From September 2009 to June 2012, I was a weekly food and wine columnist for Metro Ottawa newspaper. I wrote 137 restaurant reviews for the urban foodie and lunch crowd. Sadly. Metro has archived all the articles and some of the restaurants have closed. 

Ottawa Urban Foodie Reviews

La Porto a Casa 4/5 ~Best Italian in Ottawa

222 Lyon 4/5 ~Small plates (CLosed)

Issac's 3/5 ~Lots of veggies (Closed)

Murray Street 4/5 ~Inspired (Closed)

Wellington Gastropub 4/5 ~Comfortable and animated

Bombay Masala 3.5/5 ~Pleasant Indian fare

Sweetgrass Aboriginal Bistro 4.5/5 ~Sweet times (Closed)

Black Cat Bistro 5/5 ~Impeccable (Closed)

Ahora 2.5/5 ~Mexican mood and food

La Cucina 3/5 ~Satisfying (Closed)

Mystiko 3/5 ~Authentic Greek cuisine (Closed)

The Moonroom 3.5/5 ~Enchanting

Absinthe 3/5 ~Go for the green fairy

Benny's Bistro 4/5 ~A touch of Paris

Navarra 4/5 ~Octopus and pig cheeks (Closed)

Canvas 3/5 ~Fit for summer (Closed)

Black Dog Bistro 3.5/5 ~Intimate, charming

The Grand Pizzeria & Bar 2.5/5 ~Go for the pizza

Island Jerk 3/5 ~Homey Caribbean (Closed)

Amber Garden & Dalmacia Restaurant 3/5 ~Loosen your belt (Closed)

Graffiti's Italian Eatery & Saloon 2/5 ~Satisfactory (Closed)

Von's Bistro 2/5 ~Friendly but tired

Savana Café 4/5 ~Taste the islands (Closed)

The Diner 2/5 ~Hospitable and comforting (Closed)

Zuni Grill 3/5 ~Intersection of flavours (Closed)

Restaurant E18ghteen 4.5/5 ~A top notch restaurant

Shafali, Sitar (Closed), Haveli 3/5 ~Two buffets and one lunch special

La Cabana 2.5/5 ~El Salvadoran food

ZenKitchen 4/5 ~Fusion vegetarian (Closed)

Allium 3.5/5 ~Flavourful bistro (Closed)

The Whalesbone Oyster House 4/5 ~Sustainable seafood

Big Easy's Seafood & Steak House 3/5 ~New Orleans' style seafood and steak (Closed0

ZaZaZa 3/5 ~Novel but flat

Flying Piggy's Bistro Italiano 2.5/5 ~Whimsical but tired (Closed)

Sukhothai, Royal Thai, Sala Thai, Singha Thai (Closed) 4/5, 3.5/5, 3/5, 3/5 ~Pad Thai best at Sukhothai

Atelier 5/5 ~Food and science

Tavola 3.5/5 ~Reasonable Italian (Closed)

Chez Lucien 3/5 ~Gourmet burgers and pub fare

West End Station Bistro (now closed) 4.5/5 ~Fine Food (Closed)


Lunch Rush Reviews

Simply Biscotti 4/5 ~Double-baked goodness

Nandos 3.5/5 ~Less fat, more flavour

K&S On the Keys 3/5 ~Tasty bites in the burbs

The French Baker 4/5 ~Freshly baked bread

Pure Power Juice Bar 3.5/5 ~Hot crêpes, cold smoothies

Shaan Curry House 4/5 ~Kiss of India

Serious Cheese 4.5/5 ~Cheesy comfort

La Bottega Nicastro Fine Food Shop 5/5 ~Best sandwiches in Ottawa

Mucho Burrito 4/5 ~Mucho choice and taste

Merivale Fish Market 4/5 ~Best fish 'n' chips in town

Indian Express Food & Sweets 5/5 ~Best Indian food in town

Whalesbone Sustainable Oyster & Fish Supply 4.5/5 ~Best sustainable fish sandwiches

Smoke's Poutine 1/5

Green Rebel 3/5 ~Healthy and fast lunches

The Piggy Market 4/5 ~A taste of local

The Green Door 4.5/5 ~Vegetarian plates by weight that taste great

House of Georgie Sorento's 3.5/5 ~Pizza 'n' gravy

Wild Oat 3.5/5 ~All natural goodness at Glebe hangout

Hintonburger 4/5 ~Best burgers

Ombrella Pizza Cones 3/5 ~Pizza cones - a fresh idea (Closed)

DiRienzo Foods 3.5/5 ~Simple but good sandwiches

The Scone Witch 3.5/5 ~Spellbinding scone sandwiches

Jean-Albert's 3.5/5 ~Nostalgic eatery serves up Southern comfort (Closed)

Sweet Basil 2.5/5 ~Sweet but misses the mark

Millers Oven 2.5/5 ~A trip back in time

Phu Yen 3/5 ~Kanata's hottest little pho house

Thyme & Again 4.5/5 ~Delightful lunch time after time

Kettleman's Bagel Co. 4.5/5 ~A quick bagel bite that's open all day

Life of Pie 4.5/5 ~A constant craving

Panda Garden Buffet 3/5 ~Buffet hits and misses

Shawarma Palace 4/5 ~Ottawa: Canada's shawarma capital

Vera's Burger Shack 4/5 ~Vera's Burger Shack stacks up

Go For Sushi 2.5/5 ~Sushi a go go

Papa Sam's 4/5 ~Papa Sam, you make good pizza

Art-is-in-Bakery 5/5 ~Mastering the fine art of the perfect sandwich

Parma Ravioli 4/5 ~Heavenly meatball submarine sandwiches

Stone Soup Foodworks 4/5 ~Souplicious

Misto Fine Food Emporium 4.5/5 ~Veal Manicotti that's worth the drive

Wild Wing 3.5/5 ~101 wild flavour options

Zola's 3.5/5 ~Warm comfort food never gets tired

Cuisine & Passion 4/5 ~Passion for cuisine (Closed)

Tomaso 5/5 ~Thin crust pizzas are the specialty

Ralph & Sons 4/5 ~Old-fashion Diner goodness

LUNCH 2.5/5 ~A brown-bag lunch to go (Closed)

Pestos 2.5/5 ~Italian deli needs better sandwich artist

Edgar 5/5 ~Tiny bistro, impeccable food (Closed)

Luna Café 4/5 ~Charm and Crêpes

Louis’ Restaurant & Pizzeria 4/5 ~pizza pies with personality

Nile Bakery 4/5 ~Traditional Lebanese pies stuffed with tasty fillings, and CHEAP (Closed)

Baja Burger Shack 4.5/5 ~Travel to Baja without ever leaving Ottawa (Open in the summer)

3 Sisters Bakery 5/5 ~A tale of 3 Sisters and their delicious eats

The Greek Souvlaki Shack 5/5 ~Souvlaki and other drool-worthy items

Bite This 5/5 ~Tuck into food truck eats (Closed)

Murray's Market 4/5 ~Charm and great food (Closed)

Pure Gelato 4/5 ~Not purely gelato

Coconut Palm Restaurant 4.5/5 ~Crispy noodles are very addictive (Closed)

Le Muffin Plus 5/5 ~Ottawa's Soup Guy (Closed)

Credible Edibles 3/5 ~Not incredible (Closed)

Mamma Grazzi's 4.5/5 ~Brado is bravo (Closed)

Bexx 3.5/5 ~Food truck perogies (Closed)

Mekong 4/5 ~Mekong magic

The Red Apron 4.5/5 ~Lavish lunches

Grocery Store Salads Farm Boy, Metro, Sobeys ~which one was the best?

Five Guys 3/5 ~Although it beats out drive-through eats, some areas need work

Wellington Sandwiches 3.5/5 ~Homey charm (Closed)

Sippy Cup Café 3/5 ~Best of both worlds — kids can play while you sip a steaming cup of java (Closed)

The Smoque Shack 5/5 ~The search for finger-licking good ribs in Ottawa is over

Colonnade Pizza 3.5/5 ~A taste of traditional goodness at Colonnade

Nokham Thai 3.5/5 ~Best Hot & Sour soup (Closed)

Bowich 5/5 ~Bowich has the secret to the perfect sandwich (Closed)

Lapointe Fish 4/5 ~Fish great; fries not

Thi Fusion 3.5/5 ~Stylish take on a taste of Asia

Sausage Kitchen 4/5 ~Hearty lunch

Lazy Pickle 4.5/5 ~Not lazy after all (Closed)

Brian’s Butchery & Deli 3/5 ~Deli delivers simplicity

Salang Kabob House 3.5/5 ~Eats flavoured with Afghan tradition

Pressed 4.5/5 ~Panini perfection (Closed)

Golden Palace 2/5 ~Egg rolls reign

Corazón de Maiz 4/5 ~Mexican eats to warm winter

Mugena's 3/5 ~Jammin’ & eatin’ (Closed)

Stella Luna 4.5/5 ~Start Valentine's with Paninis at Stella Luna then go skating on the canal

Rainbow Foods 3.5/5 ~Fresh eats

Francesco's 2/5 ~Italian charm, but...

Viva Loca 4/5 ~Classy and locally-made (Closed)

Hintonburg Public House 4.5/5 ~Home away from home

El Tucan 3/5 ~Deep-fried ice cream (Closed)

Tennessy Willems 4/5 ~Cast a pizza wish & be enchanted

Bread & Sons 4/5 ~Follow the brown paper bags to tastiness

Arturo’s Market 3/5 ~Tasty soup options (Closed)

Los tacos de Mauro 3.5/5 ~Dreamy guacamole (Closed)

Schnitzel Works 3.5/5 ~This schnitzel works

Planet Coffee 4/5 ~Tasty eats and sweet treats

Grounded Kitchen 4.5/5 ~Grounded in plenty of tasty options

42 Crichton St/Union Street Kitchen Cafe. 4.5/5 ~42 Crichton Street Fine Food is mighty fine

Odile 5/5 ~Perfection in the details (Closed)

Fleur Tea House 3/5 ~Tea shop could be a winner with a few small tune-ups (Closed)

BOM (Burgers on Main) 3.5/5 ~OM burgers fail to blow taste buds away (Closed)

Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana 3.5/5 ~Buon appetito! Manicotti, gelato and cannoli all shine

All good things come to an end: a look at Lunch Rush