This establishment has always played apart of my life here as a Ottawan, and I am a colossal…read moredevotee to the fairview malls. Since the closure of the nearby Rideau street McDonalds, there has been fewer suspicious activity around, which is a shame as I enjoyed the entertainment. Whats a nice day at the mall without someone pulling a racoon out of their coat? Regardless, they have a New York Fries, which automatically gives it much more value. Always nicely decorated as well. Beware of the first floor as some report getting asked odd questions by even odder individuals.

Oh gosh this mall was exhausting ! The amount of people I felt like I was in a movie. Non stop…read moreyelling and running around was wild. They did have a lot of stores but it was way to much we left. The outlets was wayyyyyy better

... memories …read more... When I lived and worked throughout Canada's Atlantic Provinces, Ottawa was almost like a second home to me during the 70's and 80's. I travelled / stayed there often, via business, and even more so for pleasure stays. I chose to stay at hotels offering rooms with kitchenettes. Which allowed me the option to shop during walks and stays, and dine back at my hotel. The Byward Market area was one of my favourite spots to walkabout, browse, and shop. And especially so during the summer and fall months, when it was so alive with street venders, and others featuring locally-grown fresh fruits and veggies. It was a good while ago, but a standout for me during these stays was a fish/seafood shop. I used to purchase squid there. Then on the way back to the hotel, catch a bottle of white wine, and some butter. Cooking the squid back at the hotel was fun, and made for several very fragrant, tasty, and much-enjoyed meals. Street vendor selections of farm-fresh offerings of fruits and veggies, were a delight to see during summer and early-fall stays. Their products not only contributed to meals, were often purchased and enjoyed 'in hand' and enjoyed during walkabouts. And before I forget, so were the several tasty 'beavertails' enjoyed, at any time of year, from a bakery there. (previously reviewed) My visits to the Byward Market, and area, were via day time browsing and shopping walkabouts. They were fun, interesting, and much-enjoyed.

This area of the city is a popular destination that you must see for sight seeing in Ottawa…read more There's a lot to see and do down here, and more Restaurants than you can possibly eat at in a month of Sundays! They also host special events down here. Certain streets are pedestrian only, where you will find crafters and fruit/vegetable vendors, people who sell honey and maple syrup, Beavertails, and seasonal items all sold at booths on the streets. This visit, I found a rare treasure: a bracelet with my name on it!! The Byward Market is coming up to a remarkable anniversary: in 2026, it will be 200 years old!! Found this snippet on the internet: "The ByWard Market is where Ottawa was born. Established by Lt-Col. John By in 1826, the ByWard Market is one of Canada's oldest and largest public markets. The legendary builder of the Rideau Canal; Lt-Col. By himself laid out the street plan of the Market, designating George and York Streets to be extra wide to accommodate the horse-drawn carriages that brought foodstuffs to the market every day." We seem to gravitate there at least once a year in the warmer months. It's also a terrific area for people watching!!

Ah, Sparks Street Mall! I was doing all things touristy on Canada Day around Parliament Hill. I…read moredecided to walk down a block and check out this street that I hadn't set foot on for at least a decade. Sparks Street Mall is essentially a pedestrian strip mall with a bunch of shops, eateries, and more. It's nice, especially with various performances scattered along the street to celebrate the country's national day. I dig that you don't have to deal with traffic along this street, especially on Canada Day. It was nice casually roaming around, seeing how everyone was into wearing red and white, and taking paper Canada flags from folks to wave around. I have a few memories visiting this stretch over the years. There was a time where I was so busy with work that being on vacation made me realize that I should get a haircut. I started getting haircuts on vacation. My first one was at a salon on Sparks Street. I don't recall the name of it. I'm pretty sure that it is long gone. It was owned by a husband and wife team. They were hands-on running the business, and did all the hair cutting and styling. I recently had lunch at Bier Markt. I realized that it had taken over the old Zellers store, along with Winners at the corner. The eatery was buzzing. It looks a bit weird seeing a huge patio in front of a store that I loved. I bought a Jann Arden CD and a portable CD player at this Zellers. It brought back some cool memories. I also remember some sort of public service announcement (PSA) on television of a woman rattling off, "56 Sparks Street. Ottawa," as a young kid. I was perhaps four years old at the time, already exhibiting a thing for numbers. I didn't know what she was talking about, though. Well, I did visit 56 Sparks Street on my most recent trip. There was a sign on the building. She actually said, "This is Lotta Hitschmanova of the Unitarian Service. 56 Sparks Street. Ottawa," in this PSA. I'm pretty sure that I couldn't spell this woman's name as a four-year-old kid. I still can't as an adult. She was attempting to get Canadians to help others in need in far away places. Lotta held a PhD in philosophy and died in 1990. The Unitarian Service of Canada still exists, but under SeedChange. It is still at 56 Sparks Street. Ottawa. I managed to take in an outdoor musical performance in front of the CBC-Radio Canada building. I nearly bought bubble tea at a small ramen place before the thunderstorms and rain caused everyone to seek shelter. Great memories getting caught in a downpour without an umbrella are now with me. Luckily, I had a Canada cap on and managed to walk to my car parked at the National Arts Centre. This stretch is cool, with a lot of history and self-discovery. I always learn so much when I'm walking along streets as a tourist and spot buildings of interest. It forces me to do some research if an informational sign isn't there for me to read. The Post Office building at 59 Sparks Street is a good example, with a running Canada Post across from it. I feel that this street is more for tourists like me. If you're into shopping, box stores elsewhere would be better. If you're staying downtown, it's cool coming here to check it out. I love the history. I also love the charm of souvenir shops and eateries with live music outdoors on dry days that makes this street cool. (256)

I love Sparks Street Mall!! It's a pedestrian strip full of restaurants such as the famous Riviera,…read moreas well as The 3 Brewers, The Rabbit Hole, and Nates Deli. There is not a lot of shopping, but there is a Winners, and who doesn't love Winners? Sparks Street also holds events on the strip like the Ribfest, poutine fest as well as pop up night markets. The strip is decked out during the holidays with tons of beautiful lights. Access to the LRT and a quick walk to the Parliament.

It's a huge mall with lots of stores, something for everyone. The prices and deals were good …read more There are cafes / hot and cold drinks /smoothies/pastries. There are banks in the mall too. Also the mega bus has a drop off and pick up from here which is good Fr passengers . Sport chek is the best way out fr passengers taking the mega bus .

This is not a bad mall (I give it a 3.5)…read more What I like: The huge Toys R Us on site. They have activities set up for the kids on the weekend which is a bonus. The food court is not bad either. They have quiet a few different options like Burrito Gringo, Taco bell/KFC, Tim Hortons, ect. They also have some food options on the first floor like Kernels, Cinnabon and Purdy's where you can get scoops of ice cream. The light rail also connects to this mall which is nice. What I find this mall lacks: Clothing stores like H&M, and Zara, and a Sephora would be nice. I find they have an outdated selection of stores and I would love to see new ones pop up. Parking is parking, its never fun during busy holiday times, and it can get a bit messy here (nothing compares to parking at Bayshore though, lol). I don't come here to drop a pretty penny, more so just to walk around and hit up some of the food options and Toys R Us when I am trying to kill some time.

Mall security is great for protecting our privacy from people live-streaming which is against…read morepolicy, it's good to know that security is on top of things as this woman on a mobility scooter has been making shoppers and staff uncomfortable. She is very reckless on that scooter and is not mindful of others even outside in the parking lots, foot paths, and on the road too.

I love bayshore and shop there often, but there was this hair product salon station in…read moreparticular..this guy kept promoting it, it's the KK salon by cole's. He pulled us over and used me as an example after I said no anyway, like 2-3 times. Used my mother and sister as examples like we were dolls and didn't even fix her hair, the serum totally messed up my hair and my curls fell. Only reason it's bumped down to 3 stars. Do not recommend the KK hair products, mad expensive. $50 for hair serum!?!?!? He attemped to push my mom, who could NOT get it, and pushed more eventually gave up and gave dirty looks. Other stores are great, found the book I was looking for at Cole's too.

OMG, I can't believe that this is called a "shopping centre." It's an office building that happens…read moreto have a few shops on the main floor. This is convenient and great for people who work in the office building (like suppose I spill coffee on my white blouse, then I can go down to Cleo and buy a new one, or if the straps on my laptop bag give out, then I can run down to Bentley's and buy a new one), but if you are making a special trip here to shop, you will be gravely disappointed. Other than Cleo and Bentley's, I can't even name the other stores. There's a convenience store, a place that sells prepared food and basic groceries (like Kitchen Table in Toronto) and a handful of other stores. Since this place (I can't even get myself to call it a "shopping centre") caters to the people who work in the office building everything closes really early. All the restaurants in the food court upstairs close at like 3:00pm except for the Chinese food place. The one cool thing about the food court is that it's all independent restaurants, no chains that I can remember. The women's washrooms on the food court level is full of graffiti and kind of creepy in my opinion. I've been to many "shopping centres" with office buildings on top (Commerce Court, Bay-Adelaide Centre, First Canadian Place, TD Centre, etc. - all in Toronto) and they are all much better. This place is a dud.

Wellington West is a cool, trendy neighbourhood west of downtown Ottawa. I recently got the grand…read moretour from my friend. It was my first visit here. This Yelp listing has the Wellington West Business Improvement Area (BIA) site as a reference. That site lists Hintonburg as one of Wellington West's communities. It's fitting, as they both exude a trendy vibe that is refreshing and nice. This neighbhourhood has many retail stores, eateries, grocery stores, churches, and more. It's a good mix. It's almost a dream for me to live in this area and walk to a business without thinking of parking. It's kind of like my old neighbourhood of the Beaches, but less preppy and a bit further from a body of water. We ducked in and out of stores during this walking tour, partly because the stores were cool and worth checking out. The other reason was that we needed relief from sweating buckets on a hot July afternoon. We could probably write a guide on which stores have the most effective air conditioning and which ones will take longer for you to cool down when you're inside the stores... haha I like quirkiness. There is a series of marble fire hydrant statues that my friend had mentioned. We walked by many of them and I had to capture their coolness. From corn, to a violin, you get to see a lot of creativity go into each hydrant's design. It's like going to the Twin Cities to find all the Snoopy and Charlie Brown Statues. It's more abstract and refined with marble. Hintonburg is similar. It's still trendy and cool, but it has a more established, older charm when you see a church here and there. Well, except for the half-fallen Hintonburg letters. Again, I like quirkiness. I like that you have Parkdale public market here. Although it wasn't fulyl open when we were there, it's nice that you can get fresh produce and local eats. I learned that it's the second-oldest market in Ottawa, behind ByWard Market. Nice! I wouldn't say that I am now an expert visiting both neighbourhoods for the first time. I had a wonderful introduction, especially checking out places to have a cold drink on a hot day because I was super thirst after a salty meal. To wish that the marble hydrants had water out of them was a thought that came to me. In a way, I'm glad that I could quench my thirst at other places! I liked how friendly and lovely everyone was. I hope to return soon with not-as-tired legs from walking around and sandals that I am not breaking in a day later. (294)

I had no idea that Wellington West was even a listing on Yelp until it popped up in my feed. It's…read morelisted under "Shopping Centres" but it isn't so much a shopping centre as a neighbourhood or several neighbourhoods. I myself would call it a "Local Flavour" in Yelp speak. It's the stretch of street starting in the west from where Richmond Rd becomes Wellington St West and ending in the east where Wellington St West becomes Somerset St. There are many retail shops, restaurants, grocery stores, markets, yoga studios, art galleries, churches, etc. along this strip. Some places are very affordable (there's a St. Vincent de Paul which is a thrift store where you can get pants for $1) and some places are very high end (like Valamode that sells pre-loved Chanel purses for about $3000 each), so there's a real mix of businesses. The stretch is very walkable, and there are lots of places to duck in and out if it's really hot or really cold outside, or if it's raining or snowing. With so much variety, I'm sure there are businesses in Wellington West to suit any tastes. Some of my favourite places in Wellington West are Stella Luna (awesome gelato), Strawberry Blonde Bakery (yummy gluten-free bakery, their donut holes are amazing), AMH and Second Glance (both consignment stores), Max's Shoe Repair (they sell really funky shoes), and Absinthe and Allium (both great date restaurants). In the fall there's Taste of Wellington West, which is an event where restaurants in Wellington West offer free samples of their foods on the sidewalks. There are usually sidewalk sales and some street performers during this event as well. If you haven't been to Wellington West, it's worth the trip to check it out.

This is my happy place hands-down. Run by the amazing, patient and kind Audy, I discovered…read moreTinseltown on an emergency off-season Christmas buying spree for a local film and have been back every single time I've been in Ottawa. Audy also curates a lovely everyday gift collection next door, all of which would look perfect in my house. Audy, please open a Los Angeles branch stat!!!

The store is an absolute delight! The staff are so friendly and helpful. They will personalize your…read morepurchase perfectly. So much attention to detail goes into both of the shops. This season, it's even more important to buy local. Give this place a look. It will immediately put you in the Christmas spirit and make 2020 a little more merry and bright.

As per my previous review, Merivale Mall is still a sad little mall, but it is a little less sad…read morenow that a large Marshalls has opened up there. The Marshalls here is not as good as the Marshalls at Trainyards but it's not bad (if you like these kinds of stores, which I do - brand names at discount prices, count me in!). There were big renovations to this mall leading up to the grand opening of the Marshalls. It's no longer dark and grungy. It's bright and very spacious now. Although the lack of tenants makes the mall look rather sparse. There's still a Farm Boy, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Sportchek. T&T Tailors is still there (and they are still great). I think the shawarma place is gone. There's a Pizza Pizza instead. There's a rug store, a tanning salon, a hair salon and a cell phone accessories kiosk. And a handful of other small stores. The weird thing is that some stores are not accessible through the mall. You have to go outside to get into the store (i.e. Payless Shoes). There's lots of free parking, which is always a plus. I only go here for Marshalls, Farm Boy and T&T Tailors.

Small mall usually overlooked for basic stores like Sport Chek and Farm Boy, so there are very low…read morecrowds at any time of day. Still a few empty storefronts, so room to grow. Wish it had a coffee shop.