Looking for exotic snacks? Things you don't see at regular grocery stores, drug stores or…read moreconvenience stores? Exotic Bottega has you covered. They had lots of imported items from places like the UK, Poland, and Japan. They also have some American items that are harder to find in Canada. It's fun to poke around. Prices are a bit on the higher end, but that's the premium for rarer items. The place is bright and clean. Staff are laid back and friendly. Like every other store in the Byward Market, there's no parking, so you have to park on the street or in one of the lots/parkades.

Cool little market that carries hard to find food, snacks and drinks…read more I'm really not sure what to make of it but they carry a lot of interesting and cool snacks. Sweet, savoury and possibly things in between! There's a good selection of chips and candies. There's also a lot of drinks and limited edition cereals. What a blast to be in here. I think my rating is more on the nostalgia as I won't have a chance to try most of the snacks in here. Let me know what you end up trying!

Got a sandwich and small tiramisu cup. The meat was generous and the other toppings provided a…read morefresh contrast. The tiramisu was great and very authentic. The sandwich area is located in the back of the grocery store. Service was prompt and friendly. There also seems to be a separate seating area for a ?wine bar or restaurant, not sure. We went over to the market area across the street to eat.

The service is fast and friendly and the sandwiches are affordable. The sandwich station is located…read morenear the back of the grocery store, and easy to find. There was a short line, but it moved quickly as there were 2 people making the sandwiches. You pay at the cashier at the front of the grocery store. I got a sandwich with focaccia, prosciutto, salami, mozzarella, with lettuce and dijon. Overall a good option for a quick lunch.

What an arrogant store!!! This store needs to improve their customer service and staff attitude…read moreoverall towards customers. Buy ridiculously overpriced items at your own risks!! This store should review their no return policies on clearly sealed unopened items. This store is not worth the price!

Super fancy store.. from the front looks very elegant and so does the inside! It smelled like…read morestring cheese once we entered but then u get used to it! They carry different local brands all us eat one roof.. bread from maman clafoutis , macaroons from quelque chose , and so on.. so it's nice but expensive.. I'm hoping post Covid they will have a spot to sit and enjoy a treat or coffee because it's a very nice space!

Small family run ethnic grocery store. They had all the speciality items I needed to make a…read moreBrazilian style passionfruit cheesecake. I couldn't find passionfruit puree in many other places.

I'm so thrilled that this Latin American grocery store recently opened up near my current work…read morelocation. I love Mexican candies and this store has some. Their selection isn't too large, but they do have Pulparindo! They also sell chips, sauces, and other shelf-stable items. They have a small selection of frozen and refrigerated products too. For ready to eat items, they just had fried empanadas (2 for $6) but they were refrigerated, so you'd have to warm them up. They had some small cakes in the fridge too. They only opened in the Spring of 2023, so hopefully they will get more prepared foods soon. The store is very clean and well organized. Staff were nice. Street parking only.

Yelping about Canada in a Basket for me is akin to a public service announcement for tourists. This…read moretiny store located in the Market Building of the Byward Market should be a definite stop for anyone looking to bring home Canadian goods, whether you are a foreigner or Canadian. Jammed into every shelf and corner and carousel display of this store are goodies native to Canada. You won't find cheap souvenir T shirts here but items like local honey from numerous provinces, Saskatchewan jams, bison pate, Ice wine flavored teas--a truly dazzling assortment of authentic Canadian goods, for every budget, and from the familiar to the different. If your loved ones have had enough of maple, impress them with Ice-wine syrup then. Unlike the Ottawa duty free shop, which only has the cheaper version, Canada in a Basket has the premium one also. It must be good since I bought it and sis hasn't shared any with me. If you have an OCD friend you need relief from for a few hours, bring them here and let your buddy pore through what seems like an endless array of items, food items, jewelry, clothing etc. While I I don't envy the proprietor at inventory time, I am grateful she took the time to amass such an array of uniquely wonderful items. Canada in a Basket will even customize a basket for you and ship it, hence the name. Seriously, there was so much here, I was actually getting dizzy just looking at a few shelves of jams, and I hadn't even ventured to the Byward Market bars prior. You don't need to agonize over the meager pickings at the airport duty free shop. Come to this fun place to shop for Canadian souvenirs.

Kaz Kitchen is a little corner store that's like a convenience store but is so much more. They…read moreopened up in the last couple of years and are where Lauzon Grocery used to be. Kaz sells the usual things you would find at convenience stores but with lots of local products, like their breads are from local bakeries. They also have baked goods like cheesecake, dessert bars and baklava. They have ready made salads and deli sandwiches. They have a deli and meat counter in the back and this is where you can also order hot food! Their menu is not posted, but is printed on laminated paper and there are a few copies on the counter that you can peruse. I ordered the Cuban Sandwich which comes with fries, coleslaw and a pickle for $16. The Cuban Sandwich is epic. It's huge and heavy! It was also really oily and greasy, and messy to eat, lol. It was tasty, but just too greasy for my liking. The porchetta is sliced thick! It's fatty though. They are very generous with the ham and cheese. I think they smeared some pesto on it too. The bread is a jalapeno cheddar bread, almost like a focaccia. It's a flavour party, that's for sure! The fries were good. They were a bit soft by the time I got home, but still tasty and I'm sure they were crispy when fresh. The coleslaw was just red cabbage but the dressing was so flavourful. It was mayo-based, which is usually not my favourite, but I liked this one. It likely had some cayenne pepper in it because it had a spicy kick. I didn't have any of the pickle, but it was huge!! The whole meal was huge. I shared the combo with my husband and I was stuffed after eating half the sandwich, a third of the fries and a third of the coleslaw. Service was really friendly, from the man at the back who made my food to the man at the front who took my payment. My food took about 10 minutes or so, so I poked around the store while waiting. Prices are not overly inflated the way they usually are at convenience stores. I plan to come back and try their fried chicken sandwich as well as some of the baked goods. Street parking only.

I came to Kaz's kitchen after stalking them on Instagram. I saw this picture of this amazing…read moresandwich called a cubano and immediately knew a pilgrimage was in order. Came on a Saturday afternoon, super easy parking. Store was quiet, so I slinked in and started taking pictures. I found them an behind the register and inquired about ordering a sandwich. He sadly informed me that his kitchen was not yet open. I was bummed and told him I had come all the way from Gatineau to try his sandwich. He perked, and even wearing a mask I could see his beaming smile. Says if you can wait 15 I'll make you one! I couldn't believe it, of course I can wait! Note, Kaz usually has an a frame outside with his menu, inside you won't find a menu. I kept finding more and more goodies, a wonderland of smells and flavors. I ordered a cubano and a side of chipotle onion rings. Some of the other items offered include a halloumi cheeseburger and zaatar spice fish n chips. Anyways fast forward to a cubano, onion rings, a deli sandwich, pistachio cheesecake, local made hot sauce let me say that sandwich is the best sandwich, of any kind, that I've ever had!!!! Seriously. Textures, ingredients, flavor profiles, seasonings just OMG. So flavorful and well thought out and out of this world. Onion rings were seasoned, and drizzled and just a flavor bomb. So good! Deli sandwich was also fabulous, piled high and fresh, so big you might need to unhinge your jaw to take a bite. The pistachio Experience cheese cake was creamy and decadent. Yum!!! The experience coming here was above ans beyond, so cool!!!! So many cool things, lots and lots of beverages, local bakery sweets, meats, dairy, fresh produce, take away meals and the list goes on. This place is amazing!!!!!! Such a hidden gem in Ottawa! The owner (kaz) is super humble is very nice. Definitely highly recommend!!!!

It was very quiet on a cold winter day when we were visiting. No vendors were located outside of…read morethe market itself, so quite contrary to what I expected, but we still loved it. Plenty of street parking too. We toured the market itself, found clean bathrooms on the second floor with some art displayed, ate some bakery goods @ Le Moulin De Provence bakery and took photos with Ottawa sign.

A great place to hang out and try out a variety of food across the restaurants. In terms of food,…read moreit is one of the most happening areas in the downtown Ottawa. We tried a couple of places like Peace Garden Vegetarian, Maverick's Donut Co, and Pure Power Juice Bar and pretty much all the three were great or really good. We did go to Cupcake Lounge but they were out of vegan options. In front of a couple of shops, on the other side of the pedestrian paths, there are also open seating options since most of the shops, unless restaurants, do not have an inside seating option. There is a paid parking with the entrance right at the intersection of Parent Avenue and Clarence Street, which can be easily full on a busy day with some space available on the open terrace. For foodies, this place shouldn't be missed for sure!!

TLDR: Imported Asian snacks, drinks, makeup and skincare. Fair prices. Friendly service…read more Anyone who even knows me a little bit knows that I love imported snacks and drinks. So I knew that I would love Mergi Shop. It's been open for a while, but I only recently made my way down there. It's in a rougher part of town, hence the bars on the windows. Public drug use, vandalism and acts of violence are common in this area, especially in the last few years. The store inside is brightly lit, clean and well-organized. Staff are friendly, greeting you as you enter, but leave you to browse on your own. If you need assistance though, they will help. I came to buy a specific Japanese mascara base (the Japanese make the best mascaras, IMO). Unfortunately, they didn't have it, but they had other items, including regular mascara of the same brand (Kiss Me Heroine Make). I got a mascara ($18.79) and decided to try their liquid eyeliner ($16.49) too, since the store was having a 10% off sale and I wanted to make my trip down there worthwhile, lol. They had lots of chips and other snacks from Asia and also imported drinks. They had mostly items from Japan and Korea that are harder to find. Not stuff from China that you can easily get at Kowloon Supermarket, Green Fresh or T&T. Their prices are very fair considering they are imported goods and rarer to find in Ottawa. I really enjoyed poking around looking at stuff in this store. Street parking only. (88)

Cool little convenience and grocery store that specializes in east Asian…read more Lots of snacks like cookies, chips and other things. There's a small shelf of things for your pantry. A decent selection of frozen food for such a small store. They have a lots of drinks from coffee, tea, juices and soft drinks. Surprisingly they have some cosmetics as well. Some items seem to have really high prices while others seem like they're reasonably priced or cheaper than expected I'd give this place a 3.5 if I could but rounding up Go check it out for yourself!

A great grocery-shopping-out-of-town experience (a favorite vacay pastime). Great selection, clean…read more& varied; from prepared, fresh & canned. Saw some things we don't know about in Florida...flat cabbage, brown tomatoes, cheese curds, ethnic burger patties! Popped in after walking to True Loaf Bread Company this a.m for some fabulous artisan baked goods

We ordered takeout sushi from Farm Boy for our team lunch. Omg they tasted fresh and quite…read moredelicious. Price is also reasonable for the portion size.

Came by on a weekday, it was fairly busy. Inside its brightly lit, multiple seating available and a…read morefeatured wall perfect for a photo op. The menu is extensive, you have milkshakes served in glass bottles which you may take home. Flavours range from basics like vanilla, strawberry & chocolate to mango and various coffee blends. If you are in the mood for something more decadent and sweeter you can choose from a selection of flavours with toppings like cake, cotan candy, and various chocolates. I tried the mocha which was great and take care male, was very sweet. Tax & tip included I paid around $27. Prices range from $8-$15 + $2 for each topping. If you have a sweet tooth, this place is a must visit.