ByWard Market's dining revolution brings global flavours downtown

The ByWard Market's dining landscape is undergoing a significant shift. Well-established eateries like Play Food & Wine, Kochin Kitchen, and Blue Cactus Bar have closed in recent months, making room for a wave of new arrivals bringing cuisines Ottawa hasn't widely seen before.

La Nhậu Viet Kitchen & Bar opened in January at 108 Murray Street in the space formerly occupied by Bite Burger House. It's the next-generation daughter restaurant of Pho Thu Do, which opened in Chinatown in 1994. The menu highlights Vietnamese food with cocktails, and the beef carpaccio — powered by lime juice, herbs, fish sauce and peanuts — stands out.

Tajine arrived at 308 Dalhousie Street in October 2025, taking over the spot left by Shafali. The Moroccan restaurant focuses on the sumptuous stews cooked in the earthenware pots the restaurant takes its name from. The b'stilla — a crisp, savoury-sweet filo pastry filled with chicken, almonds and spices, dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon — is their standout dish.

Yan's Restaurant opened in December 2025 at 86 Murray Street as Ottawa's first establishment serving Armenian and Georgian food. The space was vacated years ago by Fiazza Fresh Fired pizza. Yan's inherited the pizza oven and now serves large, shareable Georgian cheese-topped breads alongside kebab, grilled-meat platters, and claypot stews featuring lamb, beef or chicken, using imported Armenian and Georgian spices, herbs, and wines.

Tomo, a modern Japanese restaurant on Clarence Street, recently marked its 10th anniversary and continues to attract diners seeking high-end sushi and contemporary Japanese cuisine.

The turnover signals a broader diversification in the Market's food offerings, reflecting both the neighbourhood's ongoing evolution and Ottawa's growing appetite for culinary variety.