7 of the best Ottawa restaurants that I daydream about as a local who moved away

Le Mien Craft Noodle

I’m a sucker for a good soup, so there had to be a noodle spot on this list.

I remember the first time I walked by Le Mein in the ByWard Market and saw them hand-pulling noodles right in the window. Between that and the smell drifting outside, I knew I had to try it.

Let's just say I was hooked, and there have definitely been periods where I grabbed a soup there three (or more) days in a row.

They specialize in hand-pulled Chinese noodle soups, and they’re absolutely incredible. It's also so fun to watch them make the noodles right in front of you while you wait — I love anything made from scratch, so it kind of feels like dinner and a show.

If you're not sure what to order, I’d recommend the traditional hand-pulled noodle soup with beef. I always get it spicy and usually go with the two xi noodles, though honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of the noodle styles there.

I already know I’ll be stopping in as soon as I’m back in Ottawa.

Sí Señor Mexican Street Food

I love Mexican food, and burritos have been in my top five favourite foods since I was a kid. So naturally, there had to be at least one or two Mexican spots on this list.

When I lived in downtown Ottawa, I remember walking down Rideau Street and being drawn in by Sí Señor’s fun, colourful exterior, but the food always kept me coming back.

I've had my fair share of Mexican dishes, but Sí Señor won me over with its fresh, traditional flavours — and the menu has plenty of great options to choose from, too.

Of course, I’m a big fan of the burritos, but I also always recommend the beef quesabirrias.

Anything cheesy and birria-based is pretty much guaranteed to get me every time, so Sí Señor is definitely a spot I'm looking forward to visiting when I'm back home again.

Kettleman’s Bagel Co.

This is one I’ve been thinking about a lot since leaving Ottawa.

I love a good bagel sandwich, and Kettleman's always delivered. I've tried a few different sandwiches there over the years, but the one living in my head since I moved away is the BLT.

A classic BLT is hard to beat, and I love that you can choose what kind of bagel you want it on. I usually go for sesame or garlic.

And when the pickle spear on top is nice and crunchy, everything hits.

I've also grabbed bags of their bagels to take home more times than I can count. Between the sandwiches and the other baked goods they offer, I think it's always worth stopping in.

Maybe I'm not looking in the right places, but I haven't really found bagel sandwiches like theirs in Japan, so a Kettleman's BLT has been on my mind more than I want to admit lately.

The Whalesbone

The Whalesbone is all about seafood — fresh oysters, shrimp, platters, you name it.

But here's the funny thing: I'm not even a huge seafood person. I've never really gotten into the raw stuff, but if it's baked or fried, send it my way.

Instead, I keep going back for their dry-aged steaks and lobster bucatini. I'm genuinely a little obsessed with that pasta…

I've been to Whalesbone many times now. In fact, right after my university graduation ceremony, I went straight there for a full-on feast.

Their menu changes from time to time, but they used to have these amazing little roasted potatoes that I loved, too.

Just writing about their menu is making my mouth water. Seriously.

After Hours

I first discovered After Hours when I was living downtown and stopped by Cadman's in Vanier.

As I said before, I love Mexican food, but After Hours is where I got absolutely hooked on birria tacos.

For a while, I ate them multiple days in a row and ordered them on Uber Eats whenever there was a BOGO deal.

The menu has lots of great options like different mac and cheeses, loaded fries, and other snacks, but the tacos are the main event for me.

I've tried both the beef and chicken versions, and the chicken birria totally won me over. It's incredibly juicy and packed with flavour, especially dipped in the consommé.

Perkins

I've been loyal to Perkins since I was a kid.

My family used to go there for breakfast relatively often, and back then, I'd always get the kids' sprinkle pancakes with a chocolate milkshake.

As an adult, not much has changed. Now I add a little protein to my plate, though.

I mentioned earlier that burritos are in my top five favourite foods, and pancakes are too. A restaurant breakfast just doesn’t feel complete to me without them.

Perkins makes some of the best pancakes I've ever had. They’re buttery, super fluffy and consistently delicious.

I've had great pancakes elsewhere, both in Ottawa and here in Japan, but I still find myself thinking about Perkins pancakes all the time.

My go-to order is the Tremendous Twelve, because if you're going all the way there — you might as well go all in with three eggs, four pancakes, some hash browns, and bacon.

And if you're getting the hash browns, my tip is to go with the shredded ones. Always.

Corner Peach

My aunt took me to Corner Peach for the first time, and many parts of the experience have stuck with me ever since.

First of all, it's such a cute space. You know what they say: look good, feel good, eat good — and here, it’s all three.

Choosing what to order is no easy task. From what I've tried, the smash burger is great, the fries are excellent, and the salads are really good, too.

What really secured Corner Peach a spot on this list, though, is their Peach Corner Store next door.

They sell takeaway food, local beer and wine, plus prepared items. But the real highlight for me was the from-scratch bakery section.

That's where I tried a crème brûlée donut.

I already love anything crème brûlée style, so seeing it in donut form felt like fate. It was so ridiculously good that I still catch myself thinking about it all the time — and no donut has topped it ever since (sorry, Timmy’s).

The next time I'm back in Ottawa, getting another one of those donuts is an absolute must.