Located within a food hall a few steps away from Parliament Hill, is this beautiful yet casual cocktail bar; an oasis for the after-work cocktail enthusiast.
Q Bar
170 Queen Street
Monday and Tuesday 11 AM – 9 PM
Wednesday to Friday 11 AM – 10 PM
Closed Saturday & Sunday
Located within Queen Street Fare (QSF), Ottawa’s downtown food hall, is Q Bar: a stylish hub for after-work drinks and casual gatherings. Like the world-class “Q Bar” at Victoria BC’s Empress Fairmont Hotel, the Q stands for Queen (Queen Victoria in particular). Coincidentally, both these establishments are well-stocked with Empress Gin, the now iconic indigo-hued Canadian gin named after Queen Victoria (the Empress of India) and the “Empress” hotel that houses Victoria’s Q Bar. Despite the etymological parallels, Victoria and Ottawa “Q Bars” are unrelated. Owned by Scott May, Q Bar is the cocktail-focused offshoot of Bar Robo, the main provider of quality caffeine for many QSF regulars. Before the food hall was established, Bar Robo was at 692 Somerset Street. They served coffee and cocktails, much like the Drip House café and cocktail bar that has taken over that location.
The bar opens Monday through Friday at 11 a.m., making it an unusual but tempting option for a “liquid lunch”. Still, most patrons reserve their indulgence for post-work happy hours, as it is best to stick to non alcoholic beverages during the workweek hours. Fortunately, their non-alcoholic menu offers four mocktails and a small but respectable list of non-alcoholic beers, all at $8.50 a glass.
Beer drinkers will find comfort in Q Bar’s tap and bottle list, which leans heavily on Ontario producers. Local names like Cameron’s Brewing, Tooth & Nail, Broadhead, and Bicycle Craft share space with regional fixtures such as Perth Brewery, Orleans Brewing Co., Calabogie Brewing Co., and Ernest Cider Co. For a bar embedded in a food hall, the variety is admirable, even if it doesn’t compete with the deep cellars of Ottawa’s beer-focused establishments.
What sets Q Bar apart from the other vendors at QSF is its design. The oval-shaped counter is the food hall’s interior design pièce de résistance. Topped with wave-green, silver-root marble and framed in deep green tambour, it carries clear Art Deco inspiration. Brass shelving appears to float behind the bar, displaying the spirit collection like jewelry in a case. Above, an eye-catching oval golden chandelier with concentric rings casts a warm glow, bouncing off the shiny marble counter, while natural light floods the room, illuminating tan leather stools.
I’ve visited Q Bar many times after work in recent years. Sitting at the bar, I’ve always found the service to be friendly and quick. On my most recent visit, I was served by Tia, one of the talented bartenders from Ottawa’s highly regarded Bar Ocelli. Her skill and professionalism elevated the experience, and the presence of a bartender with a pedigree from Ottawa’s top cocktail lounge ensures you’re in capable hands.
Q Bar caters largely to office workers seeking a quick drink during lunch hour or before hopping on the O-train to head home. Reflective of this, the shelves are stocked with a broad but not particularly deep selection of spirits: enough to make the classics, but not enough to impress niche spirits aficionados. Still, Q Bar compensates with a reasonably-priced cocktail menu.
The cocktail program isn’t designed to dazzle with rare spirits or theatrical presentation. Instead, it thrives by being approachable and consistent. The menu offers eight signature drinks, each priced at $17. These drinks are made with lower-cost spirits to keep prices below average, all the while employing interesting ingredients such as pineapple-coconut cordial, chili-washed tequila, hibiscus syrup, macadamia orgeat, and pumpkin spice syrup.
During recent visits, I sampled a trio of signatures:
Brown butter Old Fashioned: this drink arrived with a bright citrus peel offering orange on the nose before the first sip. Flavor-wise, it leaned whisky-forward, with notes of caramel and butterscotch from the brown butter infusion. The balance was good, but the whisky itself carried a rough edge, leaving a burn in the throat.
You’re So Sour: This gin sour was smooth, sweet, and creamy. The combination of rhubarb liqueur and macadamia syrup created a nostalgic flavor reminiscent of “Hubba Bubba” gum.
388 Mango Margarita: My first impression of this spicy margarita was all tajín, with its savory-spiced aroma dominating the rim. It offered the perfect level of spiciness, but was also very tropical, as the sweet mango syrup was the main flavor. The tequila-Cointreau base was subtle but present.
Ultimately, Q Bar succeeds in being exactly what its context demands. Situated in a food hall, it isn’t trying to compete with Ottawa’s top-tier cocktail destinations. Instead, it offers thoughtful drinks at accessible prices. It’s a dependable downtown option for post-work cocktails and casual meetups. While its spirit selection is broad rather than deep, its inventive $17 signatures, friendly and knowledgeable staff, and striking Art Deco-inspired design make it one of the city’s more stylish weekday watering holes. I would recommend a visit to Q Bar after work (or during work for a mocktail). If it’s not too busy, chat with the bartender, go off-menu, and order a classic cocktail.