ottawa foodies

Aha exactly as I suspected - thanks for the confirmation!

Zym … Earlier this spring, I saw this article in the Ottawa Citizen (ottawacitizen.com) that discussed the renovation. Apparently, the space is being cut in half with the previous restaurant portion upstairs being leased out to as yet to be named new tenant while the Bagel Shop will be fully housed in the lower part.

Big renovation going on right now this on the tail of the big bagel oven rebuild they did a couple of months ago. Right now the "downstairs" portion that had the bagel oven behind it is closed off, and the "upstairs" has a new door exiting directly onto the street and that's how you go in and out. When you go in it is completely redone inside and it is blocked off to the "downstairs" in a fashion that appears it might be permanent. Not sure though. Signs everywhere say they are 35 years old now and "getting back to our roots" whatever that means. I think probably simplifying their product offering. Going out on a limb I want to say they are dividing the store in half and maybe the other half will be rented out separately though I'm not sure how they would want to not have their bagel oven visible to customers.

I'm excited to see what becomes of it all. I guess if they do divide it the only thing that makes sense is that the "upstairs" side which is now the only part that is open will no longer be part of the bagel shop - they'll reopen the downstairs and it will be a restaurant with the bagel oven behind it, and the upstairs will be something else.

This is all guesswork of course. Only time will tell. They were closed for a few days at the first of the reno but are open for business right now.

This place is a long-standing favourite of mine. From the diner-style seating right through to the delicious cream cheeses, it's just excellent.

My top tip is to try and get bagels that are fresh out of the oven... your best bet is the sesame ones, as they're baked very frequently.

If you're looking for Montreal bagels in Ottawa, your search needn't go any further!

I found out yesterday that they offer a 10% discount to anyone who works in the Wellington West area.

Great bagels! I like to get a pack of western cream cheese, whichever bagel is freshest (other than cinnamon raisin) and a pack of smoked pacific salmon. Epic breakfast for a couple of people and compared to eating out it's a bargain.

Since I buy my lunch on Fridays I decided to make an impromptu visit to The Bagel Shop. After reading the article zymurgist shared with us yesterday Forum - 20 questions with the Ottawa Bagel Shop I figured today was as good as any to pay them a visit. There are no special activities planned for today other than half a dozen bagels are available for $1.75. The special extends today and tomorrow.

Menus posted at the lunch counter are for breakfast (available until 1:30), lunch, and bagelsubs. They also have a white board advertising lunch specials of the day. The smoked meat bagel caught my eye so that's what I settled on. It included coleslaw, a pickle, and french fries. I must admit the smoked meat was very good for Ottawa smoked meat (I often find the smoked meat here is a little on the dry side), the pickle was crunchy and honestly the french fries were probably the best I've ever had - they were perfectly crisp. Alas I was not able to finish them at it was not for wont of trying. (I don't even remember the last time I could not finish my entire plate of food so I must have been very full-;) My only complaint was the coleslaw. The cabbage and carrots were nice and crispy but drenched in oil and not a hint of seasoning. I only had one bite and decided that was enough for me. Despite the coleslaw everything was perfect. The entire meal came to $10.63 including tax.

On my way out I picked up half a dozen bagels to take home and also to have a look around. They had a few Seed to Sausage sausages out but didn't see any local cheeses this time (they usually have a few out). They also carry bread from the Rideau Bakery, Première Moisson (my favourite!), and Nat's Bread Company.

Great bagels.

Bagel sundries ... smoked salmon, cream cheese etc. outrageously priced.

Large chocolate selection. Pricey ? Not sure.

Owner publicly yells/belittles employees (and a supplier once) in public view.

Oh well, that's just Vince. Kinda feel for the guy who does lots of philanthropy.

(Does this balanced review meet FF's standards ?)

The Bagel Shop restaurant is a glorified cafeteria, which is outdated and desperately needs a fresh look. The food is decent but expensive, and the prices keep increasing while the quality does not. A bagel sandwich runs about 10$, and that doesn't include a side dish. Moreover, the owner doesn't seem to have a problem disrespecting and humiliating his staff in front of his customers. The only redeeming aspect of this restaurant is the friendly service at both the coffee bar and deli, but sadly it's not enough to retain my business.

If I could, I would buy everything in this shop. It’s a culinary overload, all of the bottled sauces, dipping oils, jam, cheeses, breads, chocolates etc. (Then I see the price!) Went the other day for my bagel fix, and as usual, the bagels were still steaming and we had to bite in to one right away. Amazing! I love St.Viateur Bagel and always make a stop there when I’m in Montreal. Love this place!

The last few times I've been here (twice in the last eight months), I've found the bagels overcooked, and the sesame seeds burnt.

Friends have tried to convert me to the Bagel Shop, but I'm a Kettleman's girl, through and through.

I see that the Bagel Shop is now advertising their connection to St-Viateur in Montreal. Can't get a much better pedigree (with apologies to Fairmount supporters). What I like about the Bagel Shop is that they obviously have a pretty high turnover, so I almost always end up getting fresh, hot bagels when I go there to purchase them (or perhaps I'm just lucky).

If you have never tried an authentic Montreal-style bagel this is the place to do it. Easily rivals Kettleman's. They sell them at my local Loblaw's in their massive Kosher section (College Square)

Authentic Montreal style bagels. The owner's Brother in Law runs one of the bagel shops in Montreal, and that's where he learned to make them. Real wood oven bagels ... mmmmmm! Wide selection to choose from.

The toffee walnut doughnut is not very sweet and a bit moist and chewy with some egginess. This was a very satisfying doughnut if you like an eggy pastry and I do!

Here is a more recent picture of the breakfast sandwich. The best deal as far as I can tell: $5.75 and includes a coffee (no refill). A similar meal in the form of a breakfast plate (2eggs, bagels, bacon, potatoes) starts at $9.75! The breakfast bagel sandwich was really good. It came with a side of coleslaw, a slice of pickle and a few chips. Get the sandwich and use the money to buy a toffee walnut doughnut!

A toasted montreal-style bagel of your choice (I always go with whole wheat) with bacon, eggs, lettuce tomato and mayo. Actually that combination is called "The Eggcellent". There are about 20 combos of bagel subs on the menu including things like smoked meat, salmon and more. I just deleted my previous review and am reposting with a photo this time. Check the forums for another yummy shot.

Yum! I have these a couple of times a month and have been for years.

The chopped chicken liver at Ottawa Bagelshop is one of my favourite things to eat in the city. Can't say enough positive about it. A real treat with fresh bagels...

Hands down the worst bacon + eggs breakfast i've ever had. Twice. Eggs have been incredibly runny both times--even though they were scrambled. How do you make runny scrambled eggs? Further, their sausage was possibly the sweetest and saltiest I've ever had. Yick. The bagel: I figured they do bagels well, at least that would be something, right? Wrong. Apparently, they do not use the freshest of their bagels for breakfast, or at least not when we went. Worse still, both of ours were so heavily toasted that they tasted like over-buttered burnt popcorn. I asked if I could get one less toasted than that and the server just shrugged and said "that's how we toast them".

I left hungry and I won't be back for breakfast anytime soon.

Rogers cream filled chocolates are to die for.

Go for fruit filled cream chocolates, they are the best! The orange / lemon cream filled covered with dark chocolates are probably my favorite chocolates ever.

You can buy singles of them at the counter!

I was surprised to hear about this place for where to get imported European chocolate bars, but it's pretty much become the #1 place to look in the whole area. Only in Montreal (Fouvrac and Gourmet Laurier) have I seen a larger selection. I never know exactly what they'll have but some are standards of the last few years: Rogers, Amedei, Valrhona, Michel Cluizel, Dolfin, some Bonnat once, I think Pralus last time I was there, a variety of organics, and always a few surprises. Prices are maybe a couple dollars more than Montreal, which considering the extra transport costs, is pretty good. They keep taking chances with new stuff, so repeated visits yield sudden treasures.

Tried some from the Market a few years ago; bought some at Ottawa Bagel, Wellington Street - EXCELLENT. Tried some from Nicastro's, Wellington. Back to OttBag: other 2 were like thin sour cream; OttBag's was thick, creamy, not especially sour, ingredients were cream, bacterial culture (like Two Fat Ladies used to say: all you need are bugs and cows).
I suspect the product on the shelf at OttBag was farm-direct even if probably pasteurized and not (re-)created later from cream, buttermilk/yoghurt and 24 hours to brew.

This place sells Le Riopelle de l'Isle, Le Douanier, La Sauvagine, etc. all those Quebec cheeses that taste so darned good. They also sell a good variety of their own cream cheese spreads for bagels.