This isn’t just a list of restaurants, it’s a collection of my go-to spots in Ottawa. These are the places I return to again and again, the ones I’d confidently recommend to anyone visiting the city. It’s not about the fanciest of fine dining, or the bang-for-your-buck cheap eats – it’s simply the best of the best, according to me.
Here’s where I go when I want the best of something:
Best Pasta: Dreamland Café
Order: Red Pepper Deluxe.
(Little Italy: 262 Preston St.)
Best Pizza: Heartbreakers Pizza
Order: The Sweetheart & the Kale Caesar.
(Hintonburg: 465 Parkdale Ave.)
Best Sandwich: District Deli
Order: The feature.
(Hintonburg: 220 Carruthers Ave)
Best Peruvian Food: Raphaël Peruvian Cuisine
Order: Whatever your server recommends!
(Downtown: 200 Elgin St)
Best Ice Cream: The Merry Dairy
Order: I like to do one scoop of fruity, one scoop of chocolate/coffee
(Hintonburg: 102 Fairmont Ave)
Best Smash Burger: Umbrella Burger
Order: The smash burger and fries.
(Little Italy: 186 Preston St)
Best Chocolate Strawberries: SWT Lab
Order: Belgian chocolate.
(Byward Market: 6 York St)
Best Bagel: Kettleman’s Bagel Co.
Order: CBC Melt, and a dozen sesame bagels to go.
(The Glebe: 912 Bank Street, College Square: 1365 Woodroffe Avenue, Trainyards: 6-197 Trainyards Drive, Kanata: 710 Eagleson Road)
Best Banh Mi: Westboro Subs
(Westboro: 1262 Wellington St W)
Best Bao: Gongfu Bao
Order: Berkshire Pork Bao and Fried Chicken Bao.
(Centretown: 365 Bank St.)
Best Hot Chocolate: Ten Toes Coffee House & Laundry
Order: Hot chocolate.
(Little Italy: 837 Somerset St W)
Best Quick Breakfast: Drip House
Order: Breakfast bowl.
(Mechanicsville: 121 Parkdale Ave., Hintonburg: 340B Parkdale Ave., Chinatown: 692 Somerset St W, The Glebe: 843 Bank St)
Best Vegan Brunch: Astoria Bistro Botanique
Order: Sugar Shack & Focaccia.
Gatineau: 80 Prom. du Portage
I’ll keep adding to this list as I go, so check back for updates! And if there’s a category you want a “best” for, let me know – I’m always happy to do more research. 😋😋
