Curious, adventurous and gourmet – that’s the mindset you need when visiting Ottawa. As the capital of Canada, this great city is bound to be a marvellous haven of delights and delicious, varied addresses that you will not want to miss. Whether you’re craving your favourite dishes, or you’re looking to expand your palate, the best restaurants in Ottawa have something for you.
Try grilled fine meats or tasty cheese alongside a bottle of a cider. Sip fine wines or you just soak up beautiful views. Explore Greek, French or Italian savoir-faire, or contemporary Canadian cooking. From earthy delights to Mediterranean spices, flavours from all around the world, tradition and renewal, take a trip with a tasty mix of recipes in this beautiful city.
The best restaurants in Ottawa await, so book a table right away on OpenTable.
The best restaurants in Ottawa – read on for a guide
For one of the best steak restaurants in Ottawa – try CHOP Steakhouse & Bar – Hunt Club in Downtown
Renowned across Canada for its seventeen years of experience and its many restaurants, CHOP Steakhouse & Bar – Hunt Club is the perfect place for lovers of good meat. In a dining space that blends sophistication with a festive spirit, this restaurant welcomes you from morning to night to enjoy a meal with friends and family. Sit around a high table to share a juicy 32oz Bone-In Rib Eye, or indulge in the Chop Burger with its fresh ground chuck, brisket & short rib blend accompanied by crispy bacon and aged white cheddar. Don’t forget to enjoy this with a great bottle of wine from the extensive list. For younger meat lovers, the Sirloin steak on the children’s menu is always a delight.
For stellar wine pairings for date night – visit Bar Lupulus in Hintonburg
Bar Lupulus is a way of life, a desire to offer the best food and drink in a 1920s-style bar setting. Located in the artistic Hintonburg district, this bar offers an impressive list of beers, ciders and wines to discover. The menu pairs perfectly with the drinks, offering creative land and sea dishes everyone can enjoy. Try the beef tartare, made with fine Myers beef seasoned with wasabi oil and crispy shallots or the carbon lumache, featuring Matane Nordic shrimp with halibut cheek confit lemon in a mussel cream. The charcoal-grilled filet of turbot topped with preserved rhubarb glaze and decorated with scallop-stuffed morels is always a showstopper. Savour the flavours of land and sea with a refreshing bottle of “blanc”, a French wine from the Domaine de Majas with striking floral and fruity notes. A little bonus for wine lovers: there’s a great range of bottles on offer to take away.
For one of Ottawa’s best restaurants for brunch – take a seat at Gezelling in Downtown
For brunch lovers, this is an address you shouldn’t miss. Inspired by the Dutch adjective ‘gezellig,’ meaning cosy, Gezelling is one of Ottawa’s best restaurants to try this year. In a friendly atmosphere, this downtown restaurant offers wonderful all-day dining inspired by the finest of Canadian contemporary cuisine. At brunch time, it’s hard to choose between the Gezellig breakfast sandwich with fried egg, country smoked bacon and Swiss cheese, and the poutine breakfast with beef brisket and baked beans covered in hollandaise sauce and poached egg. For lunch, try the delicious Gezellig burger with creamy gruyère, or share a selection of artisanal cheeses accompanied by Gee Bees Honey. For dinner, don’t stay hungry and savour the succulent confit duck leg with its slightly sweet apple-celeriac purée and topped with Szechuan peppercorn demi-glace.
For an innovative and fun culinary experience – try Play Food & Wine in ByWard Market
As its name suggests, Play Food & Wine is a fun experience in which sharing and conviviality take centre stage. Featuring an open-concept kitchen overlooking a large second-floor dining room and colourful kitchen bar, this restaurant offers a menu with numerous small plates of market-driven cuisine made from scratch with meticulous care. At lunchtime, choose the Waldorf salad, fresh and fruity, enhanced with Celtic blue and wasabi vinaigrette, to be enjoyed with a glass of “col moenia” white wine offering the aromas of the volcanic terroir of the Venetian domain of Davide Vignato. In the evening, let yourself be seduced by the spices of the tandoori halloumi served with a creamy almond yogurt and the traditional paratha, accompanied by a glass of Canadian Riesling. As for plant-based meals, the vegan recipes are just as tempting, such as the jollof arancini served with savoury peanut maafe and sweet pineapple shito.
For one of Ottawa’s best restaurants for special occasions– go to Arôme – Casino du Lac Leamy in Gatineau
Enjoy relaxed, lakeside dining at Arôme – Casino du Lac Leamy. Beautifully located in the Casino du Lac Leamy, Arôme subtly combines traditional recipes and comfort food. Enjoy a delicious Smash Burger made with a juicy homemade beef patty and cheddar cheese from Fromagerie Montebello with a sweet note of blueberries and a salty touch of pork belly, all with a breathtaking view of the lake. Arôme is the perfect place to enjoy a delicious peach and Bourbon sparerib with the spice of barbecue sauce and the saltiness of crispy bacon on the large terrace with the sunset. On Sundays, whether you’re on holiday or just making the most of your weekend, treat yourself to a brunch close to the sky. From the mouth-watering buffet, choose between a delicious mix of eggs, compositions from the land and sea, as well as a great selection of Quebec cheeses, and, of course, finish with a sumptuous dessert.
For a cozy French bristro – reserve a seat at Cocotte Bistro in Downtown
In a style that evokes Parisian cafés, chef Stephen La Salle welcomes you to a restaurant with a refined and appetizing menu. Elegantly located in the heart of downtown Ottawa, Cocotte invites you to discover modern authentic French cuisine on its terrace with a braised veal cheek blanquette served with Brussels sprouts and Tokyo turnips. For lunch, choose the vegetarian pasta Provencal, a tasty unpretentious meal served with roasted Provencal vegetables and a creamy pistou sauce. Savour the best of Parisian cuisine by finishing your meal with a traditional and delicious crème brulée, the recipe for which varies subtly according to the day. For a French-style brunch, let yourself be tempted by a French omelette with chives and gruyère. Pair it with classic or signature cocktails, such as the mimosa with grapefruit, adding a touch of pink in the famous brunch drink.
For one of Ottawa’s best Mediterranean restaurants – try EVOO Greek Kitchen in Downtown
A breeze of the Mediterranean and Greek flavours is blowing through Ottawa with EVOO Greek Kitchen. With its desire to offer a convivial experience for sharing, with friends or family, this restaurant invites you to taste all the flavours without being restricted to the choice of a single dish. Settle into a chill, comfortable setting in a slightly subdued atmosphere and peruse the menu of classic Greek dishes. Try piáto kréatos, a selection of mixed grill specialities including premium lamb chops, traditional loukaniko, a Greek pork sausage, or pork souvlaki sticks. Enjoy a coastal meal with the thalassinó piato, a seafood trio platter featuring grilled octopus and calamari, as well as a generous serving of black tiger shrimp. If you fancy a trip to Greece in the late morning, the Sunday brunch menu is sure to delight you while refreshing you with a bloody Caesar.
For one of the best restaurants in Downtown Ottawa loved by locals – take a seat at Arlo in Downtown
With an outstanding ranking in Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants 2024, Arlo is undeniably one of Ottawa’s best restaurants. Centred around the recipes of chef Jamie Stunt, this restaurant of comfort food, inspired by the seasons, warmly welcomes you for dinner. In its elegantly rustic black and red interior, Arlo offers a variety of creative dishes. From the juicy steamed Quebec snow crab to the refreshing strawberry and asparagus salad with pistachio. For a hearty vegetarian option, try the grilled maitake, finely grilled mushrooms served with pickled seaweed in a honey and tamari glaze. The delights continue with the drinks menu, which includes sommelier Alex McMahon’s vast selection of natural wines. To accompany a delicious meal, share a bottle of grenache blanc, “vernatxa blanca”, a Spanish wine from the Cellar Frisach estate with fresh notes of wood and fruit in harmony.
For top-notch pizza and pasta – head to Fratelli – Westboro in Downtown
With the vision of creating a neighbourhood restaurant offering great Italian food, wine and friendly service in an unpretentious atmosphere, Fratelli – Westboro welcomes you to a family-run establishment in Westboro. The name, meaning “brother”, reflects its founder’s motivation to offer the best of their childhood cuisine, with a variety of recipes for creamy pasta, crispy pizzas and innovative salads. Start your meal with a tasty bruschetta con funghi accompanied by local artisan mushrooms and sprinkled with parmigiano. Continue with the Roberto, a delicious white pizza made with pancetta, wild mushrooms and black truffle under a cloud of mozzarella and parmigiano. To quench your thirst, there’s nothing like a glass of pecorino abruzzo from the Contesa estate, with its fruity notes, to accompany the traditional spaghetti and homemade meatballs in the flavourful Roma tomato sauce.
For one of the best Italian restaurants in Ottawa – try Cantina Gia in The Glebe
Take another diversion to Tuscany at one of Ottawa’s finest restaurants by booking a table at Cantina Gia. In this neighbourhood, family restaurant offering comfort Italian food, co-owners chef Adam Vettorel and Chris Schlesak propose a menu featuring a crispy potato rosti topped with smoked trout and a poached egg drizzled with creme fraiche for brunch, Toscana sandwich with tasty finocchiona salami and Heart City Farms radicchio and fresh mozzarella seasoned with pesto for lunch, and a plate of prawn rigatoni in a rosti vodka sauce with sun-golden tomatoes for dinner. Among the standout dishes, Cantina Gia’s signature brunch, the exquisite Gia’s Farmer Breakfast, is a must-try. This gluten-free dish is a harmonious combination of runny poached eggs and Italian sausages with a fresh note of cherry tomatoes, served on top of house-made creamy polenta.
As Canada’s capital, Ottawa is inevitably a cosmopolitan melting pot of cultures and flavours. It’s also a city with a culinary scene that seeks to offer the best of cuisine from around the world. Whether it’s for a steak with the family, a French brunch, a fine bottle of wine, a Greek-style meal with friends or Italian recipes for lovers, Ottawa will not disappoint you. So, sit back and let the best of this magnificent city’s gastronomy treat you to a superb gustatory experience.
Don’t waste a minute to book a table at one of the best restaurants in Ottawa on OpenTable.
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