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You’ll find natural wine poured under a giant tree in Centretown, charcuterie boards behind a beer bar in Wellington West and a riverside dock where you can swim before dinner.
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Your patience will pay off, Ottawa patio lovers. As chilly, wet or cloudy as the city has been in recent weeks, the weather will improve. Have faith that any day now, the 2025 patio season will well and truly kick off.
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When we finally get around to lounging al fresco, enjoying views, beers, cocktails and more, the 10 patios listed below are where you’ll find us, taking in those overdue summer vibes. If you have other spots to recommend, leave them in the comments below.
The Evening Citizen
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1 Elgin
1 Elgin St., inside the National Arts Centre, nac-cna.ca
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A massive upgrade in 2022 gave 1 Elgin, the National Arts Centre’s restaurant, one of Ottawa’s most impressive upscale patios, with a retractable roof, glass walls and ceiling-mounted heaters to help extend its season. The placid patio also has going for it fine-dining fare from 1 Elgin’s kitchen, drinks from its bar, and a view that overlooks the Rideau Canal.
Arlo Wine & Restaurant
340 Somerset St. W., restaurantarlo.com
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The cosy back patio at Arlo actually opened months before the Centretown restaurant proper did, during the first summer of COVID-19 when outdoor dining was all that was allowed. Five years later, the patio is enchanting on its own terms, with rustic tables, a giant tree providing shelter from summer heat and empty natural-wine bottles on the wall hinting at the astute choices by owner and sommelier Alex McMahon. Chef-owner Jamie Stunt’s outstanding food is a big draw too, as you would expect given that Arlo ranked 49th this year on the prestigious Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list.
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Bar Lupulus
1242 Wellington St. W., barlupulus.ca
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The Wellington Street West resto-bar is best known for its discerning beer selection and chef Cam McGihon’s elaborate, technique-driven creations that made one dining companion of mine recently say: “Are we really eating in a bar?” Its intimate back patio is a nice oasis in which to slake one’s thirst, perhaps with a side order of McGihon’s best-in-the-city charcuterie.
The Porch on Preston
379 Preston St., theporchottawa.com
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Launched in 2023, the rooftop patio on top of the Prescott in Little Italy is a fun, youthful, open-till-late hangout that mixes a cottage-party vibe with California-inspired food and drink, including tacos, plastic-bucket margaritas and Coronas. Admission is ticketed on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays ($5 to $8), with women admitted for free until 11 p.m. on Ladies’ Night Fridays.
The NCC River House
501 Prom. Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier, ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/ncc-river-house
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Located in the city’s east end on the Ottawa River along the Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway, this National Capital Commission-owned, century-old heritage building feels like a fantastic escape. In summer, in addition to food and beverages, there’s a free public dock to swim from or launch a kayak or canoe.
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Soif Bar à Vin
88 Rue Montcalm, Gatineau, soifbaravin.ca
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World-class sommelier Veronique Rivest’s wine bar in Gatineau’s Hull sector attracts all its own for its discerning selection of wines, all presented very approachably by Rivest and her team. Samplers of three two-ounce pours are especially popular and chef Erik Brooman’s likeable small plates are wine-friendly. The unpretentious back patio is a perfect refuge in which to imbibe.
Spark Beer & Pizza
702 Somerset St. W., spark.beer
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Tucked behind its building in Chinatown, Spark Brewery’s patio is another pandemic addition that stuck around. The casual patio dubbed the “Sparkinglot” has grown to include 14 picnic tables and some Adirondack chairs — the perfect ambience for Spark’s award-winning craft beers and pizza.
Tavern on the Hill
1223 Alexandra Bridge, thetavern.ca
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Opened in 2016, the largest and arguably best located of Ottawa’s downtown patios has a urban-meets-pastoral setting in Major’s Hill Park, gourmet hot dogs and 2 a.m. closing hours going for it. Its understandable success spawned the Tavern Group’s mini-empire that includes four more patios, including one at the National Gallery of Canada and others at some of the National Capital Region’s most scenic locations, including Rideau Falls and Bate Island.
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La Terrasse, Fairmont Château Laurier
1 Rideau St., fairmont.com
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The landmark hotel’s side patio, which seats about 220 at tables, the bar and cabanas, has an unsurpassed view of Parliament Hill, the Ottawa River and the Gatineau Hills, especially from the most desirable north end of the terrace. Burgers, lobster rolls and more are served from an adjacent, from-scratch kitchen. A misting system built into its canopy will help make sweltering days this summer bearable and even enjoyable.
Working Title Kitchen
330 Laurier Ave. E., workingtitleottawa.com
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This Sandy Hill patio is one of downtown’s nicest, an 80-seater shaded by tall trees and umbrellas, framed by a majestic former church on one side and far from Laurier Avenue’s traffic. Open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. daily, the patio serves locally sourced food by chef Tim Stock.
Have a favourite patio for al fresco drinks in Ottawa? Drop it in the comments.
phum@postmedia.com
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