Best Poutine in Ottawa to Try: Our Top 12 Picks

Canada and the national dish of the country, poutine, go hand in hand. Poutine is a popular dish served with crispy French fries covered in hot spicy, flavorful gravy and cheese curds.

If you are visiting the capital of the nation, Ottawa, you must try some of the amazing restaurants and outlets that serve the best poutine in Ottawa. Poutine is a dish that is loved by all and Canada takes a lot of pride to represent this rooted Canadian cuisine.

1. Top Restaurants that Serve the Best Poutine in Ottawa

Since poutine is a national dish, you will get this at every nook and corner of the city. But if you are a first-time visitor, it’s recommended to try some of the best and most appetizing poutines in Ottawa.

Here is a list of the top 12 restaurants which serves the best poutine in Ottawa that will satiate your gut as well as your heart.

1.1. Smoke’s Poutinerie Ottawa

The very popular food joint in Ottawa, Smoke’s Poutinerie serves one of the best poutine in Ottawa. The fries are hand cut and the signature gravy of this place is to die for.

The authentic traditional poutine is served with their signature gravy and cheese curds from Quebec; whereas the veggie poutine is served with a delicious vegetable gravy.

Also, you can customize your poutine according to your meat preference by ordering beef, pork, or chicken poutine; as well as adding toppings as per your likeness.

Don’t go by the size of the fast food joint; rather focus on their lip-smacking poutines. The atmosphere is decent and the joint is cost friendly with pretty good portions.

1.2. Occo Kitchen

Occo Kitchen also serves one of the best poutine in Ottawa and the fun fact is that all their ingredients are locally sourced and everything is made fresh from scratch in the kitchen.

It is a fast food joint serving delicious burgers and tacos along with flavoursome poutines. The basic poutine served with hand-chipped Yukon, hot beef gravy, and lots of cheese curds is highly recommended by the locals.

In addition, do try out the Newfoundland dressing that is served with the poutine; I am sure you are going to thank your taste buds. There are drink options as well to try out with the poutines.

1.3. The Great Canadian Poutinerie

The next restaurant that comes under the list of serving the best poutine in Ottawa is The Great Canadian Poutinerie.

This restaurant is run by a family that serves authentic and classic poutines along with other dishes infused with poutine. It is a vegetarian-friendly restaurant and comes with a long list of poutine choices.

The butter chicken poutine of this restaurant is highly recommended by visitors and the added advantage is that the dish is gluten-free.

The pulled pork poutine is also greatly approved by the customers that are served with crispy fries, generous hot gravy, and fresh cheese curds with a lot of warmth and hospitality.

1.4. Sasha’s Poutine

If you are at the Byward Market in Ottawa and after a night of heavy drinking, you crave for some good poutine, Sasha’s Poutine comes to your rescue.

Although the price of this joint is a bit on the higher end, the quality is fantastic and it serves one of the best poutine in Ottawa.

The poutine gravy is cooked with perfection and the fries are crisp and fresh, served with the hot piping gravy. The restaurant comes with a lot of different toppings and the service of the restaurant is great.

Besides serving delicious poutines, the restaurant also serves ice creams, hot dogs, and sausages along with drinks and frappes.

1.5. 3 Brothers Shawarma & Poutine

If you are a shawarma fan and want to try some chicken shawarma poutine, this restaurant is hands down one of the best restaurants to satisfy your cravings.

It is one of the highly-rated restaurants serving the best poutine in Ottawa with a pretty munificent quantity. The ambience of this restaurant is lovely and the staffs are too friendly and warm.

Besides poutine, this joint also serves garlic potatoes, sandwiches, and different meats. One of the most recommended dishes to try out here is of course the chicken shawarma and the poutine served with in-house spicy garlic.

1.6. The Works

The Works has three restaurant outlets all over Ottawa and is one of the most visited restaurants by the locals. They serve the best poutine in Ottawa with a little twist which makes it extra tempting and their popular tag “Not so Routine Poutine” describes it all.

Their basic poutine is called the “Chez Guy” and the must-try poutine is “The Longhorn” served with a rack of meat and topped with BBQ sauce. Also, do try out their “Get Baked” which is served with bacon add-ons, green onions, and sour cream; undoubtedly very unique.

Another highly recommended poutine menu is the “Poutini Martini” which is made of crispy breaded onion rings. Certainly, this restaurant deserves all the hype.

1.7. Elgin Street Diner

Elgin Steet Diner is one of the city’s best-voted diners for serving classic breakfast and the best poutine in Ottawa. The restaurant serves a combination of classic dinner, breakfast, and casual eats.

Also, this restaurant features seven varieties of poutine; you have a pretty long list of menus to choose from. Their Montreal smoked meat poutine is one of the highly approved dishes by the locals.

Elgin Street Diner serves poutine according to your taste buds. If you are a spice lover like me, do try out their Chili Poutine which is topped with delicious chilli gravy.

Moreover, if you are fond of cheeses, taste their Four Cheese Poutine which is served with four different kinds of cheese including mozzarella, cheddar, Swiss, and St. Albert cheese curds.

1.8. The Koven

The Koven is a great metal bar and a top-rated restaurant serving the best poutine in Ottawa. It is a very cool spot to try out some local beers and authentic poutines. The restaurant comes with a large menu selection and the heavy metal music is just the cherry on top. The service, ambience, and quality of the poutine as well as other dishes are first class.

The list of poutines is executed with different interesting names making the place already inviting and attractive. Try out their “Municipal Waste Poutine” which is made with bacon, ground beef, and sausage.

Also, “Cannibal Corpse Poutine” made with mushrooms, sauteed onions, roasted red peppers, and green peppers is worth the try.

1.9. S&G Fries and Burgers

Now, not everyone is a fan of fusion poutines; many people just prefer plain classic poutine. S&G Fries and Burgers is one of the fast food joints serving the best poutine in Ottawa when it comes to classic poutines.

The price of this restaurant is pocket friendly and the setup of this joint is just like a food truck.

The potatoes are perfectly fried, the gravy is hot and tasty and the cheese curds are served in double layers.

The service is prompt and courteous with no compromise on the quality of the food; the perfect place to taste the classic Canadian poutines.

1.10. Lou Fast Food

Lou Fast Food is a family-owned food truck business and comes under the list of serving the best poutine in Ottawa. They have excellent menu options and the portions they serve are quite filling.

The poutines are freshly made and delicious; also the staffs are friendly and the service is quick.

Lou Fast Food also organizes various family functions including weddings and birthday parties along with many office parties and other social events.

1.11. Pure Kitchen

Some great news for vegans; Pure Kitchen is one of the finest restaurants to serve the best poutine in Ottawa when it comes to vegan poutines. They have two outlets in Westboro and Centretown and they serve delectable rich vegan poutines.

Their vegan poutines are unique as they are topped with tofu curd or cashew cheese instead of cheese curds.

Also, the poutines are served with lip-smacking mushroom gravy; totally a must-try. It is said that their sauces and gravies taste heavenly.

12. Alice’s Village Café

Last but not the least, one of the very popular restaurants serving the best poutine in Ottawa is Alice’s Village Café. All the good and positive adjectives describe this café. It’s a great place for a good hangout and casual eating.

Besides serving appetizing poutines, they also serve paninis, coffee, drinks, homemade soups, and breakfast items.

The ambience is warm and cozy with an array of menu options to choose from and the restaurant is vegetarian-friendly; they also have vegan and gluten-free options.

The classic poutine and pulled pork poutine are an excellent delight to try out at this café.

2. End Note

With this, we come to the end of the top joints that serve the best poutine in Ottawa. I can assure you that, these above-listed restaurants and fast food joints will not displease and disappoint you when it comes to poutines.