If you grew up in Ottawa in the 90s, you probably remember Olive Garden. The bottomless breadsticks are the first thing to come to mind. Those and the soup and salad bar combo your parents ordered every time. The two locations that felt like they’d always be around for a reasonably priced family dinner experience.
Then they were gone. Olive Garden pulled out of Ontario entirely by the end of the decade, closing all 11 locations across the province. Ottawa’s two spots disappeared quietly.
Now, nearly 30 years later, the chain is coming back. And it picked Westboro.
What we know so far
Olive Garden is opening a new location at 675 Kirkwood Ave in Westboro. The restaurant is expected to open this summer, though no exact date has been announced.
It’s one of two initial Ontario locations. The other is going into Vaughan Mills shopping mall in the GTA. Both are part of a Canadian expansion that kicked off last year.
In July 2025, Recipe Restaurant Group, the company behind Swiss Chalet, Montana’s, and East Side Mario’s, acquired Olive Garden’s existing Canadian restaurants from Darden Restaurants, the chain’s U.S. parent. Recipe also signed a national development agreement to open new locations across the country.
“This expansion reflects our confidence in the brand, the strength of our partnership with Darden, and our ability to execute thoughtfully and strategically across Canada,” Recipe CEO Frank Hennessey told the Ottawa Business Journal.
Why Westboro?
A lot of locals are wondering the same thing. Westboro isn’t where you’d expect a chain restaurant to land. The neighbourhood is known for independent boutiques, specialty coffee, and trendy brunch spots along Richmond Road.
But the choice makes more sense than it looks. Westboro gets strong foot traffic; it’s easy to reach from the Queensway, and the area pulls a mix of families, professionals, and retirees who dine out regularly. It’s also one of the Ottawa neighbourhoods people actually pay attention to right now.
Market analysts backing the expansion cite nostalgia and value as the main drivers of demand. When dinner for two at a mid-range Ottawa restaurant can run you $120 or more, Olive Garden’s generous portions and unlimited breadsticks land differently than they did in 1997.
How Ottawa lost Olive Garden in the first place
Olive Garden arrived in Ontario in the early 1990s as Darden Restaurants pushed into Canada. Ottawa got two locations, and for a while, they did well.
By the late 90s, the chain pulled back from the Canadian market entirely. All 11 Ontario spots closed. Olive Garden kept a smaller presence in western Canada, but Ontario went dark.
For almost three decades, the closest Olive Garden for anyone in Ottawa was a road trip. That’s about to change.
What’s on the menu
If you haven’t been to an Olive Garden in years (or ever), the menu is Italian-American comfort food. Pasta with house-made sauces, soups, salads, grilled proteins. The main draw is still the unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks that come with every entrée.
You’ll find chicken parmigiana, fettuccine Alfredo, and the Tour of Italy sampler. The chain has added lighter options and seasonal dishes over the years, but the core menu hasn’t really changed.
Pricing sits in the mid-range. Entrées run about $16 to $24, so it’s a step above fast-casual without getting anywhere near Ottawa’s fine-dining prices.
A lot is happening in Ottawa’s food scene right now
The Olive Garden return comes at an interesting time for Ottawa restaurants.
In March, Michelin-starred chef Akira Back opened a high-end Japanese restaurant inside the Fairmont Château Laurier. Nunna’s Hot Chicken on Armstrong Street has been getting a lot of attention since opening. And a new Chinese restaurant is set to take over the old Yangtze space at 700 Somerset St. W. in Chinatown.
On the other side, Ottawa lost Tosca Ristorante on O’Connor Street and Play Food & Wine earlier this year. A recent study found that thousands of Canadian restaurants could close in 2026 as costs keep rising and customers spend less.
So you’ve got world-class chefs betting on Ottawa, long-running independents shutting down, and a 90s chain restaurant staging a comeback all at the same time. Whatever Ottawa’s food scene is turning into, it’s not boring.
When can you go?
No exact opening date yet, but Olive Garden at 675 Kirkwood Ave in Westboro is expected sometime this summer. If the breadstick nostalgia is already kicking in, you’ve got a few months to wait.
Love it or hate it, this one’s going to draw a crowd on opening day, and for weeks to come expect a little more traffic than usual in the Westboro area!
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