Are there any Michelin Star restaurants in Ottawa, Canada? As of December 2023, the answer is no. This is because, while the Michelin Guide is one of the most iconic culinary awards, it only covers some areas of the United States, Canada, and specific parts of Europe, the U.K., and Asia. It was only in 2022 that Michelin even announced it would start to cover Toronto, Canada. The guide has not yet expanded to Ottawa, even though it is Canada's capital city!
Because the Michelin Guide doesn't cover Ottawa, there are other ways that the wonderful restaurants of Ottawa have distinguished themselves among the culinary greats. For instance, making it onto the Top 100 list for Canada is a rather large achievement. There’s also the Canadian Automobile Association and the American Automobile Association’s annual Diamond Awards. These awards feature a comprehensive judging system that awards either four diamonds or five diamonds to fine dining establishments and hotels.
Culinary awards can do a lot to boost a chef’s career and a restaurant’s notoriety. However, community reviews and local recommendations can have as much impact on the heart and soul of a place. The following restaurants have received not only some kind of culinary distinction, but also have been raved about by the local communities for all that they bring to the city of Ottawa. Read on to learn more about these deserving of a Michelin Star restaurants in Ottawa.
- 4-serving meals starting at $3.77 per serving (up to 25% cheaper than HelloFresh).
- Incredible variety with 10+ weekly meal options, delivered directly to you.
- Easy to prepare meals ready in 30-minutes or less.
Atelier
540 Rochester St. Ottawa, ON K1S 4M1
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Atelier is a fine dining establishment known for its modern take on Canadian cuisine. The true Atelier experience features a forty-course tasting menu. Yes, you read that correctly! Chef Marc Lepine, a two-time winner of the Canadian Culinary Championships, changed the model for the Atelier menu from 12 courses to 40+ courses in 2021. Since then, the restaurant has made it to Canada's 100 Best list and also received the four-diamond distinction from the CAA/AAA (via AAA Newsroom).
The tasting menu costs $250 per person; with the alcohol pairing it can increase by between $100 and $300 per guest. Guests are served around 10 courses an hour and enjoy communication from the servers directly about the items they're being served over four hours. The menu changes at the convenience of the chefs behind Atelier, but their Instagram features dishes like a garden tomato salad with lemon confit and green garlic mayo, and citrus-cured tuna in a smoky avocado purée with verjus confit. Save room for their Foie Gras mousse with brioche and black mission figs.
North & Navy
226 Nepean St, Ottawa, ON K2P 0B8, Canada
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North & Navy combines traditional Northeastern Italian recipes with the produce and local fare of Eastern Ontario. There's also some improvisation involved to create the playful dishes and fun atmosphere of this fine dining experience in Ottawa. North & Navy was named on Canada's “100 Best” list for restaurants, and holds many glowing reviews from locals and tourists alike. Their sample menu features four courses, including antipasti, primi, secondi, and dolce. Start with some polpette, charred eggplant, or Montasio flan. For your secondi, you can enjoy dishes like pork tenderloin and braised lamb. For dessert, tiramisu, affogato, panna cotta, and a parm and balsamic combination are your options.
Riviera
62 Sparks Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 5A8
- 4-serving meals starting at $3.77 per serving (up to 25% cheaper than HelloFresh).
- Incredible variety with 10+ weekly meal options, delivered directly to you.
- Easy to prepare meals ready in 30-minutes or less.
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Riviera is another restaurant that graces Canada's Top 100 list of restaurants. Set in an old banking building on Sparks Street, Riviera is within walking distance from a beautiful part of the city. Run by Chef Jordan Holley, the menu features a nuanced take on steakhouse dishes. The menu is seasonal, but a sampling may feature items from the raw bar like fresh oysters with mignonette sauce, beef tartare, tuna crudo, or white fish caviar with crème fraîche.
Starters may include an iceberg wedge salad, seafood chowder, mushrooms on toast, or a citrus and endive salad. Mains may feature lobster spaghetti, roasted duck breast, Fogo Island cod, and braised lamb shank, among other dishes. According to Canada's 100 Best, you simply must have their meringue and sea buckthorn curd pie, if it's still on the menu!
Beckta
150 Elgin St, Ottawa, ON K2P 1L4, Canada
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Beckta is featured on Canada's “100 Best,” and has also received the CAA four diamond award in the 2022 and 2023 award cycles. This Canadian cuisine restaurant serves local ingredients and traditional recipes with a twist. They also have a fantastic collection of wines that they serve as part of their dining experience and in their wine bar. The a la carte tasting menu is available from 5pm onward from Monday through Saturday. They also offer a five-course chef's tasting menu, which is the more interactive of the two and features a specialized wine pairing.
The menu features snacks and small plates, including a charcuterie board, charcoal grilled quail, steak tartare, and roasted sweet potato soup. Among other delicious options, entrees feature lingcod, beef striploin, and duck confit. While not featured on their menu, their Instagram showcases enticing desserts like Choux au caramel, a puff pastry with coconut crème, pineapple jam, and a vanilla mascarpone Chantilly cream. Beckta absolutely deserves consideration for a Michelin star in Ottawa. Good thing it's been recognized by other culinary awards.
Alice
40 Adeline St, Ottawa, ON K1S 3L3, Canada
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Alice is a rather unique restaurant on this list. It features a vegetable and fermentation-based menu, curated by Chef Briana Kim. Chef Kim won the Canadian Culinary Championship in 2023, and her restaurant Alice is ranked among Canada's 100 Best. The latter recommends the charcoal-grilled maitake mushrooms with sunchokes, which are served in a fermented green tomato and strawberry salsa. Pair this with the fermented beverage options that feature flavors like sea buckthorn and red pepper. All the food is highly seasonal, so who knows what will be on the menu by the time you can experience this deserving of a Michelin Star restaurant in Ottawa.
Alice's Instagram showcases more current dishes, like cured maitake mushrooms with rhubarb and lion's mane mushrooms on skewers, and a similar grilled dish with lion's mane mushrooms in a fermented tomato glaze with cured daikon radish and pickled leeks. Save room for their sweeter creations, like a sweet honeycomb tuile wafer cookie with olive oil and juniper berry ice cream doused in bee pollen cream and frozen fermented honey.
- 4-serving meals starting at $3.77 per serving (up to 25% cheaper than HelloFresh).
- Incredible variety with 10+ weekly meal options, delivered directly to you.
- Easy to prepare meals ready in 30-minutes or less.
Supply and Demand
1335 Wellington St. W, Ottawa, ON K1Y 3B7, Canada
©Ratov Maxim/Shutterstock.com
Supply and Demand is co-owned by the fabulous duo Steven and Jennifer Wall. The restaurant emphasizes community, culinary mentorship, and a hospitable environment in their neighborhood. Supply and Demand is firmly on Canada's 100 Best list, which raves about their raw-bar offerings, fantastic pasta dishes, and admirable dedication to service. The menu features local items and sustainable ingredients. Availability is entirely dependent on the supply chain, a huge part of the name behind this thoughtful Ottawa food establishment.
Start off with some oysters on the half, or an albacore tuna crudo. How about some classic beef tartare? Small plates include a kale salad with manchego and bacon and salt cod with potato croquettes. As for the famed pasta, try their squid ink rigatoni, or their bucatini with duck Ragu and rosemary. Entrees include Atlantic cod with summer squash and roasted duck with green beans. And for something sweet, try their Baked Alaska for two or their almond, pear, and chocolate tart.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Zsu Badak/Shutterstock.com.