The view from above: Ottawa’s top rooftop patios

Ottawa is a city of landmarks, so it only follows that you'd want to eat on a rooftop to enjoy them all. From Italian to Brazilian to vegan to old-fashioned pub grub, you've got rooftop options galore in the nation's capital. Cross your fingers for good weather, find a spot, rustle up a menu and take it all in.

The view from above: Ottawa’s top rooftop patios
James Gregor By

Sens House Sports Bar & Grill

1
73 York St, Ottawa, ON K1N 5T2

Sens House Sports Bar & Grill, named after Ottawa's hometown hockey team, the Senators, is your place in the ByWard market for a rooftop patio with the atmosphere of a sports bar. Their drink menu features great signature cocktails – the Moscow Mule is made with vodka and Harvey & Vern's ginger beer. Why not follow it up with the applewood smoked bacon cheeseburger?

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Mambo Restaurante Nuevo Latino

2
77 Clarence St, Ottawa, ON K1N 5P5

Calamari with a view of the Parliament buildings? Mambo Restaurante Nuevo Latino's 80-seat rooftop patio offers this and more. The drink menu itself is enough to bring you here: reds and whites from Portugal, Chile and Argentina are accompanied by cocktails, sangria, and piña coladas. The food menu is similarly intriguing, offering dishes such as Pato Loco – an open burrito of sliced tender duck breast. Nothing short of delicious.

Pure Kitchen Ottawa

3
357 Richmond Rd, Ottawa, ON K2A 0E7

Pure Kitchen is your favourite vegetarian and vegan rooftop option in Ottawa. In the tranquil white decor, enjoy vegan poutine, cauliflower wings or a lime-jalapeño tofu-steak wrap. You won't stop there: a walnut-burger or a tempeh-steak bowl are also on offer. And there's no need to feel guilty after that. Finish it off with a "Bohemian" smoothie – the combination of almond milk, blueberries, and almonds will have your taste buds dancing.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Churchill Pub

4
356A Richmond Rd, Ottawa, ON K2A 0E8

Come to Churchill's to dine with a view of the Westboro neighbourhood at your feet. The menu here is quality pub food – from the juicy Reuben sandwich to fish and chips made with Pabst Blue Ribbon batter. If that's not your speed, there are other lovely options, like risotto with leeks or the organic smoked chicken served with seasonal vegetables.

Atari

5
297 Dalhousie St, Ottawa, ON K1N 7E5

This video-game themed restaurant is located in the ByWard Market. Cast your gaze over the pedestrian life of Dalhousie and Clarence Streets while you enjoy tasty small plates such as pulled pork poutine, lobster rolls (butter toasted bun) or the Atari Burger (triple-smoked bacon). Truffle fries makes a great side, and there are salads for those in search of something lighter.

More from James Gregor James Gregor
A native of Halifax, James Gregor can usually be found hauling laptop around to various coffee shops. He can never decide what kind of coffee he wants, so he tries them all (though he prefers dark roast). If he's not in a coffee shop, he's probably in a bookshop, or on a plane to New York City. James holds a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University, and is also a fiction writer.
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