The food here is phenomal!! The charcoal meats are cooked to perfection and the meat pies are my…read morefavourite ever. You can tell everything is made with love and true skill. Very inviting and great customer service! I will definitely be a regular here. I also ordered my meat from the butcher ahead of time and it was beautifully packaged, and very well made. I got kofta meat, chicken escalope, chicken shawarma, chuck roast, minced beef... all 10 out of 10. Don't second guess this place. A true gem.

The Short Version: Small Lebanese grocery store in Bells…read moreCorners that also sells prepared foods. I found their meat pies to be just ok. However, their staff were very friendly and welcoming. The Long Version: This review is for their meat pies. I love Lebanese meat pies. Ever since my first meat pie at Aladdin's so many moons ago, I became addicted. I also introduced them to my husband and my entire family and they all love them too. So it might come as no surprise that my mission is to try all the places that sell Lebanese meat pies in Ottawa. So when I found Lebanese Food Centre and Bakery on Google Maps, I made a note to check them out when I was next in the neighbourhood. I got 2 meat pies ($3.50 each). I ate one right away in the car, lol, and brought the other one home for my husband. I found the meat pie ok. These ones didn't have that smokey flavour that I love. And I feel it could have benefited from some spice. I did like that the dough wasn't too thick or fluffy. It was thin and slightly crispy on the outside. The amount of meat was good but I feel I would have liked more tomatoey tang. It's just personal preference but I like my Lebanese meat pies a bit spicy, tangy from the tomatoes with a touch of smokey flavour (I'm guessing from smoked paprika) and the one here didn't have those elements. The man serving me was very friendly and welcoming and I appreciated that. They are a small grocery store but also have fresh meats, and prepared foods. They sell rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken and skewered meats. They have a charcoal grill. And they have some sweets too. I saw Kunafe and Shaabiyat. I would return to try their desserts and maybe a shish tawook wrap or something else from their grill. They have a few picnic tables out front to eat at. They are located in a small plaza. Free parking available in the plaza parking lot. Review #200 (2025)

I stopped by Food Frenz to pick up some Lebanese meat pies. They were $3.75 each (including taxes)…read more The pastry was thick and crispy on the outside. The meat was flavourful. I asked for spice and unlike most places, the spice had some heat to it :) The pie lacked the smoky flavour that I like with Lebanese meat pies, but it was still very good. A solid pie for sure. Service was very friendly. I think they employ university students who live in the area, which I think is great. They had some prepared foods like salads, rice with chicken, and falafel balls. They also had slices of cakes for $5.99 each and tiramisu in a cup for $3.99. I like that they have prepared foods in addition to regular items you would find at a convenience store. The store is in the heart of where a lot of University of Ottawa students live, so I'm sure they do really well with the student crowd. Since it's more for locals, there's no parking, so you have to park on the street.

I have been going to this store for a few years now. It is a little gem in the Sandy Hill area. The…read morecustomer service has always been friendly. If you're looking for ready made meals or groceries, Food Frenz has it! They have an awesome salad section and pantry staples in you need one or two items. Today I had the Manakish. Fresh and big in size.

I love these guys. Been going there many years and will continue to go. I lived in the neighborhood…read morefor many years. They have the best meat, period. No where else has better !

10 out of 10. Al Jezeera has my fav Bosnian food, ćevapi! So tasty!…read more Burgers and chicken sandwich so tasty too! You must visit this place. I look forward to grand opening. so far so good! Yummy!

TL;DR/The Short Version: Small Pakistani, Indian and…read moreMediterranean market in Orleans. Good selection of groceries and has samosas and Indian sweets. The Long Version: This small grocery store in Orleans markets itself as a Pakistani, Indian and Mediterranean market. It just opened up in August 2025 where Istanbul Food Mart used to be on Des Epinettes. I didn't even know the Istanbul Food Mart closed, but my brother who lives in the area told me about it. And when I drove by I saw a sign with a picture of samosas and knew I had to check it out, lol. My mom loves samosas, so when I came to visit her (she also lives near the store) I asked her if she wanted to check out the store together, and of course she was game. They did indeed have samosas. The big regular type and the smaller ones made with phyllo pastry. The big ones were vegetarian and $1.50 each. The smaller ones were chicken and $0.75 each. We got a big one and 3 small ones. They also had Indian sweets such as Barfi, Ladoo, Jelebi, Gulab Jamun and Rasgulla, sold by the weight. I don't know all the names but we ended up getting 4 different types to try. You can see my photo. The store has lots of spices, sauces and mixes. As well as imported drinks and snacks (my favourite, lol). The store is neatly organized. There's also an area at the front with tables and chairs where you can sit to enjoy some food or drink. We had the chance to speak with Ali himself and he was very friendly and welcoming. He told us his plans to expand their menu. They will be selling shawarma. He's also thinking of items like samosa chaat. And maybe some fusion poutine like curry poutine, and likely regular poutine too, lol. I think if they expanded their menu, their eat-in area would be a great place to have a snack or meal. It's by the front, which is all windows, so feels like you're in a solarium. The space is very lovely, and surprisingly so since it's inside a grocery store, lol. I liked how Ali was very genuine. When my mom asked if they will be selling big meat samosas, he said she's the third person to ask him that, so they will likely do so in the future. When I asked him if they will be selling baked samosas, he said I'm the only person who's ever asked that and he thinks baked samosas will likely not sell. Lol. I appreciate honesty! And I get it, you need to sell what people will buy ;) (As an aside, my mom said to me, "Jennifer, people want to eat deep-fried delicious things, not baked healthy alternatives like you do!") Fair! Haha. Ali also told us when his sign at the corner advertising samosas was handwritten no one came in looking for samosas but after he got a sign with a picture of samosas on it people started coming in asking for samosas, lol. The samosas were delicious. The big vegetarian one was filled with potatoes, peas and spices. It was spicy! Spicier than most samosas I've had and I loved it. The flavour was also unique. It was more complex and interesting than other samosas I've had. The small samosas were also good, but pale in comparison to the big one in flavour. My parents enjoyed the Indian sweets. They were too sweet for my tastes, but I already knew this because most desserts are too sweet for my liking, lol. The one with a carrot halwa base was the least sweet and the most enjoyable to me. Anyway, I'm really excited to see how this store evolves. I'll be stopping by again with my mom to try their new items. It's in a little plaza so there's free parking in the shared parking lot with other businesses in the plaza. Review #157 (2025)

Amazing Store! the Samosas are AMAZING!!! So excited for when they start selling more food options,…read moreits going to be a great Success!!

The best Halal meat shop in Ottawa by far! They're meat is always fresh and they always have the…read morebest variety and options to choose from. The Bastarma is my favourite I have ever tried, they make it themself and their Kibbeh Naye is also the best. 5 star all around, highly recommended.

Over the past two years I've been introduced to Lebanese and Italian cuisine thanks to my…read moreboyfriend's families. The best of both worlds I say! Al-Oumara just opened a year ago (I believe) and since then, they've grown from a 2-3 person team to more than 7 people. Although Lebanese food was introduced years ago with the Shwarma food chains, Al-Oumara provides customers with a Schwarma take-out counter, but with more delicious options and platters. A mini grocery store, customers can buy freshly butchered meat, freshly made pre-packed or bulk salads and spreads, desserts, and I've even become acquainted to their beverages including Bonjus that comes in a triangular juice box and Kazouza a sparkling juice drink. I'll never forget the couple of times when they gave me a free dessert on the house or when they gave me pita bread from their bakery because they were sold out on their shelves. A family owned and run business that makes you feel like you're part of the family.

The Piggy Market is a cute little shop in Westboro that sells meats, cheeses, baked goods and…read moreprepared foods. It's definitely boutique-y as opposed to bargain-y if you know what I mean, lol. My husband loves their Jamaican beef patties, which are "homemade" as opposed to the highly processed stuff sold at supermarkets. I personally find them too greasy, but they are very flakey and filled with more meat than any other Jamaican beef patty I've ever seen! Their donuts are just ok, in my opinion, nothing remarkable. If you like European-style potato salads, I think you might like the potato salad at Piggy Market. The potatoes are firmer and it's less mayonnaise-y than North American potato salad. Their prepared meals are good to grab and go, but a bit pricey for what they are, in my opinion. For example, their vegetarian poke bowl is $14.50, which is about the same price as freshly prepared and customizable vegetarian bowls elsewhere. Pricing, aside, the food at Piggy Market is generally tasty. Staff are friendly and welcoming. The shop is on a side street off the main drag. It's right by Winston Square, so when the weather is nice, you can eat at Winston Square. Street parking only.

After years of searching, today I found the ultimate Jamaican-style patties in Ottawa-Gatineau. To…read moreme, The Piggy Market (bakery, deli and craft butcher shop), located in Canada's National Capital Region's Westboro neighbourhood, is making Jamaica proud! Over many, years my Jamaican born family members and I have scoured Ottawa-Gatineau, Miami and Jamaica looking for a Jamaican-style patty that can be described as 'nyam-ing' perfection. The Piggy Market delivers! How do they achieve this? I believe that it's all about their quality ingredients, mouth watering recipes, impactful blend of spices (flavourful heat) and a pastry shell that screams , "I am Jamaica Proud!" Today we visited for the first time and tried the Beef patties and Jerk Chicken patties. We're saving our next visit for Oxtail patties and any other patty menu items that we have yet to try. Every week The Piggy Market highlights a unique specialty patty on their menu. Note to the wise. Call in advance to find out what's available--what's on the patty menu that week.

We stopped in only because we were walking by and It looked very interesting!…read more As we stepped in besides all the international foods and treats for sale we found a lunch line. I had a beef stew, coffee, and tried my husbands schnitzel and It was all very homemade and delicious! The service made It just awesome too. I felt right at home in this cafe! I also got some great candy marzipan Christmas gifts. Just a lovely spot. There was street parking.

I've been to the original Wedel Touch of Europe location in the Byward Market, so I was happy to…read moresee a second location pop up in Westboro, closer to my home. They sell dry goods, they have a deli, a bakery section, and they sell prepared foods too. They also sell alcohol. My husband got us some takeout from there recently and it was pretty tasty. He got us 2 cabbage rolls ($3.50 each), 2 Pork Roulades ($2.50 each) and a huge rum ball ($4.99). He also got himself a beer ($5.99). The cabbage rolls were stuffed with ground pork and rice, and covered in tomato sauce. The cabbage was so soft and tender, like practically fall-apart. The rolls were flavourful and didn't taste too fatty. I enjoyed them. I feel the packaging could have been better. They were packaged in a plastic clamshell container and were put in a plastic bag. The container leaked, but thankfully the bag contained the mess. I'm not a huge fan of hot foods in a plastic clamshell container. The Pork Roulades were packaged in the same way. My feedback is the same, as it also leaked. The Pork Roulades were thinly sliced pork wrapped around a filling of diced vegetables. It too was very flavourful. The pork was melt in your mouth and fairly lean for pork, which I appreciated. The rum ball was gigantic. It was so dense and chocolatey. If you like rum balls in general, I think you will like the ones here. Wedel Touch of Europe Westboro is where Pietro's Corner used to be. Street parking only. They are a nice addition to the neighbourhood.

Moroccan Market Centre is a small store that sells Moroccan groceries and kitchenware such as…read moretagines, and glassware. I was hoping to pick up some hot prepared foods, like Moroccan Pastilla, but they didn't have any :( I saw some triangles and thought they were meat-filled Briouats, but upon closer inspection saw they were coated with honey syrup. Turns out they were Honey Almond Briouats. They are sold by weight ($39.99 per kilogram) and the minimum purchase is 6 and they are only sold in multiples of 6. I got 6 and they ended up being $6 even. I enjoyed them, but they are very sweet. The outside is phyllo pastry and the inside is almond paste and it's coated in a thick sticky honey syrup. If you like marzipan, I think you'd like these. They also sell nuts by weight and pickled vegetables (and what looked like pickled citrus fruits) by weight. I saw they had frozen bread from Montreal. They had dried beans and couscous too. Service was courteous. I'm still on the hunt for Chicken Pastilla here in Ottawa. My first time having it was back in my late teens/early 20s at a restaurant called The Butler's Pantry (which is now gone) in Toronto on Queen St West and I fell in love with this dish. I've only managed to find it at a handful of restaurants over the years (and never in Ottawa). Please let me know if you've found a place in Ottawa that has it regularly (not just once a month or by special order). So while I was disappointed they didn't have Pastilla, I still enjoyed browsing the store and trying the Honey Almond Briouats. The store is in a strip mall. Free parking available. It's in the same strip mall as M&M's Meat Market and Pop's Panini.