Fancy à la carte: 6 fine dining restaurants in Ottawa that don't require a tasting menu
The choice is yours! 🍽️
Left: Seasonal plate at Arlo | Right: Dinner at Riviera in Ottawa
Fine dining has changed over the years. Long gone are the days of white tablecloths and waitstaff in suits. Many upscale Ottawa restaurants have opted to offer a tasting menu—a collection of dishes that have been predetermined to provide an experience for each diner. But what if you want an upscale experience with more control over what you’re eating?
That's where fine dining à la carte restaurants come in, though these days, they’re starting to look a little different. The casual feel of these modern restaurants allows guests to forget about the dress code and focus on enjoying the food.
Ottawa is no exception to this new wave of fine dining, and these are some of the restaurants that are doing it best, without the tasting menu.
Gitanes
Price: 💸💸💸💸
Cuisine: Modern French
Address: 361 Elgin St., Unit 6, Ottawa, ON
Why You Need To Go: While Gitanes technically does offer a tasting menu, it's not the obligatory way to eat here. Their modern take on French cooking and French cuisine shows Ottawans that these classic techniques are not outdated, and can still be done at the highest level with both care and innovation.
Classics like foie gras, mussels escabeche, and steak tartare are met with concepts like their famous crab spaghetti.
This spot is widely recognized for its luxurious atmosphere and the reputation is well deserved.
Arlo
Price: 💸💸💸💸
Cuisine: Seasonal Fine Dining
Address: 340 Somerset St. W., Ottawa, ON
Why You Need To Go: Ranking 71 on Canada's 100 best list for restaurants in the country is number one in the hearts of many Ottawans.
The atmosphere inside the dining room and on the hidden back garden patio is what dreams are made of, and it preps you for the experience of a lifetime when paired with this spot's seasonal fine dining dinner menu and vast natural wine list.
The menu at Arlo is ever-changing and ever-evolving. Right now, there are a few menu items I'd like to point out as absolutely bananas (in the best way).
The beef tataki and BBQ eel sounds like something I could always crave—two rich and delicious flavours being paired in a way that makes sense sounds like a dream.
Secondly, the grilled maitake. Mushrooms are one of my favourite things ever and maitake happens to be my favourite mushroom ever. I'd book a reservation at Arlo for this dish alone.
There's a reason Arlo is so highly touted, they just keep nailing it.
Supply & Demand
Price: 💸💸💸💸
Cuisine: Pasta and Raw Bar
Address: 1355 Wellington St. W., Ottawa, ON
Why You Need To Go: Another Ottawa restaurant that made Canada's 100 best is Supply and Demand. Known for their innovative take on pasta dishes, and awe-inspiring raw plates, Supply has perfected the idea of "casual feel, upscale food." There is nothing pretentious about the place, it has a natural way of making everyone feel welcome.
Supply and Demand, much like many of the restaurants on this list, also focuses its menu on what is available from local farmers and suppliers. Their commitment to using local ingredients creates an ever-changing menu that they work tirelessly on to ensure they don't lose sight of their brand and their vision as a restaurant.
Did I mention there is a maitake pasta on this menu right now, too?
Raphael's Peruvian Cuisine
Price:💸💸💸💸
Cuisine: Peruvian
Address: 200 Elgin St., Ottawa, ON
Why You Need To Go: This is probably one of the most underrated and underappreciated restaurants in Ottawa. Every dish that is produced at Raphael's is an unbelievable symphony of fine dining excellence (think bright colours and vibrant flavours). But for some reason, this spot seems to fly under the radar.
In my opinion, everyone needs to try this place. It has the potential to be such a staple in Ottawa, and the uniqueness of being a Peruvian fine dining restaurant is significant.
Ottawa needs more people to believe that a restaurant like this can thrive in the hospitality industry here, and Raphael's is paving the way for that.
North and Navy
Price: 💸💸💸💸
Cuisine: Modern Northern Italian
Address: 226 Nepean St., Ottawa, ON
Why You Need To Go: North and Navy (or NoNa) is another Ottawa restaurant that made the prestigious Canada's 100 best list.
NoNa is one of the best dining experiences I've had, maybe ever. From the service and atmosphere to the food and beverage program, special care is taken at every step.
Of course, being a northern Italian restaurant the pasta dishes are top notch. There is something to be said about taking dishes that are so simple and making them complex without taking away the root of what they are. NoNa embodies this concept in everything they do. Their ability to simultaneously surprise patrons and make them feel nostalgic at the same time is something that cannot be understated.
NoNa also boasts an impressive selection of cured meats which they curate and process on-site. A whole section of their restaurant is dedicated to the curing process of many of their menu items. My Nonno would cry with joy if I ever had the chance to bring him here.
Riviera
Price: 💸💸💸💸
Cuisine: Modern Steakhouse Fare
Address: 62 Spark St., Ottawa, ON
Why You Need To Go: Well, it's Riviera time. You knew it was coming, right?
Ottawa's most beautiful dining room has being doing it at the highest level for a long time now, and there is a reason people love it so much. Somehow the fine people at Riviera keep finding new ways to impress Ottawans through a delicious food menu and impressive beverage program.
Chef Jordan and his team are vets in the à la carte fine dining game and they continue to show us why.
So as you can see, there are many options in Ottawa for high-end dining, that come without the restriction of a tasting menu. Each one provides a unique experience that continues to impress through innovation, seasonality, and of course, excellent service.