Cafés and Restaurants in Ottawa

Aatik Chopra
Nov 4 · 4 min read

(last updated Nov 2019)

This list is for all of those wanna-be foodies, fellow humans trying to take their special person out to a special spot, café aficionados, or anyone that wants the biggest bang for their buck. I happen to be all of the above.

It’s been a fun journey the last few years figuring out how to find awesome restaurants and coffeeshops around Ottawa. Yelp’s and Google’s recommendation algorithms just don’t cut it, usually favouring mainstream gems only once they have gotten big in popularity. A lot of up and coming spots are left out of recommendations, which are the kind of spots I’m dying to go to!

After a ton of analysis of Google reviews and many personal experiences, I present to you this list (in progress).

I DID NOT GET PAID TO MENTION ANY OF THE FOLLOWING ESTABLISHMENTS.


Cafés

  • Red Door Provisions in Beechwood. Pilot coffee for espresso and filter, with a couple of other filter brews on rotation, and a featured espresso. They feature Luna for filter coffee, which has to be the best filter in town consistently. Amazing baked goods made in-house at their central kitchen. A cozy ambience that is my favourite in Ottawa.
  • Palmier in Chelsea, Quebec. This is a bit out there, but it’s a convenient location if you find yourself around Gatineau Park. Multi-storied café with a very talented head Coffee Master named Emmett. They always have excellent coffee rotating through their brews and retail shelves.
  • Black Squirrel Books and Espresso Bar in Old Ottawa South. I get a pot of tea here (cause the coffee is not up to par with the other cafés listed) and soak in the most magical ambience of a café I have yet to experience. If I spend more than 2 hours at this spot, I either make a new friend or stumble into an existing friend. Massive selection of used books. Best music of any café in Ottawa as well.
  • Little Victories Coffee Roasters in The Glebe. Very good coffee that they roast themselves. Lack of wifi has its pros n’ cons. I love rolling thru this shop for a weekend morning coffee and chats with friends. Modern, minimalist aesthetic. Highly trained and meticulous baristas. Plus, they serve tea by Genuine Tea brewed loose-leaf with proper parameters.
  • Quitters Coffee in Stittsville. Best café that exists in any suburb in Ottawa. Properly brewed coffee, both filter and espresso. Amazing baked goods, too! They also have Genuine Tea in tea bags.

Restaurants ($)

  • Wolf Down in Centretown: Berlin-style donairs
  • Falafel Scoop in Centretown: falafels and saj bread
  • Chickpeas in The Glebe and Trainyards: falafels and hummus
  • Moo Shu Ice Cream & Kitchen in Centretown: Asian cuisine lunch (Thu-Sun only)
  • Farhat’s Bakery in Rideauview: Lebanese pies
  • Baker Street Café in Westboro: brunch
  • Corazon de Maiz in Byward Market: burritos and quesadillas
  • The Noodle House in Centretown: Vietnamese cuisine
  • Sansotei Ramen in Downtown: ramen
  • Koichi in Chinatown: ramen
  • Sherwood Supermarket in Little Italy: sandwiches
  • Good Eats in Downtown: sandwiches (lunch only)
  • Pesto’s Italian Delicatessen in Kanata: sandwiches

Restaurants ($$)

  • Gongfu Bao in Centretown: steamed bun bao goodness
  • Sula Wok on Main St: Asian cuisine
  • Table SODAM in Old Ottawa South: Korean cuisine
  • Farinella in Little Italy: Roman-style pizza
  • NANA Thai Cuisine in Little Italy
  • Siam Kitchen & Siam Bistro in Old Ottawa South and Hintonburg: Thai cuisine
  • Wandee’s Thai Cuisine in Little Italy
  • Sabai Thai in Kanata
  • Little India Café off of Carling: Indian cuisine
  • Chez Lucien in Byward Market: classic burgers and pub atmosphere
  • Chesterfield’s Gastro Diner in Westboro: brunch

Restaurants ($$$)

  • Edgar in Gatineau: elevated brunch cuisine, with a rotating menu
  • Stofa Restaurant in Hintonburg: modern gastronomic cuisine
  • town. in Centretown: modern Italian cuisine
  • North & Navy in Centretown: modern Italian cuisine
  • Tennessy Willems in Hintonburg: traditional Italian thin pizza

Food Trucks

  • Yakko Takko in Hintonburg: tacos and quesadillas
  • Bite This! in Westboro: noodle/rice bowls, burgers, and sandwiches
  • Meryenda off Prince of Wales: authentic Filipino cuisine
  • Dora-don near Tunney’s Pasture: Korean-inspired cuisine (PERMANENTLY CLOSED)

Cookies (bakeries)

  • MIRUKU off Montreal Rd. BEST COOKIES IN OTTAWA. She’s a baker that operates out of her condo. Online pickup orders only, in cash or e-transfer. https://mirukuottawa.com/ again, I am not getting paid for this, I am just really, really passionate about cookies and these are the best.
  • Edgar in Gatineau
  • Bread & Sons in Centretown (weekdays only)
  • Bread By Us in Hintonburg
  • Red Door Provisions in Beechwood

Bars/Lounges

  • Moonroom in Little Italy
  • Bar Laurel in Hintonburg
  • The Manx in Centretown
  • WARD 14 in Little Italy

Aatik Chopra

Written by

a compulsive thinker putting in a whole-hearted effort to make every day a mindful one. using Medium to share those thoughts, mostly philosophical in nature.

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