Things to do in Ottawa
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Beckta Dining & Wine
This excellent upmarket option puts an original spin on regional cuisine. The inspired five-course tasting menu ($79) is the collective brainchild of the chef and sommelier. Ingredients are unpronounceable, which must mean they’re gourmet. A second location – dubbed ‘Play Food & Wine’ – has recently opened in the Market district, and offers similar fare with a tapas twist.
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ByWard Market
The ByWard Market, at the corner of George St and ByWard St, is the best place in town for one-stop shopping. Vendors cluster around the old maroon-brick market building, erected in the 1840s. Outdoor merchants operate booths from 6am to 6pm year-round (although the winter weather drastically reduces the number of businesses). In summer, over 175 stalls fill the streets, selling fresh produce from local farms, flowers, seafood, cheese, baked goods and kitschy souvenirs. Dalhousie St, a block east of the market, has been rising in popularity with a smattering of hipster boutiques and fashion houses.
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Le Cordon Bleu Bistro @ Signatures
This sensational dining experience, housed in a Tudor-style castle, is the on-site restaurant of the prestigious Cordon Bleu culinary school. Fear not, your meal won’t be cooked by fumbling students; the à la carte dinners are prepared by the well-seasoned instructors and the weekday lunches are crafted by the graduating students. Award-winning menus feature some of Canada’s finest harvests, and the lengthy wine list looks more like an encyclopedia.
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Brasserie Métropolitain
This trendy hot spot puts a modern spin on the typical brasserie with a swirling zinc countertop, flamboyant fixtures and the subtle oompah-pah from a distant accordion – you’ll feel like you’re dining on the set of Moulin Rouge. ‘Hill Hour’ (4pm to 7pm on weekdays) buzzes with the spirited chatter of hot-blooded politicos as they down discounted drinks and $1 oysters.
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Zak’s Diner
Shoo-bop along to the ’50s music that supplements the Grease-like atmosphere. The kitschy diner is at its best in the middle of the night when the joint fills up for post-party munchies. The club sandwich is a big hit, as are the breakfast items. Wraps are also on offer, so it’s not a total time warp.
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Wellington Gastropub
Although ‘gastropub’ sounds like some sort of British indigestion, this up-and-comer is luring foodies to the west end of town with a savvy selection of hearty meat mains served by tatted waiters. The menu rotates daily, offering up the best local produce with a pint of crafted microbrew.
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Horn of Africa
This slightly tattered, local Ethiopian hangout warrants a visit for excellent exotic stews and dishes eaten with injera, an East African flatbread. A combo platter offers samples from all over the menu, including some spicy chicken and succulent vegetarian options.
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Canal Ritz
Canal Ritz wins when it comes to location - the spacious restaurant is practically floating on the Rideau Canal. Munch on a designer pizza, like 'pear and brie,' and watch the boats float by in summer, or catch the frenzied rush of skaters when the river freezes over.
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Yangtze
Ottawa’s mother ship of authentic Chinese cuisine is a jade palace in the heart of Chinatown. You’ll love the ‘bird nest’ – a crunchy vermicelli basket that can hold a variety of dishes. The daily dim sum tempts the palate with an assortment of steamed appetizers.
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Pilos
This excellent Greek joint is hidden in a nondescript plaza east of downtown. You won't find any tourists here, just contented locals savoring colorful combinations of juicy souvlaki and battered calamari. Take Rideau St east until it turns into Montréal Rd.
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The Works
This western-style chow house takes burgers to a new level. At the Works you can brand your juicy patty with over 60 quirky toppings, be it spinach leaves, fried eggs, brie cheese or even peanut butter. It’ll fill you up without emptying your wallet.
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Lapointe
This fish market has been serving the community since 1867, and is the undisputed top vendor of fresh fish in Ottawa. The market restaurant is Lapointe’s newest avatar, offering virtually every kind of fish from sashimi to breaded fish and chips.
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Zaphod Beeblebrox
‘Zaphod Beeblebrox’ means ‘kick-ass live music venue’ in an otherwise undecipherable alien tongue. Grab a Gargleblaster cocktail, and let the trippy beats (from New Age to thumping African rhythms) take you on a ride to the edge of the universe.
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Colonnade Pizza
Hungry locals have flocked to this trusty trattoria for over four decades. One of the reasons for its enduring popularity is the gooey cheese pizzas that never fail to satisfy.
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Boulanger Français
The smell of freshly baked pain au chocolat will destroy even the smallest of diets. Pastries are prepared using tried-and-true recipes from France.
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Parliament Hill
Vast yawning archways dominate this stunning complex of copper-topped towers. The city’s most picture-perfect attraction by far, Parliament is Canada’s nexus of political activity. The primary building, Centre Block, supports the iconic Peace Tower, the highest structure in the city. Venture inside to peruse the hand-carved limestone and make a stop at the gorgeous library with its wood and wrought iron. Visitors are allowed to see the Commons and Senate while they’re in session. Question Period in the House of Commons is particularly popular, occurring every afternoon and at 11am on Fridays. Admission is on a first-come first-served basis.
Free 45-minute tours run …
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National Gallery of Canada
Canada’s largest art gallery is a must, housing the largest collection of Canadian and Inuit art in the world. The structure is a piece of art in itself – one of Ottawa’s modern architectural gems. The striking ensemble of glass and pink granite was concocted by Moshe Safdie, a noted architect who also created Montréal’s well-known ‘Habitat’ (a unique apartment complex). His emphatic glass spires at the museum’s rear echo the ornate copper-topped towers of the Parliament nearby. The dialogue between the heavy metallic roof and the floating crystalline steeple is magical even on the dreariest of days.
On the interior, the vaulted galleries display classic an…
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Canadian Museum of Civilization
This must-see museum documents the history of Canada through a spectacular range of exhibits. The stone exterior has been sculpted into smooth ripples – like the undulating wave of a current. In fact, you won’t find any corners at the museum, as it is believed in aboriginal lore that the evil spirits live in these angled nooks. Allow at least an entire afternoon to explore the museum and to take in the stunning views of the Parliament across the river.
The Grand Hall, with its simulated forest and seashore, illuminates the northwest coastal aboriginal cultures with towering colorful totem poles. Kids get a passport when they enter the Canadian Children’s Museum, a v…
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Canada Science & Technology Museum
This hands-on museum, about 6km southeast of downtown, is a wonderful place to tickle the senses. Ambient squeaks and boinks fill the air as contented visitors gingerly turn knobs and push buttons.
Clever displays are designed to teach visitors about the basic scientific laws that govern our world. Permanent collections explore optical illusions, the laws of physics, and Time, with a capital ‘T.’ A walk through the Crazy Kitchen is a must – the lopsided galley dips at a 10-degree angle causing passers-through to cling to the railings as they try to stumble from start to finish. Climb aboard the heavy-duty trains at the back of the museum to learn about the science beh…
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ZenKitchen
Let’s face it folks, this could mean the end of the meat industry – Zen-Kitchen will baffle even the biggest of carnivores with its savvy menu of vegan-chic superlatives. The owners, Caroline and Dave, have years of culinary training between the two of ’em – they’re also the stars of a hit reality TV show that documented their ‘restaurant adventures.’ Voted the best new restaurant in the city in 2009, this unique dining concept offers up healthful dishes that pay tribute to a colorful clash of continents. Oh, and the wine! Let’s not forget about the wine! Enjoy a lip-smacking selection of expertly chosen bottles – most come from Ontario, and although the region may not ha…
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Canada Agricultural Museum
Nope, the Canada Agricultural Museum isn’t about the history of the pitchfork – it’s a fascinating experimental farm. The government-owned property, southwest of downtown, includes about 500 hectares of gardens and ranches. Kids will love the livestock as they hoot and snort around the barn. The affable farmhands will even let the tots help out during feeding time. Guided tours lead visitors to an observatory, a tropical greenhouse and an arboretum. The rolling farmland is the perfect place for a scenic summer picnic, and in winter the grounds become a prime tobogganing locale. The farm can be reached on the city’s network of cycling routes.
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Canadian War Museum
This museum still has that new-car smell. The metallic building is itself an eye-catching sculptural gesture, and is worth a glance even if you don’t plan on visiting the exhibits. Fascinating displays wind through the labyrinthine interior, tracing the country’s military history with Canada’s most comprehensive collection of military artifacts. Many of the exhibits were constructed on a human scale, including a haunting life-sized replica of a WWI trench. Don’t forget to take a second look at the facade in the evening – flickering lights pulse on and off spelling ‘Lest We Forget’ and ‘CWM’ in Morse code (in both English and French, of course).
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Canada Aviation and Space Museum
With nearly 120 aircraft housed in the steel triangular hangar, the aviation museum almost feels bigger than Ottawa’s actual airport. Stroll through the mammoth warehouse, try the flight simulator, and get up close and personal with colorful planes ranging from the Silver Dart of 1909 to the first turbo-powered Viscount passenger jet.
Call ahead to check opening hours, as they vary according to attendance levels and time of year. If you show up an hour before closing, you might be let in for free. The museum is 5km northeast (along Rockcliffe Pkwy). Take bus 129 from downtown.
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Royal Canadian Mint
Although Canada’s circulation-coin mint is in Winnipeg, the royal mint holds its own by striking special pieces like the Olympic medals for the Vancouver games. In fact, the imposing stone building, which looks a bit like the ominous Tower of London, has been Canada’s major gold refiner since 1908. Excellent tours (reservations recommended) of the coin-making process are offered regularly (as often as every 15 minutes in the height of summer) – during the workweek, visitors can glimpse the transformation as sheets of metal are spun into loads of coins. Sorry, no free samples.
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Canadian Museum of Nature
Sparkling after a massive, seemingly endless renovation, this vast museum pokes its Gothic head up just beyond the skyline, south of downtown. The gaping four-story museum houses an impressive collection of fossils, minerals and animals, a full skeleton of a blue whale, and an excellent stock of dinosaurs from Alberta. Everyone’s favorite section is the realistic mammal and bird dioramas depicting Canadian wildlife. The taxidermic creatures are so lifelike, you’ll be glad that they’re behind a sheet of glass.
Buses 5, 6 and 14 transport passengers to McLeod St.
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