Benny's Bistro — Restaurant in Ottawa

I used to live on Murray street and thought The French Baker was a pet store because of their dog logo 😅🤣. Turns out, it’s a bakery that’s been in Ottawa since 1995 and opened a small brunch spot in the back called Benny’s Bistro in 1999. I think I read somewhere that it was a “hidden gem” in Ottawa so I wanted to try it. And now I understand why!! They start you off with some fresh slices of different baguettes. I was super excited because I was already thinking about buying baguettes after my meal but now I get to try some first!

The French Toast was unbelievably good.. they used baguettes for the French toast, the outside was crisp and the inside was so soft. It came with apple compote, almond oats, and a salted caramel sauce. The flavours complimented each other so well, I’ll always come here for my French toast cravings now.

We also got the Yukon gold potato gratin, with a maple cured pork loin, and a soft poached egg. As well, we added a side of the double smoked bacon & fingerling potatoes. We didn’t want to feel super heavy so we didn’t add hollandaise to our poached egg & potato gratin, but you can for an extra $2.

We throughly enjoyed everything and will probably be back to try something else, and also get the French toast again 😆. The server’s are very friendly, and are super quick with cleaning and attentiveness. We only had to wait 10mins today but I’m sure it varies between 10-30mins depending on the...

I was really excited to try Benny’s Bistro since I had heard such good things about the food and service but we were a little disappointed. We got there about 10:20 and were seated a little after 10:30 when they started brunch service and a table became available. The place was actually full when we got there since people arrived early to enjoy a coffee before brunch. One of the waitresses came to bring us water and take our drink order. I ordered a tea and my boyfriend wasn’t sure yet and said he needed a minute. 30 minutes later she came back to take our order and I never got my tea. The table next to us was seated at the same time and they received their food and left before we even got to order. Another table that had been recently seated ordered 10 minutes after us and got their food 5 minutes before. From the time that we got seated to the time our food arrived it was 1.5 hours! Sure it was busy but it was Saturday brunch, they know it’s going to be busy! Over all the food was indeed delicious although my French toast was undercooked in the middle making it soggy. I hope this was just an off day because service was unacceptable. There was no real apology...

I enjoyed brunch here over the weekend. I had passed by so many times but hadn’t tried it yet! The restaurant itself is tucked within the bakery down a hallway. The atmosphere was so inviting. For a space with no windows, they’ve really been able to maximize it. The kitchen is open and very clean. They’ve got local art hanging in all the alcoves as well which added to the charm. I got to have the special that day which was the fried Cornish hen with a poached egg, cornbread, and cabbage salad. It was delightful paired with a very generous mimosa. The chef who created the menu, Scott, spoke to us about the dishes and even served us some of our items along with the other wonderful and prompt service staff. He was so kind and you can tell he is someone who takes immense pride in his work. My experience made me appreciate what was in front of me so much more. I will definitely be returning to try more. Definitely pop by the bakery and pick up some pastries and bread on your way out. This place is unlike anything I’ve tried in Ottawa -...