Still one of the cooler, more laid back hangouts in Ottawa. Truly deserves the "lounge" part of…read moreits name. Note that this isn't a go early and have beers type of place, most nights it's not even open for business before 10pm and even then, people don't really start coming in until 11 - midnight. Go early (10pm) and you're guaranteed a spot on one of its few loungy sofas (very comfy), but you'll also probably be alone with your companions. Great music as advertised, they always have good DJs.

This is one of my favourite spots I've been to for live music. It's a pity I haven't returned…read more Don't read anything into that though! It's a really awesome lounge. The Mercury Lounge mainly specializes in variations of jazz music, but it also includes some of the other stuff as well. The atmosphere is very relaxing with warm reds and yellows. The stage is a perfect focal point as it's framed by two twelve foot high (at least) windows that look out into the market from this heritage building. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of space, especially if you arrive with a large group and want to stick together. You may have to resolve yourselves to separate a bit for the night if you want to sit down to enjoy the music. Unlike many bars in Ottawa, this place is open until 3AM.

We stopped in at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield Qc for a bite to eat. As we sat down at a table…read morethe sever told us that if we wanted drinks that she would be getting them and the food would be another server. So this meant two tips. For a tourist town I was expecting well dressed staff and a better ambiance The food was alright but there wasn't much choice. Very disappointing.

The Black Sheep Inn, or Le Mouton Noir, is an amazing bar/music venue in Wakefield Quebec which is…read moreabout 25 minutes north of Ottawa. This venue is legendary for performers and is always on the list of top 10 places to play in Canada. The setting is intimate with table seating but there is also room to dance or stand around depending on what band is playing. The decor is simple, worn in and charming with a retro feel. I have seen many amazing shows here and both the venue and setting in Wakefield make it tranquil and memorable. Sitting on the front patio overlooking the lake before the Neko Case show starts and the Wakefield steam train going by. If you are visiting Ottawa make sure you take a trip up to Wakefield and I suggest you drop by for drink at Le Mouton Noir.

A large group of us met for dinner recently at The Elmdale…read more Dinner was great, a little overpriced. Our server was amazing. We were happy -- it was a celebration. Then came the part that defies common sense. After dinner they were clearing space for a DJ. We had settled our bill. I went to order a drink at the bar and was told I had to walk to the front door to pay a $5 cover before I could buy a $10, one-ounce drink .... after I had already spent nearly $100 on dinner. When I politely asked how this possibly made sense, the manager stepped in and argued that we had to pay. I have decided that I will not mention his name despite how insulting I found this to be. I'm choosing to give someone the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was having a bad day. So let's do Math 101. An empty bar. Paying guests. Good-tippers. A lively group ready to keep spending. And you stop the sale over $5 and talk down to your customers. This felt like a perfect example of what I personally feel is going wrong in society today -- people blindly enforcing "rules" without applying any human judgment, common sense, or situational awareness, and mistaking a small bit of authority for good decision-making. In fairness, perhaps he doesn't have the power to override silly little penny-pinching rules by owners/mgmt. We walked out immediately -- on principle. It wasn't even about the five dollars. That single interaction left a worse taste than anything we ate. It takes real talent to turn happy dinner customers into walking warnings. I have to say, everyone else, including the doormen outside, were really super nice (hence the 2 stars).

A nice spot in Hintonburg, with lots ofindoor and outdoor seating as well in the summer. Lots of…read moreseafood options, and a few options for those who don't eat seafood like steak. The staff is very friendly and kind , very attentive. If you come early in the evening on weekend, you won't have any issues getting a table It has the same owner as whalebone , so if you enjoy their restaurant downtown, you will enjoy the spot as well It is a spot that is a casual dining experience without being pretentious, while also being a nice date like spot for a more casual person

Neighborhood gem. The place was packed for dinner and there was a revolving door of patrons…read more Friendly, inclusive and warm service despite the volume of people to serve. Beet and goat cheese salad was to die for. Cannot recommend enough!

A good local hintonburg spot for beer and pub food. A nice casual spot to grab a quick bite on a…read moreweekday . The food is a bit hit or miss, but overall pretty good The burger was a bit on the dry side, but it was paired with really flavorful homemade ketchup and garlic aioli. The poutine was made with an oddly thin gravy that was chicken stock flavored, but the fries are perfect. An average spot overall

Amazing and quaint place to hang with friends or with a date for live music, During the Ottawa Jazz…read moreFestival they sometimes host free jazz shows (reservation required!). Love the cozy and intimate ambiance. Will definitely come back!

Great music venue. Located upstairs on Elgin Street. Cosy feel. Art on the walls. Good stage…read more You can usually get food but their source is being renovated so just drinks and snacks for the next couple weeks.

Was a nice, casual night out. Comfort food and enthusiastic, friendly service made for a nice…read moreenvironment to chat. Does what it says on the tin!

We come here a few times a year for music and fund raising events. It's always fun…read more Staff are great. No matter how busy it gets they are on top of things. The kitchen can get a bit slow when it's super busy, but I think it's a size limitation, not a process problem. Luckily they have a good beer and other beverage selection, all of which get delivered quickly, so, hey, my beer is my appetizer. It's a fun music venue. Check the website for what's coming up. The room is rustic and cozy with a well worn floor and carved signatures in the wood tables. Lots of character and charm. In nicer weather there's a pleasant patio off the side. Food is pub fare.

Great sound. Friendly staff. !…read moreLots of security which is great. Was my first time and as much as I try and avoid downtown these days, I would certainly come back. I think this was a school prior... When climbing the stairs to the balcony for a concert, you can smell the crayons. At least, I did! Watch your step, many of them in the darkness. Clean place. Drinks were available and the prices were fair. Not a bad seat in the whole Centre. Parking.. just horrific but it's typical for this area. Still, 5 stars for the staff, venue and intimate feel of the place.

Let's pretend the exterior of this "venue" did not, year after year, look like a Gaza hospital…read moreafter a bombing. It frankly embarrasses the crap out of the audience. Let's talk about booking internationally famous talent with a following of 6 million ppl worldwide. Job of booker for Bronson Centre: 1. Listen to the plans of the talent for the nite booked. Answer: "3 comedians will perform in turn, 7 pm to 8:30. Then a Meet n Greet occurs until 10:30 pm." Bronson Centre: "great! We will honour our website's promise to supply alcohol via two kiosks either side of audience!" Talent: "great! Let's do it!" Bronson website goes ahead & falsely advertises the alcohol kiosks. Reality: The Bronson Employees all knew the Meet 'n Greet would occur on the stage after the comedians performed because I asked them on entering if it would be before or after the performance. Was correctly told "after." Yet when I got up after the 3 comics finished to grab a beer, both concessions stands said "no we're closing." The boss lady concession stand beer seller was a complete mean witch about it. WE PAID 80 bucks!!! $40 was for the 2 hours of meet & greet! You advertised beer and alcohol!" I said "you knew we would be stuck here for 2 hours waiting for our meet n greet." "It was a queue of individuals to the stage. Why on earth do u falsely advertise and then shut down the stands?" There was no answer. Asked for mgr. He came and he could not have cared less. Satisfaction: 1/10 is the score for this pathetically unorganized piece of Gaza architecture. Talent was an internationally famous interviewer of JFK Jr, Cornel West, Bernie Sanders, etc. I was completely delighted by the talent and horribly embarrassed by this disorganized venue with its lack of internal communication skills. From a joyous experience with the talent to the overly mean wench who decided she had to close down the alcohol at 8:30 pm sharp, 2 hours before the event ended, to the illiterate mgr whose English could not remotely be understood by a fluent English speaker & who could not care less about the situation, but was hired due to his 6'5" 300 lb frame and offshore experience "handling" people he did not like, I will NEVER GO TO THIS PIECE OF DIRT FILTHY UGLY VENUE AGAIN.

The New Bayou is the very definition of a hole in the wall, and I mean that in a very positive way…read more It's a one of a kind joint. It doesn't come to mind when you think of a place to go to listen to music, but it has some great bands come through. Now, keep in mind a lot of the bands the come through are punk bands. If that isn't your style of music, I don't think I would suggest heading to The New Bayou. As a bar, it's....well it's...I don't actually know. Once you find the place (it hasn't much of a sign out front) you walk down the stairs and meet The new Bayou. There is a bar, and it is limited. Beer, your standard booze, and that is about it. The bartenders are there, but don't expect them to be making Gin Martini's in a dirty glass. they have a limited staff, so don't expect table service either. The first time I went there I was told to come back again on that Friday because the girl bartending was also going to be body painted. Soo, is this a bar, a music venue, a burlesque house? It sounds like a dump, right? No. It's not. It is unique though. there are not a lot of places you can walk into that not only have a stage but a set of couches straight out of 1986 and a big screen TV playing a dinosaur movie from the '60s. Are you confused yet? You should be. That is exactly what The New Bayou is, a very confusing but enjoyable place. Leave your worries at the door and take it all in. You'll quickly become accustom to the venue. Once that happens you can enjoy the music. there is a lot of punk bands that go through and for some reason they can bring in some fairly notable bands, if you're into Punk. Remember SNFU, they play The New Bayou, along with bands from throughout North America. I don't know how they do it, but this little hole in the wall is able to create its own little place in Ottawa's music scene.

Ever been along Bank at Sunnyside late one night and heard the sound of awesome live music? No, you…read moreare not going insane. What you are hearing are the sounds emanating from the New Bayou - an underground (literally) club beneath the Framed! store. The place is small, but vitally atmospheric. Expect the unexpected - couches, weird stuff on the TVs and the hottest underground punk and alternative bands in Ottawa. It is such an oddity in what is essentially a quiet, suburban school zone (yes, there is a school kitty corner to the bar). If you are at all overly sensitive and want to quietly sip a mojito while discussing environmentally friendly cleaning products with your BFF, then you should probably go elsewhere. But, if you like your scene loud and raw and in a place where anything can happen, go to the Bayou.

Great arcade, bar, music and perogies. Service is great. The perogies are always delicious. The…read morestaff is friendly. I enjoy the live music and the people who come, the regulars.

I think there was a Yelp event here years ago that I couldn't make it out to because I ended up…read moreworking late, but House of Targ has been on my list to try ever since! I'm not in this area often, especially during the pandemic, so when I saw that they were offering frozen pierogis through Burrow Shop's online grocery delivery service, I had to buy them. I got the traditional pierogis made with flour, sour cream, eggs, potato, cheddar cheese, and salt. It was a 12-pack of frozen pierogis sealed in plastic in a little cardboard box with the instructions at the bottom, which included boiling and panfrying. I was lazy and starving at that point and looking for something fast, so I decided to brush six of them with olive oil and stick them in the air fryer. I should've taken them out sooner because the potato started leaking out the ends, but they were still great. Of course, if I had followed the instructions, I'm sure they'd be even better (I saved the other half to try it making it the way they said). Simple and comforting, not lacking flavour, but not too tame, and not too salty. The six were a great snack for just myself - I can see how people could easily take down plates of these!

I absolutely love this smoothie bar. A lot of smoothie bars typically use unhealthy juices as their…read morebase and I usually discover this after ordering my drink. This store has a few tables, has beautiful local artwork posted on the walls, offers a 10% discount on your first visit, and uses healthy bases with real fruit. I was also really excited to discover that they had a vegan pea protein powder free of artificial sweeteners, which I could add to my drink. We ordered two drinks and were really happy with what we received. THE DRINKS: Ginger Snap - My fiancé ordered the ginger snap without spinach and he really enjoyed his drink. It featured apples, banana, mango and ginger and it was full of flavour. It was sweet and tart and definitely a must try! Drunken Monkey with spinach: - I ordered the Drunken Monkey with vegan protein powder and spinach. I found my drink lacked a bit of flavour (they scoop the fruit into the cup before blending and a big chunk of fruit created a big air hole, which I think is the reason my drink lacked flavour) but I was really happy with the whole ingredients used and the added protein powder. The service was a little slow but the employee was really nice and I enjoyed looking at the artwork on the walls. Would We Return? Absolutely because I like the clean ingredients used and the ability to add protein to my drink.

If you are looking for a light and refreshing drink to get then this is the place to go! I love how…read moretheir smoothies are not too sweet. The smoothies are just the perfect level of sweetness. Also, everything is real fruits which I am a fan of. Not to mention, the workers are so friendly and nice. They have other quick and healthy food options as well!