Where are Ottawa's best eateries?
We had friends / business aquaintances in from western Canada and wanted to show them the best!
A place that has a beautiful street setting, a little bit of a food destination that has a vibe to it.
And it was an easy choice ✅
And that was Elgin Street right along the Golden Triangle neighbourhood in downtown Ottawa.
The Golden Triangle neighbourhood is just to the east of Elgin Street along the Canal.
It's walking distance to the hotel district.
It has great walking score for all the eateries.
When you think of Ottawa and you think of Elgin Street, you think of a real variety of cuisines where whether it's French cuisine, Italian, lots of Asian options including Thai, Korean and Japanese, and a variety of nuvo kind of foodies and some really awesome Mexican taco joints as well.
And then to impress the guests, there is a variety of places that have really stepped it up and places that you go to for again, a business meeting and or a celebration, graduation anniversary or a birthday party where you really wanted to up the tempo not only the, the style of food and the luxury of that, but also the tempo of the service, better service experience in this service economy that we're in and the variety.
And on the north end it starts at Beckta which is in the old Fridays Roast Beef house building.
Then you hit Harmon's, which is absolutely decadent with the best of service that I've experienced in a long time in Ottawa.
And, and below that is Abby's, which is a cocktail bar which is excellent.
And if you're there, say hello to Tom!
He is just an unbelievable artist in the beverage making space.
There's Al's Steakhouse which has been redone in the last few years when you walk in, Sam will greet you and check in on you during your dinner.
That's kind of the who's who bar or restaurant in Ottawa.
⭐They all meet on Elgin Street. That's where the local celebrities hang out.
And you're sure to see somebody that's famous, either a hockey player or maybe it's a politician or a celebrity that's visiting Ottawa .
Gitanes is one of my favourites.
The French restaurant right next to Lieutenants Pump, which I'll come back to and The Town restaurant which is a long narrow restaurant. It's great!
Has a sister bar called Citizens right on the other side. Wonderful service there.
Great food and lots of fun always.
And then there's a casual setting when you just want to meet with friends after work or on the weekend or during a post game of Ottawa Senators there.
There was lots of excitement there during the last ⚽ World Cup, the streets were alive.
Everybody was out on the patios and those places would be like the Lieutenant's Pump, which has got a great patio on it.
✨Always a good energy and vibe and it's very spacious.
El Camino is across the street.
There's a rear patio
I love to show up there on my bike
The tacos are decadent and they make a great Margarita.
Pancho Villa is across the street. Always a legendary place for mexican food.
It's got one of the best patios up front, a great spot for people watching as well.
And then there's lots of pubs on the north end, British pub on one side and a Scottish pub on the other, both with, with exterior patios.
And don't let me forget the Whalesbone!
The Whalesbone is a great spot for oysters.
Seafood
That kind of East Coast flair has a rear patio which is awesome.
But I like to sit at the counter right in front of Barnes who shucks oysters all day long.
It tells you about everything, really entertaining person and a lot of fun to be with.
And then don't forget the breakfast scene on Elgin because Elgin Street never sleeps.
And that would start with the Elgin Street Diner which is open 24/7. Its comfort food and breakfasts are phenomenal.
Staff's been there a very long time.
Great location right next to that is The Manx Pub, which is a bit of a cult classic bar. You go down a few stairs, there's just a little sign up front.
So you kind of have to know about it.
Mostly locals hang out there.
The food is great
The service is phenomenal and it's open Saturdays and Sundays for brunch at 10 AM.
And there's always a line up.
Going a little farther north at the north end, you're going to hit Zak's Diner.
It's a staple in Ottawa.
It's a brand throughout Ottawa and all those restaurants are locally owned.
And so you're supporting local, you're supporting local chefs, local eateries and supporting our local streets, our food street and that would be Elgin Street.
I love living here.
I love working here.❤
♂My name is Greg Hamre from RE/MAX Affiliates in Ottawa and the Hamre Real Estate Team.
If you're looking for a restaurant and you can't find it, just reach out to us.
But we know where the greatest restaurants are and the greatest strip and that would be Elgin Street.
That gets my vote.✅
Hope to see you soon on Elgin.