ottawa foodies

Hi,
My wife is visiting Ottawa for the first time this week and she will be dining alone on the first night.

Any recommendations for a good place to sit at the bar and enjoy some quality food. I have done a little bit of research and thought Wellington Gastropub sounds good. Anything else?

Thanks,

John

Yup, absolutely the Gastropub!

I'll put my thinking cap on for more ideas

I've enjoyed solitary dining at Fratelli in the Glebe. I don't see why the Westboro one wouldn't be nice as well. You can hitch up to the bar, or get a small table. Also, Thursday nights at Cafe Paradiso, they have live jazz ( Elise Letourneau Duo I believe). Not too many places have decent food, let alone a baby grand piano to boot!

If your wife is downtown I could recommend Oz Kafé, The Manx, and Chez Lucien. They all serve great food, they have a nice atmosphere, and a cozy bar to hitch up to. There is also the Black Bear Pub, the Leutenant's Pump or Pancho Villa.

Petit Bill's Bistro (a few doors down from the Gastropub) has nice bar seating and also small tables- the very friendly owners, (brothers Terry and Randy) are usually tending bar and are good for homey chats with customers. They are now also offering free wi-fi access at the bar aparently in case your wife needs to get some work done :P

Check the website here:

www.petitbillsbistro.ca/

i'd echo the GastroP and also Petit Bill's, but in case she doesn't get into those, next door is Agave (Tex-Mex'sh) and a couple doors further is Diwali (Indian). Maybe not the best food in the city, but decent enough and I wouldn't feel conspicuous eating alone in either.

for downtown locales, i'd also suggest the Manx and C. Lucien. Slightly more upscale but not ostentatious and friendly, is Whalesbone on Bank. Its also features a bar at which a lone diner could sit well looked after.

When i first moved to Ottawa, i solo dined (or lunched) at various galleries and museums. The National Gallery has a nice cafeteria and the Museum of Civilization has a restaurant. I don't remember either being epicurean, but they do offer nice views and (obviously) can be combined w/ visits to either of those institutions.

thanks very much for all the suggestions. After looking around it appears that the Wellington Gastropub is not in the downtown core and she will not have a car. Anyone been to Murray Street or Navarra?

I've enjoyed my trips to Murray Street quite a lot. Highly recommended.

i have to make a few assumptions before suggesting.....

navarra-- not good dining alone.

murray st-- they have a bar, i think it's fine to dine alone. friendly atmosphere plus the owners are always there to make sure customers are happy and the food is good. ottawans really like it since its conception. should go there.

if staying more than a couple nights here, should go to the Green Door organic vegetarian for delicious casual meals plus lots of fibre without breaking the bank. Not far from downtown. only 3 mins from the rideau centre shopping mall on the queen elizabeth driveway by car(don't take king edward - under construction).
she will not regret it b/c she can choose what she wants and how much she wants from the huge spread of main courses, salads and desserts.

hemm.. where else?

ah ha! chez lucien is good. in the byward market.

ahora-- the mexican place. authentic mexican place. also in the market.

genji -- downtown, off elgin st. there is a sushi bar. a very friendly place with good food.

ok, i think that's it. bon appetit!

Yeah, for downtown core I was also going to suggest sushi if she likes Japanese food. Most sushi places have seats at the sushi bar - I've always liked dining alone in sushi restaurants since if you have nothing to do or no one to talk to you can watch the sushi chefs prepare the rolls. I personally like Wasabi in the market best, but Genji is quite popular amongst the reviewers on this site as well.

Thanks again everyone. She ended up going to Murray Street and had the Short Ribs and raved about them.
Next hopefully I will get to Ottawa with her!