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.

Maverick's is a stripped down bar with lots of empty space, dirty vibes and no panache. But it's…read morestill a good place to see a show. When I've gone, it wasn't too cramped: I actually had lots of room to dance. However, this bar can attract some popular indie bands, so lots of space isn't always the case. If you're into punk, this is one of the better places to go. I have no interest in the music, but I often see hefty line-ups for their punk shows. I don't recall the bar's selection being that fantastic, but generally all I want is a beer when I go to a show anyway. Some of the clientèle can be a bit sketchy at times, but that just adds to the flavour.

I love to hate Mav's. It has pretty much nothing going for it, but that's also its charm. It is…read moreliterally a hole in the wall, yet it is packed if the band is right. Great atmosphere, good booze prices and the occasional amazing band lineup. Take it or leave it, its doing fine with or without you, and I think that pretty much is their stance on it.

This joint brings a smile to my face. It's a hole in the wall music hall with good beer,…read moreuncomfortable seating and great music. To the best of my knowledge there's no food - just music and beer. Love it. We tend to head over later on Sunday afternoons, for the 4p Blues Jam. They get some great hosts in and many of the people that get up on stage to play a few songs are fantastic. (Yup, there's a few I could do without too - but that's the fun of the format.) Depending on the night, it can be a university student magnet, but every time we've been there, every age is represented in some proportion, so it's all good. Would I return: Yes Would I recommend: Like music? Like Beer? Then yes.

Good spot for live music - raised stage, small dance floor, second level with balcony seating. Fun…read moreplace. The drinks are fair and there didn't appear to be any wine.

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.

We were here last evening for a live show, and i enjoyed myself. There's a variety of seating, the…read moredrinks are actually reasonably priced for being in the market. The staff were friendly and made very good drinks. The bands were good and loud. Definitely a chill place to hang out, with some cool artwork strewn about. They also have pool tables on non live show nights :). I'll definitely add this to my bar crawl list. Definitely a dingy metal head kind of place and that's said with love! If you want upscale and snobby, Definitely not for you lol.

Stopped by to get off my feet as this place had good reviews and I couldn't have asked for more…read more Lots of character, cheap beer seems like a great place to chat with whoever. Would recommend

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!

Oldest bar in Ottawa - dumpiest dive with decent live music nightly and a security guard with…read moreattitude that thinks he is Hulk Hogan. Lol..! I think one can only drink beer here, it's all I've ever seen. Staff are... there.. but not really. Gruff! The bathroom is tiny but operational. Somehow it all works and I'm sure most like it just how it is! Curious to know how much has really changed in so many decades of it being here. It's not unclean..it's just older than dirt. It is for sure, a destination place and just come as you are. No one is really looking!

It's a classic dive bar with some pub food. Oldest bar in Ottawa, circa 1849. Sat at the bar had…read moregreat service. It's in the heart of the Bymart area. Good 80s 90s music vibe. Great place to start an evening.

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.

First time I went in 2022 it was amazing show, good food, staff are awesome and polite. I have been…read moregoing back every now and then since then. The show is never the same. The food is so good. Home made soup not to salty. There are times the staff also change.

Well worth seeing for insights into Canadian culture and the meal was pretty good too.read more

The Short Version: Small independent theatre. Has an old…read moreschool vibe. Tight seating. Weird washrooms. The Long Version: The Gladstone Theatre is an independent theatre and also a registered charity. It provides a venue for independent artists to showcase their work. The theatre is small and only seats 230 people. The seats are tiny. This comment is coming from someone who is 5'0" and 105 lbs, lol. The theatre has a classic theatre vibe to it which I found charming. The stage is not raised. So if you sit in the front row you are literally at the same level as the stage. There's a large centre section for seating and on either side against the walls there's a narrower section. We sat on the right side section and our row only had 3 seats, but the number of seats increased as you go farther away from the stage. My husband and I saw a production of A Mid-Summer Night's Dream there. It was a weekend matinee. There's a small bar that's open before the show and during intermission. They sell basic drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic and some snacks like chips and candies. You can bring the drinks into the theatre but not the food. I got a can of seltzer for $4 and my husband got a bottle of ginger beer for $4. Prices are what you would expect at a theatre. The women's washroom had only 3 stalls so lineups were long. There were also huge gaps at the stall doors, where people can look in and you can look out. Weird. I didn't like it. They have a single gender neutral wheelchair accessible washroom that's a private room though (I didn't go in, but that's what the sign said). And I have no idea what the men's washroom is like. But I was not impressed with the women's washroom. There's also no on-site parking. So you have to park on the street. Most of the theatre productions my husband and I see are at Meridian Theatres (formerly Centrepointe Theatre), so I guess I'm used to free parking on-site and roomier seats. I support the local arts so I'm glad this theatre exists, but I'm uncertain if I personally will be attending many shows here in the future. Review #190 (2025)

We went there over the Christmas break for Alice in Winterland. Have to say the show was wonderful!…read moreThe theatre itself is beautiful. Very retro. There isn't a bad seat in the house. There is a bar/snack bar out front and you can bring your purchases into the theatre. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The only downside, and it is kind of a big issue in the winter, is parking. There is no onsite parking. We parked a block over in a paid lot. Considering it was snowy and cold, it was kind of a drag to have to walk to the theatre. In nice weather parking wouldn't be an issue. On the up side, it is right off Preston with lots of choice for restaurants to dine in before or after the show. Other than parking, the place is great!