Best Restaurants in Ottawa, Ontario

Editor’s picks

Featured in Ottawa

Top-ranked rooms with exceptional dining experiences, hand-picked by our editors.

Saffron Kabab Restaurant

Saffron Kabab is a family-owned Persian restaurant on Bank Street with a grill-first menu, stew depth, certified-halal positioning, and family packages built around rice, soup, kababs, and Persian desserts.

9.8View

Mediterranean

Ayla's Social Kitchen

Little Italy / Preston Street · $$

Ayla's Social Kitchen is a Preston Street Mediterranean dinner room built around a family-name story, warm in-room hospitality, and a current menu that moves from polished mezze into pomegranate, saffron, za'atar, zhoug, and kabab-driven mains.

9.8View

Lebanese

Mr Kaak

South Keys / Bank Street South · $

Mr Kaak is a small Ottawa Lebanese bakery built around kaak, knefeh, homemade cheese, and tray-style sweets. The strongest read is menu-led: order the Knefeh or Kaak Knefeh Sandwich first, then use the savoury kaak and sweets-by-weight sections to build a wider table.

9.7View

French

Ratatouille Bistro

ByWard Market · $$$

Ratatouille Bistro is a ByWard Market French-fusion bistro built around chef-owner Sourabh Kumar, a broad current menu, and a distinctive split between brunch, weekday lunch specials, dinner plates, and cocktails.

9.7View

Eastern European

House of TARG

Old Ottawa South / Bank Street South · $$

House of TARG is a basement pierogi kitchen, vintage arcade, and live music venue rolled into one on Bank Street in Old Ottawa South — handmade pierogies in ten variations, $12.50 free-play arcade sessions three times a week, regional touring acts 5–7 nights, run by Yogi Granger and team since 2014.

9.7View

Italian

Paninaro

Chinatown (Somerset Street West)

Paninaro is an Ottawa schiacciata sandwich shop built around fresh-baked bread, house creams, Italian cured meats, and Marco Distefano's Florence-to-Ottawa origin story. The Somerset counter is strongest for focused lunch ordering, pickup, and signature builds like the Moda Mortadella and Milano Mingle.

9.7View

Asian Fusion

Sula Wok

Main Street / Old Ottawa East · $$

Owner-operated Old Ottawa East spot for Tibetan dumplings, Thai-style noodles, Asian tacos, rooftop-garden roots, reusable packaging, and takeout-friendly pan-Asian bowls.

9.6View

Artisanal Bakery

Tartelette Bakery & Cafe

Main Street / Old Ottawa East · $$

Old Ottawa East bakery and cafe built around French pastry technique, Persian flavour cues, house drinks, savoury croissants, and a reservation-only afternoon tea program.

9.6View

120 restaurants in Ottawa

Ranked by readers · updated weekly

Restaurants Only

Showing restaurants only

1

Saffron Kabab Restaurant

9.8

Persian · South Keys / Bank Street South · $$

Saffron Kabab is a family-owned Persian restaurant on Bank Street with a grill-first menu, stew depth, certified-halal positioning, and family packages built around rice, soup, kababs, and Persian desserts.

2

Ayla's Social Kitchen

9.8

Mediterranean · Little Italy / Preston Street · $$

Ayla's Social Kitchen is a Preston Street Mediterranean dinner room built around a family-name story, warm in-room hospitality, and a current menu that moves from polished mezze into pomegranate, saffron, za'atar, zhoug, and kabab-driven mains.

3

Ratatouille Bistro

9.7

French · ByWard Market · $$$

Ratatouille Bistro is a ByWard Market French-fusion bistro built around chef-owner Sourabh Kumar, a broad current menu, and a distinctive split between brunch, weekday lunch specials, dinner plates, and cocktails.

4

Paninaro

9.7

Italian · Chinatown (Somerset Street West)

Paninaro is an Ottawa schiacciata sandwich shop built around fresh-baked bread, house creams, Italian cured meats, and Marco Distefano's Florence-to-Ottawa origin story. The Somerset counter is strongest for focused lunch ordering, pickup, and signature builds like the Moda Mortadella and Milano Mingle.

5

Sula Wok

9.6

Asian Fusion · Main Street / Old Ottawa East · $$

Owner-operated Old Ottawa East spot for Tibetan dumplings, Thai-style noodles, Asian tacos, rooftop-garden roots, reusable packaging, and takeout-friendly pan-Asian bowls.

6

Supply and Demand

9.6

Italian · Wellington West / Hintonburg · $$$

A Wellington West raw bar and handmade-pasta room from Steven and Jennifer Wall, built for oysters, crudo, pasta, and polished neighbourhood dinners.

7

Le Poisson Bleu

9.6

Seafood · Chinatown (Somerset Street West) · $$$$

Le Poisson Bleu is a family-led Ottawa seafood room where dry-aged fish, rotating in-house preparations, and a precise current menu make seafood feel personal, technical, and warm rather than coastal-cliche.

8

Bistro Ristoro

9.5

Mediterranean · ByWard Market · $$$

ByWard Market bistro built around Neapolitan-style pizza, panuozzi, Mediterranean starters, pasta and a surprisingly broad European range.

9

Chesterfield's Gastro Diner

9.5

Diner · Wellington West / Hintonburg · $$

Creative Hintonburg brunch diner known for Benedicts, generous side choices, weekly features, and a warm daytime room.

10

Braumeister Bierhalle

9.5

Bavarian · Wellington West / Hintonburg · $$

Brewery-backed Hintonburg beer hall with German-Austrian comfort food, communal seating, a Biergarten, and a menu anchored by pretzels, Currywurst, schnitzel, burgers, and craft beer.

11

Petit Bill's Bistro

9.5

French · Wellington West / Hintonburg · $$$

Petit Bill's is a Wellington West French bistro with a Newfoundland accent, known for lobster poutine, seafood comfort dishes, warm hospitality, and a wine-and-whiskey friendly dining room.

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