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:
- Ideal Café (176 Dalhousie Street)
- The Momo Spot ( 79 Holland Ave)
- Tortilla Maker (2003 St Joseph Blvd)
Ideal Café is located at the edge of the ByWard Market on Dalhousie Street at Bruyère Street, making it a bit of a hidden gem, but a neighbourhood favourite. Their scratch kitchen makes sweet and savory scones, breakfast wraps, soups, sandwiches, and cookies that are available daily. There is a rotating menu of seasonal drinks featuring their espresso and bags of beans available for purchase. On a cold day, there are few things I crave more than their apple cheddar grilled cheese with a side of tomato soup (the combo is around $16). Sandwiches vary but cost around $9-14.
Ideal Café apple grilled cheese with a cortado. Photo Kiersten Vuorimaki.
The café is open from 8am-5pm and has plenty of seating inside and on their patio, along with wifi. It’s a great spot to grab a coffee while walking in Lowertown or to sit and get some work done with a sandwich or soup.
-Hannah Manning
If you’ve been around Ottawa festivals and cultural events in the last decade, you’re probably familiar with The Momo Spot. Formerly only a catering and special event pop-up, The Momo Spot got its very own spot last spring. The bright and inviting space on Holland is perfect for a casual lunch or dinner with friends. I walked in and made my order to-go and everything was ready in ten minutes. These delicious Nepalese dumplings are savoury, dense and packed with flavour. They offer chicken, pork and vegan dumplings that you can have either steamed, pan-fried, deep-fried, or prepared in saucy, traditional Nepalese dishes. I love a good pan fry, so the pan-fried chicken or pork are always my go-to. An order of eight dumplings is a good meal for $15.99 and comes with their signature sauces for dipping. I love the tomato-based spicy sesame, but the mild sauce is a nice tangy fresh option, too.
Pan-fried chicken momos. Photo Kiersten Vuorimaki.
The last time I picked up lunch I also got Puri Chips, a flour-based pita/tortilla/style chip fried until light and crunchy and dusted with savoury seasonings. The flavours are really subtle and not too salty, but you won’t be able to stop yourself from eating the entire bag in one shot. For $4.75, they’re a great starter or snack. You can order from The Momo Spot online for delivery, or pop in for a quick, delicious meal in person. I dream about these dumplings.
-Kiersten Vuorimaki
Now that so many of us are talking about buying Canadian and supporting local, why not buy your tortillas from a local supplier? Tortilla Maker in Orléans is a bright, friendly tortilla factory/eatery that opened to the public in 2023 and not only supplies tortillas to some of our favourite local restos ( Torta Boyz, Corazon de Maíz, Toro Taqueria among many), but also sells fresh corn tortillas, chips, and salsas in their storefront. The tortillería also offers a pretty extensive take out menu of Mexican classics, so naturally, we had to try it out. We ordered a total feast of tacos, tamales, taquitos and gorditas, and settled into one of their sunny high top tables to enjoy it right out of the bag. The rajas & cheese tamale was creamy and cheesy, and the chorizo gordita was super flavourful. The real star of the meal, though, was the Tacos de Canasta (“basket tacos”), soft and saucy steamed tacos cooked with onions and full of saucy flavour, for $3.25 each. You eat these in a messy pile with a knife and fork, and they offer beef, pork, chicken, beans and potatoes as filling. These are not something that I’ve seen on many Mexican menus around town, and I am still thinking about their perfect balance of filling, soft onions, and fresh soft corn tortillas. The next time, I’m ordering enough to feed everyone I know.
Clockwise from top left: Tacos de Canasta, taquitos, gorditas, tamale. Photo Kiersten Vuorimaki.
The location has limited seating in person, and all the dishes come in takeout containers, so you can enjoy it on-site or bring it home hot and ready. Their housemade salsa and guacamole are also excellent. Bring a bag of fresh tortilla chips home, too. They close at 5pm, so make your dinner plans early or drop in for a quick lunch.
-Kiersten Vuorimaki
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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