Decent bubble tea spot that is open late in Ottawa. The pearl milk tea had hit the spot. Ample…read moreseating. Nice spot to hang out with friends.

Before my friend and I were about to part ways after a fun day hanging out, she let me know that…read morethere was a BOGO deal on Uber Eats for sparkling tea at Tealive. It was so sweet that she remembered that I am a sparkling drink fan. I walked over to my car and opened my Uber Eats app on my phone. Yep, I saw the BOGO deal and immediately added it. I also needed to fetch dinner. It was great that Tealive had egg sandwiches called toasteas. Such a cute name! I got a hash brown and egg toastea. My order was perfect, as I was more thirsty than hungry. One-stop shopping is also extremely convenient! My friend said to head east along Richmond Road that becomes Somerset Street West and keep on driving till I saw this place in Chinatown. It was the easiest set of directions for this tourist. Tealive is by the arch in Chinatown. I turned left into a parking lot. It generally is one that you have to pay. However, I had arrived after the pay-up parking period, so I parked for free and walked over. This store has a single step to get in and out of the store. It may be an accessibility issue to some folks. It's a deep store. There were plenty of places to sit down and enjoy dining in. I went to the back third of the store. There's a counter on the left for pickup orders. I had a nice man helping me. I showed him my Uber Eats order. He fetched my paper bag with my order. I thanked him and happily headed to my car. I safely secured my order in my car and then drove back to my hotel room to enjoy my food and drinks. Toronto has similar places that sell egg sandwiches. What they lack is offering bubble tea. This place has everything that I love, especially with sparkling tea. The hash brown and egg toastea was incredible! The egg was in omelette form. It wasn't overdone. It was fluffy and enjoyable. You also get a rectangular hash brown. I loved how crispy it was on the outside. It was seasoned nicely and was perfect. Perhaps to make you feel like you're eating something healthy, it had a tomato slice and romaine lettuce. They were fresh and complimented the hash brown and egg perfectly. The bread was toasted. You saw horizontal marks on the bread, which made me think that they use a sandwich press of some sort. The bread provided the perfect crunch, while still being soft. It held the entire sandwich together without wearing what you were eating. The toasted bread sets this toastea egg sandwich apart from similar egg sandwiches in the GTA. Here, you get a lot of bread that isn't toasted to the same extent. It's also so dry that you end up consuming a bunch of fluid to wash it down. My sandwich came with a couple of sauces. You can certainly enjoy the sandwich without them. One was cheese. The other one was a cross between mayo and tartar. They were perfect with the sandwich. The toastea tastes better with them. I was so thirst after having consumed a ton of sodium at lunch that I actually had both 3Q sparkling mango green teas that evening. It was a first for me. I normally have one immediately and the other the following day. Both drinks had no sugar and half ice. I didn't have the option to go less ice, but it didn't matter all that much. It was such a hot day that half ice sounded inviting! The drinks were divine. I loved the carbonation in them. Bubbles rule! They feel fancy when you drink them. Sparkling drinks are more enjoyable if the option is there. The 3Q toppings were pearls, coconut jelly, and sago. They were the perfect trifecta in these drinks. You got chewiness, a bit of sweetness, and different textures to devour while sipping on the perfect combination of mango flavour with perfectly brewed green tea. I loved this place so much that on my final full day in Ottawa, I ordered takeout from Tealive again for dinner. My order was the same, except that I tossed in Japanese strawberry shortcake. It did feel like a carbon copy of my visit. Even my order the second time felt like my first visit. The same sandwich and sparking bubble teas were yummy and consistent. I was impressed. The Japanese strawberry shortcake was delicious. It was the perfect portion, with layers of cake, whipped cream, and strawberry puree. I am normally not a huge fan of whipped cream, but I enjoyed how subtle it was. The strawberry flavour was spot on. I loved that it tasted like real strawberries. The strawberry slice on top was a nice touch. The cake was moist and fluffy. This dessert hit the spot. My sweet tooth was happy. This place was awesome! I long to return to try more toasteas, drinks, and desserts. This place had macarons. I'll need to get some next time. Toronto and its surrounding area need at least one Tealive. Please come here! I am thrilled that I can return here for excellent food and bubble teas. I just need to do another vacation. (304)

The Short Version: Vietnamese restaurant in Little Italy…read morethat has a good variety of Vietnamese specialities on their menu. We only had the banh mi but they were delicious. The Long Version: Hong's Kitchen opened up Spring of 2026. They'd been opened about 2 months when we visited. My husband and I had lunch there. My husband got the grilled beef banh mi ($11.99) and I got the grilled chicken banh mi ($11.99). Our intention was to share and we must look like that kind of couple because the server asked us if we'd like both sandwiches cut in half, lol. Oh we also asked them to hold the cilantro. The banh mi came out fairly quickly and they were both delicious. Both sandwiches had the usual pickled carrots and pickled daikon toppings. They also had cucumbers and pickled cabbage, which added a nice crunch that I liked. The beef had a lemongrass flavour that I enjoyed and the chicken had a sweet grilled flavour that I also liked. The sandwich wasn't too saucy which I appreciated. The bread was more like a hoagie bun though as opposed to an authentic Vietnamese baguette which is crusty on the outside and airy on the inside. Although less authentic, it did make for less of a mess as Vietnamese baguettes leave crumbs everywhere! Lol. Both my husband and I still enjoyed the sandwiches. Service was friendly and attentive. We were offered water and our server came to refill our glasses without us having to ask. I found out the server is the owner's son. He was great. Decor is very cute. Velour chairs with pictures of birds on the walls. A mix of regular tables and high tables with checkered floors. The space was VIV (Vain in Versailles) before it was Hong's Kitchen. It's been many other restaurants over the years (including The Foolish Chicken (after it moved from Holland Ave), Mason-Dixon, Quan Viet Fusion, and Khao Thai had a location here once upon a time). I love that Hong's Kitchen has some Vietnamese dishes that are harder to find in Ottawa such as Banh Xeo (crispy crepes) and Banh Beo (steamed rice cakes topped with mung bean paste and shrimps). They also have Mi Quang (a noodle soup). I'm looking forward to returning to try these other items. Street parking only. Review #99 (2026)

New Vietnamese restaurant on Preston with a very wide menu: the usual vermicelli, rice and noodle…read moredishes and bowls but also banh xeo, some sizzling plates, some featured soups and many appetizers (different types of spring rolls, wings, etc.). We had the banh xeo and the chicken and spring roll vermicelli bowls and they were solid! I had the three colour dessert (beans and coconut milk and shaved ice). Service was very attentive but appropriate. Decor and ambience is nice and warm. Place is clean and well kept (from the looks of the sauce dispensers in particular). Definitely returning to try some of the unique dishes.

If your a foodie and enjoy the odd time to take in haute cuisine then this will absolutely deliver…read more Certainly not for the frugal but imo absolutely worth the experience. Giving this place less than 5 stars is absolutely embarrassing and said reviews shouldn't be taken seriously in any way.

Had the opportunity to go to Ottawa and looked up the best restaurants in the area. It was apparent…read morethat Atelier is the one. Upon arrival, the restaurant is in a fairly nondescript former townhouse structure. Entering in the decoration is elevated but Spartan. For a Restaurant of this caliber, I would have expected a more refined decoration that would match the quality of the food. It would do the Restaurant well to upgrade to match. Overall, I find a chef to be very skilled. Lots of complexity of flavours as well as unique presentation pieces. Standout include his surface tension dish, which was beautiful and delicious. I would note that the Styrofoam like top was probably a touched too thick, but otherwise it was fantastic. The fish dish was also quite nice as was the duck. Wine pairings are well done. They tilt slightly to the sweeter side, which is my preference. A true gem in the city of Ottawa.

While in the neighborhood and hungry, we stopped by Kettlemans late on a Friday night with the…read morekids. We were the only customers in the building during our visit. I ordered the vegetarian bagel sandwich, hubs ordered the smoked meat. Both on sesame bagels which are always amazing. Both kids ordered a toasted buttered chocolate chip bagel. They ate some, but weren't a fan. Its a personal preference, I guess. While the hubs and I enjoyed our sandwiches, we both said it didn't "hit" like other locations (we prefer Trainyards). We also giggled at how tiny the pickle spear was. It was a sliver of a sliver, of a sliver, if you get what I mean. It showed up much larger in my photo. For just under 40 bucks with a bag of chips and 2 milks, it's not cheap. Restaurant was large, lighting was dim and relaxing. Customer service was fine and our order was brought to our table which was a nice touch. Gender shared bathrooms were not bad, but could have used a mop. There is also a drive thru on site.

Great bagel shop. It's the only Montreal style bagel shop I know which a drive thru. I recommend…read moretheir half dozen bagels with a box of their chive cream cheese. I will return.

What I had was amazing and will be going again soon. I am planning a get together there.read more

Maybe once a year, we get takeout from T'Basil. Every time, we wonder why we don't eat this more…read moreoften. It's easily one of the best tasting foods east of Bank Street. We've eaten in their private room once for my birthday, but we prefer our own home. Every item is so flavourful and of excellent quality. The service is efficient, pleasant. Come on, discover it, it's amazing food! Try something unknown.

The Short Version: Canadian fast food burger chain with…read moredecent burgers. I like that their free toppings include pickled jalapeno, sauteed mushrooms and guacamole. The Long Version: I picked up some burgers at South St Burger for my husband and I for dinner. The classic South St Burgers were BOGO (buy one get one free) on UberEats for $14.99. I ordered on the app for pickup. And it was ready in about 10-15 minutes. The namesake South St Burger is a burger that by default comes with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions and South St Burger Signature Sauce. I asked them to hold the onions and sauce. For additional free toppings and sauces I chose the following: pickled jalapeno, sauteed mushrooms, guacamole and fries (yup you can get fries inside your burger, lol). As well as ketchup and mustard. For some reason my burgers were missing tomatoes and pickles. Nonetheless, the burger was decent for a fast food burger. I like that the buns are a plain bun without pesky seeds and they don't charge extra for toppings like sauteed mushrooms that other stores usually do. And true to its Canadian roots, it offers maple syrup as a burger sauce, lol. South St Burger was founded in 2005 in my hometown of Toronto. Service was quick and pleasant. This location shares seating with its neighbouring fast food joints Thai Express and Sushiman. It's located on the first floor of a University of Ottawa Student Residence, so I imagine most of their customers are students. Street parking only. Review #47 (2026)

The food was so good! My son couldn't finish it from how good it was, and the ambiance and service…read morewas spectacular! But, the only downside was the fruit flies.

Excellent service with very friendly staff in a spotlessly clean environment. The food was…read moreoutstanding, with bold and well-balanced flavours and spices. We particularly enjoyed the chicken pad Thai and the spring rolls both were absolutely delicious!!

Chili Thai is my faaaav Thai place in Ottawa. Their food is always so fresh and flavourful plus…read moreLola and the team are always very kind! You can tell that the team cooks and serves with so much love and passion for what they do. I'm a believer that this helps make the food taste even better ;) From the outside, Chili Thai can be easily missed since it's in a little strip off of St. Joseph with other businesses packed together. There isn't room to really sit and eat there, but there is room to stand to pick up your order. Parking is a bit tight and limited since it's shared with the other businesses, so be patient because this place is definitely worth the wait. Even walking by, you can smell the aromas coming out of this gem and they can make anyone drool! I ordered the Pad Thai with Shrimp ($16.95) at a medium spiciness level. It was really tasty but a little too hot for my liking. It was my first time trying medium instead of mild though with this dish, so now I know to go with mild like I usually do. I also got an order of Fresh Spring Rolls with Shrimp and Peanut Sauce ($9.95). The order comes with two rolls. They were also delicious and I absolutely love their peanut sauce. Chili Thai is on the pricier side for Thai take out, but to me it's worth it because you can tell that everything is high quality and the dishes are of good size. I definitely recommend checking them out next time you're in Orleans!

Northern Han is a small, family-owned and run restaurant…read more I went in a group which included the owner's son-in-law, and was more than impressed. We had fried dumplings, green onion pancakes, lamb with cumin, imperial chicken, and the fish-flavored eggplant. I can't stand seafood so I was scared of the fish-flavored eggplant, but as my colleagues said, that's just the name and there is no fish or fish flavor in the dish. Everything was excellent, and we cleaned off every plate. There are lots of options and variety - I will definitely go back and explore the menu a bit more! Take friends so you can try multiple dishes.