Diners' Choice: Italian restaurants in Ottawa

OpenTable

Updated April 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants with the best overall Italian 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!

DreamLand Cafe

4.8

4.8 (522)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Italian

Little Italy

About the restaurant

Located in the heart of Ottawa’s Little Italy, DreamLand Cafe offers incredible fresh pasta dishes, made with love and finesse.

Our dining room is currently undergoing renovations. We're looking forward to welcoming you back in April 2025.

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined on Feb 28, 2025

The food was excellent, and the staff was incredibly friendly! However, it was a bit pricey.

Giovanni's Ristorante

4.8

4.8 (607)

CAN$51 and over

Italian

Downtown

About the restaurant

Giovanni�s Ristorante, which you can find in Ottawa, Ontario, is proud of its reputation for serving some of the finest Italian cuisine in the surrounding area. The staff insists upon only the finest ingredients like AAA steaks and seafood taken fresh from the sea. Guests will also enjoy the lovely d�cor, which is filled with gleaming crystal, in addition to the food at Giovanni�s Ristorante. One great way to start your meal at Giovanni�s Ristorante is with one of the excellent soups, such as the minestrone or the stracciatella. When you make it to the main meal, you might try one of the veal dishes. The veal marsala, with mushrooms and a wine sauce, is just one of many options.

Top review

Youssef

Dined 5 days ago

Amazing service and the sea bass was so good, will be back soon!

Retro Gusto

4.9

4.9 (527)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Italian

Little Italy

About the restaurant

Retrogusto is a pizzeria and bar that brings some much needed excitement to the north end of Preston street. We serve a Roman style pizza "Tonda", traditional roman fried snacks, salumi, cheeses and other small plates. Our food will be complimented by a small wine list that will be in constant rotation, strictly Italian classic cocktails, and beautiful amaro's from around Italy. The warm, cozy, dimly lit dining room with an open kitchen will be the perfect place to do the only thing that matters; eat good food, drink good wine and have a good time with friends.

Top review

Jim

Dined on Apr 10, 2025

You just feel comfortable and cozy the moment you walk through the day. There I something about a smile that makes you feel welcome. Add the service and the food and it’s perfect night out.

Joe's Italian Kitchen - Wellington

4.8

4.8 (75)

CAN$30 and under

Italian

Westboro

About the restaurant

Weaving old world traditions with new world creativity. Our goal is to bring you a diverse menu that not only preserves, but elevates hearty dishes that showcase the essence of Italian cuisine.

Top review

Anna

Dined on Apr 21, 2025

First time trying this restaurant with friends visiting Ottawa for the first time. It was an absolutely delicious experience!

North and Navy

4.8

4.8 (1856)

CAN$51 and over

Italian

Downtown

About the restaurant

A Northern Italian kitchen inspired by the Bacari of Venice.

Our menu is inspired by tradition and dictated by the quality and availability of ingredients. We play off the similarities between the climates of Eastern Ontario and Northeast Italy, and create our take on classic dishes made with seasonal game, seafood and vegetables. Plus, sometimes we’ll just add whatever we want.

Top review

Bob

Dined 7 days ago

Excellent service by knowledgeable staff.Enjoyed all our food choices,especially the Scallop main dish delivered to our table by the chef himself.Loved the vintage dishes , glasses and silverware in a very comfortable setting.North and Navy has got it right.We will be back .Thank you for giving us a very special evening out to celebrate my birthday.

Discover more

4.7

4.7 (601)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Italian

Downtown

About the restaurant

Located in Ottawa's Little Italy, we're an Italian, from scratch kitchen, focusing on contemporary Italian cuisine that is rooted in tradition. With a large dining room on the main floor, and three semi-private dining rooms upstairs, we have the space for all your party needs. In the summer, we have a covered rooftop patio available for small private functions, as well as three ground level patios. We are proud to work with local farmers and producers wherever possible. Join us Tuesdays for half price wine (on select bottles). We looking forward to serving you soon!

Top review

James

Dined on Apr 3, 2025

Excellent Italien restaurant in the heart of Little Italy. Very pleasant atmosphere with good selection of food and wine. We will go again.

Discover more

Popular dish

Fettuccine Pescatore

Experience

Every Tuesday - 1/2 price wine!

Enoteca Monza Pizzeria Moderna - Gatineau

4.7

4.7 (167)

CAN$30 and under

Italian

Gatineau

About the restaurant

The wine has a unique and mystical quality: unlike most other drinks, it gets better as it gets older. No one can elaborate exactly what the end results will be – the wine is constantly evolving. So there is a bottled surprise to discover. Monza has been a household name for over 10 years with its wine bar. The wines on sale are from all over the world. Whether it’s a bottle of wine or champagne, local or international labels, quality and affordability are always on the menu.

Top review

Julie

Dined on Apr 18, 2025

Thank you to Rania for her excellent service. The food was delicious! We had good time.

Fratelli - Westboro

4.6

4.6 (1059)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Italian

Downtown

About the restaurant

Coming Soon!

Top review

Dredann

Dined 5 days ago

Felt like a cozy and inviting European restaurant. Great atmosphere and food all around!

Cantina Gia

4.6

4.6 (1058)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Italian

The Glebe

About the restaurant

Welcome to Cantina Gia
We look forward to seeing you soon.

Top review

Alex

Dined on Apr 15, 2025

Great atmosphere. Friendly staff. Steak is great and awesome negroni's

Discover more

Biagio’s Kitchen + Catering

4.5

4.5 (195)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Italian

Nepean

About the restaurant

Great meals are about more than food. They're about memorable experiences!
We're creating moments to remember with feel-great food, mood, company — and a spark of the unexpected. Our Ways to Eat offer more ways to enjoy fresh experiences with our locally sourced menus. From Italian-inspired classics with a twist to specialty creations, try them tonight!

Top review

brad

Dined on Apr 22, 2025

A surprising welcome from the Owner. Outstanding service. Delicious food and wine.

Discover more

Explore Diners' Choice best of Ottawa