Eight Ottawa restaurants are on a new list of Canada’s top 100 restaurants for going on a date.
The list is a joint project of online reservation service OpenTable and dating app Bumble. It comes as many people are looking to make new connections after two years of the pandemic.
An online survey commissioned by OpenTable found that three-quarters of adults reported their social circles have shrunk in the past two years, with 57 per cent interested in seeking new friend connections and 24 per cent seeking a romantic partner.
“Our survey data reveals that Canadians are actively seeking out new connections and are turning to apps to find them,” OpenTable country director Matt Davis said in a news release. “In fact, 70% think Canadians rely on dating apps when it comes to finding a romantic connection.
“Partnering with Bumble to debut these lists means Canadians can take things offline, skip the dreaded ‘where should we go’ moment and instead focus on what matters.”
The companies also released lists of the top 100 restaurants for a friend date and for a business meeting. The choices will appear in the Bumble app later this month to help people pick places to eat and drink.
The lists are generated from more than one million OpenTable reviews between June 2021 and May 2022.
Here are the top eight Ottawa restaurants for a date, according to OpenTable and Bumble. All are in the top 100 in Canada:
Bar Lupulus
The gastropub in Wellington West serves upscale food with an extensive beer, wine and cocktail list.
Fauna
The restaurant on Bank Street serves seasonally-driven food on both small and large plates.
Lexington Smokehouse & Bar
The southern-style kitchen and smokehouse has locations in Westboro and in the ByWard Market.
North and Navy
The northern Italian fine dining restaurant in Centretown cracked the list of Canada's top 100 restaurants earlier this year.
Oz Kafe
The ByWard Market restaurant prides itself on European-inspired, locally-sourced and vegetarian-foward food.
Restaurant e18hteen
The contemporary fine dining restaurant specializing in steak and seafood has been a ByWard Market staple for more than 20 years.
The Shore Club
The Westin Hotel restaurant specializes in steak and seafood dishes.
NeXT
Chef Michael Blackie’s restaurant in Stittsville describes its food as a balance between Canadian roots with a strong influence in both Asian and European cuisines.
