These spots will keep your stomachs and wallets full after a financially draining holiday season.
January is a hard month for everyone. The post holiday blues are settling in, we’ve spent a ton of money on food, gifts, and sharing experiences with our loved ones, and the cold weather might make leaving the house feel like an impossible task.
January is equally as hard for the restaurant industry. Due to all the reasons we listed above, our hospitality friends are dealing with the dreaded annual slow season.
Despite the seasonal depression doing its best to hold us down, it’s important to find fun and exciting reasons to get out of the house, see our friends, and support the local spots we love so dearly.
So let’s compromise? You promise to get your butt out of the house this month, and we will provide you with a list of cheap bites that will make it oh so worth it.
These are the best bites in Centretown for under $15.
1. Gongfu Bao - 365 Bank St.
Gong Fu Bao is a popular fan favourite in the Centretown area. Head chef and owner Tarek Hassan is a beloved member of the community not only for his delicious food, but his character and vocal activism. Gong Fu Bao is one of those restaurants where you can rest assured that you’re supporting not only a great hospitality endeavour but great people as well.
Let’s talk food though, shall we? What exactly is it that is going to drag you out of the house during these frigid winter days?
Well as the name suggests it’s definitely their bao. The soft pillowy buns stuffed with a wide variety of fillings, sauces, and accoutrements are flavour bombs that you can’t get anywhere else. The level of technique and care Chef Hassan and his team have put into their product is second to none in the city of Ottawa, and we dream about this bite regularly.
Each Bao cost just $11 (with some even getting a bit of a discount when you order 2!) meaning that these delicious bites are well under our $15 threshold.
Our personal favourite is the pork belly, but with a number of options including vegan choices there is truly something for everyone.
2. The Greek Souvlaki Shack- 258 Bank St
This is the definition of an “If you know you know” restaurant. The unassuming, almost easy to miss storefront will be continually walked right by unless you’re told otherwise. Well consider this us telling you otherwise.
This is THE family owned hidden gem in Ottawa. Incredible and authentic Greek food, made with tradition and love by a family who wanted nothing more than to bring their culture to Ottawa through their food and hospitality. They have no social media, do no promoting, and do not need it. They’ve been surviving for years strictly on word of mouth, quality products, and peak hospitality.
The first time we walked into The Greek Souvlaki Shack (pretty much by accident), we’re legitimately floored by what we were tasting. We spent the next several months trying to get in touch with the owners so we could do a video promoting their business, and to this day it is still one of the videos we’re most proud to share. They fully deserve it.
There are a number of options under $15 on their menu but for us, the pork gyro is the way to go.
The mouth watering pork, paired with all of the fillings and fixings will run you less than $11. Not only that but it will leave you full and satisfied at that price, asking yourself why the Centretown restaurant powers at be did not inform you of your new favourite spot sooner.
3. Subito - 389 Gladstone Ave
No under $15 list is complete without a sandwich spot, and no Centretown list is complete without the aggressively loved Subito. Nearly everyone has a sandwich spot they’re willing to defend to the end of time, and for many Ottawan’s – Centretown’s Subito is that sandwich spot.
A classic Italian deli that brings old school practices and a comforting feel, while keeping those old school budget friendly prices.
Being Italian descent, we often find our standards to be a bit exacting when it comes to the food we grew up on, but Subito manages to hit all the notes that would make even the most stubborn of Nonna’s proud.
Every sandwich on this menu – hot or cold – sits between $10-$12! Making for a very affordable lunch time choice.
Our personal favourite? Anything with prosciutto on it to be honest. Load that up with our favourite salty cured meat, tomato, and if we’ve taken our lactose pills – an Italian cheese of the sandwich makers choosing and we’ll be a happy man.
We hope you too can soon experience being a happy human with this Centretown budget staple.
4. Mazarine - 282 Kent St
We couldn’t in good conscience finish off this article without giving everyone a little something for the most important meal of the day – BRUNCH!
Brunch is becoming more interesting in Ottawa in a lot of ways, and Centretown is no different in that category. A prime example of this is Mazarine. The Mediterranean brunch restaurant that you won’t be able to get out of your head. Drawing large influences from Greece, Turkië, and other parts of the Med – Mazarine is bringing a variety of flavours to the brunch table.
While not everything on their menu is going to fit into the $15 bite category, there is one specific standout menu item that does and also happens to be a must try.
The ashta pancakes are a winner. Homemade jam, pistachios, honey, and ashta – a thick and creamy dessert spread from the southern Mediterranean – top a stack of super fluffy pancakes that hit the spot every time.
The adorable vibes, delicious food, excellent service, and affordability have made Mazarine an Ottawa and Centretown hospitality staple that we will never fail to share with others. The people deserve to know.
We get it. It’s hard to leave the house when the weather is bad and life just keeps getting more expensive. Hopefully these Centretown gems spark some life in all of us to get back out there and enjoy some of the things we love about our beautiful, vibrant neighbourhood.
With love from Centretown.
