I often get asked for restaurant recommendations for the Byward Market in Ottawa. It's a very special part of Ottawa, and perhaps that's its downfall - as in many touristy areas, there are always loads of mediocre restaurants that live off the tourists that only come to Ottawa once in their lifetime...
The list was made for a meeting, so the choices are quite varied, but we avoided smaller places that were on the outskirts of the market (see some additions at the bottom). These lists are in no particular order.
Decent affordable restaurants :
- Haveli’s: indian $$
- Khao Thai: $$
- Vittoria Trattoria: italian $$$
- Metropolitan: french $$ - $$$
- Milestones: roadhouse $$
- Lapointe’s Seafood $$
Good but expensive ($$$ - $$$$):
- Murray St Bistro: homemade charcuterie a speciality - won a spot on the 2009 best new restaurant list in En Route magazine
- Navarra: spanish nouvelle cuisine
- Domus Café: high end canadian regional cuisine
- Sweet Grass Aboriginal Bistro
- Play Food & Wine: Beckta's resto in the market, but can be inconsistent
- Kinki: fusion sushi
Small venues:
- La Botegga: my all time fav - lunch counter is a hidden gem
- Ahora: mexican fast food
- Benny’s Bistro: cute little bistro with consistently interesting dishes - great brunch
My favs are underlined. Two favorites that are missing are:
- Casa do Churrasco: portuguese food - very home-y, with parking!
- Chez Lucien: A great little pub - great value, but difficult to get into.
