Ottawa Foodies

With the Hockey Playoffs upon us, thought I might do some reviews on local Sports Bars. I start here with my first on Broadway Bar & Grill - Barrhaven.

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In operation since 1992, and now with 9 locations across Ottawa, (Barrhaven, Central, Portobello, Innes, Kanata, Kemptville, Orleans, Riverside South and Stittsville) Broadway Bar & Grill is becoming a primary sports bar and family restaurant in every major suburb. Although all locations feature the same menu, there are some distinct differences in clientele, and hence the events and features offered (Golf Tournaments, Grey Cup Day, SuperBowl Sunday, NTN-Buzztime etc).

BARRHAVEN

The Original Broadway Bar & Grill, and one of the largest operations in this Ottawa chain. Made famous by their Weekend Breakfasts (expect a wait). A chameleon that is a friendly family restaurant by day, and a late night sports bar. Has a large following by local sports teams who come for brews & bites after (there is a loyalty team program). And a great place to catch “the game”. Hockey here is king, Game Nights the place is a rockin’. There is a large number of LCD & plasma tvs as well as a big screen in the main dining room. Oftentimes there are 3 games on at once. This location also has NTN Buzztime terminals. So all in all there is something for everyone, and hence a lot of Regulars.

The menu is extensive and features the usual munchies (chicken wings, nachos, etc) as well as wraps, sandwiches and mains. Although everyone has their favourites, I can’t say anything is outstanding, all in all standard roadhouse fare. My personal favourites are the nachos, chicken souvlaki, steak sandwich, and the baked spaghetti. In addition to the daily specials, (ie. 2 for 1 Fajitas on Wednesdays), that are at all Broadways, in an effort to compete with the recent growth of competition in the Barrhaven area this location also has half-priced appetizers in the evenings after 9 PM.

There is the usual selection of big name beers by the bottle and drafts (and pitchers). They sell both House White and Red Wines by the glass, and have a few other wines available by the bottle (just average fare). In fact, when it comes to beverages, as a local Ottawa business they could do so much better by adding a couple of good Ontario wines and perhaps a local craft beer to the mix.

Although Barrhaven is the oldest restaurant in the chain, they have done renovations in the last few years to update both the dining room and the patio. Now if they could just renovate / maintain the bathrooms (they are a little worn).

But overall a good local Pub / Sportsbar.

I hope to be back soon to refamilarize myself with the Weekend Breakfast and spring sunshine on the patio.

Stopped in here for the Weekend Breakfast. Had the standard Bacon & Eggs Breakfast. Ordered my Eggs Sunnyside, Bacon, and Brown Toast. Everything was tasty... eggs were perfectly done, bacon cooked thru and yet good and crispy.

As others have said the Hashbrown Potatoes here have to laced with drugs... they are super tasty and very very addictive... bits of onion and a hint of garlic. Crispy on the outside, smooth on the inside. You can't get much better than this.

As always the place was packed... if you go for breakfast on the weekend, expect a wait. Singles or doubles though can sometimes find a space to mosey up to at the bar. Service was good, fresh coffee was offered and refilled often. A great start to a weekend morning.

The home fries here are incredible. Vegetarians beware - I heard the home fries are deep fried first, then pan-fried in a mixture of garlic butter, onions and chicken broth.

They're smaller and less rich than classic diner style shakes, but I really enjoyed the oreo cookie flavour.

The menu claimed it was large and... it was! I had a salad and a diminutive milkshake with it and was holding my gut together on the way out. Their poutine isn't quite chip wagon grade but is certainly good enough to order again!