Best Places For Coffee In And Around Ottawa [General]

2013 May 30
I get asked A LOT about where to go for good coffee in Ottawa. So I decided to put the list together. Here are my favourite places to indulge in a latte (or similar espresso drink). In my experience, it ultimately comes down to the skill of the barista. A bad barista can wreck a great bean.

Have I missed a great coffee spot? I'd love to hear where you are going for your coffee nectar.

Also, I've started a coffee drinking journal and have the list there too.
annedrinkscoffee.tumblr.com

LOOSELY IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE (But it switches a lot!).....

Blumen Studio at 465 Parkdale Ave, Ottawa. Their bean comes from an Italian who roasts near Vaughan, Ontario. Their machine is the Elektra from Italy.

Bread and Sons Bakery at 195 Bank Street, Ottawa uses the 49th Parallel Old School espresso bean, Their machine is the Nuova Simonelli from Italy. They use Cochrane’s Dairy milk.

Bridgehead (15 coffeehouses in Ottawa). They roast their own beans on Anderson Street at the corner of Preston Street.

Equator Coffee Roasters at 451 Ottawa Street, Almonte. They roast their own beans on-site.

Neat Coffee Shop at 1715 Calabogie Road, Burnstown. They roast their own beans. Great food too.

442 Coffee Bar inside Grace In The Kitchen at 442 Hazeldean Road, Kanata. They use beans from Forty Ninth Parallel Coffee Roasters and Intelligentsia Coffee.

Le Café Michel-Ange at 1233 Wellington Avenue (corner of Holland in the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre). I like it best when Louise is my barista.

Alice’s Village Cafe at 3773 Carp Road, Carp. They use a bean roasted just for them from Gaia Java Coffee Company in Stittsville. Their machine is the La Marzocco from Italy.

Illume Espresso Bar at 1433 Wellington Street West. They use the Phil & Sebastian beans.

Morning Owl Coffeehouse at 538 Rochester Street, Ottawa.

2013 May 30
Cafe Delice on Kent is very good too and has a nice selection of teas as well. I give Bread and Sons the edge for coffee though. Thanks for all the tips! It's great to have a list of places all around town like this.

2013 May 31
Gaia Java Coffee also pours a nice coffee directly. I've had it from their location in Bells' Corners (Roberston/Hazeldean?). I would think the mother ship in Stittsville is also just as good.

2013 May 31
cardamom: that's the second time I have heard good things about Cafe Delice's coffee. Thanks for the tip.

Sourdough: Sad news about the Bells Corners location of Gaia Java. They are closing the store today as of 6 pm. www.facebook.com I understand that their bean is used at Alice's Village Cafe in Carp for their espresso. Which I have enjoyed a few times now.

2013 Jun 3
Ideal coffee on Dalhousie is pretty good. I also like to buy the Red Sea blend to brew at home.

2013 Jun 3
Poutine, I was impressed by I Deal Coffee's americano last week - the most flavourful americano I think I've had, but as it was my first time there I do want to go back and try it again as well as their espresso to get a better assessment. My dd lives nearby and they just switched from Bluebird to I Deal. Their americano (and espresso I believe) are made with medium roast African and Indonesian coffees, quite un-traditional as far as I know.

I went to Morning Owl last year and had a cup of regular coffee - tasteless imo. Haven't been back.

www.idealcoffees.com >where I see that I remember the roasts correctly. Bonus perk: if you buy a lb of coffee you can have a free cup of joe there! Son in law likes that bonus. The atmosphere is not hipster at all it's all about the coffee, roasted in house.

I do like Bridgehead too. But I think I'm more an I Deal Coffee kinda guy.

2013 Jun 5
I love this list! I told my friend about it and we decided to make it our summer mission to drink our way through it.

2013 Jun 24
I tried The Ministry of Coffee at 279 Elgin Street today. Had an 8 ounce cappuccino for $3.50. They use Social's espresso bean and say they plan on bringing in the 49th Parallel bean. It was a pretty awesome cappuccino. High marks.

I have added them to my list of top places in and around the nation's capital.

annedrinkscoffee.tumblr.com

2013 Jun 24
Bridgehead remains my usual go to. Consistently good at all locations.

Cafe Delice 197 Kent makes a solid espresso. The Leonidas chocolates don't hurt either.

Za za za on Bank does a really nice french press coffee, not sure what bean they use tho'.

If i want to buy great beans, i'll frequently head to Serious Cheese on Hazeldean. They also brew good stuff, tho i'm blanking on their bean choice.

2013 Jun 24
Side note: The Ministry of Coffee at 279 Elgin Street is where Hava Java was.
Hava Java was there since 1992!

I was recently impressed (again) by the espresso and staff at Moca Loca on St. Joseph in Gatineau. Really excellent.

2013 Jun 28
It's been a delightful week for exploring coffee. Today I tried "Café qui pense" at 204 Main Street today. Had an 8 ounce Euro cappuccino for $3.45. They use Equator Coffee Roasters' espresso bean. It was pretty decent. I think a little bit more barista experience is required but it is definitely headed in the right direction and I will certainly revisit.

I have added them to my list of top places in and around the nation's capital.

annedrinkscoffee.tumblr.com

2013 Jul 30
I finally tried Cafe Delice on Kent at Laurier today. It was 'lovely' but I was wanting 'Wowsa' since they use the Intelligentsia bean. Distracted barista perhaps. I intend on going back to see what they do over the long run. I had a regular latte today. Good price. I think it was $3.33. I give them points for that. They sell croissants too from Bread & Sons. Didn't try the chocolates but seriously tempted. Hoping they make the list.

2013 Nov 5
It has been awhile since I have been to Morning Owl Coffeehouse on Rochester. I had some inconsistencies in the past and I just stopped going. Today's small Australian flat white was really, really good! No complaints. If they are all like this one, I can be a regular here. In talking to owner, Jordan O'Leary, I found out that they have just changed their bean to a custom blend roasted by Equator Coffee Roasters in Almonte. They have a solid spot on my list for places to have an espresso drink in and around Ottawa.

annedrinkscoffee.tumblr.com

2013 Nov 5
I'll second recommendations for Café Qui Pense, Morning Owl, and Ministry of Coffee.