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

Chef Michael Blackie's NeXT turns west-end Ottawa dining into a shared, chef-led experience, with a bold Contemporary Canadian menu, blind tasting waves, and a full Sunday brunch tasting format.

Cafe Cristal is a polished Barrhaven cafe where espresso, tea, crepes, panini, pasta, desserts, and croffles make a coffee stop feel like a small occasion.

Metropolitain is strongest when it behaves like the brasserie it promises to be: oysters first, French comfort in the middle, and a room with enough ByWard Market energy to stretch a quick plan into a real night out.