From pasta, pizza and sandwiches to espresso and biscotti, Italian food is everywhere in Ottawa — but how do you decide which places would make a Nonna sing its praises?
I've asked the experts. Ottawa chefs, bartenders, restaurant owners and other local foodie experts have all weighed in on which spots are their favourites when it comes to dining like they're in Italy.
Italian food is so simple yet surprisingly easy to mess up. It takes high-quality ingredients, perfect technique and simplicity at its core to make good Italian food — anything extra is just the (Sunday) gravy on top!
I've eaten at every single place on this list and have been blown away by each one. There's such a wide variety of Italian food in Ottawa, and each place brings something unique to the table. So unpack your bags, and don't buy that ticket just yet — we're going on an Italian trip without ever leaving the 613.
So... Where can you get the best Italian food in Ottawa? Here are the experts' top recommendations.
Ventuno
Price: 💸💸
Cuisine: Italian Antipasto
Address: Il Negozio Nicastro, 1355 Wellington St. W., Ottawa, ON
Why You Need To Go: Ventuno is an antipasto and apercina bar located inside Il Negozio Nicastro in Wellington West. The beautiful family-owned and -operated spot serves up a number of Italian small bites using products they pull right off of the shelves of the host Italian grocery shop. From spreadable 'nduja sausage that's warmed via candlelight, to fresh and vibrant frutti di mare (seafood) salad, Ventuno will have you dreaming of sipping amaro in Italy.
Lucky for you, they have that too! Boasting a wide selection of aperitifs, digestifs and bitter-based cocktails, Ventuno is a spot that's unique to anywhere else in the city.
This must be why it's a favourite spot of legendary Ottawa bartender Stephen Flood of Riviera. Flood has announced his love for Ventuno on more than one occasion, and you can often catch him doing his work there on any given afternoon.
North & Navy
Price: 💸💸💸💸
Cuisine: Northern Italian
Address: 226 Nepean St, Ottawa
Why You Need To Go:
North & Navy is at the top of the mountain when it comes to innovative Italian fine dining in Ottawa. Their ability to balance the traditional methods of keeping Italian food simple while introducing upscale ingredients and techniques needs to be celebrated, not only by Ottawans but by Canadians everywhere.
NoNa hits every mark — food, cocktails, wine and, perhaps most importantly, service. I'd be willing to put the service at NoNa up against any other spot in the city.
North & Navy even has their own curing program, so any cured meats you may enjoy during your meal are cured in house.
Perhaps this is why it is a favourite Italian spot of Julian Bernard. Head bartender at Fauna and owner of Clawfoot Craft Distillery, Bernard believes the pasta at North & Navy earns it the title of best in the city.
Paninaro
Price: 💸
Cuisine: Schiacciata Sandwiches
Address: 642 Somerset St. W., Ottawa, ON
Why You Need To Go: This is the first of TWO sandwich spots on the list, but only because they are vastly different sandwiches.
Paninaro is a classic success story, having gone from working out of the back window of a coffee shop on Somerset to taking over the main part of the building and creating a unique space for Ottawans to come and enjoy the only schiacciata sandwich in town. Schiacciata is a Tuscan-style bread that's the ideal texture for a sandwich. It's large, flat, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, making it the perfect vessel for flavour.
At Paninaro, they're telling a story of what it was like to be a sandwich maker in 1980s Milan, and they're incorporating flavours like pistachio and artichoke that you won't find in any other sandwich in Ottawa.
This is the favourite sandwich of a lot of foodies in Ottawa, including myself, but perhaps none more notable than chef/co-owner of Town and Citizen, Marc Doiron.
Doiron is behind one of the most beloved pairs of restaurants in town, so I hold his sandwich opinion in high regard.
Paninaro Menu
Di Rienzo Grocery & Deli
Price: 💸
Cuisine: Deli
Address: 111 Beech St., Ottawa, ON
Why You Need To Go: Where Paninaro is doing something new and creative for Ottawa, Di Rienzo is the long-standing, old-school staple that has continued to earn its flowers.
The tiny cash-only Italian grocer is known for serving up MASSIVE and inexpensive Italian deli sandwiches done just how you like them.
Your choice of meat is shaved fresh, your choice of cheese is piled high, and your choice of toppings is added to accent a sandwich that made my Italian dad say he'd finally found a sandwich that "reminded him of home."
These sandwiches are $10 flat, tax included, and well worth it.
If you manage to do the right thing and save half your sandwich for later, don't forget to enjoy a cannoli for dessert. Di Rienzo's famous for them.
All of these wonderful qualities are probably why this is the favourite sandwich shop of Matt Maxwell, manager and cocktail savant at The Moonroom.
Giovanni's
Price: 💸💸💸💸
Cuisine: Classic Italian
Address: 362 Preston St., Ottawa, ON
Why You Need To Go: Giovanni's is the Mecca of classic Italian fine dining in Ottawa, with white tablecloths, veteran staff and scratch cooking that produces the highest quality possible when it comes to the classics.
Risottos, crudos, classic Italian appetizers and, of course, pasta dishes make up the menu at Gio's, and they nail every bit of it.
Classic Italian tends to be where you lose me when it comes to restaurants, as I grew up around this food. I know the standard and could never justify spending money for something I could enjoy at home (and done better, mind you).
Giovanni's managed to break that cycle for me. Their sauces are perfectly made, the pasta is perfectly cooked and even the house-made chili mixture reminds me of my time in Italy.
Gio's is classic, it's well executed, and it's exceeding expectations of what it means to dine in an Italian restaurant — and they've been doing it for 41 years.
So that is why it's MY pick for this list of Ottawa's best Italian food! As an Ottawa hospitality content creator and writer, I figured I had to put you on to a spot I love as well.
