Diners' Choice: Contemporary Canadian restaurants in Ottawa

OpenTable

Updated October 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best overall Contemporary Canadian cuisine in Ottawa? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyzes more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favorites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Perch

5.0

5 (176)

CAN$51 and over

Contemporary Canadian

Little Italy

About the restaurant

Perch is an intimate fine dining restaurant focusing on Canadian ingredients, ethical and sustainable products.
Awarded as the 4th Best New Canadian Restaurant 2022 by Enroute, and #85 for Canada's Best Restaurants 2023. With the dining room facing into the wide open kitchen offering a nine course tasting menu and a bar focusing on unique cocktails and natural wines.

Nine Course tasting menu is $145 for food menu
Beverage Pairing is $100 per person (optional)
Non-Alcoholic Beverage Pairing is $75 per person (optional)

We release reservations 60 days in advance.

Please be sure to specify any dietary restrictions when making a reservation.

Please note that for reservations of 5 or more people, please call us at 613-515-0535 or email amanda@perchottawa.ca

Top review

Tony

Dined on Oct 6, 2024

We have visited Perch since its opening once or twice a year to celebrate major moments, e.g., birthday or anniversary, and we keep coming back! The food and drink pairing is always a culinary journey, which we enjoy immensely. The service is top notch yet friendly and always spot on. They address my gluten sensitivity without losing a beat in terms of the flavors and complexity of their plates. This is not a cheap meal. However, in an era where a bland, overcooked burger and a pint now costs upwards of $40 , this meal and dining experience are definitely worth avoiding lesser restaurants and the pubs altogether and saving up for it. Perch is a memorable evening out worth the wait and every penny. Thank you.

Discover more

Experience

Perch x Metropolitan Premium Sake Importer - $185

Atelier - Ottawa

4.9

4.9 (1725)

CAN$51 and over

Contemporary Canadian

Downtown

About the restaurant

At Atelier, we solely offer an experiential & interactive 40 course tasting menu with pescatarian & vegetarian menus available for $250 per guest. We are not able to offer a vegan menu. Wine pairing options are available

Dining time is 4 hours

We do not accept menu modifications for aversions/dislikes, as this will compromise the integrity of the experience

Should you have any severe allergies, please highlight them in detail at time of booking, keeping in mind that we are not able to omit dairy, gluten, soy, nightshades, mushroom & allium as this impacts the overall experience. We will contact you for further clarification & to determine if we will be able to safely accommodate

Regarding mild allergies, our kitchen is not allergen-free & therefore we cannot guarantee zero cross-contamination

Please note that severe allergies may result in the outright omission of any one course from your experience

Top review

Andrew

Dined on Sep 26, 2024

Huge array of dishes. Waves of small high end treasures.

Bar Lupulus

4.9

4.9 (1356)

CAN$51 and over

Contemporary Canadian

Hintonburg

About the restaurant

Cozy Craft Beer and Natural Wine Bar with a Backyard Patio Oasis. Serving locally sourced & seasonally inspired comfort focused plates by Chef James Bratsberg. 22 rotating taps, Craft Cocktails & over 500 Natural wine cuvees available for dine in and takeout through our online bottle shop!

Top review

Channy

Dined 6 days ago

Always good to go to Lupulus! I’d like to see some new stuff on the menu!

Discover more

4.8

4.8 (101)

CAN$51 and over

Contemporary Canadian

Hintonburg

About the restaurant

Stofa is built on a passion for food, traditional and modern cooking methods, and creativity. We look to the ingredients to bridge the gap between time-honoured techniques and modern progression, producing a comfortable, inventive, and evocative dining experience.

Stofa's name represents a place of warmth and comfort where people can gather to eat, drink and be with friends. We proudly support local and sustainable products, and participate in the farm and food community, all while providing guests with vibrant and engaging food presented in an approachable yet innovative dining setting.

Located in the vibrant Wellington West area of Ottawa, Stofa offers a 3 or 5 course table d'hote menu which changes regularly. We offer patio dining (weather dependent) and have a private room available for large groups or professional meetings.

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined 3 days ago

Everything we had was spectacular, but the best part about the dining experience was the service. “Above and beyond” doesn’t quite capture the excellence. We thank you for a beautiful evening and cannot wait to return. Don’t shy away from the “Chef’s choice” course. It was incredible. Let them surprise you.

Beckta

4.8

4.8 (212)

CAN$51 and over

Contemporary Canadian

Downtown

About the restaurant

Legendary Canadian Cuisine featuring signature Canadian products, all delivered with high-touch hospitality. Beckta offers a constantly changing a-la-carte and two tasting menus daily in both our our fine dining rooms with luxurious seating, or a more casual vibe in our delightful wine bar area that features daily food specials. Multiple private dining rooms are also available for larger groups or more intimate requests. Recipient of 19 consecutive CAA 4-Diamond Awards. Please contact us at info@beckta.com for inquiries.

Top review

Sebastien

Dined 7 days ago

Incredible experience, we took the 5 service with matching wines and everything was perfect. Definitely a must try.

4.8

4.8 (2127)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Contemporary Canadian

Kanata

About the restaurant

Our menu represents Chef Michael's Blackie’s best food memories, which span over his 35 plus international career Chef worked in Asia, Latin America and is an expat from the UK.
His food style can best be described as a balance between Canadian roots with a strong influence in both Asian, Latin and European cuisines.
We are currently open for Dinner weekly Wednesday to Sunday from 5 to 9 pm. Starting October 21st know we are open 7 days a week. We are known for our blind tasting menu that features 8 dishes shared between 2 people. We are also open for Sunday Brunch from 10am to 1 pm and offer a sharing 10 dish brunch tasting menu presented over 5 waves.
NeXT opened in 2009 and is consistently in the top drawer of established restaurants in the Ottawa / Gatineau region. NeXT has been awarded many accolades over these past 11 years.
Come and discover one of Ottawa's signature original stand-alone restaurants that represent the acumination of Chefs Blackie's global career.

Top review

Mike

Dined on Oct 4, 2024

Chef Blackie and his staff are always so friendly and welcoming. Last night there was four in our group and we did the blind tasting pair with a delicious wine. What an experience as always! Never had a negative experience here.

Discover more

Experience

BOOK A GROUP DINNER | WED TO SUN | 7-14 GUESTS

Riviera

4.7

4.7 (2973)

CAN$51 and over

Contemporary Canadian

Downtown

About the restaurant

Welcome to Riviera!

Reservations may be subject to time restrictions, dependent on availability. Please check your reservation email for full details. If your group requires more time, kindly call the restaurant at 613-233-6262 and we will do our best to accommodate you. Groups of six or more are subject to a 20% gratuity.

Please note, reservations made for outdoors are guaranteed for outdoor seating only. We may not be able to move you inside in the event of bad weather.

We look forward to hosting you! Please feel free to call us with any questions!

Top review

Andrew

Dined 7 days ago

We had the most amazing special occasion dinner. Upon arrival we were greeted by the GM who showed us to our table, while wishing us a happy anniversary. Tim, our server, brought us some bubbles to start, and we could tell that his professionalism and extensive knowledge would be a perfect addition to our experience for the evening. We ordered from the most well thought out cocktail menu (thank you Stephen Flood and staff) and enjoyed them in the most beautiful restaurant venue in the city. We started with the seafood tower, which was mind blowing, cold and fresh and well worth the money. We then had the corn and mascarpone agnolotti…UNREAL!!! Pillowy soft pasta and fresh corn…And the steak frites are the best in the city. Dessert was the chocolate brownie and the most perfect wine pairing one could ask for. Tim took such good care of us and we were able to rely on him for choosing our wines and helping us to make decisions on our food choices for the evening. It was our first time here, and we will most definitely be back. By far it was the best restaurant experience that we both have ever had. Thank you to all the staff for making our evening such a perfect night to remember.

Fauna

4.8

4.8 (1409)

CAN$51 and over

Contemporary Canadian

Downtown

About the restaurant

fauna is about the things we love: eating and drinking with friends and family in a fun space. Our menu is seasonally driven and we support local farmers and producers wherever possible. We love the neighborhood and the space and are so happy to be open in Centretown.

We like to have fun in the kitchen. We serve small plates so you can try more than one dish. We use local ingredients wherever possible. We’re inspired by where we live, places we’ve been and things we’d like to do.

Top review

Jacques

Dined 3 days ago

We chose as entrées the half dozen oysters , the bisque, the bluefin tuna tataki . Main: steelhead trout served with salmon eggs...it was an extraordinary culinary expérience ! En bouche, an explosion of exotic flavors. The ambiance was superb. We arrived early in the evening. The noise level was not a problem, We will certainly return to Fauna on our Next special occasion.

Play Food & Wine

4.7

4.7 (240)

CAN$51 and over

Contemporary Canadian

ByWard Market

About the restaurant

Play food & wine will make serious food fun and accessible to many types of guests by offering an inspiring menu, legendary service, outstanding values and a culinary home for our guests in which they can spend a variety of occasions.

All of our dishes are modest portions designed to share. This allows guests to sample a few different dishes without having to commit to just one main course as in a traditional restaurant. Our menu changes frequently, respecting product availability and seasonality.

We are committed to working with our many great suppliers to source the best and most flavourful ingredients possible. We use local, sustainable and seasonal products whenever possible, and believe in supporting area farmers as much as we can.

Top review

Jack

Dined on Oct 5, 2024

Great service and great food! Recommend the upstairs dining room especially.

Discover more

Experience

Group - 3 Course Menu

Experience

Group - 4 Course Menu

Gezellig

4.7

4.7 (306)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Contemporary Canadian

Downtown

About the restaurant

With a name that means "cozy or nice atmosphere, but also belonging and general togetherness," gezellig invites guests to experience an elegant menu of local, seasonal cuisine using french techniques in a casual and welcoming environment. Located in Ottawa, Ontario, gezellig prepares each menu item using high-quality ingredients purchased locally. On the menu are items such as seared scallops, braised beef shortibs, potato gnocchi, beef tartare, duck breast, and wild-caught lingcod. Our classic butterfinger for dessert is a staple that has been on our menu since opening in 2012

Top review

Jennifer

Dined 2 days ago

I had the beet and apple soup which was fantastic. It was thick and so very tasty served with a dollop of sour cream. Excellent. My partner had the gnu and said he felt it was an excellent choice. Main course was the duck leg confit for me and again perfect. The skin was so crispy and meat cooked to perfection. The latke was good, perhaps a bit overcooked but still very nice as were the sauces. The carrots were overdone but very tasty. My partner had the scallops which he said was a good choice for him, full of flavour and not overcooked. We shared a strawberry creme brûlée also a delight to eat.

Explore Diners' Choice best of Ottawa

Explore more Diners' Choice lists