Pub Italia

6/21/2008 10:39:22 PM, saturday, june 21, 2008
Fantastic place. Accessible location, lots of room, and fantastic ambiance. Beer selection is huge, with a lot of Belgians. The German selection is kind of lacking - you can get everything available there at the LCBOs. Staff have been absolutely friendly every time I have been. The only downside is the price. Most of the Belgian Trappist beers go for $10-$12 per bottle. I have not tried the food.

2/21/2008 7:00:18 AM, thursday, february 21, 2008
Located in the heart of Little Italy’s restaurant row, Pub Italia announces itself from a block away with multiple beer signs out front, which shine bright in the night. The interior is made to look like an abbey, and there are bottles on display everywhere, as well as other beer memorabilia. Our server (a former Londoner, yeah!) was friendly and knew about the beers she was serving us. She also took the time to chat, which was nice. The beer selection was a large mix of Ontario micros on tap and in bottles, with a seemingly endless Belgian selection, including some harder to find bottles like Deus. On the down side, the pizza came missing the pizza sauce and our appetizer plate had things on it that were not listed on the menu, including two things that we didn’t even like, so that seemed like a waste. I’ll go back and give the food a try one more time when I’m in the area, but I’ll definitely return for the beer.

1/21/2008 5:20:09 PM, monday, january 21, 2008 [ Updated thursday, august 14, 2008 ]
I could not believe the number of beers they had available. Although when we hopped over to the gift shop, the check out girl was being let go that day and had nothing nice to say about her time working for the pub. Made for an interesting story though.

10/29/2007 5:38:36 AM, monday, october 29, 2007
I quiet liked this place. I was lucky enough to visit in August 06. Thought the selection was pretty good, service was quick and staff are pleasant. The beer prices were very reasonable too. If I remember correctly it closes rather early but apart from that it’s well worth a visit if your in Ottawa.

6/13/2007 5:31:52 PM, wednesday, june 13, 2007
This place is like heaven. Hands down my favourite pub in Ottawa. The best selection out of any bar I’ve ever been to. The food is delicious, the atmosphere is great, and the amount of exotic beer is mouthwateringly good!

11/6/2006 1:54:49 PM, monday, november 06, 2006
More proof that everything is relative - compared to larger centres like I’m sure this place is just average. But compared to the beer desert that is Atlantic Canada, this is an oasis. Extensive selection of Belgians and Canadian micros, along with some nice locals on tap. The food was just okay, but the service quite good.

10/25/2006 3:28:19 PM, wednesday, october 25, 2006 [ Updated wednesday, october 25, 2006 ]
Sometimes life teaches you lessons. This week it was the merits of calling first, especially on a Sunday. Arrived around 1230 to a sign reading 2PM summer, 5PM winter. We weren’t the only ones disappointed, two families & a construction crew also had to find sustenance elsewhere. Anyways, eager to check it out I returned Monday. I have to admit it was a bit of a let down - don’t get me wrong, I loved the décor, the staff was great, and the option to order a half pizza (the Dante) was both perfect for my hunger level and delicious. I think my disappointment was partly the aborted effort Sunday, and lots of praise from others that left me feeling underwhelmed when it was only good and not great.

Half pint of Satan’s Red was decent and quaffable, pint of Erdinger was in poor shape and I should have sent it back for thebottle of Achel I was craving but for whatever reason I didn’t. Anyways, I’d still recommend the place, the atmosphere is great and I think I would have enjoyed it more not going solo. Maybe drop some of the import taps if they are not selling and focus on their solid bottle line up. Easily accessed on the bus from downtown – you shouldn’t need to take a cab in Ottawa in my opinion unless you are staying way out of downtown. Would definitely visit again. Almost forgot – washroom had disconcertingly pleasant sweet orange citrus aroma to it. Made me laugh.

8/17/2006 11:18:57 PM, thursday, august 17, 2006
Well you gotta love the atmosphere...room after room of intimate pub settings, very much with a Belgian/monkish theme, multiple outdoor patios...wow. The food I had was very good, a steak sandwich with salad, and not too badly priced. Beers? Well not that impressive if you’re used to great American big-city bars but between the fair number of standby quality offerings and plenty of Ontario micros even a jaded guy like me could find a few new ones. I had 2 draughts and 2 bottles and all were in good shape. Yeah it’s worth a stop.

8/10/2006 5:15:30 PM, thursday, august 10, 2006
Massive beer menu with loads of selection. Nice patio and a cavernous interior as well. Kind of a cool vibe inside, lots of wood, wrought iron, stained glass and low lighting. Good food, although the menu is a little short. Would definitely recommend checking this place out if you’re in the area.

8/10/2006 12:27:29 PM, thursday, august 10, 2006
Great spot in Ottawa’s little Italy. The ambiance is the biggest draw here, huge church like setting, including the Abbey, and a nice Patio. Food was excellent, service good. The 36 taps features more macro’s than I was expecting, but also a good selection of Ontario and Quebec micro’s, including a house brew brewed almost exclusively by Church Key. Out of the way for sure unless driving, but it is worth a stop for lunch for sure. Recommended.