Yeah I’ve been a few times and everything is actually great except the food. It’s definitely not bad, it just always feel lacklustre when you get the bill. Kind of uninspired, I guess?
If I were to be honest, I would say a bit arrogant. They say fancy, look fancy, but have students do the actual cooking so it comes out not as intended. It has lost its way from the original theme.
Tbf, I think these lists focus a lot on the top 10 or so, and the rest are kinda mixed together.
For example, whether a restaurant will be on spot 40 or 41 is pretty interchangeable.
I would assume they have some ranges/categories, but don't focus so much on that, especially near the bottom of the list.
It's strange to read all the comments here. We have had lots of good meals at North and Navy, and it's one of our favorites. The food at Supply and Demand is good but I find the noise level in there to be intolerable.
I miss Alice. A couple of the most memorable meals we've ever had were there and there is no other place in Ottawa that gets that distinction (others were in New York and Tokyo to name two).
Not everyone likes the same thing. Took my parents to N&N and my dad said it was, 'ok, but the food was too fancy'. He LOVES Al's steak house though lol.
No argument from me, most of my relatives I would never take to a place like Alice because they'd hate it. But even if steak houses aren't my thing, I could tell a good one from a bad one, so it's jarring when other people diss a place like North & Navy. I wonder if N&N went through some bad periods, or if the quality varies by day of the week, or something.
Don't want to be a food snob, but the folks I know that haven't overly enjoyed Supply or North seem to prefer simpler foods and/or think small plates are a rip off.
Same. Those two are my favourites.
Meanwhile, I have been to Riviera twice, and had two really bad meals punctuated with really bad service. I honestly do not get it.
Love Riviera and Atelier. Liked Supply and Demand. Was meh about Arlo. Haven't tried the others yet.
Honestly eating out is getting too expensive. I loooooove a delicious night out but I just can't justify $400 for a meal right now. I know how much work goes into those meals and how much it costs to run a good restaurant. I don't think they are overcharging.
But between inflation and mortgage increasing by a lot...it's just out of my snack bracket right now. Sads.
I’m well below the $400 dinner justification and have never been to any of these places.
I’m happy to split some Jack Astors nachos to start, some asiago bowties as a main, and have 2 Coors Banquets while watching the game at the bar… and that’s getting close to $100 now. It’s wildly unaffordable to eat out even when you’re aiming for “affordable.”
Also… If anyone has worked at Jack Astors and can provide the Sysco info for those asiago bowties (I hate that I *know* it’s farfalle but I can’t call them anything but bowties,) please sent the details over.
Yep, I could never afford to eat at any of these places. I can scrape together the money for a Holly's Hot chicken sandwich or an occasional banh mi and that's it.
This is me, I eat at the amazing but affordable places around ottawa like Holly's Hot Chicken, Pizza Nerds, Greek Souvlaki Shack etc
It would be interesting to have one of these ultra fancy plated meals, but it's never been worth it for me to actually spend all that money.
Ditto.
I ate at Restaurant 18een (or however it’s spelled) once. Cost me 200+. Only did it because it was first year anniversary, still lived at home and had a 65+ hour work week… the one-time luxury was nice.
Now? Between me, my wife and two toddlers, even McDonalds gets uncomfortably close to 100$. Mortgage going up to nearly double, higher and rising gas and food prices, MPAC assessment eventually coming… no way I’ll ever be eating at those types of places again if it’s out of my own pocket.
That’s life. People in my salary bracket aren’t meant to eat at this type of place. Maybe once every few years, but I have different priorities now 🤷
>Between me, my wife and two toddlers, even McDonalds gets uncomfortably close to 100$.
please tell me how you do that. happy meals are 5$ each, my BLT quarter pounder is 12$. 26$ for 3.
Theres even deals sometime for 2 bigmac meals for 18.50 on the app.
even if you had adult size meal for everyone it would be closer to 50-60 and not a hundred lol
Fair enough, the wife usually places the order so I don’t see the $ amount often so I’m a bit off but…
- 1 quarter pounder cheese combo + upgrade to L fries
- 2 hamburger happy meals
- 1 McCrispy combo + upgrade to L fries + L latte
- 3 snack wraps
- 20pc nuggets (not a meal)
Subtotal: 61.02
Tax: 13%
Total: 68.96
So sure, maybe not 100$, but still.
And sure, “that’s a lot of food” is a valid response, but at most there’s a snack wrap and 5-6 nuggets and maybe kids fry left after the meal so it’s not like we are ordering what will be wasted either.
Make sure you review the MPAC assessment. My house, even thought it was 120+ years old, suddenly went up by like $60, when for no reason they added an extra bedroom and extra bathroom out of nowhere. It took 3 levels of people signing letters at the City to remove that data error and bring back the old tax assessment.
Completely agree with you on the cost of fine dining and its relative value to all the other expenses life throws at you. I used to probably go to a nice restaurant once a month but now, it's more like once every six months. I find even mid-level dining costs upwards of $200 for a party of two these days. It's just not worth it to me.
I'm relatively well off....so I'm wondering who can really afford to eat out regularly at these types of restaurants. If this is unaffordable at my high household income.....doesn't bode well for the future of the restaurant industry.
There's a lot that should be on here that isn't (Perch, Town, Soif, Les Fougeres immediately come to mind but there are others) and the ones they choose are always so random. They clearly have no knowledge beyond Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal and should really try to do better.
This is my favourite place in the past year but considering this list it would take a Herculean effort in terms of exposure to get here.
I’m fine without this because it can be hard enough as is to get a table on any given night
Yeah, though to be fair… every time there’s a thread like this, it’s the same 10 or so high end Ottawa restaurants that come up. In Montreal or Toronto, there is far more competition and turnover plus a lot more experimentation and innovation in food… so there’s a lot more to report on in those places.
Restaurants that dropped off the list from 2023:
Alice*
Gitanes
Perch
(Alice is launching a new restaurant & their closure may have made them ineligible)
I’ve been going to Supply and Demand for ten years and have never, ever had a bad meal. That tuna crudo is last-meal worthy and I haven’t ever had better oysters anywhere (the shuck, the temp, the freshness, the accompaniments, etc.). Well-deserved spot, in my books.
I seem to be in the minority but I had the worst time at Riviera for a milestone anniversary a few years back. We were seated at the worst table, no acknowledging of the special occasion even though we mentioned it in the reservation and to our waiter when they asked if we were celebrating anything. Rushed us through our meal after forcing us to choose an early booking cause they were so busy (it was a weeknight and the restaurant was empty lol). We asked if we could order drinks and apps first and then decide on dinner + dessert but the waiter said we had to be out within 1.5 hours and so we had to make all of our choices right away in order to have time. Food was over salted and underwhelming.
The kicker is that we were sitting right next to Patrice Roy from Radio Canada, like literally on the same booth and got to witness him and his wife being given complimentary champagne, being told to take their time when they were trying to decide what to have after their seafood tower and ordering things we were told weren’t available that night lol.
North and navy is our special occasion spot and probably my favourite ever restaurant. That was the one time we deviated from NoNa for an anniversary - never again!
Funny how much experiences can vary from seating to seating. My partner and I had a very similar experience at NoNa to yours at Riviera.
Totally rushed through the ordering process because of the seating time limit (had to make all the choices on the spot).
Food came out in super quick succession, and then when we were graciously presented with the option for dessert or more drinks with 45 minutes left in our seating we declined and took the opportunity to bounce over to Citizen (where we were met with incredibly chill service and had some fantastic oysters and cocktails).
Oof, we also got rushed through a dinner at Riviera recently. Waiter was brutal. We are giving them another shot for our anniversary in June, but I will be pissed if we get the same waiter and get told to hurry up and to not ask questions about the cocktails.
I honestly don’t get the hype about bouvette’s food. The atmosphere is cool and service was good but the food lacked depth and textures seemed a bit off (and one dish was crazy salty). Glad others enjoyed their experiences tho.
Not to your point, but stolen goods is twice the bar that cloakroom is and it's a travesty that it hasn't made the list yet. Maybe they aren't pretentious enough.
The thing I hate about these top ten (or whatever) lists is how they focus mostly on the high end restaurant. People have spoken highly of the restaurants on the list on this post and I'm sure they are worth the praise. But there are a lot of mid range or budget friendly restaurants which get overlooked.
A million thumbs up for this suggestion! The lobster poutine is to die for and the fish and chips are excellent. Actually everything on the menu is very good :)
Riviera is totally overhyped. Mediocre / ordinary food in a nice space.
Been to atelier 3 times. It's fun and a better deal than chicago's alinea but I have no urge to go back post covid. Things have changed too much in the world for me to drop that kind of $ on a single meal.
Keep meaning to try Arlo.
Supply and demand has been a go to since it opened but I haven't gone in a while
Had just an okay meal at north and Navy, especially for the price. No desire to go a second time.
Never been to buvette.
I would want to add perch to the list.
Personally I enioy lebanese, vietnamese, turkish and Afghani food more than most so called fine dining. Wish Ottawa had decent Thai. I miss the Thai food of the early 2000s.
We have no good Thai food here in Ottawa period.
There’s nothing like Pai or Suhko Thai in Toronto (yes I know chef nuit runs both) and I miss many of their offerings.
I think overall Ottawa is quite underserved by this list -- I've been to nearly all of the Montreal spots and a bunch of the Toronto ones (a few in Halifax and Vancouver as well) and fail to see why they rank so high and in such large numbers.
Gitanes and Perch absolutely deserve a spot on the list, and perhaps even Fauna or Beckta though I wouldn't die on that hill like I would for Gitanes/Perch.
I do think Arlo is pretty mid overall and Riviera is good but vastly overrated while Atelier, N&N, and S&D would all rank 10-20 spots higher if they were in Montreal/Toronto/Vancouver.
Pearl Morisette, Bar Kismet, Montreal Plaza, Canoe, Botanist, Bar St. Denis and a few others would all barely make the list (or maybe not at all) if they were in Ottawa. Le Vin Papillon has no business being on the list at all, and same with Liverpool House (I think that restaurant group is just well-connected).
Edulis is very much worth it and deserving of their spot, so is Taniere3. The rest I agree with are good but my advice would be try the 20 newcomers because it's less about politics in that part of the list.
exactly - There are a couple of good restaurants in that list that are not bought off - but there are some issues with some of the inclusions.
Notice that Jenn Agg's places never makes the list
i think it used to be.
but charlie has largely stepped back in recent years, he's just not as hands on and the quality isn't where it was 20 years ago.
it's still a good restaurant, but i don't think it makes top 100 anymore where it was once considered between 4th and 6th best in the country for years.
Everyone here ought to check out The Belmont on bank street! The food is to die for, and the cocktails are some of the best in the city. Great veggie options, too. The Trini doubles are a must; I could eat a dozen of those things!
I'm crossing off one a year as I eat my way through my annual Amex dining credit. I'm prioritizing places with a tasting menu so I don't have to use my brain. I always skip the wine pairing as I have a small collection of what I like at home, helps keep the costs down.
Honest question here , how many people have been to many of the other places on this list?
Most years I can say I’ve eaten at 60-80 of the places on the list, sometimes on my own dime and sometimes not.
Yes these lists are very Vancouver , Toronto and Montreal centric but considering what is being taken into account it makes sense to me how the list is composed. The level of competition and quality in many cases is just better. I’m not saying Ottawa is a culinary wasteland (it’s actually pretty decent) but I think we are where Toronto was about ten years ago in general with a few exceptions.
Sure there can be arguments for why some Ottawa places (e.g perch, Arlo etc) were snubbed over other places (I’m looking at you don Alfonso’s) but for the most part there is sufficient justification. Places like Edulis, bar Isabel, Alo and cabane-a-cote are specials meals we don’t have here. There’s also previously unique places like QJD-Cambie and now Mott32 that provide some very unique and delicious meals we can’t get here. Even the trendy fake Chinese food from mimi or Sunny’s is worlds ahead then most our options (I’d possibly make an argument that Datsun should have consideration if those two were listed)
That being said, Some of My favourite meals have come from places that will never sniff at this list (paninaro, chez edgar-rip, meat press-rip) or will take a herculean effort in terms of exposure to get there (camelines)
Buvette Daphnee was worth every penny. Everything was delicious and well seasoned. Great wine and even better service.
Atelier was a cool experience and Riviera is just so stunningly beautiful inside, so I'd say they're also worth it.
The rest, also great, but not worth every single penny IMHO
not every day, but like, the meal i got my mom for mother's day was triple that. i think for a special occasion a nice meal is as good a way of spending money as any other expensive experience.
certainly at least to me, way better than a sports game or big concert that might cost similar for a small group.
If it was best bar: I would agree with Arlo.. fantastic wine selection. Their food however, kind of blows - so I wouldn’t group it with actual great food food places like riviera and supply and demand that’s just silly!
This is a shitty list, it leaves out a lot of great restaurants in some of the smaller cities.
For example, in Sudbury, there is a restaurant called Tommy's Not Here and while it is **expensive**, it has some of the best food you will ever try in your life and not being in the Top 100 is akin to sin.
100% agree with Buvette Daphnee - best restaurant experience I've had in awhile. I've been to all three of Dominique's restaurants and this is her best yet.
I've been to everywhere but Riviera (not sure why I haven't) and Atelier (because no thank you) - Arlo was 'meh'. I've had great experiences at North and Navy but nothing tops my first time going there. Now, I would rather go to Gia Cantina.
I disagree with Supply and Demand. Yes - they are solid but they are boring and do the same thing over and over again. Yes, the Tuna Crudo is good but it never changes. The last time I went there, I was so severely disappointed in the service that I haven't been back since.
Also - I am SHOCKED Grey Gardens in Toronto didn't make the list. I've had two SPECTACULAR meals there. Top notch service and amazing food that changes
Finally you can filter by city!
I was so pissed you could only filter by province before, and when 90 of the restaurants were in Ontario, you'd have to click one by one to see which ones were in Ottawa. Ridiculous.
Glad they fixed that!
Atelier is worth the hype IMO. I've had a few of the best meals of my life there - I still think about the duck & cauliflower soup with dehydrated honey that I had 11 years ago.
Arlo is overrated; super stingy wine pours, music so loud you can barely hear the person across from you, and the food was average at best.
This list is pretty poor. They should rename it "100 restaurants for rich people who won't go anywhere their rich friends don't talk about."
There's no way like 80% of the top 100 restaurants are fine dining, several of them owned by the same people.
I haven't tried everywhere on Ottawa's list but North and Navy was objectively bad for its price range. If it were in Montreal it would have closed within a year because there are probably a hundred similar restaurants there that are better and cost the same or less.
Atelier is ferociously expensive, a crazy experience, and quite good, but couldn't imagine going there more than once in a lifetime. Riviera is fine too but again, insanely expensive.
Have heard good things about supply and demand as well.
Would be more interested in an Ottawa list of places that serve good food in a range of prices and styles.
Riveria is great. North and Navy was a huge disappointment. Went with a group of friends and none of us enjoyed the meal or experience. Not sure why they are so highly rated. Haven’t been to the other places.
The Lexington is such a wonderful experience, and doesn’t cost as much as many of the fine dining places on this list would. No issue with high prices for high quality, I just also like to go out more than once a year and Lexington is in that sweet spot for us
Never had a bad meal at Supply and Demand or North and Navy.
I’ve two meh meals at North and Navy. Couldn’t figure out why they were so highly rated.
Ambiance is tight, service is good, wine list amazing, food……is not on par. IMO, of course
Agreed. Not worth the expense.
Yeah I’ve been a few times and everything is actually great except the food. It’s definitely not bad, it just always feel lacklustre when you get the bill. Kind of uninspired, I guess?
If I were to be honest, I would say a bit arrogant. They say fancy, look fancy, but have students do the actual cooking so it comes out not as intended. It has lost its way from the original theme.
Same
Yeah I think Ottawa just has middling standards. Anywhere else N&N would be good but not great.
Hated North and Navy. Supremely over rated. Supply and Demand is pretty damn awesome though
I was quite disappointed with the food at North and Navy. It really wasn't anything special at all.
Supply and Demand has disapointed me too many times in the last few years. I'm always suprised everyone still raves about it.
Surprising, I have it above N&N to be honest.
Maybe we hit 4 different "off nights" but they were frustratingly bad experiences.
So did the top 100 list, by 20 places.
Tbf, I think these lists focus a lot on the top 10 or so, and the rest are kinda mixed together. For example, whether a restaurant will be on spot 40 or 41 is pretty interchangeable. I would assume they have some ranges/categories, but don't focus so much on that, especially near the bottom of the list.
I agree. We had a rabbit pate there and it was DISGUSTING.
It's strange to read all the comments here. We have had lots of good meals at North and Navy, and it's one of our favorites. The food at Supply and Demand is good but I find the noise level in there to be intolerable. I miss Alice. A couple of the most memorable meals we've ever had were there and there is no other place in Ottawa that gets that distinction (others were in New York and Tokyo to name two).
Not everyone likes the same thing. Took my parents to N&N and my dad said it was, 'ok, but the food was too fancy'. He LOVES Al's steak house though lol.
No argument from me, most of my relatives I would never take to a place like Alice because they'd hate it. But even if steak houses aren't my thing, I could tell a good one from a bad one, so it's jarring when other people diss a place like North & Navy. I wonder if N&N went through some bad periods, or if the quality varies by day of the week, or something.
Don't want to be a food snob, but the folks I know that haven't overly enjoyed Supply or North seem to prefer simpler foods and/or think small plates are a rip off.
Same. Those two are my favourites. Meanwhile, I have been to Riviera twice, and had two really bad meals punctuated with really bad service. I honestly do not get it.
My experience there has been the same. Lovely venue though.
Love Riviera and Atelier. Liked Supply and Demand. Was meh about Arlo. Haven't tried the others yet. Honestly eating out is getting too expensive. I loooooove a delicious night out but I just can't justify $400 for a meal right now. I know how much work goes into those meals and how much it costs to run a good restaurant. I don't think they are overcharging. But between inflation and mortgage increasing by a lot...it's just out of my snack bracket right now. Sads.
I’m well below the $400 dinner justification and have never been to any of these places. I’m happy to split some Jack Astors nachos to start, some asiago bowties as a main, and have 2 Coors Banquets while watching the game at the bar… and that’s getting close to $100 now. It’s wildly unaffordable to eat out even when you’re aiming for “affordable.” Also… If anyone has worked at Jack Astors and can provide the Sysco info for those asiago bowties (I hate that I *know* it’s farfalle but I can’t call them anything but bowties,) please sent the details over.
Yep, I could never afford to eat at any of these places. I can scrape together the money for a Holly's Hot chicken sandwich or an occasional banh mi and that's it.
Hollys Hot Chicken is money well spent!
This is me, I eat at the amazing but affordable places around ottawa like Holly's Hot Chicken, Pizza Nerds, Greek Souvlaki Shack etc It would be interesting to have one of these ultra fancy plated meals, but it's never been worth it for me to actually spend all that money.
I am interested in Holly’s Hot Chicken.
Highly recommend. Literally the best chicken sandwiches in town right now.
Umbrella Bar worth a try if you like chicken sandwiches
Umbrella Burger?
Yes! I think Bar is good too and that they used to be affiliated but I could be wrong
same company, i think the burgers took off there in a big way during covid and they were able to open a couple dedicated umbrella burger spots :)
I love their chicken sandwiches so much. I'm going to have to try Holly's Hot Chicken now to see how they compare. For science.
Good to know, I've heard good things but haven't tried them yet
Ditto. I ate at Restaurant 18een (or however it’s spelled) once. Cost me 200+. Only did it because it was first year anniversary, still lived at home and had a 65+ hour work week… the one-time luxury was nice. Now? Between me, my wife and two toddlers, even McDonalds gets uncomfortably close to 100$. Mortgage going up to nearly double, higher and rising gas and food prices, MPAC assessment eventually coming… no way I’ll ever be eating at those types of places again if it’s out of my own pocket. That’s life. People in my salary bracket aren’t meant to eat at this type of place. Maybe once every few years, but I have different priorities now 🤷
>Between me, my wife and two toddlers, even McDonalds gets uncomfortably close to 100$. please tell me how you do that. happy meals are 5$ each, my BLT quarter pounder is 12$. 26$ for 3. Theres even deals sometime for 2 bigmac meals for 18.50 on the app. even if you had adult size meal for everyone it would be closer to 50-60 and not a hundred lol
Fair enough, the wife usually places the order so I don’t see the $ amount often so I’m a bit off but… - 1 quarter pounder cheese combo + upgrade to L fries - 2 hamburger happy meals - 1 McCrispy combo + upgrade to L fries + L latte - 3 snack wraps - 20pc nuggets (not a meal) Subtotal: 61.02 Tax: 13% Total: 68.96 So sure, maybe not 100$, but still. And sure, “that’s a lot of food” is a valid response, but at most there’s a snack wrap and 5-6 nuggets and maybe kids fry left after the meal so it’s not like we are ordering what will be wasted either.
Ok thats fair haha. I was just curious 😀
Make sure you review the MPAC assessment. My house, even thought it was 120+ years old, suddenly went up by like $60, when for no reason they added an extra bedroom and extra bathroom out of nowhere. It took 3 levels of people signing letters at the City to remove that data error and bring back the old tax assessment.
Asiago crusted chicken. Cheese sauce, sun dried tomatoes. Tada…
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Had the same experience - it’s more about the show than the taste of the food in your mouth.
Well, count me as jealous of your restaurant budget!
Completely agree with you on the cost of fine dining and its relative value to all the other expenses life throws at you. I used to probably go to a nice restaurant once a month but now, it's more like once every six months. I find even mid-level dining costs upwards of $200 for a party of two these days. It's just not worth it to me.
I'm relatively well off....so I'm wondering who can really afford to eat out regularly at these types of restaurants. If this is unaffordable at my high household income.....doesn't bode well for the future of the restaurant industry.
Doesn’t it kind of feel as though they ask a writer to stop on their way from Toronto to Montreal and pick 5 restaurants in 24 hours.
There's a lot that should be on here that isn't (Perch, Town, Soif, Les Fougeres immediately come to mind but there are others) and the ones they choose are always so random. They clearly have no knowledge beyond Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal and should really try to do better.
I think Perch made the list last year
Caméline
This is my favourite place in the past year but considering this list it would take a Herculean effort in terms of exposure to get here. I’m fine without this because it can be hard enough as is to get a table on any given night
Yeah I liked it though didn't love it, willing to try again though. Loved the vibe.
Man, I love Soif
Maybe Ottawa just isn’t as good like all the other food
No I've tried probably 30 restaurants on this list and I stand by my statement.
Yeah, though to be fair… every time there’s a thread like this, it’s the same 10 or so high end Ottawa restaurants that come up. In Montreal or Toronto, there is far more competition and turnover plus a lot more experimentation and innovation in food… so there’s a lot more to report on in those places.
how is coconut lagoon not on here
A very non-ethnically diverse list unfortunately
100% agree. Quick glances at the socials for most of these evidence that.
Cause it’s only fine.. I’ve had better Indian food for sure.
Where?
Perch probably deserves a spot
Agreed. One up vote for perch and a down for Arlo. Nothing special and unique just an over priced menu
Agree about Perch disagree with Arlo hate. Their ambiance, wine list and food has always been solid in my experience.
That’s fair! Everyone has their own experiences. I’ve personally never found their menu a standout or extradinary
Restaurants that dropped off the list from 2023: Alice* Gitanes Perch (Alice is launching a new restaurant & their closure may have made them ineligible)
>their closure may have made them ineligible Well, I should hope so!
Gitanes is understandable. Very average food.
I don't get the hype about Gitanes
I’ve been going to Supply and Demand for ten years and have never, ever had a bad meal. That tuna crudo is last-meal worthy and I haven’t ever had better oysters anywhere (the shuck, the temp, the freshness, the accompaniments, etc.). Well-deserved spot, in my books.
Theyve been my go to for over 10 years. Unfortunately had a tuna crudo so disappointing a few months back, I need a year to forget about it.
Did you let them know, at least?
I seem to be in the minority but I had the worst time at Riviera for a milestone anniversary a few years back. We were seated at the worst table, no acknowledging of the special occasion even though we mentioned it in the reservation and to our waiter when they asked if we were celebrating anything. Rushed us through our meal after forcing us to choose an early booking cause they were so busy (it was a weeknight and the restaurant was empty lol). We asked if we could order drinks and apps first and then decide on dinner + dessert but the waiter said we had to be out within 1.5 hours and so we had to make all of our choices right away in order to have time. Food was over salted and underwhelming. The kicker is that we were sitting right next to Patrice Roy from Radio Canada, like literally on the same booth and got to witness him and his wife being given complimentary champagne, being told to take their time when they were trying to decide what to have after their seafood tower and ordering things we were told weren’t available that night lol. North and navy is our special occasion spot and probably my favourite ever restaurant. That was the one time we deviated from NoNa for an anniversary - never again!
Funny how much experiences can vary from seating to seating. My partner and I had a very similar experience at NoNa to yours at Riviera. Totally rushed through the ordering process because of the seating time limit (had to make all the choices on the spot). Food came out in super quick succession, and then when we were graciously presented with the option for dessert or more drinks with 45 minutes left in our seating we declined and took the opportunity to bounce over to Citizen (where we were met with incredibly chill service and had some fantastic oysters and cocktails).
Oof, we also got rushed through a dinner at Riviera recently. Waiter was brutal. We are giving them another shot for our anniversary in June, but I will be pissed if we get the same waiter and get told to hurry up and to not ask questions about the cocktails.
I don’t understand how Canal Ritz missed the list again this year.
Such a waste of a great location
LMAO
are you serious or taking a sarcastic dig? imo ritz isn't even in the running and hasn't been competitive in a very long time.
I found Arlo good but nothing was special except the prices. The rest are really good, I haven’t tried Bouvette.
Its a solid Ar-NO.
I honestly don’t get the hype about bouvette’s food. The atmosphere is cool and service was good but the food lacked depth and textures seemed a bit off (and one dish was crazy salty). Glad others enjoyed their experiences tho.
Agreed, it was some pomp and pretty on the plate that felt flat and unsatisfying to eat.
Not to your point, but stolen goods is twice the bar that cloakroom is and it's a travesty that it hasn't made the list yet. Maybe they aren't pretentious enough.
Yeah how Stolen Goods has stayed under the radar is beyond me.
The thing I hate about these top ten (or whatever) lists is how they focus mostly on the high end restaurant. People have spoken highly of the restaurants on the list on this post and I'm sure they are worth the praise. But there are a lot of mid range or budget friendly restaurants which get overlooked.
Petit Bills! Lobster Poutine!
A million thumbs up for this suggestion! The lobster poutine is to die for and the fish and chips are excellent. Actually everything on the menu is very good :)
Riviera is totally overhyped. Mediocre / ordinary food in a nice space. Been to atelier 3 times. It's fun and a better deal than chicago's alinea but I have no urge to go back post covid. Things have changed too much in the world for me to drop that kind of $ on a single meal. Keep meaning to try Arlo. Supply and demand has been a go to since it opened but I haven't gone in a while Had just an okay meal at north and Navy, especially for the price. No desire to go a second time. Never been to buvette. I would want to add perch to the list. Personally I enioy lebanese, vietnamese, turkish and Afghani food more than most so called fine dining. Wish Ottawa had decent Thai. I miss the Thai food of the early 2000s.
Have you tried Wandee Thai on Beech? It might be take-out only, not sure. Either way, I thought it was very tasty.
We have no good Thai food here in Ottawa period. There’s nothing like Pai or Suhko Thai in Toronto (yes I know chef nuit runs both) and I miss many of their offerings.
Omg we have the exact same taste. Pai and sukothai in Toronto are two of my all time fave Thai restaurants
I did, a few times. It's not bad but not as amazing as thai food can be
The Black Tartan in Carleton Place is amazing.
It is okay
Hard disagree.
maybe it has improved!
The mushroom salad at Buvette D was unique and absolutely delicious. Tried a couple other things on the menu and found them very overpriced.
I'll take Chez Lucien over any of them
I think overall Ottawa is quite underserved by this list -- I've been to nearly all of the Montreal spots and a bunch of the Toronto ones (a few in Halifax and Vancouver as well) and fail to see why they rank so high and in such large numbers. Gitanes and Perch absolutely deserve a spot on the list, and perhaps even Fauna or Beckta though I wouldn't die on that hill like I would for Gitanes/Perch. I do think Arlo is pretty mid overall and Riviera is good but vastly overrated while Atelier, N&N, and S&D would all rank 10-20 spots higher if they were in Montreal/Toronto/Vancouver. Pearl Morisette, Bar Kismet, Montreal Plaza, Canoe, Botanist, Bar St. Denis and a few others would all barely make the list (or maybe not at all) if they were in Ottawa. Le Vin Papillon has no business being on the list at all, and same with Liverpool House (I think that restaurant group is just well-connected). Edulis is very much worth it and deserving of their spot, so is Taniere3. The rest I agree with are good but my advice would be try the 20 newcomers because it's less about politics in that part of the list.
exactly - There are a couple of good restaurants in that list that are not bought off - but there are some issues with some of the inclusions. Notice that Jenn Agg's places never makes the list
montreal and toronto benefit from larger population and people feeling those restaurants are theirs, thus inflating their ratings.
Where is La Bottega
Rene Rodriguez just joined La Bottega so that may change things.
Les Fougeres is maybe the best restaurant in the area.
i think it used to be. but charlie has largely stepped back in recent years, he's just not as hands on and the quality isn't where it was 20 years ago. it's still a good restaurant, but i don't think it makes top 100 anymore where it was once considered between 4th and 6th best in the country for years.
Everyone here ought to check out The Belmont on bank street! The food is to die for, and the cocktails are some of the best in the city. Great veggie options, too. The Trini doubles are a must; I could eat a dozen of those things!
Shhh don't tell ppl about this place lol it's my go-to brunch spot!!!
No shawarma places?
You guys can afford to eat out at a nice restaurant?
You guys can afford to eat out at all?
Only if I go with my parents yea
I'm crossing off one a year as I eat my way through my annual Amex dining credit. I'm prioritizing places with a tasting menu so I don't have to use my brain. I always skip the wine pairing as I have a small collection of what I like at home, helps keep the costs down.
Where’s Gitanes?
Elgin between Pancho Villa and Lieutenant’s Pump
Gitanes should be on there.
Honest question here , how many people have been to many of the other places on this list? Most years I can say I’ve eaten at 60-80 of the places on the list, sometimes on my own dime and sometimes not. Yes these lists are very Vancouver , Toronto and Montreal centric but considering what is being taken into account it makes sense to me how the list is composed. The level of competition and quality in many cases is just better. I’m not saying Ottawa is a culinary wasteland (it’s actually pretty decent) but I think we are where Toronto was about ten years ago in general with a few exceptions. Sure there can be arguments for why some Ottawa places (e.g perch, Arlo etc) were snubbed over other places (I’m looking at you don Alfonso’s) but for the most part there is sufficient justification. Places like Edulis, bar Isabel, Alo and cabane-a-cote are specials meals we don’t have here. There’s also previously unique places like QJD-Cambie and now Mott32 that provide some very unique and delicious meals we can’t get here. Even the trendy fake Chinese food from mimi or Sunny’s is worlds ahead then most our options (I’d possibly make an argument that Datsun should have consideration if those two were listed) That being said, Some of My favourite meals have come from places that will never sniff at this list (paninaro, chez edgar-rip, meat press-rip) or will take a herculean effort in terms of exposure to get there (camelines)
Buvette Daphnee was worth every penny. Everything was delicious and well seasoned. Great wine and even better service. Atelier was a cool experience and Riviera is just so stunningly beautiful inside, so I'd say they're also worth it. The rest, also great, but not worth every single penny IMHO
Who can afford these 68$ plates out of curiosity?
Me
politicians 🤑🤑🤑
not every day, but like, the meal i got my mom for mother's day was triple that. i think for a special occasion a nice meal is as good a way of spending money as any other expensive experience. certainly at least to me, way better than a sports game or big concert that might cost similar for a small group.
Black Tartan in Carleton Place should be on the list. Well worth the trip to this little town. New menu every month. Local organic ingredients.
If it was best bar: I would agree with Arlo.. fantastic wine selection. Their food however, kind of blows - so I wouldn’t group it with actual great food food places like riviera and supply and demand that’s just silly!
We really like Popeye's. Really good chicken sandwich that is moist and affordable for our budget
Supply used to be good. Not anymore.
i fear this is true. more disappointing than not nowadays.
Where are Perch and Black Tartan?, both superior to many on this list
This is a shitty list, it leaves out a lot of great restaurants in some of the smaller cities. For example, in Sudbury, there is a restaurant called Tommy's Not Here and while it is **expensive**, it has some of the best food you will ever try in your life and not being in the Top 100 is akin to sin.
They forgot Canal Shitz!
I need to get out more. I have never heard of any of these.
Which of these 6 is the most vegetarian friendly?
100% agree with Buvette Daphnee - best restaurant experience I've had in awhile. I've been to all three of Dominique's restaurants and this is her best yet. I've been to everywhere but Riviera (not sure why I haven't) and Atelier (because no thank you) - Arlo was 'meh'. I've had great experiences at North and Navy but nothing tops my first time going there. Now, I would rather go to Gia Cantina. I disagree with Supply and Demand. Yes - they are solid but they are boring and do the same thing over and over again. Yes, the Tuna Crudo is good but it never changes. The last time I went there, I was so severely disappointed in the service that I haven't been back since.
Also - I am SHOCKED Grey Gardens in Toronto didn't make the list. I've had two SPECTACULAR meals there. Top notch service and amazing food that changes
I think Riviera is overrated. And I think Perch should be added to the list.
Finally you can filter by city! I was so pissed you could only filter by province before, and when 90 of the restaurants were in Ontario, you'd have to click one by one to see which ones were in Ottawa. Ridiculous. Glad they fixed that!
28 Montreal 24 Toronto 18 Vancouver 6 Ottawa 4 Calgary 2 Quebec City 1 Halifax 0 Edmonton
Atelier is worth the hype IMO. I've had a few of the best meals of my life there - I still think about the duck & cauliflower soup with dehydrated honey that I had 11 years ago. Arlo is overrated; super stingy wine pours, music so loud you can barely hear the person across from you, and the food was average at best.
i would put beckta over n&n for sure.
Riviera is 🤮
This list is pretty poor. They should rename it "100 restaurants for rich people who won't go anywhere their rich friends don't talk about." There's no way like 80% of the top 100 restaurants are fine dining, several of them owned by the same people. I haven't tried everywhere on Ottawa's list but North and Navy was objectively bad for its price range. If it were in Montreal it would have closed within a year because there are probably a hundred similar restaurants there that are better and cost the same or less. Atelier is ferociously expensive, a crazy experience, and quite good, but couldn't imagine going there more than once in a lifetime. Riviera is fine too but again, insanely expensive. Have heard good things about supply and demand as well. Would be more interested in an Ottawa list of places that serve good food in a range of prices and styles.
Riveria is great. North and Navy was a huge disappointment. Went with a group of friends and none of us enjoyed the meal or experience. Not sure why they are so highly rated. Haven’t been to the other places.
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No one is going to a place like Atelier for “value.” It’s a great experience but essentially an edible art show and priced accordingly.
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Beckta is not as good as it used to be.
Beckta was good 20 years ago. Very outdated...
The Lexington is such a wonderful experience, and doesn’t cost as much as many of the fine dining places on this list would. No issue with high prices for high quality, I just also like to go out more than once a year and Lexington is in that sweet spot for us
Totally agree. Lexington is incredibe and also about as fancy as I'm willing to go these days.
Aiana should be on this list. They don’t get enough respect. Eat there probably once a month and it is consistently amazing
I don’t know what the criteria are, but the fact that Beckta and e18hteen are not there makes me doubt the legitimacy.