Elgin Street Diner – Classic 24/7 Diner with Legendary Brunch & Desserts in Ottawa

Visited this weekend, and all I can say is "phenomenal"- well it is not all I can say, but if you have a short attention span, you can stop here.... My sister and I traveled 11+hours this weekend to visit Ottawa. Saturday was my 24th birthday, and I found this diner on the map -kind of near our hotel- and the food sounded good so we decided to take the jaunt there. We were greeted with very friendly faces and kind hello's. My sister and I were seated and brought coffee immediately. We decided on ordering the Nutella stuffed French toast and the Tater-tot Poutine. The French toast was good, but superrrr sweet. The Tater-tot Poutine however---- HOLY MOLY. If you do not try that, you are SILLY! I LOVE a breakfast poutine already, but that was NEXT LEVEL and the cheese pull was insane!!! And having the 2 to pick from, was fantastic to get that perfect combo of sweet and salty. We were also wondering about the baked beans our server (who was awesome btw) said he'd bring us over a little sample to try- and they were DELICIOUS! We were so full after eating that we did not end up eating again until supper- after almost 20 000 steps we put in at that point through the day. Everything (from food to the service) was SO good that I asked my sister if she would want to go back for breakfast before we headed back to New Brunswick. We decided to try the OMG Benedict (which our server in Saturday said he created) and the Banana Bread french toast. The banana bread french toast was perfect. Not overly sweet, perfectly soft and crispy. We wished we had eaten the OMG Benedict while it was still hot though, cause unfortunately by the time we dug into it, it was quite cold, and the edges of the bread were kind of hard. Despite that, it was still really good! It just would have been way better when they first brought it out to us. We got a small bowl of beans, but they weren't the same at Saturdays, they were still good. Just different. Saturdays were not too sweet and in a light sauce, the initial taste had an onion like pepper taste- ever so slightly spicy, immediately followed by a sweet mellow flavour. Sundays reminded me more of a thicker darker molasses based bean sauce with a hint of pepper, no onions. Honestly, they were still good, but we went back for the beans we had on Saturday. That is genuinely the only issue we had with the food itself. And it was not a big deal. In addition to the brunch, we also got a slice of every cheese cake and a slice or the chocolate peanut butter pie for the road. All of them were AMAZING. But the one that really impressed us was the carrot Carmel cheesecake. Whoever created that was genius. Cause that is something we have never seen in NB before and it was absolutely scrumptious!!! So if you are wondering whether or not you should try this place- TRY IT!!! Wish I had gotten an item that was not just breakfast or dessert. But it's okay because if I'm ever back in Ottawa, I will DEFINITELY be back at Elgin Street Diner! 10/10 recommend this place!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Only thing I found "annoying" at this Diner was that they would not ask first if you wanted more coffee in your cup or not, they would just pour when they walked by. And i understand why they do that. They do it so your coffee always stays hot. But, I would just get my coffee to finally taste right and I would have to fix it. So I think it would be nice if they asked before filling your cup again- but also, like i said- I can understand why they do it.)

If you are having a crisis in the middle of the night. Need food, a good cry, work through a project, break up, make up or simply crave dessert - this is the place to be! Because it is open 24/7 its the best!! And their desserts are chefs kiss!

Overall, it's alright. It's pricey, and the food is hit or miss. The wrap was decent but the fries were inedible and coleslaw wasn't good. The beans are great and the chili as well but still too expensive. Best part is that it's open 24/7.

This place was recommended by a friend, and it completely exceeded my expectations! The wait time was short, the staff were friendly and attentive, and the food was absolutely perfect — fresh, flavorful, and cooked just right. The portions were generous and great value for the price. You can tell they take pride in what they do. I’ll definitely be coming back and recommending Elgin Street Diner to others!

Always a pleasure. Can't flatter enough, the epitome of what a true Diner should be. Great food, nice vibe, good service. Proper full menu, all meals 24/7, feature dish and ACTUAL milkshakes that hold their worth. Superb. Come all the way from Montreal for this place quite often. It's usually the excuse. You can't go wrong here unless for some reason you dont enjoy classic fare, then just keep on walking please.

The bistro interior is very alluring especially late at night, the schedule 24/7 permit the freedom to eat anything, anytime. The service by Alex was particularly good. I ordered the blackberry milkshake and the buffalo chicken poutine and both of them were tasty.

As a British guy travelling around Canada, I was craving a decent breakfast, and this place certainly delivered on that. This place is a gem, and well worth the walk from the tourist trap “coffee and croissant” cafes of Parliament Hill and downtown. Very welcoming servers, fantastic fresh cooked food, and generous portion sizes. As a well travelled Brit, I know a good breakfast joint, and this place is definitely it. I walked in, and waddled out, fed and very happy. Thanks guys.