Best Brunch Spots: Ottawa

If there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s brunch. Sleeping in, meeting up with friends, sipping on a mimosa and eating myself into a mid-morning food coma are some of my best skills.

Whilst putting in my 10,000 hours to achieve mastery of these rare talents in hedonism, I have come to know some truly special brunch spots here in Ottawa. Some of these you may have already discovered but I suspect there might be one or two gems on this list you have yet to experience. I’m letting you in on the secret against my better judgment because I know this is just going to lead to longer lines standing between me and my Saturday morning salvation (bacon).

1. Edgar | 60, rue Bégin, Gatineau

   This tiny 13-seat restaurant is well-hidden in a residential neighbourhood in Gatineau. The brunch menu is listed (in French) on a chalkboard beside the front door and rarely features more than four items. One of the few fixtures on the ever-changing menu is their Dutch baby. For the uninitiated, a Dutch baby is a mix between a pancake and a sweet popover, prepared in a cast-iron skillet. If you’re like me and struggle with making the choice between sweet and savoury options at brunch, Edgar’s Dutch baby is just the thing for you. Their version is topped with an apple compote, aged Québec white cheddar, a splash of maple syrup and a slab of pork belly. It is decadence at its finest and will cure even the most crippling of hangovers, I’m sure of it.

   Brunch is served: Saturday: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Sunday: 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

2. Benny’s Bistro | 119 Murray St., Ottawa

   The pop art decor in primary colours is sure to wake up your senses when you walk into this classic bistro tucked away in the back of The French Baker in the ByWard Market. The fare is classic French and offers artful plating that will having you eating for the ‘gram. The Yukon gold potato gratin is topped with maple cured pork loin and two perfectly poached eggs – option to add Hollandaise (who are we kidding, that is obligatory).

   Brunch is served: Saturday & Sunday: 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

3. Fraser Café | 7 Springfield Rd., Ottawa

   This place is a brunch mainstay in Ottawa and helped to put New Edinburgh on the map. Morning, noon or night, the food and the service at Fraser Café are always impeccable. I don’t normally go in for pancakes, but the whole wheat and yoghurt pancakes with fruit compote and whipped cream on offer here are too good to pass up. Be warned, this is a THICK stack of pancakes that will keep you full until Monday. Also, I can really get behind any restaurant that features a cheeseburger on its brunch menu, because, let’s be honest, that’s all we really want anyway.

   Brunch is served: Saturday & Sunday: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

4. Union 613 | 315 Somerset St. W., Ottawa

   Satisfy your craving for some sweet, sweet Southern soul food. I’m tempted to just say: chicken and waffles, mic drop. But that would be an injustice to the other delectable items on the brunch menu at Union 613. The shrimp and grits is just what the doctor ordered after a night of overindulgence, followed closely by a little hair of the dog in the form of a stiff drink that the talented bartenders will be happy to stir up for you.

   Brunch is served: Saturday & Sunday: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

5. Wilf and Ada’s | 510 Bank St., Ottawa

   The folks at Wilf and Ada’s specialize in breakfast. This scratch diner does it right. There are a lot of solid choices on this menu. My go-to would have to be the Blackstone Benedict, their hollandaise is lights out. If you brought your appetite, the double-decker Dagwood Sandwich will require you to unhinge your jaw and unfasten the top button of your jeans. Also, some of the best homefries in the city.

   Brunch is served: Monday-Friday: 7 a.m. – 3 p.m., Saturday & Sunday: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Honourable mentions to a couple of bygone brunches that I’d love to see make a comeback:

• Murray Street Kitchen – Steve Mitton‘s snout-to-tail cuisine was in full effect at brunch service at Murray Street and my life is a little bit darker every weekend when I realize I can’t seek out a Potaco (a potato taco filled with breakfast-y goodness) in the Market. If Mitton would deign to grace us with some of his heavenly mid-morning creations in his new home at The Whalesbone, I would be there in a heartbeat.
• Riviera – Jordan Holley offered adoring fans a brief glimpse into what morning glory really looked like when he added weekend brunch to the rotation at Riviera for a few short months in the spring. For those of you who got to experience it, you’ve probably already been thinking about starting a petition to get him to bring back those UNBELIEVABLE pancakes. Consider this my plea.

There are plenty of other fantastic brunches in Ottawa, these are just a handful of my favourites. Comment below with your favourite brunch spot in the city!