North and Navy

I really loved this place. We had a few dishes that weren’t our favourite but we also tried dishes that our friends had which were amazing. The service was 5 stars and more than made up for any blips with the food.
As for the food, my wife and I started with the Chiceti plate. It was fun and great to try everything but when we go back I think we will stick to one or two like the polpette and the beet goat cheese. Everyone raved about the potato tortelletti and while the sauce was divine, the filling itself was basically just potato.
For antipasti I tried both the Eggplant and the chicken liver mousse. Both were outstanding and I would be very tempted to order one next time. By that time we were stuffed but we had ordered the octopus and squid main and so we soldiered on. This was the only dish where our opinions diverged greatly. I loved it but my wife wasn’t a fan. I thought the seafood was excellent and didn’t need any bold sauce while my wife would have preferred that the meat was more subdued.
If you haven’t been, go, and if you have been I expect our paths will cross at at the restaurant at some point in the near future.

Dinner was sensational. Definitely sit at the bar and watch the kitchen work their magic. The place exudes a very chill atmosphere — from the décor to the people working there to the effortless way in which the food was presented. Love!

North and Navy (yeah, I have no clue where the name came from: It’s an Italian restaurant) has the unenviable distinction of occupying the original Beckta space. And they’ve done a remarkable job transforming it into something entirely new and different. Gone are the golden hardwood floors, gone are the banquets and gone is the bar – which at Beckta was never anything more than a place for the occasional solo-​diner to sit and get served better than just about anywhere. (Me, many times.) The new bar is marble, and three feet wide, the sort of place where people ask you what you’re having and the talk is, well, much more Italian, much more casual.
And the food is really good. They’re right to be proud of their cicchetti, sort of an Italian tapas, but since all of them seem to be served on bread (not toasted) there’s a really fine line between cicchetti and bruschetta, which would have made everything easier. They were great, however; The mackerel conserva is mackerel poached in olive oil on radicchio with pickled rhubarb, cucumber, and chive. The pickled rhubarb makes it work beautifully: Sour, sweet, salty – a really wonderful contrast to the silky mackerel. (Mackerel is usually just greasy… this wasn’t.) The Baccala was perfect, with preserved lemon – for those of you who cook at home, this was an unusual and inspired idea: Baccala and preserved lemon. Capers were nice, but I don’t understand the Italian thing of including raisins in a dish like this… nice, but not necessary. And then, beets, unexpectedly pureed with lots of apparently really good stuff, with apple and more pickled beet. (Ottawa’s got a thing for pickles now… let’s hope they continue to push the boundaries.)
Primi, for me, was Bigoli. Yeah, I had to look it up, too. If there’s a difference between Bigoli and buccatini, I have no idea what it might be. The sauce, «salsa» on the menu, was onions, anchovies and lots of either butter or olive oil, maybe both. Perfect. Absolutely perfect and extremely rich.
And then dolci. I choose the cheese plate, which had enough cheese and condiments to feed a small country. The cheese was excellent, but really, unless you’re going to share this with three or four of your friends, choose something else.
For a relatively new restaurant, North and Navy gets it right. I’d personally like more focus on the wine, but that’s a nit: The wine I had was really good and the pours were generous.
Ottawa: Go. Now.

Excellent on all fronts to say the least. Accommodated our child and we had an amazing dinner. 5 stars? I need 10!

Amazing food and super friendly staff! So happy I listened to the other reviews and checked this place out. I was able to grab a seat at the bar and the bartenders were very attentive and had some great recommendations. I definitely recommend the duck ravioli!

We had a great dinner. The bread was perfect — as we find out everything is made on the premises. Butter with hint of anchovie ! As we don’t eat much meat, we opted for pasta’s — perfectly cooked, tasty, not over the top complicated — just right. Ceasar salad, marinated sardines — no complaints.
The lemon/​shortbread cookies served with coffee could not have been better. The only thing that could have been improved this evening was the coffee. It lacked fullness, and flavour — for an Italian restaurant coffee is very important. Also no cream available for coffee — this should have been corrected — no excuse for a restaurant not to have coffee cream.

Food was very nicely presented and very tasty, but we found the service fast. Too fast. And a little unorganized. For instance — next table got their bottle of wine after they got their entrée. — my husband was given the next set of fork and knife before taking away our appetizer.
Water was out of the tap and warm. Wine could ave been more chilled.
Little things!

From FAR… best Italian food in Ottawa… modern and creative. Nice crowd, beautiful décor, great service and exclusive wine list. We will be back soon. congrats to chef and owners.

Another five star for North and Navy.
If you’re a fan of seafood, get the octopus & potato salad. It’s heavenly. I feel like I’m on an octopus review-​kick lately, having written about the octopus at Aroma Mezze and EVOO, but the octopus at NoNa is far superior to those restaurants. It’s neither rubbery nor squishy (I have a limited vocabulary when it comes to describing seafood, it seems): the perfect texture, I would say!
The polpette made me want to cry a little bit out of happiness. It was such a perfect meatball.
Service is extremely knowledgable, friendly and attentive. I also liked the nautical (?) theme going on and thought that the booths were very cozy.
You’ll also want to see the bathroom, even if you don’t have a reason to be there. The floral wallpaper is adorable!

We enjoyed a nice evening at the restaurant. We particularly liked the cocktail and the mackerel and cucumber tartare (except the breadsticks, which were too skinny to pick up the tartare).
The quail was done to perfection, juicy and tender. If the pickled artichoke cin that dish can be a bit more on the sour side, it would cut through the sweet over tone better. Overall, we find the seasoning of food a bit heavy handed. Individual dishes are full flavored but after a few dishes, the salt level start to add up. When we mentioned this to the server, he promptly informed the kitchen and brought a new dish for us. we appreciated the good service.

I’ll just post pictures.
And ramble on about nothing to meet the minimum word count requirements.

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. North & Navy is the restaurant equivalent of a cozy Bay blanket – well designed, timeless, nostalgic, and incredibly comfortable. The menu is nicely flexible, from small bites and cocktails to heftier entrees. The fact the co-​owner/​chef did a stint at Supply & Demand is obvious in all the best ways; The pasta here is similarly all handmade and served in delicate portions that stress fresh ingredients. Standouts are the meatballs and the tiramisu – a light and fluffy rendition of the classic desert. (Definitely big enough to share, though I polished off one solo.)
The space is a beautifully restored house just steps off the buzz of the city in Centretown. Service is chatty and amiable, responsive and thoughtful. I appreciate that the restaurant is so flexible; it’s a sandwich at lunch, a post-​work negroni, family style dining with friends, or a cozy dinner for two. It’s a hospitable, friendly, all-​are-​welcome, kind-​of-​place serving fantastically fresh food. That is what I call a win-​win.
I’ve been back, many times. North & Navy is the place I keep wanting to drag folks to, convinced I’ve found some of the bests in Ottawa, certainly the best tiramisu. Service remains excellent, though can drag a bit at their peak. The best guidance through the menu and service I have experienced still comes from the bar; it also remains my favourite vantage point for people-​watching and kitchen-​watching.
Among the pastas, the ever so elusively simple farfalle with mushrooms and tomato continues to be a winner and induces moaning every time. My friend and I smartly got our own plates of pasta – we knew better than to try to share a portion that subscribes to the Thomas Keller law of diminishing returns and leaves you wanting just a bit more, ever so slightly angry when your plate is empty.
The octopus salad entrée was a bit lacklustre for me, reaffirming a belief that the best way to enjoy North & Navy is small bites, pasta, and antipasti. I have yet to be bowled over by entrees but so wildly seduced by the smaller portions that I am now fully committed to the slow, meandering dining through the menu that feels so delightfully Italian (and is also, incredibly delicious).
A word on deserts: tiramisu. I have tried them all now, and can safely say, as someone who does not like tiramisu, this is a fantastic desert. It’s light, fluffy, a little bit of chocolate, a little delicate tinge of coffee. It’s a winner.

Very well done. Gorgeous décor, delicious food friendly staff the three main components of a successful eatery. We managed to get a reservation on a Friday night for 8 o’clock, it’s later than what I’m used to, but I’m happy to have experienced the restaurant at full capacity.
The owner made his rounds as well as the in house sommelier. The waiter was helpful and made excellent recommendations.
The menu was efficient and brief! A few selections to choose from but all done so methodically and deliciously.
My friend and I order two pasta plates, the divine pallet cleansing citrus salad and the yummy steak plate. We shared and dégusted on wine and bread all night.
To finish off, we shared the lemon tart. Good God it was delicious!
All in all I was very happy with our night out. Definitely recommend this place. I know it will do very well. It’s a bit pricey, but worth every penny.
I would put this on the date night list for sure. They have a gorgeous room upstairs for larger parties too. Oh, and the bathrooms are to die for!
We spoke to the owner for quite a while and he told us their plans on expanding with a patio outside… How fun!

Holy Crap. This is some of the most inventive and delicious Italian food I have ever had. Our party of 4 tried all of the appetizers, pastas, and salads and they were all great. The pastas, in particular, were outstanding, delivering perfectly al dente morsels with perfectly matched and fresh tasting sauces. The smelts, mackerel, and other fish dishes were melt in our mouth but fresh due to the use of lots of fresh herbs.
The service offered in the front of the house is as impressive as the dishes that come out of the kitchen, with friendly, knowledgable and laid back servers. The wine list has excellent choices at reasonable price points and the sommelier is extremely knowledgable without being pretentious or pushy.
The décor is eclectic, charming and airy with no hint of the stuffiness that was associated with the space in its previous form. The bar in the back and the chef’s table (more like a bar) are so inviting you just want to hang out all night. This place is pretty much perfect.

There’s a bar in back with space to snack!
So far, I’ve stopped in twice for a post-​work pint and a bite.
The space has been updated — in a good way — from the location’s predecessors.
The interior reflects the current vibe of in-​vogue restaurants not unlike some
I’ve been to in Montréal. The bar area has a large, wide marble countertop
that allows for social snacking, or full on dining
So far, I’ve had an app the first time around, and the sampling/​cichèti plate
my return visit.
The food is on point, and to me that’s impressive for a place that’s only
been open two weeks. I mean, it’s really good.
The apps made me want to come back for a full on tour-​de-​force of a meal.
Based on what I’ve seen, I think this place is going to pick up steam.
The second time I was there, I nabbed the last free chair at the bar.
fyi — the style of Italian restaurant was inspired by Venetian wine bars, as I understand it, so lots of smaller items for sampling with wine. The meatball, and fish based items were really, really good.