The Clarendon Tavern — Restaurant in Ottawa

Great location in the Byward market. Great ambiance inside, modern-retro style tables and a wonderfully stocked bar.

The staff is lovely, experienced, and very honest which I LOVE. I haven't had a suggestion from them which I disliked or didn't agree with :)

The food is exquisite. I can't quite put my finger on what sort of cuisine this is, but if I had to I would describe it as a very internationally-inspired menu, very modern and elevated, with sharp hints of Middle Eastern and European (Spanish/Portuguese/Italian) fusion. The menu is diverse, but my favourites include...the garlic knots (OMG!), the appetizer platter (though it's a LOT of food, you won't regret it), Buttermilk fried chicken, braised beef (it used to come with a gnocci or a pasta of some sort if I'm not mistaken and it was insane)...The desserts have ALWAYS been a hit with me, can't go wrong! I realize the menu has changed recently, and I am excited to go back and try all the new things out!

And for drinks...the bar is awesome here, and I've noticed the bartender (At the times that I've been before the pandemic) has had quite an affinity for gin, so I've always went for gin-heavy drinks. It's probably not on the menu anymore, but i would highly recommend the Sophie's G&T with extra dried orange slices. 100000/10, excellent cocktail, very elegant and simple, with a nice use of Dillon's Rose gin.

I look forward to visiting...

If there are negative stars I would give it to this place.

As soon as we arrived and sat down, the hostess said that we have limited time to eat as the table is reserved for later, although when we reserved few days before going they didn’t inform us that we’re limited in our dining time. We asked to change our table since the one we have is busy later, and they said that all other tables around us are reserved, although the hostess was lying (we stayed there for an hour and no one showed up to any of the tables). When we wanted to order they kept asking when do we expect the remaining guests to come as we need to hurry up and eat. This was it for us, we asked them not to put in our order until they confirm another table which is free as we reserved a table for the night. The hostess came back and said “I’m curious why do you want to change the table?” I thought she was joking when she asked this. This was it for us, I paid for the beer I ordered and left. We couldn’t stand sitting there with the hostess going around our table every minute waiting for us to order and leave although we had a reservation. The waiter was nice and tried to help by getting us another table, but the hostess kept refusing changing the table. I will never go back to this place and I don’t recommend anyone...

I learned about the Clarendon Tavern from Google Maps, and the decision about my visit depended on the rating. From the outside, the tavern looks unassuming. And a completely different feeling arises when you get into the courtyard. There is an absolutely European atmosphere here. In the courtyard of brick building under the trees shade on the cobblestone pavement there are many tables. On the my visit day (Sunday, noon) it wasn't crowded. As for the food, it seemed to me quite tasty. 3 Egg omlette, homefries🍟 and buttered sourdough🍞 were delicious and fresh. The cappuccino was also great! But, my dear Canadians, to be completely honest, I'm not a big fan of such carbohydrate breakfasts, consisting of hash browns, toasts, jam and ketchup and the like. All this is very likely to lead to obesity. And this is not a claim to the tavern (all the dishes were cooked very well), it's rather a claim to the entire North American culinary tradition. I would suggest introducing a healthier alternative🥦. If we talk about the service, it was timely, polite and courteous. I was satisfied!!! The Clarendon Tavern is the only place in Ottawa I've been, but my experienced Local Guide eye indicates that this place claims to be the best...