This Sparks Street establishment proves to be a world-class cocktail bar
Stolen Goods Cocktail Bar
106 Sparks Street, Ottawa
Thursday 6 PM – 1 AM
Friday & Saturday 6 PM – 2 AM
Closed Sunday to Wednesday
Sparks Street is an excellent destination for a night out for cocktails and chill vibes. There’s a cluster of amazing bars: Jackalope, Riviera, Aiana, Q Bar, Zoe’s, and Stolen Goods. Together, they make Sparks Street and its surroundings a tempting destination for cocktail enthusiasts.
Mike Campbell and Adam Ghor own and operate Stolen Goods Cocktail Bar. Together, they opened this 20-seat bar on the ground floor of the reResidence building on Sparks Street in 2022.
There is a challenge when trying to get into Stolen Goods. You can’t just waltz in; you must make a reservation well in advance. You may be out of luck if you try to book only 48 hours in advance because the best hours on weekends can get booked up quickly. Perhaps this makes scoring a reservation at this cocktail bar all the more exciting, which adds to the anticipation for your night out.
When spending the evening on Sparks Street, we often park at the corner of Kent Street and Queen Street, which offers parking until midnight for 6$ on evenings. However, according to the Stolen Goods website, underground parking is available at 101 Queen Street, which sounds even more convenient.
The Space
The venue is small, dimly lit, and moody. The navy-blue drapes alongside the long window wall hide the outside world from us guests, thus cocooning us into their world during our visit. The music isn’t too loud, nor is the venue too crowded.
The exposed concrete brick wall and twisted fluorescent tubes give this bar a bit of an industrial, or “underground lab” vibe, which is fitting considering their experimental cocktails. The intimate space, the small oil lamps at every table, and the mellow music are the perfect setting for a date or an evening to catch up with old friends. Both the bar and the table seats were appealing. Considering the importance of booking, it goes without saying that this bar never gets too crowded. Everyone who is there is comfortably seated.
Their mascot, a thieving raccoon could be found everywhere from the menu to the bathroom wall.
The Service
The service was impeccable. Upon entering the bar, we were immediately greeted at the entrance and brought to our table. The waiter brought us a glass of water and a palate cleanser (beverage) that tasted like pineapple & cinnamon-flavoured water.
Our waiter was well-dressed, friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu items. Throughout the evening, he discreetly and regularly refilled our water glasses. Mike Campbell was the bartender that evening, and was the mind behind the 2025 “late winter” cocktail menu (according to the note at the bottom of the menu).
The Menu
The menu was a beautiful leatherbound booklet filled with raccoon artwork representing each cocktail.
The food & cocktail menus were short:
- 11 cocktails, including 1 non-alcoholic cocktail and another that could be made without alcohol.
- 5 small plates
- 3 bar snack options.
Both the food & drink menus were well curated. The food options allowed for something to fit any mood: light & zesty, salty & oily, and even sweet. The cocktail program was very innovative and contained many in-house adapted spirits, such as “raccoon reserve batches” of gin & bourbon, and fruit loop infused tequila, to name a few. The cocktails were experimental, although there were nods to some classic cocktails, such as:
- Midnight Ride: Espresso Martini
- Otaru Fashioned: Old Fashioned
- Brooklyn Bridge: Brooklyn cocktail & Martinez cocktail
- The Red Jello Man: Garibaldi cocktail
In contrast to the short cocktail list, their alcohol list was extensive. There was an impressive list of spirits of all types. Anyone who enjoys sipping top-shelf spirits will find many options to their liking.
The cocktails were beautifully presented with various drinking vessels specific to each signature drink, which made every drink feel special. Clear ice cubes were branded with the bar’s initials “SG”. The garnishes were minimal. For example, the Petty Thief contained basil, mint, and cilantro. A different bar might have garnished this cocktail with one of these herbs. Instead, they were infused into the cocktail which maintained a minimalist appearance despite its elaborate flavour.
Almost every cocktail had an in-house ingredient, such as tonka bean infusion vodka, strawberry jello stock and burnt marshmallow syrup. Everything was well priced considering the experience you get. If you are a small group, we believe it’s worth ordering the entire food menu (99$).
Brooklyn Bridge (20$): It’s an attractive option for those who enjoy martinis because it lists gin and dry vermouth as ingredients. However, it’s more complex in flavor because there’s the added balance of sweet and bitter from the other ingredients. Ultimately, it didn’t have much of the flavour profile of a martini, but it was delicious and beautifully presented, garnished with an alcohol-imbibed cherry and an edible ring.
Petty Theft (21$): This cocktail was refreshingly herbaceous and slightly sweet. It would have been easy to drink many of these if not for the limit of one per customer.
Otaru Fashioned (27$): This was a rift on the old-fashioned. It was very whisky-forward, but so smooth, indicating that a high-quality Japanese whisky was used here. It was a very drinkable cocktail.
Dragon Hunting (19.50$): The coconut soda gave it a tropical flavour, but far from a pina colada. The flavour reminded us of the sweet smell of engine coolant, but in a good way. It was served in a beautiful fluted highball glass.
Beef tartare (26$): This was a very light dish. It wasn’t particularly savoury. It had layers of flavour, with punches of salt and acidity from the vinegar chips and explosions of flavor from the mimolette cheese. We enjoyed this plate.
Crab & N’duja Toast (30$): This was more savoury compared to the beef tartare. The crab flavour was very present, which subsided for the nduja flavor to come through.
Stolen Goods plays a big role in elevating the quality of the cocktail bars available in Ottawa. This establishment stands out from other because it’s a triple threat: an intimate small bar, producing experimental cocktails, serving expertly crafted small plates. Specifically, we interpret this spot as a small establishment serving well-balanced experimental cocktails paired with excellent small plates in a variety of profiles (sweet, zesty, savoury). If we nitpick for something to improve, we would have liked to have somewhere to hang up our jackets. Their beautiful menu, innovative cocktails, excellent service, intimate vibe, and extensive liquor selection make Stolen Goods a place worth returning to.
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