Ottawa gets called a lot of unkind things. Boring. Buttoned-up. The City that Fun Forgot. The city that shuts down at 9 pm. And sure, maybe downtown clears out when the civil servants clock off on Friday. But show up on a Saturday morning and the story changes. There’s a Caribbean gastro diner on Wellington West flipping jerk bennies; a converted 1950s bank in Westboro running prix-fixe brunch with duck confit hash; a spot on Kent Street pouring pistachio lattes next to plates of shakshuka; and anything else you can pour hollandaise over is also in play within the nation’s capital.
Here are 14 of the best brunch places in Ottawa that prove this city is not only beautiful, it also knows how to eat well after a late night at the local!
The Heavy Hitters
1. Wilf & Ada’s
Signature Dish: Blackstone Benny. House-smoked bacon, scratch-made hollandaise, a poached egg that hasn’t been sitting under a heat lamp. Everything here is made from scratch, down to the fresh-squeezed juices.
Vibe Check: Tiny, warm, packed. Exposed brick, open kitchen, and a line out the door on weekends that nobody seems to mind.
Address: 510 Bank St, Centretown
Why It Made the Cut: This is as close to a unanimous pick as Ottawa brunch gets. 424 Yelp reviews and the city still hasn’t gotten tired of it. No reservations. You wait, and it’s worth it. Open Mon & Wed-Sun, 8:30am-2pm. Closed Tuesdays.
2. Gezellig
Signature Dish: Banana Bread French Toast, plus duck confit hash, gezellig huevos, and a “butterfinger” dessert that’s become a cult order. Prix-fixe format means you pick two plates per person.
Vibe Check: Soaring ceilings, natural light flooding through tall windows, and the kind of calm that only comes from a room that used to hold money. It’s a converted 1950s bank building.
Address: 337 Richmond Rd, Westboro
Why It Made the Cut: Chef Stephen Beckta doesn’t do basic. This is one of the most polished brunch experiences in the city, and the Westboro setting makes it feel like a proper morning out. Reservations via OpenTable. Brunch Sat-Sun, 10am-2pm.
3. Chesterfield’s Gastro Diner
Signature Dish: Jerk Benny. Sliced jerk chicken, poached eggs, hollandaise, and a side of plantains if you’re smart. Also: chicken & waffles, shakshuka board, and a double blueberry triple stack that’s exactly as ridiculous as it sounds.
Vibe Check: Mismatched furniture, exposed brick, actual chesterfield sofas. Feels like brunch at your coolest friend’s apartment if your coolest friend could actually cook.
Address: 1300 Wellington St W
Why It Made the Cut: Caribbean-influenced brunch is not something most Canadian cities can claim. Chesterfield’s serves it daily (not weekends-only), and the menu covers a lot of ground, from indulgent to surprisingly healthy. Walk-in only, closed Tuesdays.
The neighbourhood gems
4. Benny’s Bistro
Signature Dish: Salmon Gravlax with Sunnyside Egg, plus roasted wild mushrooms with potato dumplings, savoury buckwheat crepes, and kir mimosas from the bar.
Vibe Check: Hidden inside The French Baker on Murray Street. You walk through the bakery to find it. The pastries on the way in are a trap. You’ll buy something on the way out.
Address: 119 Murray St, ByWard Market
Why It Made the Cut: French-leaning brunch with bakery-fresh everything. Benny’s Bistro is the ByWard Market spot locals go to while tourists eat at the chain places two blocks away. Opens 10:30am Saturday, no reservations. Closed Sun & Mon.
5. Dukes
Signature Dish: Sourdough Pancakes. Fluffy, tangy, and served alongside a menu of creative but uncomplicated plates. The spicy eggplant on potato bun is a sleeper hit.
Vibe Check: Bright, modern, just off Bank Street in Little Italy. Cocktails at brunch and nobody judges you for it.
Address: 40 Adeline St, Little Italy
Why It Made the Cut: One of Ottawa’s newer spots and it already has a following. Reservations via Resy, which tells you something. Open Wed-Sun, closed Mon & Tue.
6. The Third
Signature Dish: Breakfast Nachos, plus the Mish Mash Hash, homemade scones, and a French toast that regulars swear by.
Vibe Check: A renovated laundromat on Wellington West that now serves local brews, mimosas, and Caesars instead of washing your clothes. Warm without trying too hard. Peak Hintonburg.
Address: 1017 Wellington St W, Hintonburg
Why It Made the Cut: Small menu, everything done well. The staff knows what you order and the scones disappear by noon. Weekend brunch plus daily lunch.
7. Jax
Signature Dish: Smoked-Salmon Bagel, house-baked bread, Balderson omelette, sage-cured peameal, and a bison burger that has no business being on a brunch menu but somehow works.
Vibe Check: Cosy bistro on Bronson Ave run by chef-owner Ben Breitler, who sources almost everything locally. Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, but hasn’t let that go to its head.
Address: 479 Bronson Ave, Centretown
Why It Made the Cut: Jax has the Food Network stamp of approval and 90 Yelp reviews, but it still feels like a neighbourhood secret. Open Tue-Fri 8am-3pm, Sat-Sun 8:30am-3pm.
The wildcards
8. Art-Is-In Bakery
Signature Dish: The O-Towner Cronut, a croissant-doughnut hybrid stuffed and topped with whatever the kitchen’s feeling that day. Also: crispy pickle melt, brunch burger with sunny side eggs, hot honey crispy chicken burger.
Vibe Check: Industrial bakery with a serious bread program. Grab a loaf of Dynamite bread on your way out.
Address: 250 City Centre Ave
Why It Made the Cut: The cronut alone has been pulling people in for years. Add a seasonal patio, craft beer, and a menu that goes well beyond baked goods, and it’s a full brunch destination.
9. Mazarine
Signature Dish: Shawarma Eggs Benedict, plus shakshuka, avocado labneh toast, halloumi omelet, ashta pancakes, Turkish coffee, and a pistachio latte that photographs almost too well.
Vibe Check: Light, airy, blue-and-white Mediterranean decor. Feels like you got teleported somewhere warmer for an hour.
Address: 282 Kent St, Downtown
Why It Made the Cut: Mediterranean brunch is having a moment in Ottawa and Mazarine is the reason why. Walk-in only. Open Wed-Fri 10am-2pm, Sat-Sun 9am-2pm. Closed Mon-Tue.
10. Headquarters (HQ)
Signature Dish: HQ Benny. Smoked salmon, poached eggs, on brioche. Also: cinnamon croffle, espresso cream cheese pancakes, and truffle parmesan fries because why not.
Vibe Check: Part hair salon, part restaurant. Yes, really. It works better than it has any right to. Specialty cocktails, patio seating, and an interior that’s all sleek lines and good lighting.
Address: ByWard Market
Why It Made the Cut: Name another brunch spot where you can get a haircut and a mimosa in the same visit. The food is legitimately good, which is the part that surprises people.
11. The Vanitea Room
Signature Dish: Three-course brunch with egg dishes, savoury plates, and sweet finishers. Bottomless mimosas, prosecco, and Caesars available. Groups of 6+ get the “Brunch Squad” deal.
Vibe Check: Ottawa’s first “Salon de The & Eatery.” Elegant, feminine, soft lighting, tiered high-tea stands. The opposite of a greasy spoon and proud of it.
Address: 551 Somerset Street West, Chinatown / Somerset area
Why It Made the Cut: If your brunch crew wants something more put-together, and more Instagrammable, the Vanitea Room with an emphasis on the “tea” is for you. Gluten-free and vegan options too!
The Ottawa Classics
12. The King Eddy
Signature Dish: Northern Fried Chicken Benny, plus sour cream pancakes, the Morning Glory sandwich, and a full kids’ menu so you can actually bring the family.
Vibe Check: No-nonsense ByWard Market diner. Open 7 days a week, 24 hours Thursday through Sunday. Cozy, laid-back, reliably good.
Address: 47 Clarence Street, ByWard Market
Why It Made the Cut: Sometimes you don’t want a curated experience. You want eggs, decent coffee, and a booth. King Eddy does that better than most, and the 24-hour weekend service means post-bar brunch is always an option.
13. Zak’s Diner
Signature Dish: Classic All-Day Breakfast. Eggs, bacon, toast, hashbrowns, milkshakes. The recipes haven’t changed in 30+ years and nobody’s asking them to.
Vibe Check: Diner charm since 1986. Multiple locations across Ottawa (ByWard Market, Westboro, Elgin St, Kanata). Vinyl booths, laminated menus, the whole thing.
Address: Multiple locations
Why It Made the Cut: Zak’s has been open 24/7 for nearly four decades. It’s not fancy, it’s not Instagrammable, and it doesn’t care. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need.
You’re not done eating yet
Thirteen spots and we barely got through the list. New places keep opening in Westboro, Little Italy, Hintonburg and downtown. Mediterranean and Caribbean influences are showing up on menus that were all eggs and bacon a few years ago. Ottawa’s brunch scene is better than the city’s reputation, and honestly, it’s closing in on Toronto’s. Don’t tell TO we said that!
Next time someone calls Ottawa boring, take them to brunch. They’ll shut up by the second mimosa.
