We visited the Wellington village gastropub for their signature craft cocktails
Bar Lupulus
1242 Wellington St. W, Ottawa
Sun – Friday: 5 PM – 10:30 PM
Saturday: 5 PM – 11:30 PM
Parking: Street parking on Wellington St. or Holland Ave.
Hours: This establishment closes at 10:30 PM on Friday and 11:30 PM on Saturday. Keep this in mind if you plan to do a Wellington Bar Crawl.
Bar Lupulus opened in 2017 as a craft beer & natural wine bar/gastropub. Through the years, Bar Lupulus has maintained an excellent reputation for its beer & wine selection, its food, and its service.
With 22 beers on tap and over 100 bottles of craft beer, Bar Lupulus is often referred to as Ottawa’s best destination for craft beer aficionados.
Beer and wine aren’t the only libations they take very seriously. We visited as cocktail enthusiasts, and the experience overjoyed us.
The Space
Walking into Bar Lupulus, we discovered an intimate & dimly-lit establishment – red bricks & black walls, cognac leather barstools made for a moody atmosphere. Half the bar was small tables, wooden dinner chairs, and banquettes. The other half was high tables and bar stools.
The lights were rather dim for a restaurant, but perfect for a bar. Abert Tempo dimmable lamps at each table allowed guests to adjust the lighting.
The venue was full but not crowded. The music was loud enough to be well heard but not so loud that it would prevent conversation.
The Service
The service was relaxed but attentive throughout the night. The server greeted us at the entrance and brought us to our table. She was kind and had positive energy. She quickly got us water, which was refilled regularly throughout the evening.
When we ordered food, CDC Cam McGihon brought our dishes to our table and explained the dish’s components.
The menu
The seasonal cocktail menu consists of 9 libations, priced between 14$ and 18$, which is below average in Ottawa. Ingredients were not re-employed except for Zwack Unicum. We tried both cocktails with this ingredient, and they were very different. Almost every cocktail contained in-house ingredients, demonstrating their focus on creating unique cocktails. For example:
- Cardamom-infused Giffard’s peche liqueur
- Pecan Orgeat
- Walnut-infused Buffalo Trace
The stars of the show were the extensive selection of beers & wines, but they had a decent variety of spirits & liqueurs with which to create their cocktails.
The drinks were served in heavy crystal tumblers, using clear ice stamped with a circular design. The garnishes were made with fresh blood oranges – either the peel was sliced into a lozenge, or a half-orange wheel.
Cam’s New Neck Tatt’s Nicer Than Mai Tai (17$): Although the Mai Tai holds its grounds as a delicious cocktail, this drink was far superior. Contrary to what the name leads one to believe, this drink is robably inspired by an Artichoke Hold (replacing the cynar with Averna) or Across the Pacific (with a split base of rum and brandy). The result is the most delicious cocktail I’ve ever had in my life.
The Clawfoot Count’s Stolen Jules (18$): This tasted similar to Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s Bittersweet Symphony, which uses an aperitivo as well, but the Ancho Reyes provided a welcomed spicy aftertaste.
Foie & Marrow (20$): The foie gras was perfect. It was served with a brioche bun. The black garlic paste was sweet and garlicky. The fruit paste was good, but not mind-boggling. The bone marrow was underwhelming, but an interesting take nonetheless.
Hamachi Crudo (26$): This crudo was the best I’ve ever had in Ottawa (so far). It had so many layers of flavour, but it remained light and zesty. Thin slices of hamachi swam in a delicious kombucha, oil and fiji water-based broth, and decorated with lemon slices shaped into flowers to make a large flower, and then garnished with actual flower petals.
Bar Lupulus is a great bar. It lives up to its reputation, both food and beverage-wise. It’s a cozy spot serving elevated dishes, which makes it a perfect venue for friends or a date night. If you enjoy craft beers & cocktails, or natural wines, you will find that Bar Lupulus is right up your alley. It’s impressive that they have so many specialties (food, beer, wine, cocktails) and execute perfectly on all these fronts. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Bar Lupulus and we are planning our next visit.
[…] 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. […]