Ambiance: very cool; very hip, BUT not too cool! A very welcoming place to the wide range of folks…read morewho came in. We had the Chorizo Sausage Pizza and the Fish and Chips. Both were excellent. Service was attentive and kind. This to me was a bit of a hidden gem. We plan to come back, next time in Ottawa!

This restaurant in the heart of the ByWard Market in the historic district of Ottawa Ontario Canada…read moreserves pub favorites. They have both indoor and outdoor patio seating. We sat inside at a booth with many viewable screens. I had the Fish and Chips $22.95. It was so delicious. Our server was very friendly and efficient.

The Short Version: Delicious food in a hotel restaurant! Is…read moreit possible? Yes it is! Lol. The arepas were excellent! The Long Version: The Alembic Stillhouse is the restaurant/pub attached to the Cartier Suites Hotel. It has the usual pub fare like fish and chips, burgers, chicken fingers, etc. but it also has some Latin American dishes like arepas, tequenos, tostones and churros. My husband and I had dinner here and it was overall really good. I had the Arepa with Soup ($15) and added a second arepa for an additional $9. I got the Pabellon and Reina arepas. The soup of the day was tomato basil. My husband had the fish and chips ($18). I really enjoyed my arepas. The Pabellon was layered with shredded beef and feta cheese on top (the open end), and black beans and plantains on the bottom (the closed end). The Reina had the filling uniformly distributed - pieces of lean chicken breast mixed with avocado and cilantro crema. The corn meal arepa shell was crispy on the outside and held the fillings very well. I can't even decide which one I liked better because both were so good. I didn't like the tomato basil soup though. It had a cheesy note to it which I found off-putting. However, my husband loved it, so I gave it to him. My husband enjoyed his fish and chips. I had a bit of his fish and while it was crispy on the outside and moist and flaky on the inside, it had a strong fishy smell and taste that I didn't like. The fries were crispy and hot but were from frozen. Service was pleasant. The place has a pub feel. They have karaoke on Fridays starting at 8pm. We left before it started, lol. 5 stars for the arepas, 3 stars for the other food I tried, so 4 stars overall since service was good. I would get the arepas again. Street parking is the best bet (some streets have free parking and some streets have paid metered parking which is about $3 an hour). There's indoor hotel parking but it's a daily rate and over $20. Review #85 (2026)

It's a bit tucked away, but still central downtown. It's attached to a hotel near Elgin St. You'd…read morebe surprised to know that they sell Venezuelan food here. They have arepas! We went with the Alembic Poutine and the Pabellon, something we know and something different. It was all super tasty! The meats were the best part as well as that crispy plantain! And the black beans, wow! It's different than the usual black beans you would get. They've added some spices in there and other veg to really make it flavourful. A unique experience in Ottawa!

prosper was an amazing server and rhe food was insane. shoutout to the maitre D Liv as well! she…read moreensured everything went smooth and the music was lovely

We sat at the bar. It was a really busy time for a Wednesday. I was quite surprised to be honest…read more Joey is always a good spot. Food is good. Service was fast. I got the steak and sushi with the salmon one. My partner got the steak frite with some peppercorn sauce (extra $5). Both steak delicious. I have never been to one of their happy hour, but would love to that way I could have lots of apps to try. Until next time.

So I struggled to write this because I used to love this restaurant. The portion sizes were…read moresignificantly shrunk, and the brewed coffee was horrendous. I usually get a latte there but decided on a regular one, that was a mistake. Their food did taste good, and their chutney was still delicious but the service was a bit gruff. They weren't rude by any means but I was ignored for 10 mins just waiting to ask for a takeout box. I could tell he was a bit overwhelmed and probably having an off morning, so I didn't take it personally. But when I'm paying $30 for one breakfast bowl and a coffee, I'd expect more than 2 cherry tomatoes cut in half and a few mushrooms in it. The food is delicious but you're definitely overpaying and 50/50 on the coffee lol

In search for weekend brunch this place came up we thought of trying it out. Parking in streets is…read morenot existent. Had really look at side streets a bit far to get one. All the nearby spots are reserved for the apartment dwellers in the building. Ordered a Huevo Ranchero ($16) - which came with scrambled eggs two corn tortillas with salsa, cheese, sour cream and a side order of fries. The eggs could have used some seasoning even with salsa it needed something extra A Vegan Breakfast Bowl ($14) - a mixture of tofu, spinach, mushrooms and tomato chutney - which somehow tasted to all 4 of us like onion chutney. The vegetables done good, but tofu again had just no flavour. Tofu had a spice rub all over, but it tasted like plain tofu. The Bacun strips were rice paper rolls with some attempted flavours but none came through. And two Vegan Bennies ($16) - a super grainy slice of bread topped with the same tofu, green onions, Bacun and some red pepper strips (NOT Coulis as described in the menu). If some person was having a tofu dish for the first time I think they would describe tofu as no flavour at all. We vegans know that you can do amazing things with Tofu. The home fries in the above dishes was the best - now that we could give 5 out 5. All of us had to go and get Sriracha and Ketchup from the counter to rescue the dishes. Coffee was too weak as well. When you go in and order on the counter and you get food delivered to your table. Should the restaurant still offer to tip on the machine BEFORE even we were served? The order did take a long time, the table not clean when we sat, no condiments on the table and coffee refills slow. An extra star for giving tons of vegan options

I came in a party of 4 and really enjoyed this restaurant. The bang bang shrimp was a really lovely…read morestarter. I got the pistachio crusted salmon and really liked it. Next time I may request an extra side of the sauce that rimmed the place as it was delicious! The mash potatoes were delicious. The steak was unfortunately quite bland. Service was great, very pleasant staff! Thank you to the team there for an amazing dinner!

Food was pretty good (and filling) drink menu is plentiful (plus they have offerings that aren't on…read morethe menu) the service is impeccable

The Short Version: Beautiful rooftop patio restaurant with…read moregreat view of the city. Aesthetically pleasing food and drinks that also taste good. The Long Version: I was here for a colleague's retirement party. Rooftop Ottawa is part of YOW - York on William, which is, you guessed it at the corner of York St and William St. YOW is also the airport code for Ottawa, so I thought the name was clever. YOW - York on William is a collection of 3 venues, one on each floor. Apothecary Lounge (a speakeasy) is in the basement, Starling (a bird-themed restaurant) is on the ground floor, and Rooftop Ottawa is on the roof top. The view is beautiful. You can see all of the Byward Market. It's especially pretty at sunset. The food is also colourful and pretty. I got the Crispy Chicken Sandwich with a side salad ($26) and a Purple Martin cocktail ($18). The Purple Martin had a pretty purple colour from ube syrup and butterfly pea flower and tasted good too. The chicken sandwich was a bit monochromatic. But the side salad had vibrant pink hues from watermelon radish, beets and beet juice-soaked pickled onions. I also loved that the lettuce was a spring mix and not the dreaded iceberg lettuce, lol. I asked for the dressing on the side and it came as requested. The dressing was a creamy green dressing. I felt the sandwich could have benefited from some lettuce or shredded cabbage though because it was just fried chicken, pickles and bread. I did appreciate that it wasn't overly sauced and not wet or soggy. The fried chicken had a good crunch to it. It looked large, but had a lot of breading, so the amount of protein was not what it seemed initially. The flavour was good though. Service was excellent. We were served by Juliette and she was fantastic. Attentive without being intrusive and took great care in ensuring I wasn't served anything I was allergic to. She also made a point to advise our group that since we were a large group (around 15) that there would be an automatic 20% gratuity added to the bill. I appreciated the disclosure. Definitely 5-stars for Juliette. The YOW - York on William is in one of the oldest buildings in Ottawa, built in 1875. It's where The Fish Market, Coasters and Vineyards used to be. Paid street parking or paid parkade parking only. Review #179 (2025)

Came on a weekday afternoon, for an early dinner after a long day at the museum…read more A cozy and inviting place, with friendly staff, and lots of boardgames available to entertain while having a pint. Food was only okay: dinner menu was an eclectic take on pub classics. The lamb curry wrap was quite tasty, with a yogurt sauce cutting the slight heat of the curry. Black bean dip, burger, and pasta dish was okay, average, nothing memorable. This place is great for a drink, and their brunch options look wonderful as well, but perhaps not for an evening meal.

Over the years, I've fallen in love with The Manx, so time to do an update…read more Due to my brother's love of pubs and Guiness we end up here whenever he's in town. It is a wonderful place for a beer and a coze. On a cold wet winter night, this almost cave like spot is perfect. This past Friday we stepped in for dinner. We ordered off the concise menu. My choice was the Lamb Curry Wrap, lamb in a curry sauce, with roasted mushrooms, and melted cheddar in a wrap, and herbed sour cream. It was delicious and came with a salad (option for fries instead if you wish) which was a perfect compliment. There is also a Specials board so check that out too. They have a nice selection of beverages: beer, wine, mixed drinks. Something for everyone. One thing I always like here is the accoustics 'bubble'. Conversation is all around me, yet I can have a great conversation in my group and not hear what any other group is chatting about. Service by the way is top notch. Attentive when you need something but not hovering when you don't. That is, someone shows up when you need them.