After almost two decades, this Preston Street bar still excels at classic cocktails in the city's most cozy room.
The Moonroom
442 Preston Street
Open from 5 PM to 2 AM
Preston Street has become one of Ottawa’s premier destinations for cocktails, but that wasn’t always the case. When The Moonroom opened in 2008, the city’s modern cocktail movement was still in its infancy. Few venues specialized in carefully prepared cocktails served in a relaxed, late-night setting. Nearly two decades later, after waves of openings and closures, The Moonroom remains one of Ottawa’s original cocktail bars. It helped shape the city’s early cocktail culture and continues to occupy an important place within it.
Founder Tracy Turnbull modelled The Moonroom after the intimate cocktail lounges common in larger metropolitan cities—a concept largely absent from Ottawa at the time. Her vision was straightforward: a room where guests could settle in for an evening of thoughtfully prepared cocktails and small plates, away from the nightclub and pub scene. It was also conceived as a space where women could comfortably enjoy a drink on their own. That philosophy continues to define the bar today. Open nightly until 2 a.m., The Moonroom remains a dependable destination for hospitality workers, neighbourhood regulars, and cocktail enthusiasts.
Its sister establishment, Trio Lounge, opened in 2003 and predates The Moonroom by five years. Both were early advocates of quality-focused drinking culture in Ottawa, operating seven nights a week with late closing hours. Their personalities, however, are distinct. Trio embraces the atmosphere of a neighbourhood bar, while The Moonroom’s candlelit room, tighter quarters, and quieter ambience create one of the city’s most intimate drinking environments.
Ownership changed in late 2023 when Tracy Turnbull sold the business to Dan Andre. The transition was not without challenges. Through much of 2024 and into early 2025, service consistency appeared to decline: cocktails took longer to arrive, table maintenance became less attentive, and the overall pace occasionally felt uneven. More recent visits suggest the operation has regained its footing. Drinks now arrive more promptly, bartenders check in more consistently, and service once again complements the relaxed atmosphere rather than interrupting it.
The Moonroom remains one of Ottawa’s coziest rooms. Housed in a converted heritage building, the space features narrow passageways, low lighting, flickering tea candles, and a draped ceiling softly illuminated with blue lighting that evokes a moonlit sky. Music is kept at conversational levels throughout the evening. Seating is undeniably compact, but the close quarters reinforce the sense of intimacy rather than diminishing it.
Head Bartender Grace Graham oversees a rotating cocktail program centred on well-executed classics. The menu currently includes five classics ($18–$20), five modern classics ($18–$24), three original riffs ($21–$22), and three classic highballs ($14–$22), alongside six thoughtfully prepared non-alcoholic cocktails priced between $14 and $16.
Between the Sheets ($19): This prohibition-era Sidecar variation combines rum, brandy, orange liqueur, and lemon juice. Rather than using the neutral white rum traditionally specified, The Moonroom substitutes Appleton Estate Signature, introducing some Jamaican funk and additional depth without upsetting the cocktail’s balance.
Mezcal Mai Tai ($22): This drink, created by Quin Taylor during her time at The Moonroom, is a significant riff on the Mai Tai. It drinks more like a Mezcal Daisy, likely due to a less-potent orgeat currently used by the bar. The defining flavours of orgeat and pineapple are largely absent, leaving a balanced cocktail that is enjoyable on its own merits but no longer recognizably a Mai Tai variation.
Off-menu requests are handled competently.
Whisky Sour: A proper egg foam and a sliced citrus peel garnish this well-balanced classic libation.
The bar’s attention to detail is generally strong, and cocktail presentation is one of its most significant strengths. Glassware is attractive and citrus garnishes are intricately cut. Minor lapses, such as soft, defrosted cherries, stand out precisely because the bar’s standards are otherwise strong.
The food menu consists of small plates ranging from $8 to $17 with items such as garlic bread, popcorn, charcuterie, and prawns.
Warm marinated olives ($8): Heated in olive oil with minced garlic, these pair particularly well with cocktails.
Nice to know: Daily happy hour from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. offers $14 Negronis, $14 wine by the glass, and $7 draught beer.
The Moonroom recently expanded with a second-floor lounge that feels like a natural extension of the intimate space below. To accompany the opening, the bar introduced Wine Flight Wednesdays, featuring guided tastings of three curated wines paired with a charcuterie plate.
In 2018, The Moonroom was ranked Canada’s 15th best bar, reflecting the influence it once held within the national cocktail conversation. Ottawa’s cocktail landscape has since become broader and considerably more competitive, and several newer establishments now surpass it in innovation. Yet longevity carries its own authority. The Moonroom no longer defines the city’s cocktail culture, but it remains foundational to it: a late-night constant, strongest when serving the classics, and still the most cozy and intimate bar in Ottawa.
[…] the early 2000s and 2010s, several venues began to push cocktail programs further. Bars like The Moonroom introduced menus centred on classic and contemporary cocktails, while restaurants such as Riviera […]