The new lounge blends agave spirits, modern design, and Mexican flavours to create a unique nightlife experience in Westboro.
Little Bones
342 Richmond Road
Mon-Fri 2 PM – 12 AM
Sat-Sun 2 PM – 2 AM
Little Bones opened on Richmond Road one month ago, on May 29th, with a concept that Ottawa has seen before. For over a decade, El Camino has demonstrated that a restaurant in a popular dining district can build a successful business around the concept of an upscale Mexican cocktail lounge serving tacos. Little Bones is applying that model in a different part of the city.
What Little Bones is doing is applying a hospitality concept that has already proven successful, not only in this city, but also across Canada (think Pantitlan in Vancouver, La Nayarita in Toronto, and Clandestino in Montreal).
The 3.6 km stretch that is the Wellington West-Richmond Road corridor is not lacking in cocktail options. Residents already have access to quality drinks at establishments such as Lexington, Élise, and Bar Lupulus. Long-standing lounges like Trio and 10Fourteen continue to serve guests into the late evening. What has been missing is a venue that combines contemporary design, agave-focused cocktails, Mexican-inspired food, and late-night hours in a single package. This is exactly what Little Bones brings to the table (or to the er … neighbourhood).
Owned by Peter Jurt and Andrew Mennie, with Tom Christie and Michael O’Brien alongside, the restaurant benefits from close ties to neighbouring Lexington Smokehouse & Bar. Tom is one of Lexington’s owners, while Andrew contributes a bartending and fine-dining background developed through his time at Lexington and elsewhere in the industry. Similarly, Peter was with Lexington for half a decade, both as a bartender and server. Michael brings significant experience from Ottawa’s casual dining sector after opening a St. Louis Bar & Grill franchise on Clyde Avenue in 2014.
The venue possesses the look and atmosphere of a contemporary cocktail bar, while the menu, pricing, and service suggest an operation designed to function efficiently at volume, not just to cater to aficionados.
The room is small, accommodating roughly forty guests. During my visit, opening-week buzz had filled the space. Music played louder than at most nearby bars. The clientele skewed toward millennials and Gen X, with couples and friend groups filling nearly every seat.
The place has a fresh look. Rather than relying on the rustic clichés commonly associated with Mexican restaurants, Little Bones takes a more elevated approach. Patterned banquette seating references traditional textile motifs. Woven decorative elements, cactus accents, and warm tones wink to Mexican culture. Contemporary lighting, industrial details, and minimalist furniture keep the design feeling current.
Carne Tartara ($21): a creative spin on beef tartare, featuring finely diced raw beef served with tortilla chips and a creamy enoki mushroom emulsion that acts as a gourmet sour cream.
Both the Carne Asada ($9) and Al Pastor ($8) tacos are flavorful but quite small, more akin to tasting portions than full meals. By 8 p.m. during my visit, the kitchen had already run out of two items, including the smoked brisket suadero taco.
Despite the taco on the logo and the delicious food being served, I must argue that this isn’t primarily a restaurant. Chef Kailer has created a menu whose portions appear designed primarily to accompany cocktails. As a result, I would describe Little Bones more like a warm and stylish cocktail lounge disguised as an upscale taqueria.
The cocktail menu, priced between $17 and $20, is heavily centred on agave spirits like tequila and mezcal, featuring twists on classic drinks as well as some modern takes. It also includes a few popular non-agave options, like an old fashioned and an espresso martini. A unique house-made ingredient that stands out is the locally distilled SFR Rye that they coffee-infuse and bacon-wash. For those abstaining from alcohol, there are three mocktails priced at $10.
Where Eagles Dare ($19): a delicious twist on the Paper Plane, swapping bourbon for tequila, creating a pleasant balance of sweetness with a hint of bitter orange pith. A large, crystal-clear ice cube, stamped with the bar’s logo adds to the experience.
Garden Grove ($20): a sophisticated spicy margarita. It combines tequila and mezcal with cucumber, jalapeño, agave syrup, and mint, served “up” and topped with a few drops of basil oil. It has a complex flavour profile that starts with sweet agave and evolves into smoky, spicy, and herbal notes. However, those sensitive to spice might find it a bit much.
The cocktails are well executed, and no individual cocktail would feel out of place at establishments such as Élise, Lexington, or Drip House. What makes them feel unique here is the context. The menu’s agave-heavy focus reinforces the restaurant’s identity in a way that would feel incoherent elsewhere.
Guests seeking a substantial Mexican dining experience might leave wanting more, or might find that other places offer more taco bang for their buck. But going to Little Bones exclusively for tacos misses the point of the concept, because they aren’t trying to be Ottawa’s top Mexican restaurant. Nor are they attempting to become Ottawa’s most innovative cocktail bar.
Instead, they occupy the space between those categories. For Westboro residents, the appeal is easy to understand. Guests finishing dinner at Lexington now have an obvious place to continue the evening. Cocktail enthusiasts who find Élise overly formal or Trio increasingly dated have another option. Agave lovers no longer need to travel to one of the other main dining districts to find a bar built around tequila and mezcal.
Nice to know: Little Bones has a Happy Hour every Sunday as of 9 PM, offering $6 house laggers and $13 margaritas.
Little Bones does not introduce a new hospitality concept to Ottawa. What it does introduce is a proven concept to a neighbourhood that previously lacked it.
The goal does not appear to be redefining Mexican cuisine or advancing cocktail culture, but rather to create a room that people want to visit repeatedly. That will likely prove to be more important than originality.