Ottawa has no shortage of places to buy a warm baguette, a butter croissant, or a tray of baklava, and the neighbourhoods span from Westboro to Cumberland to the Glebe. This list was put together from public reviews, local food coverage, and each business's own site, and it leans on what customers consistently say rather than any single ranking.
1. Mamie Clafoutis
Area: Westboro · Specialty: French viennoiserie and artisan bread
Mamie Clafoutis on Richmond Road was the chain's first location outside Quebec, and it operates as a full French boulangerie with baguettes, ficelle, and fougasse alongside a wall of pastries. Local coverage has singled out its croissants for their tender, buttery lamination, and the bright tea-room seating with a communal table makes it a spot people linger in rather than just grab and go. It suits anyone who wants a sit-down French cafe experience rather than a quick counter stop.
2. Tartelette Bakery & Cafe
Area: Old Ottawa South · Specialty: French-Persian pastry and tarts
Founded by Chef Sanaz, a Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa graduate, Tartelette fills its case daily with more than a dozen signature tarts plus cheesecakes and dessert fingers, and its pistachio-rose croissant gets called out repeatedly as one of the best of its kind in the city. It has been named Best Bakery in Ottawa by Faces Magazine for 2024 and 2025, and a Kanata location was set to open in spring 2026. It's a good fit for anyone chasing French technique with a Persian flavour twist rather than a strictly traditional boulangerie.
3. Bread By Us
Area: Wellington West / Hintonburg · Specialty: Small-batch sourdough · Since: 2013
Bread By Us is a small espresso-bar bakery on Smirle Avenue that bakes gourmet sourdough from unbleached, untreated flours, with daily rotations of focaccia, ciabatta, and country loaves alongside butter croissants and cinnamon snails. It pairs its bread with Happy Goat coffee, and reviewers consistently point to the crusty-outside, chewy-inside texture of the sourdough as the draw. It suits people who want a genuine neighbourhood bread shop over a full pastry case.
4. Le Moulin de Provence
Area: ByWard Market · Specialty: French bakery, pastry, and bistro · Since: 1998
Le Moulin de Provence has anchored the ByWard Market under the same ownership since it opened, running as a bakery, pastry shop, cafe, and bistro out of its Byward Market Square storefront. It's known for a broad French bakery lineup from baguettes to pastries alongside a sit-down bistro menu, which makes it useful for visitors combining a market walk with a meal rather than just a takeaway pastry stop.
5. Black Walnut Bakery
Area: Cumberland, Ottawa's east end · Specialty: Artisan bread and butter tarts
Black Walnut Bakery on Cameron Street is ranked the top Quick Bite in Cumberland on Tripadvisor, with reviewers repeatedly praising its butter tarts, croissants, and pies alongside surprisingly low prices. Baked goods reportedly sell out before closing on busy days, and the bakery also carries vegetarian and vegan options. It suits east-end residents and day-trippers looking for a village bakery rather than a downtown storefront.
6. Art-Is-In Bakery
Area: Hintonburg · Specialty: Artisan bread and cronuts · Since: 2011
Art-Is-In Bakery was opened by husband-and-wife pastry chef Kevin Mathieson and Stephanie Mathieson, drawing on Parisian boulangerie and Brooklyn cafe influences. It's built a national profile through appearances on Food Network's "You Gotta Eat Here!" and "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," where its O-Towner cronut and duck confit BLT got singled out, and critics have praised its bread, scones, and sticky buns. It's best for people after a destination bakery-cafe rather than a quiet neighbourhood shop.
7. Al'Deewan Bakery
Area: Bank Street, south Ottawa · Specialty: Lebanese manakeesh
Al'Deewan's Ottawa location on Bank Street bakes manakeesh, the Lebanese flatbread topped with zaatar, cheese, or egg, in an open-flame oven imported from Lebanon. The bakery offers pickup and delivery through its own ordering platform and is part of a small Canadian chain built specifically around manakeesh. It suits anyone looking for a specific Middle Eastern bakery item rather than a general French-style pastry case.
8. Pie Central Bakery
Area: Rideau Street, downtown · Specialty: Lebanese and Syrian pies and manakish · Rating: 4.7 on Google (398 reviews)
Pie Central Bakery on Rideau Street is a halal bakery specializing in Lebanese and Syrian manakish, pizza, and savoury pies, and it holds a strong 4.7 rating on Google across nearly 400 reviews. It works well for downtown workers and Sandy Hill residents wanting a quick, affordable savoury bake rather than a sweets-focused stop.
9. Onua Bakery
Area: ByWard Market · Specialty: African-style sourdough and pastries · Rating: 4.6 on Google (93 reviews)
Onua Bakery on Chapel Street bakes artisanal sourdough alongside African-style breads, cakes, meat pies, and cookies, serving both retail customers and wholesale accounts across the Ottawa-Gatineau area. It's open daily and takes next-day online orders, and its 4.6 Google rating reflects a loyal following for its meat pies and sourdough loaves. It suits anyone looking for African and Caribbean-style baked goods in the market core.
10. La Brioche Pastry & Bakery
Area: The Glebe · Specialty: Lebanese and Mediterranean pastry · Rating: 4.2 on Google
La Brioche on Bank Street in the Glebe carries a large variety of cakes, cheesecakes, and baklava alongside other Lebanese and Mediterranean sweets, and reviewers highlight the freshness of the pastries and the friendly, sample-offering staff. It's a longstanding neighbourhood option for anyone in the Glebe wanting Middle Eastern pastry rather than a French bakery case.
