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
Trivia:
- 142 restaurants covered in 137 reviews
- 49 restaurants have closed as of Sept 2024
As of today, I have a byline! And a way to indulge my love of eating at restaurants. I'm the new restaurant reviewer for the Ottawa Metro newspaper, and I'll be providing a review every Thursday along with food events. (If you know of any upcoming events or restaurants you would like to see reviewed, email OttawaUrbanFoodie[at]gmail[dot]com.)
