The 2024 Guide to Ottawa's Cocktail Scene
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. Chef Adam Ghor delivers dishes that are precise and well-matched to the bar’s flavour profiles. It is a bar that meaningfully raises the standard for cocktail-driven hospitality in Ottawa.
📍106 Sparks Street
Jackalope is a great bar. The fact that it is hidden only enhances the experience, adding intimacy, secrecy, and a sense of exclusivity. It holds its own against world-class bars, both in design and in the overall quality of the experience. If you plan to visit, be sure to call Rabbit Hole in advance to book a spot.
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📍212 Sparks Street
Bar Ocelli has raised the bar on what a cocktail lounge can be in Ottawa. With its moody, meticulously designed setting and polished service, it evokes the elegance of world-renowned watering holes. It is a rare thing: a bar that not only elevates a city’s standards but could stand proudly on the global stage. Bar Ocelli is possibly the city’s best cocktail bar, and we hope to see it become a benchmark for Canada’s capital region.
📍17 William Street
Riviera remains an elegant, historic restaurant with a serious focus on its bar program. Sitting at the bar offers a more hands-off experience but a front-row view of exceptional craftsmanship. Despite the constant bustle on almost any night of the week, Riviera stands as Ottawa’s premier destination for Negronis and one of the city’s best places to enjoy expertly executed food and cocktails. For cocktail enthusiasts, it is worth returning to again and again.
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📍62 Sparks Street
The Moonroom
An intimate, candle-lit cocktail bar with narrow corridors and a rotating cocktail menu. What’s not to like? Some ingredients are picked from the garden out back, so it can’t get any fresher than that.
📍442 Preston Street
Sidecar
Hidden below Mati in Ottawa’s Little Italy, this small and dimly-lit cocktail bar exudes professionalism with every cocktail it serves.
📍428 Preston Street
Apothecary
Apothecary is a beautiful venue and an appealing watering hole. The cocktail program succeeds in presentation and showmanship, particularly with cocktails like The Mortician. Apothecary is a bar worth visiting, if not for some cool cocktails, then for the sheer pleasure of spending some time in its moody space.
📍54 York Street
Serving coffee by day and cocktails by night. Drip House has a reputation for doing things properly, and its cocktail bar upholds that standard. It’s become a popular weekend spot, but I’m particularly fond of their weekday vibe. It’s elegant yet informal. Skilled bartenders, quality spirits, and one of the city’s best happy hours make it a place worth returning to.
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📍692 Somerset Street West
El Camino
A well-known establishment on Elgin Street, El Camino is reknown for their tacos, but this is also an excellent spot for a drink as they focus primarily on tequila and mezcal-based cocktails.
📍380 Elgin Street