One small part of Ottawa is home to 3 must stops on any foodie tour of the city.
I’m loving downtown Ottawa. After all what’s not to love? The ByWard Market, Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Parliament Hill and the list goes on… but sometimes to get the real flavour of a city you need to step outside of the box and go where the locals live and play. That’s exactly 30 Days In Ottawa is all about and the part of town I’m exploring today is called Hintonburg.
Stepping further outside the box I decided to stay in Hintonburg at a friend of a friends place through Airbnb. If you’ve never heard of Airbnb before it’s a real treat. People with spare rooms available list their bedrooms through the Airbnb service and rent them out to travelers like me at a fraction of the cost of traditional hotels. While I love staying in hotels sometimes it’s fun to try something a little different.
So now that I’m all settled in my “home” for the next few days it’s time to get out and explore. My first stop is for lunch and the must visit location is Hintonburger. Part diner, part dive it is 100% awesome.
It’s not much on the outside and it’s even less on the inside but that’s not what you come for. You come for some of the best burgers in Ottawa.
Belly on up to the order window, place your order and get your number.
I ordered the bacon cheeseburger with the works. My mouth is watering in anticipation.
It’s more burger and toppings than bun. Just the way I like them. Believe it or not because I didn’t order fries I was still hungry, which means there is room for dessert! Off to Suzy Q Doughnuts I go!
Suzy Q’s doesn’t look like much from the outside, are you seeing a trend in Hintonburg, it’s a small little hut situated at the back of a parking lot. That parking lot comes in handy I discovered because it was packed to the point of some cars double parking.
Doughnut maker Susan Hamer shares the family recipe each day with her doughnut creations. Actually she doesn’t “share” the recipe but she does make the doughnuts that her mother made for her when she was a kid with her own little twist. A Finnish style doughnut they are light and pillowy. I think if I lived in Ottawa it’s entirely possible I could gain 50 lbs very quickly.
Made in small batches the menu changes daily. A crowd favourite is definitely the Maple Bacon. Unfortunately it was all sold out by the time I got there. Not to worry though because I loaded up. Salted Caramel, London Fog, Lemon Thyme, Blue Vanilla Fruit Loops, and Lime Margarita were in my box of goodness. I’m sorry but I need a little alone time with my box of doughnuts.
Ok I’m back. I’ve had lunch and dessert but now I want a little thank you gift for my host Tina. What better way to say thank you to your host than fresh baked artisan bread from Art Is In Bakery.
Located in an industrial complex it would be very easy to pass Art Is In by, don’t, it is worth the visit.
When you walk in your senses are slammed with the aroma of freshly baked bread. I’ve just had a burger and doughnuts but I am seriously wondering if I can eat just one more thing…
On the day I arrived it was actually World Doughnut Day, they had a line up out the door starting when they opened until when I arrived around 2:30pm. Thankfully they still had some bread on the shelves.
They are more than just bread though, pastries, cakes and also doughnuts.
If you can’t make it out to Hintonburg and their store then keep your eyes open for them at the Farmers Markets around town during the summer.
Look at what you can discover when you get outside the box. I did and I found three places I would visit again on my next visit to Ottawa.
Speaking of places to visit in Ottawa tomorrow I will reveal my #1 pick for the best place to order an Americano at. That first cup of coffee in the morning is important and I’ve scoured the city to bring you my favourite place. Will it be your favourite? We will just have to see.