The 24 Essential Restaurants in Ottawa

A closeup on bagels with fillings and pickles on the side.
Bagels at Ottawa Bagelshop. | Liliana Piazza

Where to find wood-fired sourdough bagels, egg rolls that fueled an NHL rivalry, braised pork belly at the city’s coolest hangout, romantic dinners at an idyllic forest hideaway, and more of Ottawa’s best food

At some point Ottawa was slapped with an inaccurate label: “The city that fun forgot.” To be fair, the country’s capital and bureaucratic hub doesn’t call to mind the late-night clubbing you’ll find in Montreal or Toronto. But the city’s food scene cannot be painted with the same rude brush. Hip restaurants serving small plates and natural wine are widespread in both Ottawa and its sister city across the bridge, Gatineau, providing dining experiences as good as anywhere in North America. The bagels are just as good as Montreal’s. And the capital excels in global eats, including some of the best shawarma outside of Lebanon, Vietnamese pho bursting with flavor, and hulking Italian sandwiches. Eating in Ottawa is, in fact, fun.

Joel Balsam is an Ottawa-born freelance journalist and guidebook author. His work has appeared in TIME, National Geographic Travel, Lonely Planet, Travel + Leisure, and more.



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