, one could only enjoy this traditional dish south of the border. Now that we have become so travel savy, we are expecting to find meals we would normally eat on vacation in our everyday lives. Chicken and waffles is one of my favourite things to order and i love all the different ways it is interpreted. When a dish is only comprised of two items, they both have to be executed perfectly or else it is a miss. At Ox, the waffle is described as being savoury. I’m pretty sure it had cornmeal in it, because it had body, but it really tasted no different than i am used to. Also, a first was only getting half of a waffle. I really didn’t like the chicken, first off it was shredded, the chicken should always be fried and on the bone that way it maintains its juiciness. The chicken had pretty decent flavour, since it was smoked. The plating was quite odd, see picture, the chicken should be placed upon the waffle, instead the waffled was stacked up, almost hiding the chicken. Coleslaw also accompanied the dish, it was a total miss, too overdressed, and a really unpleasant flavour profile. The price too was way too high, for $ 15, you really should get an entire waffle!
Overall, i really think that the name is deceiving, yes their was chicken and a waffle, but when reinterpreting a classic, the fundamentals themselves should not be reinterpreted.

We came here just for drinks and a spot on their really really nice patio. It was quiet, modern, comfortable, and featured a huge real tree trunk table.
Service was excellent, as were the cocktails and beer selection. I’d definitely come back.

Love the look. But I have been there twice and I’m Sorry to say their food is not up to par. I had breakfast and it was bland and cold. Pizza looked very slapped together and I could have made a better meal at home. Come on guys step it up bc it could be amazing!

Lunch time, busy but not full. Waited to get seated, no one bothered, left and went to Buon Gusto. They were busier, but have a dedicated hostess/​host, who greeted and sat us right away. With so many chocies arriving dt, customer service is improtant.