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.

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

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

La Bottega Nicastro is a ByWard Market Italian market, cafe, and tiny chef-counter restaurant for custom panini, antipasti, Friday dinner, illy espresso, and Chef Rene Rodriguez's tiramisu.

Di Rienzo's Grocery is a Little Italy Italian deli and grocery where numbered sandwiches, custom cured-meat builds, cannoli, and pasta work best as generous takeout. Start with #14 or cannoli, then use the hot sandwich and pasta options when you want something warmer and more filling.

Lavender Grill is a polished ByWard Market restaurant and lounge where the lavender identity shows up in the room, cocktails, pasta sauces, and desserts. The strongest path through the menu runs through Lavender Gnocchi, Lavender Ravioli, tartare, steaks, brunch, and occasion-friendly drinks.

Town is a 15-year Elgin Street fixture from Marc Doiron and Lori Wojcik, now sharing one menu with Citizen. The current menu keeps House Focaccia and Town Meatballs at the centre while stretching into French Onion Ravioli, rabbit croquettes, shawarma-spiced carpaccio, red onion bhaji, steelhead trout, and quail with pork belly.

Del Piacere is a Preston Street Italian restaurant where Pietro Amoriello's handmade pasta, pizza dough, desserts, weekend brunch, and Happy Days wine window give the room more range than a standard red-sauce stop.

Ciao Italia is a dinner-focused Italian restaurant on Somerset Street West with a menu that does more work than its compact footprint suggests: homemade Gorgonzola gnocchi, chicken parmigiana, saffron seafood risotto, Calabrese pizza, and sambuca shrimp give the order clear anchors.

Heartbreakers Pizza is an Ottawa pizza-and-wine room with Parkdale table service, Winona counter service, and a current menu led by Sweetheart, Fun Guy, spice-and-honey wings, and natural-wine energy.

North & Navy is a Centretown Northern Italian restaurant with Venetian Bacaro DNA, a current menu of antipasti, pasta, statement mains and dolce, plus a tasting-menu path for a fuller night out.

Giulia on Elgin works best as a modern Italian pizza dinner: sharp starters, named wood-fired pies, a polished room, and enough dessert pull to make the meal feel complete.

Citizen is the Gilmour Street half of the Town/Citizen family: a contemporary Canadian room with a shared June 2026 menu, composed global bistro plates, reservations, walk-ins, and the long-running Marc Doiron and Lori Wojcik continuity behind it.

Queen St. Fare works best as a downtown food-hall plan with real menu range: Bar Robo coffee and breakfast, Mercadito tacos, Wicked Good Pizza, Sen Kitchen Vietnamese dishes, Mighty Greek plates, Green Rebel salads and smoothies, and Q Bar drinks under one roof. The strongest visit is flexible: pick a table, let each person order from a different vendor, and check the stage calendar when live music is part of the night.

Family-run Italian cooking on Bank Street, with May 2024 menus built around house pastas, veal, lamb, square pizza, and a wine program suited to longer dinners.

La Roma is a long-running Little Italy Italian restaurant where house-made pasta, classic antipasti, rooftop patio energy, private dining, and Papalia family stewardship carry the experience.

Vittoria Trattoria is a Riverside Italian dining room with Santaguida-family roots, a glass wine-cellar identity and a current menu that runs from antipasti and pizza to pasta, secondi and dessert. It works best for planned dinners, wine-led meals and polished group occasions.

Luxe Bistro is a ByWard Market steakhouse-bistro built around French-leaning starters, steaks, burgers, weekend brunch, wine programming, happy hour, and private dining. Build the meal around French Onion Soup, Duck Leg Confit, filet or steak frites, then use Wine Club Wednesday or brunch timing when the occasion matters.

Mamma Teresa is a classic downtown Ottawa Italian dinner room on Somerset Street, built around pasta, chicken and veal scallopine, seafood, and old-school hospitality. Its 1970 founding story, Parma family thread, and refreshed menu anchors make it a special-occasion Italian pick rather than a trend-driven room.

Little Italy pastry shop and gelateria on Preston Street, opened in 1979, with in-house pastries, gelato, espresso drinks and celebration desserts.