Ottawa neighbourhood food guide: Chinatown, Little Italy, Wellington West and Elgin Street

Visitors to Ottawa often stick to the ByWard Market, which is a pity. The capital's neighbourhoods have a more varied, less expensive and more local food scene, and most are a short bus or O-Train ride from downtown. This guide covers the areas where people who live in Ottawa actually eat.

What is on Somerset Street West in Chinatown?

Ottawa's Chinatown is centred on Somerset Street West, with the busiest stretch between Rochester and Bay Streets. It is a favourite for cheap, tasty Asian food. You will find Vietnamese pho shops, Chinese noodle and dim sum restaurants, bakeries, bubble tea and Asian grocery stores. The area also has street festivals through the year. A good lunch is a bowl of pho or a plate of roast meat and rice, followed by a pastry from a bakery.

What about Preston Street?

Preston Street is Ottawa's Little Italy, and its Italian pride is on display in the flags and the restaurants. It is a traditional Italian neighbourhood with pasta houses, pizzerias, bakeries and cafés, and it is also known for an Italian festival in summer. Weekend evenings can be busy, and some of the older restaurants are family operations with a steady crowd. It is a sensible choice for a group dinner, since large tables are common.

What is Wellington West and Hintonburg like?

Wellington West and neighbouring Hintonburg are west of downtown and have changed a lot over the last two decades. The area has independent cafés, brunch spots, bakeries, craft beer bars and restaurants, and a farmers market in season. It is a neighbourhood where locals go for weekend brunch and a walk. It is gentrifying, so prices have risen, but it is still a good place to find small, chef-run restaurants.

And Elgin Street?

Elgin Street runs south from Parliament Hill through the Centretown area. It has a long run of pubs, patios and casual restaurants, popular with the after-work crowd, and a few corner patios known for people-watching. It is livelier than the ByWard Market's side streets in the evening and has more variety than you expect.

Where else should you look?

Other neighbourhoods with good food include:

• Glebe, a leafy area south of downtown with Bank Street's cafés and shops, near the canal
• Westboro, a west-end village with restaurants and shops
• Vanier, a historic French-Canadian area with bakeries and diners
• Lebanese and Middle Eastern restaurants in several parts of the city, since Ottawa has a long-established Lebanese community

What local foods should you try?

Ottawa's regional foods include BeaverTails, poutine, maple products and fresh produce from nearby farms. Ottawa Valley and Quebec dairy and cheese show up on menus, and the nearby Gatineau side across the river has French-Canadian specialities. In winter, the Rideau Canal Skateway, which opens when the ice is thick enough, brings food stands and hot chocolate to the water.

Is it easy to get around?

Yes. The O-Train and OC Transpo buses serve most of the neighbourhoods named above. Cycling is popular, and there are pathways along the canal and river. Check the schedules for evenings and Sundays.

What does it cost?

Prices are lower than Toronto's for the same sort of meal. Ontario adds HST of 13 percent, and a tip of 15 to 20 percent of the pre-tax bill is customary at a table with service. Many cafés have a counter, where a tip is optional.

When is the best time to go?

Spring and summer are the best for patios. Autumn colours make the canal walk pretty. Winter food is warmer, and many places have good soup and comfort dishes. Book in advance for popular dinner spots on Friday and Saturday.

What about eating with dietary needs?

Ottawa's restaurants are used to dietary requests. Vegetarian and vegan choices are easy to find in Wellington West and the Glebe, while Chinatown's pho shops and Buddhist vegetarian kitchens suit plant-based eaters. Halal food is widespread, and the city has a long-established Lebanese community. For gluten-free or allergy needs, tell the server when you book or order, and ask what is in sauces and broths, since flour thickens a lot of them.

A three-stop food day

1. Brunch in Wellington West.
2. A walk along the canal to the Glebe or Elgin Street.
3. Pho or dim sum on Somerset in the afternoon.
4. Dinner on Preston Street.

How do you keep track of Ottawa's neighbourhoods?

Ottawa's food is spread along bus routes and O-Train stops, so a list helps more than memory. In the Mosey app, start a list with a section for each district, Chinatown, Preston Street, Wellington West and Elgin Street, and add each place with a note on what to order. Rate the bowl of pho or the plate of pasta by name rather than just the room, and add a tag such as Great Value or Group Dining so friends can look for the same thing in the Find sheet.

Follow a friend who eats in a different part of town and their rated and saved places appear in the Friends' picks layer of the map. Rate five places, answer three Top 3 questions and make a list in a city, and you become a Local Champion there. It is earned by activity alone, never by what a rating says.

More guides to read next:

• Best restaurants in Ottawa: how to choose by neighbourhood and kind of meal (2026)
• Best brunch in Ottawa: where to go by neighbourhood and how to skip the wait (2026)
• Cheap eats in Ottawa: how to eat well on a budget (2026)

More in the Canadian food guides and the ranked lists of places.

Before your next neighbourhood dinner, open the Mosey app and add the dish you plan to order to your Ottawa list.