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 cocktail menu is regularly updated and has 9 libations. Ingredients were not re-employed except for Zwack Unicum. We tried both cocktails with this ingredient, and they were very different.
The stars of the show was the extensive selection of beers & wines, but they had a decent variety of spirits & liqueurs with which to create their cocktails.
Many of the cocktails were takes on classics. For example:
- Mai Tai – “Cam’s New Neck Tatt’s Nicer Than Mai Tai”
- Paper Plane – “Al Mac’s Airways”
- Negroni – “The Clawfoot Count’s Stolen Jules”
- Americano – “Gene Still Rides The Amari Go Round”
- Old Fashioned “Graham’s Date Is Off the Walnut”
Almost every cocktail contained rare, in-house, or locally produced ingredients, demonstrating their focus on creating unique cocktails. Eg:
- Cardamom-infused Giffard’s peche liqueur
- Pecan Orgeat
- Walnut-infused Buffalo Trace
The cocktails were priced average for Ottawa, but the quality was above average. The drinks were presented 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. No beverage napkins or coasters came with the drink however, we had full-size napkins at the table.
Cam’s New Neck Tatt’s Nicer Than Mai Tai (17$): Mai Tai is one of the most delicious cocktails in existence. This iteration with the St-Remy & pecan orgeat did not disappoint.
The Clawfoot Count’s Stolen Jules (18$): 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 dish was superb. It had so many layers of flavour, but it remained light and zesty. We left no kombucha broth at the bottom of the bowl.
