Ottawa's Italian food scene centres on Preston Street's Little Italy but reaches well beyond it, from Somerset Street mansions to Centretown small-plates rooms. This list was put together by reading customer reviews and restaurant profiles across Google, Tripadvisor, Yelp, OpenTable and Restaurant Guru, then cross-checking each business against its own website or listing to confirm it is currently open.
1. Giovanni's Ristorante
Area: Preston Street, Little Italy · Specialty: fine-dining Italian, veal Marsala and risotto · Rating: 4.6 on Restaurant Guru (4,074 reviews) · Since: 1983
Giovanni's has been Preston Street's white-tablecloth option for over four decades, with a wine cellar and veteran waitstaff who reviewers consistently single out for warm, attentive service. It also holds a 4.3 out of 5 on Tripadvisor across nearly 500 reviews, ranked among the top restaurants in the city. It suits milestone dinners and anyone wanting classic Italian dishes done the traditional way, with valet parking on offer.
2. La Roma Restaurant
Area: Preston Street, Little Italy · Specialty: modern Italian, lobster ravioli and seafood pasta · Rating: 4.8 on Google · Since: 1962
A Little Italy fixture since the 1960s, La Roma pairs a long history with a menu that leans into modern, seasonal Italian rather than resting on tradition alone. Reviewers repeatedly call out the lobster ravioli, homemade lasagna and a seafood pasta loaded with scallops, shrimp and clams. Ratings vary by platform, with Google diners notably more positive than Tripadvisor, so expect a casual-elegant room where the seafood pastas are the safest bet.
3. Mamma Teresa Ristorante
Area: Somerset Street West · Specialty: traditional Italian in a converted mansion · Rating: 4.4 on Google, 4.1 on Tripadvisor (555 reviews) · Since: 1970
Opened by the Boselli family from Parma in 1970, Mamma Teresa has been on Somerset Street for over five decades and holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Diners praise the friendly service, generous portions and the charm of dining inside a converted heritage mansion. It's best suited to people wanting comfortable, familiar Italian-American classics rather than a modern or experimental menu.
4. North & Navy
Area: Nepean Street, Centretown · Specialty: Northern Italian and Venetian small plates, house-made pasta · Rating: 4.6 on Google (1,694 reviews) · Since: 2015
Set in a converted house, North & Navy draws on the bacari of Venice for a menu of cicchetti, bigoli and torteletti rather than a standard trattoria lineup. It placed on Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list for 2024, and reviewers highlight the house-made pastas and knowledgeable staff in particular. It's a strong pick for a seasonally driven, small-plates style Italian dinner rather than a big-portion classic.
5. La Dolce Vita
Area: Preston Street, Little Italy · Specialty: gluten-free pasta and stone-oven pizza · Rating: 4.5 (653 reviews)
La Dolce Vita is a downstairs Preston Street trattoria known as one of the few Ottawa restaurants offering a genuinely certified gluten-free pasta program alongside its regular menu. Reviewers describe the polenta bites, cannelloni with seafood, and a gluten-free tiramisu as standouts, with service praised as warm and efficient. It's a particularly good option for diners managing dietary restrictions who still want a full Italian menu.
6. Retro Gusto
Area: north end of Preston Street · Specialty: Roman-style "tonda" pizza · Rating: 4.8 on Restaurant Guru (959 reviews)
Retro Gusto brought Roman-style pizza to Ottawa, alongside traditional Roman fried snacks, salumi and small plates in a retro-styled room. Local pizza roundups have highlighted its thin, crisp, edge-to-edge-topped crust specifically, and reviewers call out the burrata and wood-fired Margherita. Some diners note it runs pricey for the portions, so it suits people prioritizing a specific style of pizza over value.
7. Vittoria Trattoria
Area: Riverside South · Specialty: traditional pasta and risotto · Rating: 4.4 on Google (3,250 reviews)
Vittoria Trattoria serves Riverside South with a full bar and a menu built around traditional pasta and risotto dishes, in a room reviewers describe as welcoming for both casual dinners and special occasions. It also holds a 4.1 out of 5 on Tripadvisor, ranked in the top 100 restaurants in the city. It's a solid choice for anyone in the city's south end who doesn't want to drive downtown for a proper Italian meal.
8. Giulia
Area: Elgin Street and the ByWard Market · Specialty: wood-fired pizza and housemade pasta · Rating: 4.4 on Google (711 reviews)
Giulia runs two locations, on Elgin Street and in the ByWard Market, both serving housemade pasta and classic Italian dishes in a casual setting. Reviewers praise the pizza specifically, citing genuine effort toward authentic, quality ingredients, with the Sweet Tony and Kernel Corn pies mentioned as favourites. Expect a busy, noisy room on weekend nights and some grumbling about pizza prices relative to other spots in the city.
9. DreamLand Cafe
Area: Preston Street, Little Italy · Specialty: handmade fresh pasta · Rating: 664 reviews on OpenTable
DreamLand Cafe is a small, pasta-focused spot on Preston Street where the noodles are made fresh in-house daily. Reviewers consistently single out the al dente texture and well-balanced sauces on dishes like meatball spaghetti and puttanesca. The space is tight, so reservations are effectively required, and it suits diners who want a pasta-first menu over a full multi-course Italian dinner.
10. Town
Area: Elgin Street, Centretown · Specialty: creative, Italian-leaning small plates · Rating: 4.7 on OttawaEats (771 reviews)
Town describes its own cooking as a clever adaptation of Italian food rather than a straight trattoria, and its small Elgin Street room books up roughly two weeks out on weekends. Reviewers highlight impeccable service and staff who walk newcomers through the menu in detail. It fits diners looking for an Italian-inspired, chef-driven small-plates experience rather than a classic red-sauce dinner.
How We Built This List
This list was compiled from public web sources, including Google, Tripadvisor, Yelp, OpenTable, Restaurant Guru and restaurant-specific coverage from local outlets, along with each business's own website where available. It is not a paid placement, and ottown has not tested or visited any of the businesses listed. It was last reviewed in August 2026.
