In this feature, Apt613 asks blog contributors and local food lovers about their recent Ottawa area restaurant highlights to help you find new tasty treats to discover or revisit when someone inevitably asks, “Where do you want to eat?” We want to hear about something that you ate and loved! Leave comments below, and if you’d like to contribute to a future edition of Best Bites, email <editors@apt613.ca>.
Best Bites this week:
- Corazón De Maíz ( 55 Byward Market Square)
- Banh Mi Yes ( 1129 Wellington St. W, 1380 Clyde Avenue, 101 Schneider Rd )
- Chips & Dairy ( 2920 Bank St)
The next time you’re downtown with a hankering for tacos, you have to check out Corazón De Maíz in the Byward Market building. The menu has burritos, quesadillas, burrito bowls and great chips and guac, but the tacos are the star. The best option is to get 3 tacos for $18, and you choose your filling. The slow cooked chicken, beef and pork are all juicy and flavourful so you can’t really go wrong. There is a vegetarian option as well, of course. I like to get one of each meat, and each taco has refried beans, pico do gallo, onions and comes with a side of guacamole. The pork is probably my favourite, because I’m just a sucker for some good cochinita pibil. The tacos are stuffed full, and you can add one of their house made gluten free, vegan hot sauces for some punch.
Corazon de Maiz. Photo: Kiersten Vuorimaki
They make horchata and hibiscus iced tea as well, and I cannot recommend them enough. The horchata is creamy and rich with a hint of spice that makes it the perfect Mexican treat, while the hibiscus tea is fruity and tangy and very refreshing on a hot day. You can eat in at one of their small bright tables, or take the tacos to-go to enjoy in Major’s Hill Park or a bench in the market like all good street tacos are meant to be savoured.
As Ottawans we sure do love our Vietnamese food, and banh mi is a fan favourite. I know you might already have your go-to banh mi spot, but hear me out. Banh Mi Yes has opened a few locations across town and is filling the city with classic, traditional banh mi. They bake their own bread daily, so if you pick up your order at the location in Hintonburg you will be treated to the smells of both baking bread and grilled meat. What is better than that? They offer a few more options than you might find on a regular Vietnamese restaurant’s menu for fillings, with the addition of tangy Viet kimchi to some. They have vegetarian, vegan and halal beef options too, so there is something for everyone. I like the Vietnamese pulled pork, which comes with the typical pickled carrots, cilantro, mayo and hot sauce. The pork is juicy and the bread is the perfect balance of fluffy and crusty. The sandwiches are all between $11-12, and there is a $10 sub of the day every day of the week.
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The combos are a great deal too. $13.49 will get you a sandwich and a soft drink, and $17.49 will get a special house made iced tea with your meal. They also serve sugarcane juice which is a refreshing treat. The Kanata location is re-opening on August 1st, so west enders mark your calendars!
If you live in the South end, you might already know about Chips & Dairy, but if not, you’re welcome. What sounds like maybe a dairy bar/chip truck is actually a small family restaurant in Blossom Park that is churning out excellent Chinese food and classic Canadian staples. I have friends in the area, and it has become their easy take out dinner option, so naturally I’ve had to give the menu my own once over. My favourite item on the menu is the poutine, which is a saucy, cheesy, gloriously messy experience that I think poutine should always be. The house cut fries are crispy and dense, making the perfect base for the cheese curds and generous salty gravy. This is a poutine that needs to be eaten with a fork.
Chips & Dairy poutine. Photo: Kiersten Vuorimaki
A small poutine is $8.20, medium is $11.65 and a large is $14.80. You will need at least two other hungry friends to help you tackle the large, trust me. It’s not as easy as we may think to get an excellent classic poutine around here, but this place is nailing it. Maybe the best part, is that they offer their own delivery, so you can order off their site and not have to go through any of the delivery apps.
We want to hear about something that you ate and loved! Leave comments below, and if you’d like to contribute to a future edition of Best Bites, email <editors@apt613.ca>.
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