These 8 Ottawa restaurants are in Canada's top 100

Eight Ottawa restaurants have cracked the annual list of Canada's 100 best restaurants, a slight uptick from last year.

Alice Restaurant is the top Ottawa restaurant on the list, coming in 31st for its ever-changing eight-course vegetable-focused tasting menu.

"First-time visitors to Alice cannot miss the wall-sized cabinet stocked with jars of fermenting ingredients, from miso pastes made with sweet peas, chickpeas or sesame, to vinegars involving crabapple flowers, Thai basil and spruce tips," the editors of the magazine write.

"Such fermentations have been at the core of Briana Kim’s tasting menus since the day she opened her tiny, rarefied vegetable-focused restaurant in 2019 on a Little Italy side street."

Kim took top spot at the Canadian Culinary Championships earlier this year, the only chef to focus on vegetables and fermentation at the competition. Alice places 50th on last year's top 100 list.

The eight Ottawa restaurants on the list is an increase from six last year.

Riviera (49th), Supply and Demand (63rd), Atelier (88th) and North and Navy (96th) return to this year's list. Newcomers for 2023: Arlo, Perch and Gitanes, which are 62nd, 85th and 97th respectively.

"When you get recognized and put in a conversation with some of the greatest restaurants in the country it’s always nice to be included," said North and Navy owner Adam Vettorel.

"At North and Navy, we're especially known for our pastas, which are a big draw. Our chef Eric, he does an in-house charcuterie that's becoming very, very popular."

 

 

 

 

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Beckta, which was number 57 on last year's list, failed to crack it this year. Les Fougères in Chelsea, Que. was 77th on last year's list and did not rank this year.

"We're happy to be part of the amazing team of restaurants in Ottawa that’s progressive in making a lot of changes in the city and drawing a lot of people into the city," said Arlo co-owner Mark Ghali.

The top restaurant in Canada this year is Mon Lapin in Montreal, with Toronto's Alo coming in second and Vancouver's Published on Main - last year's winner - coming in third.

Montreal restaurants dominated the list, with 27 eateries placing in the ranking.

"I'm originally from Montreal, so to see Ottawa be recognized to that level is extremely rewarding and we’re extremely proud of everybody on the list," Ghali said.

According to editor-in-chief Jacob Richler, this year’s list marks a return to its former glory, with restaurants unlimited by COVID-19 restrictions for the first time since 2019 and more judges than ever before.

"We always pride ourselves on the quality of our best restaurants lists–but all the same, this 2023 edition is a standout. We had more judges than ever before dining out with enthusiasm all across the country–and giving us their invaluable, thoughtful feedback," Richler said.

The 130 judges are chosen for their reputation and knowledge of the culinary scene.

 

 

 

 

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Here are the Ottawa restaurants on the list, along with their rankings:

31. Alice

49. Riviera

62. Arlo

63. Supply and Demand

85. Perch

88. Atelier

96. North & Navy

97. Gitanes

• READ MORE: Full list of Ontario restaurants that made Canada's top 100 list

- with files from Phil Tsekouras, CTV News Toronto, and Tyler Fleming, CTV News Ottawa