As a native Montrealer, I had the tendency to believe that Ottawa was a snooze. But by visiting friends, I realized that in fact, Ottawa is actually cool. You have people from all over the world gathered in Canada’s capital and they are foodies, culture fanatics and early party animals.
There is a wide variety of coffee shops, restaurants and cocktail bars. It also happens to be the 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada with activities across the province, so if you want to change things up from the 375th of Montreal, hop on a bus to Ottawa and discover Canada’s capital. It’s pretty charming and surprisingly trendy!
During my weekend there, I went to the Ottawa Winter Brewfest to explore microbreweries, then had a foodie day in coffee shops and restaurants. I had a blast!
Classic Ottawa:
- Ice skating on Canal Rideau
- National Gallery of Canada
- Westboro neighbourhood: The St-Henri of Ottawa
- Check out the calendar for the 150th Anniversary of the Canadian Confederation
- Canadian Museum of Nature
- Just like in Montreal, the Museum hosts once a month a night at the museum with DJs, cocktails and museum visits. This month the theme is FeBREWary, the evening will feature beer from various local breweries. Escape the cold while dancing under a huge jellyfish and visiting dinosaurs with a cocktail at hand.
Here is a compilation of hip addresses for your getaway weekend.
COFFEE SHOPS
- Arlington Five: cozy seats and amazing coffee (Address: 5 Arlington Street, Ottawa)
- The Ministry of Coffee and Social Affairs: By day coffee shop, by night tapas! (Address: 1013 Wellington St. West, Ottawa)
- Suzie Q donuts: best donuts, you have to try the Foot Loops one (Address: 969 Wellington St. West, Ottawa)
BRUNCH
- Edgar: Small and cozy with seasonal plates (Address: 60, rue Bégin, Gatineau)
- Wilf & Ada’s: A classic, their Florentine eggs benedict are AMAZING (Address: 510 Bank Street, Ottawa)
RESTAURANTS/COCKTAIL BARS
- Riviera: Italian bites and the best cocktails in town (Address: 62 Sparks Street, Ottawa)
- The Whalesbone: Sustainable seafood (Address: 430 Bank Street)
- Union Local 613: Local new cuisine, nice summer terrace (Address: 315 Somerset Street West, Ottawa)
- Sansotei Ramen: The best place for ramen! (Address: 153 Bank Street, Ottawa)
- Supply and demand: Oyster bar and Italian eatery (Address: 1335 Wellington Street West, Ottawa)
- Prohibition Public House: Trendy cocktails and chalet vibes (Address: 337 Somerset St. West, Ottawa)
- Moon room: Tapas and wine bar (Address: 442 Preston Street, Ottawa)
- El Camino: Awesome for tacos and tequila(Address: 380 Elgin Street)
- Datsun: Right next to El Camino, its the perfect place for late night dumplings (Address: 380 Elgin Street)
Enjoy and go discover Ontario.