Blackpepper Urban Pub - Ottawa

I was delighted to discover Brothers Beer Bistro during my visit to Ottawa.

If this place has ever cleaned its draft lines no one has seen them do it. Entire bar smells like a an old string mop that's never been allowed to fully dry out.

Not that there's something wrong with this spot, but it's just that there are way better spots just a few doors down. Ordered a burger, but the bun fell apart. Fries had that weird 1990s coating on them. And pizza was described as Napoleon. when I asked about it, it became clear that they meant Neapolitan. I know I know those are just big European words, but if you can't get that right, you can't get the finer points right either. Go elsewhere.

We stumbled upon this hidden gem when looking for a place to eat in the area with friends were we could also watch a hockey game. The service is great and the food even better! It's not often that you get Italian in a pub setting, and we were more than pleasantly surprised with both the portion size and quality of the chicken parmesan and pizza. We enjoyed ourselves to much that have been back several times since. Would recommend the Blackpepper Sports Bar to anyone looking to have tasty and affordable Italian.

My family and I actually stumbled across this restaurant this week as we ventured out to Hintonburg to grab a bite to eat. I was shocked when our server told me that they had actually been their for over 20 years. I had never noticed it before - but they have newly decorated this place and it looks great. I was actually surprised to see the prices on the food and beverage menu's thinking - ok these are going to be small little plates - and motioned the kids to make sure they order an appetizer with their meals. For starters we ordered wings, bruschetta and fried calamari. My family found these appetizers to be very good - although I would say that the calamari was my least favourite. For mains we ordered chicken fettachini, chicken parmesan, a classic burger and a small cheese pizza. Oh ya the portion size - substantial and delicious. Real care was taken with these dishes, the portions were plentiful, nicely cooked, well sauced and the freshness of the ingredients was evident. My daughters cheese pizza was this beautiful fully risen crust with a lovely home made pizza sauce and a healthy spread of cheese on top. My son's burger was definitely a homemade patti and my chicken parmesan was delicious and arrived pipping hot. My husband was also very happy with his chicken fettuccine, with fully pieces of chicken breast piled up on top of his plate. As for their beer and wine selection. They had an ok beer selection and even a gluten free option, the wine selection was much smaller but doable - there is something for everyone. I think what I really liked about this menu was it was rather small - and I tend to feel more confident in my dining experience when a restaurant focuses on a few dishes that they are excellent at preparing rather then a lot of dishes that get lost in the confusion! I think I just found my new little place around the corner!