Sugar Marmalade - Ottawa

I used to love this place with all my heart back in 2016–19. I would go to Sugar Marmalade on every possible occasion. Unfortunately, leading up to the pandemic, the quality took a major hit and this location hasn’t seemed to recover since… their cutlet dishes that used to be juicy and tender are now rubbery, their popcorn chicken I used to be obsessed with is fatty and gristly, the fries that used to be so golden and crispy now resemble reheated frozen mccain fries. There are only a few things keeping this place alive in my memories — first, the takoyaki is still amazing here, easily my favourite in the whole city. Second, the fancy drink menu is varied and super delicious. Third, the desserts have remained fantastic. I’ve loved every single one I’ve ever tried. If you’re visiting Sugar Marmalade, I highly recommend sticking to the drinks and desserts (or to the very rare savoury menu items that have held out over the years). I feel I still have to give three stars for these things alone, because they really are great. I did see that Sugar Marmalade has a new Nepean location, so here’s hoping that it can recapture some of the lost joy for me.

Great variety of dshes and treats to try, super friendly staff. On the day we went they were missing some things but lots to choose from so easy to find an alternative

Very flavourful. The pork and chicken katsu came out super hot which was great for a cold day! The Takoyaki could have used a bit more of the mayo sauce but overall very nice. Wish the portions could have been larger

The desserts are so nice! Love the mango shaved ice, truly an amazing dessert. I also loved the mint lychee soda. Would love coming back for desserts, in addition to the things I order from here often!

Order delivery through Skip The Dishes. The dry stir fried noodle tasted bad. The noodles did not even look like it was fried, it was like plain instant noodle with sprinkle of very little seasoning. Also the drink was not as shown on the menu and it was expensive.