{"id":944043,"date":"2026-10-24T03:48:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T03:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/944043\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T03:48:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T03:48:11","slug":"im-a-food-writer-these-are-the-7-top-ottawa-restaurants-on-my-shortlist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/944043\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m a food writer \u2014 These are the 7 top Ottawa restaurants on my shortlist"},"content":{"rendered":"

I would definitely call myself a certified foodie, and I talk about Ottawa’s best restaurants<\/a> all the time.<\/p>\n

I’ve been away from the city, living abroad<\/a> for almost a year now, though, and so many new spots have opened up in my absence. I’ve been vicariously living through everyone’s Instagram feeds, keeping tabs on all the new restaurants, and building a full list in my Notes app of places to check out as soon as I’m back in a few months.<\/p>\n

So, without further ado, these are the seven Ottawa restaurants<\/a> you need to try!<\/p>\n

1. Carletto<\/p>\n

Price: \ud83d\udcb8\ud83d\udcb8\ud83d\udcb8<\/p>\n

Cuisine: Italian<\/p>\n

Address: 161 Laurier Ave. W., Ottawa, ON<\/p>\n

Why You Need To Go: I’m not kidding when I say I have pasta served in a cheese wheel on my vision board, so imagine my shock when I saw posts about Carletto opening in Ottawa with THE cheese wheel pasta.<\/p>\n

I was instantly sold.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, though, I’ve found multiple things I want to try across all the menus.<\/p>\n

I’m definitely here for the tiramisu toast or pizza carbonara for brunch, the pollo parmesano and a Margherita pizza for lunch, and, of course, the cheese wheel pasta experience for dinner.<\/p>\n

Technically, it’s meant for a minimum of two people… but I could probably crush both portions on my own. Real foodie status.<\/p>\n

You’ll catch me here more than once, I’m sure.<\/p>\n

Carletto Menu<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Spoon Mii<\/p>\n

Price: \ud83d\udcb8<\/p>\n

Cuisine: Japanese-inspired desserts and sweets<\/p>\n

Address: 313 Dalhousie St., Ottawa, ON<\/p>\n

Why You Need To Go: Luckily, I’m living in Japan<\/a>, so I’ve been eating them left and right since I got here. But once I’m back in Ottawa<\/a>, I’ll need a taste of Japan every once in a while \u2014 and Spoon Mii looks like just the place.<\/p>\n

If I were you, I’d definitely get the cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e cream or classic cream sando, but there’s plenty more to try, too, like their mochi, Japanese donuts, cakes and other treats.<\/p>\n

Basically, if you’ve got a sweet tooth, Spoon Mii deserves a spot on your list.<\/p>\n

Spoon Mii Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

3. Torta Boyz<\/p>\n

Price: \ud83d\udcb8\ud83d\udcb8<\/p>\n

Cuisine: Mexican<\/p>\n

Address: 354A Preston St., Ottawa, ON<\/p>\n

Why You Need To Go: I’m a big fan of Mexican food and can throw down on some good tacos any day.<\/p>\n

Here I’m definitely ordering the loaded fries, carne asada and al pastor tortas, and I always love some churros. Just take my bank card already.<\/p>\n

Torta Boyz Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Casadonna<\/p>\n

Price: \ud83d\udcb8<\/p>\n

Cuisine: Cafe, specialty drinks and desserts<\/p>\n

Address: 2437 Kaladar Ave., Ottawa, ON<\/p>\n

Why You Need To Go: Any all-pink cafe by day and lounge by night is basically my dream, and I’m already planning a girls’ day<\/a> there for when I’m home.<\/p>\n

I also love all the fun drink names and flavours, so don’t be surprised if you see me double-fisting one hot and one cold.<\/p>\n

Plus, if a menu has Dubai chocolate cake on it, I’m sold.<\/p>\n

Casadonna Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

5. Eggstatic<\/p>\n

Price: \ud83d\udcb8\ud83d\udcb8<\/p>\n

Cuisine: Middle Eastern and Canadian fusion brunch<\/p>\n

Address: 2 Via Modugno Pl., Ottawa, ON<\/p>\n

Why You Need To Go: I spent my teenage years living in Barrhaven<\/a>, so I had to put some respect on a restaurant in one of Ottawa’s more underrated neighbourhoods<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I could eat breakfast at any time of day, and I already have a huge list of favourite brunch spots in Ottawa<\/a>, so I’m pretty sure Eggstatic will earn a spot near the top of it, too.<\/p>\n

I love a restaurant that ventures beyond the typical eggs, toast and bacon. The menu has classic brunch items like eggs Benedict, omelettes, and chicken and waffles \u2014 but I also love the Middle Eastern options, like shakshuka, pistachio pancakes, hummus dishes and fried halloumi.<\/p>\n

I’m already hungry just thinking about it.<\/p>\n

Eggstatic Menu<\/a><\/p>\n

6. Strat\u00ec Tiramis\u00f9<\/p>\n

Price: \ud83d\udcb8<\/p>\n

Cuisine: Italian<\/p>\n

Address: 891 Bank St., Ottawa, ON<\/p>\n

Why You Need To Go: As you’ve probably noticed from this list, I’m a big dessert girl \u2014 so when I found out Ottawa officially had a tiramisu bar, I was in heaven.<\/p>\n

I’m already super into classic tiramisu, but when I saw Strat\u00ec’s strawberry, maple Biscoff, mango and Nutella flavours, I knew this spot was making my shortlist.<\/p>\n

Honestly, I might have to make it my mission to try every single one…<\/p>\n

Strati Tiramis\u00f9 Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

7. Zoe’s Restaurant<\/p>\n

Price: \ud83d\udcb8\ud83d\udcb8\ud83d\udcb8<\/p>\n

Cuisine: Canadian<\/p>\n

Address: 1 Rideau St., Ottawa, ON<\/p>\n

Why You Need To Go: I grew up having tea parties with my grandma using her many china sets, so I’m no stranger to afternoon tea.<\/p>\n

The fact that this spot is inside the Ch\u00e2teau Laurier already makes it pretty cool \u2014 but everyone I know usually goes for a special-occasion dinner<\/a> instead of tea time.<\/p>\n

Me, on the other hand? I’d love nothing more than to eat scone after scone with house-made jam, plus a few savoury bites.<\/p>\n

That said, I’d definitely pop in for a date night<\/a> now that I’ve seen the short ribs, lobster fettuccine and berries-and-cream cake on the menu.<\/p>\n

You really can’t keep me away from lobster pasta.<\/p>\n

Zoe’s Menu<\/a><\/p>\n

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.<\/p>\n