clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
Cheese waffles, pulled pork, cornflake onion rings with sour cream, pepper-corn salsa and poached eggs
Edgar

The Essential Ottawa Brunches

And one in Gatineau

View as Map
Cheese waffles, pulled pork, cornflake onion rings with sour cream, pepper-corn salsa and poached eggs
| Edgar

Ottawa may have a reputation as a stuffy and boring capital, but its food scene is on the rise, and that applies as much to brunch as to any other meal. Here are 12 that do it with particular flair.

One warning: as a city full of public servants with disposable incomes, brunch wait times can get a little intense.

Looking for a non-brunch meal around the capital? Eater’s guide to the Essential Ottawa restaurants has that covered.

Read More
Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Baker Street Cafe

Copy Link

The iconic Westboro brunch spot, Baker Street Cafe is known for plus-sized cinnamon buns, which are also morphed into a French toast dish. With benedicts and egg plates piled up with sausages and more, the menu is on the classic side, with great ingredients as the selling point. They also serve it all week long.

A post shared by Lewis Miller (@lewlewmillz) on

There’s one major downside to chef Marysol Foucault’s Gatineau brunch spot, and it’s that it’s too damn small. A hearty Dutch Baby filled with seasonal fruit and maybe topped with meat, or other clever but frequently-shifting creations are the draw — and if you have to wait outside in the cold, the staff will at least bring coffee and blankets.

The Soca Kitchen

Copy Link

With a menu that’s equal parts Spanish and Latin American, Soca freshens up the eggy standards with options like a citrus pulled pork with scrambled eggs and an arepa, or octopus with a potato salad on the lunchier side.

Art-Is-In Bakery

Copy Link

This bakery in a warehouse by Lebreton Flats does a short but hearty brunch menu with a brunch burger, breakfast poutine, and fluffy sweet options, every chaotic Sunday (the regular breakfast menu is offered Saturday, and all week long).

Stoneface Dollys

Copy Link

Unpopular opinion: Stoneface Dollys isn’t as flawlessly perfect as some Ottawans would argue (often lengthy line-ups don’t help that). The eggs benedict variations (for example, with South African chicken bobotie) are popular, and a fun option, though, and they do brunch on weekdays, too.

Pressed

Copy Link

Concert venue by night and café by day, every brunch dish at Pressed is served on a waffle. Toppings run the gamut from sweet to savoury, from apple-cheddar-bacon-maple, to smoked trout and hollandaise or slow-cooked brisket, cheese curds, and gravy.

Peaches and cream waffle
Pressed

Union 613

Copy Link

Ottawa’s reigning champions of southern food aren’t afraid to make political statements; they also do a fine brunch with options from chicken and waffles to shrimp and grits, accompanied with buttermilk biscuits. There’s a tidy cocktail selection beyond the tired old mimosa.

The Sconewitch

Copy Link

This all-scones, all-the-time spot keeps a limited brunch menu — every order comes with a scone, jam, fruit, and eggs, and a choice of toppings that include mushroom ragout and smoked salmon. They also have a breakfast scone-wich. It’s all available weekdays too, but only until 11 a.m.

Wilf & Ada's

Copy Link

Cooking everything from scratch, Wilf & Ada’s is technically more of a diner than a brunch venue, but crowds still flock there for options like eggs florentine, spicy eggs in purgatory (pictured), and the poutine galvaude, with roast chicken and peas. Watch out for line-ups, though.

Benny's Bistro

Copy Link

Open nearly 20 years from French import Jérôme Mantel, Benny’s is a long-running local favourite with refined dishes like confit albacore tuna with a soft-poached egg, and roasted mushrooms with potato-cheddar dumplings.

A post shared by Fernanda Iensen (@feiensen) on

The Manx Pub

Copy Link

One of Centretown’s top watering holes also does a mean brunch service: some of the options like a breakfast burrito may not seem like much, but they’re packed with flavour. Even larger items like the huevos rancheros are a great deal on a menu that tops out at $11.

A post shared by Manx Pub (@manxpub) on

Fraser Cafe

Copy Link

For whatever reason, Ottawa’s higher-end restaurants mostly shy away from brunch service, but lovely Fraser Cafe is one exception. It’s more down-to-earth than the evening service, and creative options for the weekend meal like a panzanella salad or okonomiyaki pancake are a plus.

Baker Street Cafe

The iconic Westboro brunch spot, Baker Street Cafe is known for plus-sized cinnamon buns, which are also morphed into a French toast dish. With benedicts and egg plates piled up with sausages and more, the menu is on the classic side, with great ingredients as the selling point. They also serve it all week long.

A post shared by Lewis Miller (@lewlewmillz) on

Edgar

There’s one major downside to chef Marysol Foucault’s Gatineau brunch spot, and it’s that it’s too damn small. A hearty Dutch Baby filled with seasonal fruit and maybe topped with meat, or other clever but frequently-shifting creations are the draw — and if you have to wait outside in the cold, the staff will at least bring coffee and blankets.

The Soca Kitchen

With a menu that’s equal parts Spanish and Latin American, Soca freshens up the eggy standards with options like a citrus pulled pork with scrambled eggs and an arepa, or octopus with a potato salad on the lunchier side.

Art-Is-In Bakery

This bakery in a warehouse by Lebreton Flats does a short but hearty brunch menu with a brunch burger, breakfast poutine, and fluffy sweet options, every chaotic Sunday (the regular breakfast menu is offered Saturday, and all week long).

Stoneface Dollys

Unpopular opinion: Stoneface Dollys isn’t as flawlessly perfect as some Ottawans would argue (often lengthy line-ups don’t help that). The eggs benedict variations (for example, with South African chicken bobotie) are popular, and a fun option, though, and they do brunch on weekdays, too.

Pressed

Concert venue by night and café by day, every brunch dish at Pressed is served on a waffle. Toppings run the gamut from sweet to savoury, from apple-cheddar-bacon-maple, to smoked trout and hollandaise or slow-cooked brisket, cheese curds, and gravy.

Peaches and cream waffle
Pressed

Union 613

Ottawa’s reigning champions of southern food aren’t afraid to make political statements; they also do a fine brunch with options from chicken and waffles to shrimp and grits, accompanied with buttermilk biscuits. There’s a tidy cocktail selection beyond the tired old mimosa.

The Sconewitch

This all-scones, all-the-time spot keeps a limited brunch menu — every order comes with a scone, jam, fruit, and eggs, and a choice of toppings that include mushroom ragout and smoked salmon. They also have a breakfast scone-wich. It’s all available weekdays too, but only until 11 a.m.

Wilf & Ada's

Cooking everything from scratch, Wilf & Ada’s is technically more of a diner than a brunch venue, but crowds still flock there for options like eggs florentine, spicy eggs in purgatory (pictured), and the poutine galvaude, with roast chicken and peas. Watch out for line-ups, though.

Benny's Bistro

Open nearly 20 years from French import Jérôme Mantel, Benny’s is a long-running local favourite with refined dishes like confit albacore tuna with a soft-poached egg, and roasted mushrooms with potato-cheddar dumplings.

A post shared by Fernanda Iensen (@feiensen) on

The Manx Pub

One of Centretown’s top watering holes also does a mean brunch service: some of the options like a breakfast burrito may not seem like much, but they’re packed with flavour. Even larger items like the huevos rancheros are a great deal on a menu that tops out at $11.

A post shared by Manx Pub (@manxpub) on

Fraser Cafe

For whatever reason, Ottawa’s higher-end restaurants mostly shy away from brunch service, but lovely Fraser Cafe is one exception. It’s more down-to-earth than the evening service, and creative options for the weekend meal like a panzanella salad or okonomiyaki pancake are a plus.