Ottawa Nightlife
The enticingly named beaver tail is the main dish connected with Ottawa. This doughy snack comes with a variety of toppings but is most popular with the traditional sugar and cinnamon. They are great as an afternoon snack although you may get sick of them quite quickly. Ottawa is quite the place for food on the go, as there are a number of fine shawarma eateries that will serve up delicious kebabs in minutes as well. The Byward Market is a great place to go for both these delicacies.
Those looking for a good sit down meal have a fine array of genres to choose from. With Ottawa being the home of so many nationalities, even the fussiest of eaters will be catered for.
Although poutine, which is chips, gravy and cheese, is a Quebec dish, it must be tried and the handily named Elgin Street Diner is its finest exponent in Ottawa. A number of variations can be enjoyed, including mashed potato instead of chips. Enticingly priced.
Those on a budget and looking for oriental dishes will find that there are many cheap eateries in Chinatown that offer superb meals, with Vietnamese, Thai, Cantonese restaurants also in abundance here. The Yangtze and Chu Shing Restaurant are two of the most popular places with the local Chinese crowd.
If you like Indian food, Moni Mahal on Laurier Street is great for those with little money to spare and big appetites. It offers a large buffet with plenty of vegetarian options as well.
Vegetarians will find much to enjoy in Ottawa, and Govinda's Restaurant on Somerset West offers a superb vegan buffet for pittance.
Those willing to pay a little more can find some good Italian and French restaurants and many steak houses, with Elgin Street and Bank Street two of the top thoroughfares to try.
Both these streets are also home to many of the city's top bars, along with Byward Market and Wellington Avenue. There are a vast number of British and Irish style bars in town, which will be quite unlike any pub you come across back home. Elgin Street bars have a bit more about them than most and the Lieutenant's Pump and the Manx, which serves its own microbrews and offers something for those with bohemian tendencies, are two of the top places to try.
Down in Byward Market you will find one of the classier establishments in town, Suite 34 on Clarence Street is the place to go if you like looking in mirrors and acting nonchalantly.
Barrymore's on Bank Street, which is a converted cinema, has an 80s night on Sundays, a 90s night on Thursdays and live music the rest of the time ? the best place to let your hair down in the city.
Those arriving in summer may also be able to take in the Ottawa Jazz Festival or Bluesfest, which is Canada's largest blues festival and attracts acts from all over North America.
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Nightlife and eating & drinking
