Absinthe, a much-loved bistro on Wellington Street West for more than two decades, is for sale and its chef-owner says he’s had enough of restaurant kitchens .
“It’s been a great ride, over 23 years,” Patrick Garland said this week in an interview. “I didn’t want to spend another 23 years cooking steak frites.”
Garland has put his business on the market, and is asking $199,000 .
Absinthe has a legion of regulars who order Garland’s steak frites, an iconic dish in the city . Garland said that his steak frites, which has been on the menu for more than two decades, accounts for about 75 per cent of his sales. “It’s the best f—ing steak in Ottawa,” said Garland, who represented Ottawa at the 2015 Canadian Culinary Championship.
His restaurant, which seats 80, is also known for its fondue nights during the winter and for using locally sourced ingredients.
Last year, a tragedy struck the restaurant in the most violent way and it influenced Garland’s decision.
In October 2025, Joshua Qiyuk, a 21-year-old Algonquin College graduate who had worked in Absinthe’s kitchen for more than two years, was found stabbed to death in Ottawa’s east end. “He was great kid. He was like a son to me,” Garland said then.
An arrest in connection with Qiyuk’s death has not been made.
This week, Garland said Qiyuk’s death showed him that “life is short and finite.
“It’s time for me to move on to other things,” said Garland, who has worked in Ottawa restaurants for four decades. “I’m not retiring, I’m rewiring. I want to do other interesting things. If I made some money, that would be great.”
Garland said he was grateful to his customers and landlords for the years of support they gave his business. No closing date for Absinthe has been set.
“ I would like to see Absinthe go on, as an entity, run by someone with more energy than me,” he said. “I don’t have it in me anymore.”
Listings by Toronto-based Carve Real Estate show that other Ottawa restaurants currently for sale include Back In Brooklyn on Clarence Street, Odd Burger on Bank Street, The Caesar Company on Lyon Street, the Prescott on Preston Street and Ekbar Modern Indian Restaurant, also on Preston Street. Late last month, Veronica’s Snack Bar opened where Ekbar had been.
