Ranking Recent Restaurants

Ottawa experiences from 2024-2026

I’m ranking these Ottawa restaurants based on how likely I am to visit them again. Much of this is down to personal preference and of course this is just one person’s opinion. I like Lanzhou noodles more than ramen, burgers, and even sushi so noodles rank higher. Places near the bottom of the list aren’t necessarily terrible, it may simply be that I have a preferred alternative so I’m unlikely to return.

Leave a comment if anything here particularly shocks you or if you have any suggestions! Don’t worry too much about exact positioning—any cluster of ten is basically the same level.

1. Le Mien - Craft Noodle — hand pulled Lanzhou noodles in delicious soup

2. Adam Bakes — top notch Viennoiseries (croissants, etc)

3. Mama Mai — authentic, diverse, and excellent Vietnamese dishes!

4. Elina Patisserie — expertly crafted and delicious pâtisserie

5. Anthony’s — excellent Neapolitan style pizza; focaccia is a must try

6. Maison Oddo — incredible breads and good pastries

7. Jimmy’s Waffle World — gourmet waffle dishes; waffle fries are so good

8. Baklava King — top notch baklava; faves are cashew, almond, walnut

9. Khao Thai Street Food — favourite Thai option in town

10. Mr Samoona Grill & Bakery — awesome Iraqi grilled meat and breads

11. Kanata Noodle House — delicious and generous Vietnamese dishes

12. Ottawa Shawarma (Clyde) — best shawarma in town!

13. Golden Ox Noodles — superb Southeast Asian dishes

14. Gitanes — best date night spot, exceptional steak frites

15. Ng’s Kitchen — best Cantonese and dim sum since the big places closed

16. Jadeland — best General Tso’s chicken in town

17. Pili Pili Charcoal Grilled Chicken — mind blowing charcoal chicken

18. LA LA Noodles — very good hand pulled Lanzhou noodles

19. Sheikh Almandi — amazing aromatic mandi rice, good chicken

20. Authentic Vietnamese — authentic isn’t just a name, tasty dishes

21. Lollo — tasty meal sized salads

22. Meet Noodle — very good hand pulled Lanzhou noodles

23. Nagi Sushi — best sushi around, priced accordingly

24. Lexington Smokehouse — good fried chicken, amazing cornbread

25. The Clarendon Tavern — tasty bistro food, nice patio

26. Sapporo Sushi — best sushi for the price (esp. lunch specials)

27. The Grand Pizzeria — very good Neapolitan style pizza; hot sauce is yum

28. Allô mon Coco — best chain breakfast, lots of options

29. Heartbreaker’s — top notch North American style pizza and cake

30. Bread By Us — good breads and Viennoiserie, intense sourdough

31. Pho K Fusion — cheerful and diverse Vietnamese and fusion dishes

32. Happy Lamb Hot Pot — tasty broths and generous selection AYCE

33. Umbrella Bar — good chicken burger and amazing calamari

34. Pita Bell Kabab — really good grilled meat feasts

35. The Cheshire Cat Pub — great pizza, fish & chips, and beer

36. Dosa King — best spot for masala dosa!

37. SuzyQ Doughnuts — best yeast doughnuts in town

38. Mezbaan — tasty Afghan spicy chicken on aromatic rice

39. Kal’s Place (breakfast) — best bacon, sausage, and home fries

40. Feifung Kitchen — good Vietnamese food

41. Taj Indian Cuisine — good Indian food but expensive

42. Dessert First (brunch) — really nice brunch and breakfast plates

43. The Glen Scottish Pub — excellent Scottish dishes; yorkie bowl

44. Pong’s Poutine — best thin-fry style poutine

45. Siam Bistro — very good Thai food

46. Turkish Kebab House — pretty good grilled meats and very good bread

47. Gezellig (brunch) — pretty tasty, elevated brunch

48. Machboos — super delicious chicken, good rice, plates and cutlery optional

49. Amandine Pâtisserie — authentic French café

50. The Belmont (brunch) — decent brunch plates

51. The Brew Table — pub fare, better than the Irish chains

52. Edo Japan — best super affordable sushi and stirfries

53. Thai Lanna — decent Thai food

54. Uncle Carmine’s — excellent sandwiches, if your tastes lean sweet

55. Heart & Crown Pub (Preston) — very good fish and chips

56. Mi Amor Tacos — tasty tacos, lots of meat, good salsa, bad churros

57. Halibut House — best chain fish and chips

58. Bite & Bite Shanghai Fried Bun — tasty fried buns and dumplings

59. Grounded Scratch Kitchen (breakfast) — solid breakfast plates

60. Art-Is-In Bakery — unique and good brunch plates, pricey treats

61. Mati (brunch) — decent brunch plates, good mushroom toast

62. DAO Cafe — interesting and pricey treats; some great, some not

63. Pizza Nerds — good tasty craft pizza but I prefer traditional Neapolitan

64. Lusa Bakery — best Portuguese pastries and food, but the bar is set low

65. Mill Street Brewpub — good beer, nice patio

66. Gyubee Japanese Grill — too much meat but cool experience

67. DUKES (brunch) — decent brunch if you want something different

68. My Thai Village — affordable Thai food

69. Merivale Station — stunning value and portion sizes

70. Chesterfield’s Gastro Diner — nice place, good skillets, vinegary holly

71. Persis Grill — okay Persian food, disappointing rice, nice spot

72. 3 Brasseurs — good beef stew, mediocre pub food

73. Taters — good poutine, bad fish and chips

74. Shawarma Palace — okay but nothing like it used to be

75. Noodle House 79 — decent Vietnamese, but quality has gone down

76. Ralph & Sons — good breakfast but crazy expensive

77. Sansotei Ramen — probably the best ramen but I don’t love ramen

78. Rayon Poissonerie — interesting seafood place, brute force cooking

79. Markie’s Smoked Meat — okay smoked meat, bad fish and chips

80. Fratelli (Westboro) — pizza is okay but there is much better available

81. Wolf Down — tasty enough but a shawarma is better

82. Al’s Diner (breakfast) — good standard breakfast, but prices jumped recently

83. Farinella — pizza is only good if you order a whole one; great gelato

84. Fairouz Cafe — okay Lebanese food

85. Cantina Gia — okay Italian food

86. Sea King Seafood — okay Chinese food

87. Yolks — good breakfasts and Benedicts but skip beignets and pancakes

88. Shawarma Al Mouna — good but not the best; excellent lentil soup

89. Saffron Kabab — okay Persian food, disappointing rice

90. Kuidaore — okay ramen; very good karaage (fried chicken)

91. Phở Tuan — people love it but I thought it lacked herbs and flavour

92. Bar Lupulus — pretty tasty, small portions

93. Cocotte Bistro (brunch) — amazing Hollandaise sauce, the rest was meh

94. The Third (breakfast) — decent food, best value in town

95. Stacked Pancake House — solid chain breakfast

96. Lorenzo’s Pizza (Carling) — good thick Ottawa-style pizza

97. 168 Sushi Japanese Buffet — pretty bad but it’s okay for AYCE

98. Tavern at the Gallery — pretty bad pizza but amazing atmosphere

99. Chez Lucien — overrated burgers, bonus points for fries + salad though

100. El Furniture Warehouse — affordable food that’s decent enough

101. Wilf & Ada’s (breakfast) — scratch is cool but the result isn’t the tastiest

102. Thai Flame — okay Thai dishes but pad see ew was mostly cabbage?

103. Pi Squared Pizzeria — unique rectangular pizza, good cheese, sad crust

104. Charm Thai — just okay Thai food

105. Digby’s — family size fish and chips is super generous but greasy

106. Lone Star Texas Grill — expensive shell of its former self

107. EVOO Greek Kitchen — super disappointing octopus, excellent chicken

108. TAKSIM Sweets & Bakes — disappointing and expensive baklava

109. Mandarin Buffet — you get full just as you find the one dish worth eating

110. The Burger’s Priest — you had one job; the burger wasn’t good

111. strEATS Kanata Kitchen — used to be good, now awful; freezer burnt fish

112. Mellos Coffee Shop — breakfast: low price but even lower quality

113. Rang De Indian Cuisine — mid dosa, poor service, solicit google reviews

114. Zoe’s (afternoon tea) — refrigerated food, sadness for the price

Like all of my list style posts, this one is subject to revision as I learn and try new things. My plan is to continue to make changes here and then republish once the modifications are sufficient to make it worth reading again (not more than once per year).