This Italian Restaurant In Ottawa Has A New Rooftop Patio & The Menu Dates Back To 1934

A classic Ottawa restaurant just opened a new rooftop patio so you can enjoy elevated views with your comfort food.

The Prescott is known for its casual bar-like atmosphere and menu of Italian eats and now it boasts a spacious outdoor dining area too.

The rooftop portion opened in August and you can add it to your list of Ottawa patios to check out before summer ends.

This addition to Little Italy is one of the largest rooftop patios of any restaurant in the area and one of the only facing Preston Street. You can look down from a bar-style table under a yellow umbrella.

There are currently about 70 seats and the restaurant intends to add more. The Italian spot also plans to build an outdoor bar with a covered section on the patio next year which will include bar seating.

The original plan was to have the opening in June but pandemic-related delays pushed back the opening. If there is a demand for it, they are considering the addition of heaters in the cooler months (fingers crossed).

While this outdoor space is new, the restaurant itself is far from it and dates back to 1934. The funder was an Italian immigrant who allegedly wanted to create a space to help fellow Italians feel at home. He added simple meals like a meatball sandwich and square pizza to the menu to bring some authenticity to his venue.

The meatball sandwich is a hearty meal and you'll definitely want to bring your appetite. You can compare it to a sloppy joe with its layers of bread, homemade meat sauce, cheese and a mashed meatball.

The recipe has changed a bit over the years but both the meatball sandwich and square pizza are still on the menu today and are pretty famous around the city according to the owner. You can treat yourself to both on the restaurant's rooftop which currently has a limited menu as the staff tests out the workflow in the new space.