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, Canada’s oldest pedestrian mall, has evolved into one of Ottawa’s most compelling destinations for those who appreciate quality food and drink. Tucked between Metcalfe and O’Connor, Stolen Goods is a discreet cocktail bar with just 20 seats, occupying a compact 714-square-foot space. The bar is the work of bartender Mike Campbell and chef Adam Ghor, whose technique-driven approach has established Stolen Goods as one of the city’s most ambitious and revered bars.
The room is intimate and low-lit, with navy-blue drapes drawn across the windows, cocooning guests and shutting out the bustle of Sparks Street. Exposed brick and twisted fluorescent tubes lend an industrial edge, but the effect is softened by oil lamps on each table and a mellow soundtrack. The space feels equally suited to a date or a quiet evening with friends. The bar’s mascot—a mischievous raccoon—makes appearances everywhere, from the illustrated menu to the bathroom wall.
From the 2025 late winter menu:
Brooklyn Bridge (20$): It’s an attractive option for those who enjoy martinis because it lists gin and dry vermouth as ingredients. However, it’s more complex in flavor because there’s the added balance of sweet and bitter from the other ingredients. Ultimately, it didn’t have much of the flavour profile of a martini, but it was delicious and beautifully presented, garnished with an alcohol-imbibed cherry and an edible ring.
Otaru Fashioned (27$): This was a riff on the old-fashioned. It was whisky-forward, but so smooth, indicating that the high-quality Japanese whisky (Nikka) was used here.
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.
Adam Ghor’s seasonal food menu offers a mix of bar snacks ($3.50–$7) and small plates ($13–$29), with the tasting menu available for $99. His approach demonstrates that bars without full-size kitchens can still deliver precise, accomplished dishes with the right techniques and expertise. The food pairs particularly well with the cocktail program, accommodating a range of appetites and flavour preferences—from bright and acidic to rich, saline, and subtly sweet.
From the 2025 late winter food menu:
Beef tartare (26$): This was a light dish. It wasn’t particularly savoury. It had layers of flavour, with punches of salt and acidity from the vinegar chips and sharp notes from the mimolette cheese.
Crab & N’duja Toast (30$): This was more savoury compared to the beef tartare. The crab flavour was quite present, which subsided for the nduja flavour to come through.
Nice to know: Petty Thief is their most popular cocktail, sticking on the menu throughout the seasons. It’s made with their signature Raccoon Reserve Gin, which they infuse with herbs, spices, and tea leaves before being milk-washed.
Petty Theft (20$): This cocktail is refreshingly herbaceous and slightly sweet. It would be easy to drink many of these if not for the limit of one per customer.
Stolen Goods occupies a distinct position in Ottawa’s bar landscape by excelling simultaneously in three areas that are rarely balanced at this scale: a genuinely intimate room, a rigorously constructed cocktail program, and a food offering that exceeds expectations for a bar without a full kitchen. Its drinks favour structure and balance over novelty, while the kitchen delivers dishes that are precise and well-matched to the bar’s flavour profiles. It is a bar built for return visits, not first impressions, and one that meaningfully raises the standard for cocktail-driven hospitality in Ottawa.
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