Benny’s Bistro

A gem of a French-​style bistro in Byward market. I will definitely be back the next time I’m in Ottawa. It’s tucked away behind its bakery so oogle and inhale in the pastries and cakes as you enter (you can order them for dessert after). My friends got the salmon gravlax and roasted mushroom mains. They loved it. I got the albacore tuna confit — seared tuna loins (very fresh) on fennel and radish salad, crispy panko chorizo balls (wonderful), soft poached egg (perfectly done). Portion sizes were good and the presentation was spot on. Desserts were great and not overly sweet. A handful of excellent beers (St. Ambroise, Unibroue from Quebec were available. Attentive and friendly service. Bravo!

Small selection and should be listed on Unilocal as 4 dollar signs as breakfast for 2 cost 50 $. Portions are small. Nothing special atmopher and bathroom is dingy. If the price was more reasonable we would back but I don’t think they will be doing that so we will not be back.

Went to Ottawa for tulip festival and got a chance to try this amazing brunch restaurant. Everything my girl and I tried was very tasty, creative and full of surprises. I had the first one on menu (pork with potato and eggs), and my girlfriend ordered the crêpe something (couldn’t remember the name). I liked the crêpe one better personally (lots of ham), but both were pretty good. Really wanted to tried the smoked salmon, but didn’t have time to go a second time during the trip. I’ll definitely go there again if I revisit Ottawa.

Love the tenderness of tuna loin and the creamy texture of poached egg! For me one serving is enough cause bread is served as soon as you finish. One star less cause it tastes a bit salty in the end.

The bistro tucked inside a bakery is easy to miss if you don’t know your destination. I had a roasted beet salad, with perhaps the best beets I’ve ever had. The sandwich for the kids was wrapped in a buckwheat pancake instead, making it easier to hold. Coffee was just Illy brand, OK but nothing to fall in love for.

Love love love this surprising hole in the wall! It’s amazing. It’s breakfast, with much love and respect for everything they put into it.
Spot on always. Don’t forget the mimosa! They know what a mimosa is all about!
This place will start your day off on the perfect footing. Do yourself a favour, and discover Ottawa’s little gem here.

All I can say is DEee-​LICIOUS!!!
I ordered the tuna ($ 19) and it tasted fantastic. The smoked tomato water is not acidic, it’s like a light broth. The chorizo balls was full of flavour. The fennel salad was tasty, but it could have been more plentiful.
The service was great. The servers came by with bread and butter as soon as our bread plate was empty.

Amazing brunch. Highly recommend for anyone in the area. Went with 4 people and each meal was different and amazing. Good mimosa and beer too.

The best brunch in Ottawa I’ve been able to find. Its a small space in a bakery with an open kitchen where everything is prepared in plain view. I had the salmon with poached eggs and also tried the tuna loin, both were exceptionally well done. The quality of the ingredients and presentation was spot on and the menu was focused and inventive. The space itself is a bit cramped and clinical but the food is excellent.

Amazing little place, can’t say anything bad except they should have a patio (but you can’t really make that magically appear).
This is the first time I’ve ever been there, visiting Ottawa for the long weekend. I haven’t exactly lurked all around the city, but from my brunch tastebuds developed in Toronto, this place comes pretty clutch.
Once you walk through the door, the smell of the bakery hits you before you see all the bread. It’s carb heaven.
CONFIT ALBACORE TUNA (19) — A bit more on the pricey side but every little thing in that dish was amazing. Poached egg, chorizo, and albacore tuna? I can’t even tell you how good it is because a waterfall will just form from my mouth.
We also got an omelet of the day (17) which included prosciutto and we’ll you can’t go wrong with an omelet and prosciutto.
The service is pretty bomb. As soon as you’re seated, water and delicious freshly baked bread arrive at your table.

It was just okay. The crêpe my friend got taste like my puppy…
they have good food, just not my kind of food.
My sausage had a black keep string. I hope it was just a string.

One of the food highlights of our trip to Ottawa. We got there right after it opened and we got it right away. About 11 though, it was full so get hear before 11 if you can.
I had the Yukon Gold Potato Gratin and my hub had the Savoury Buckwheat Crêpe. Both is these dishes were so delicious that we were hmmmm-​ing all through our meal. Highly recommend both dishes. The hollandaise sauce on the Yukon dish was probably one of the best I’ve tasted with a big lemon taste! You definitely gotta eat here!
The coffee was OK but the coffee latte was pretty good.

Please open a Benny’s Bistro in Los Angeles! I’m happy to be the first investor!
Seriously, the food here is incredible. After 3 years of coming to Ottawa and having countless breakfasts, lunches, and brunches at Benny’s, it’s about that time for a review.
Everything I’ve ever had has been delicious. Small menu, a special here and there, but all so good. I never leave a piece of food on the plate.
I’ve had the tuna loin w/​chorizo balls (great for brunch), pork with potato gratin and poached egg (delicious — it’s ridiculously fancy eggs, potatoes, and bacon), salmon belly cake with poached eggs and a mustard crème fraîche (too die for!), and the scallops (fresh, good portion, not heavy).
The wait can be a bit much, but for a foodie like me, it’s worth it. Service is always great too. They never rush you… although, I try and be mindful when there is a wait.
Espresso, cappuccino, mimosa, oj, kir royale… all tasty drink options. Prices aren’t too bad either.
I clearly love this place… enough said!

Excellent food and service. This is THE place that you shouldn’t miss when you visit Ottawa.
My husband and I found this place at Unilocal and we’re glad we ate there. We ordered mushroom and tuna loin. The food was perfect. Too bad they only open until 2:30 (according to Unilocal) and I missed two chances to eat at this place (finally succeed at the third try; totally worth it). I’d love to have dinner there as well.

Great food but LONG wait. We asked if we could t some coffee and teas and sit at the front but they don’t let you and you have to just stand. It’s just a little frustrating, especially because it’s a small place so it takes time for tables to turn over (and the pastries and the front looked so good). I also noticed that people sat for a LONG time at the tables even when the line was long, I totally get that people want to enjoy their brunch but it would have been nice if people could have been a little quicker when they noticed people waiting. I might just be used to Toronto where there is a quicker turn over. I thought the waiters could have done a better job bringing the bills to help with the line.
The food made up for it though, the French toast was sweet and lovely (although not the stuffed French toast that was advertised on their website). The real winner was the mushroom dish my friends ordered, really rich and lovely. Felt veryyyy meaty, especially for a vegetarian dish.

Cuisine raffinée et prix correct.
Parfait spot pour un brunch à Ottawa.
Pas de possibilité de réservation le week-​end.
Petit bémol par contre en ce qui concerne les quantités. Si pour moi c’était suffisant, mon copain est sorti en ayant faim.
Parfait pour les petits estomac amateurs de cuisine de qualité.

Was looking for some good brunch food and found some pictures of Benny’s on social media, it looked good and we had planned to go for brunch. We went with a group of six on a Sunday and was told that they do not take reservations. It was a bit difficult to find the place as the sign on the restaurant was just «French Bakery». We waited for a table in the small hallway and was told that the wait time was approximately 30 minutes. We were advised to wait in the bakery but then was ushered off back into the restaurant by the baker after about 10 minutes. We told the waitress we were waiting back in the hall where she then changed her mind and said that the hallway is better suited if we were waiting for a table… We waited for more than that and the waiter and waitress both gave us ambiguous answers when asked about when we would be able to get a better timeline as to when we would be seated. If you were to leave the vicinity, you would lose your place in line. When we were finally seated in the tiny restaurant (only 9 tables were seated including us), every other table besides ours was given a plate of complimentary bread. We had to ask for ours which seemed a bit awkward, but was given our bread. No apologies were given.
When food came around, our table had ordered salmon gravlax, tuna loin, the savory crêpe and French toast. The food was absolutely delicious. All had several elements of textures, flavours and colours which made the meal very enjoyable.
Overall, if it wasn’t for the poor service, I would have given them a higher rating. It’s unfortunate that a place with food this good has service issues.

Real food!
I was looking for a brunch place near byward market. After review a few restaurants, I decide to try this one. I second doubted myself when I walked in. It is a small restaurant with front shop and real basic setup. I sit down and order organic forest mushrooms. It took a while to get ready, but it was a hit! The original taste of the mushrooms enhanced by the spices that linger around my tongue. It was cooked with art and passion of food. The flavour and origin material combined so perfectly that deserves a true five star!

I ordered the tuna loin (19 $) and a mimosa. The dish had 3 pieces of perfectly seared tuna loins, a few chorizo balls coated with panko, a poached egg on top, and mixed greens salad (hidden under the egg). The whole dish was sitting in some sauce (forgot what it was although I remember reading the words «smoked tomato»).
What a wonderful surprise! It was so tasty and very well balanced. No complaints here.
The mimosa (8 $) was great too, and service was pleasant and efficient! Their homemade bread was very fresh, I would’ve eaten more if I wasn’t already full!

Niché dans l’arrière-boutique du Boulanger français, voici une des perles cachées du Downtown Ottawa.
Une carte simple, pas de plus de six ou sept choix, mais tout est frais et d’une qualité irréprochable. Mon favori toutes catégories reste le Gravlax, un des grands classiques de la maison.
Pour le dessert, tout l’éventail des pâtisseries du Boulanger français, dont toute une référence.
Cerise sur le gâteau (quel meilleur endroit pour le dire), tout le personnel est parfaitement bilingue et vous sert avec sourire et amabilité.

I have always walked by this place when i lived in ottawa. I finally went and tried it today w a friend. I have to say although their brunch menu was small, the food was really, really good. The coffee was illy coffee which is good. The service was good. The staff was very friendly and the atmosphere was cozy and comforable. I would definately come back when i’m in town next time.

SO GOOD and SO GREAT for the price.
i had this stack of smoked salmon with greens, baby potatoes, and a fried egg, and they were very generous with the smoked salmon. the flavour was very well-​balanced and VERY well-​presented. after all, we eat with our eyes.
i would definitely come back here and try the rest of the menu.