Ottawa Restaurants

Ottawans love to eat out, and this will be evident to any visitor witnessing the vast number of restaurants available across the city. When they're on holiday, many people like to spoil themselves and eat things that they wouldn’t ordinarily get the opportunity to try, and Ottawa provides you with plenty of chances to do this, with restaurants offering cuisines from around the world as well as typical Canadian food.

Local cuisine

It would be difficult to accurately define what constitutes local cuisine for the city of Ottawa, as there are such a large number of influences shaping the style of dishes that grace the menus of the city’s reputable restaurants. Native Ottawans tend not to have any clearly defined home-cooked recipes either, taking their influences from French food and from those meats, fruits and vegetables that are available abundantly in the region.

As far as meat goes, game is highly popular and makes its way into a variety of meals on both restaurant and family dinner tables; seafood is equally popular and the basis of many a respectable meal. The French influences are evident in dishes such as paté chinois and bouilli, while Anglo influences can be seen in baked foods such as yam and creamed corn and peas.

Where to eat

Where you decide to eat in Ottawa depends very much on what you’re in the mood for, but basically, whatever kind of food you’re craving, chances are that the city has a restaurant that provides it.

International options are varied and include French, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Mexican. Seafood restaurants serving popular dishes involving salmon, lobster, mussels and arctic char are also highly popular and can be found in various parts of the city. Prices vary and while it is possible to make a serious hole in your wallet with an evening meal, generally, eating out in Ottawa is good value for money.

A good place to start looking for a restaurant is the ever-popular Byward Market, where you’ll find favourites such as the Fish Market Restaurant, Haveli Indian Restaurant and the Blue Cactus. Elsewhere, Bank Street and Elgin Street are also home to a good selection of eating establishments.