Centretown

Centretown is known to have a bustling atmosphere of young professionals, nightlife, shopping, dining, parks, and family fun.

There are all types of things to do here, and other than being fast-moving and filled with things to do, Centretown doesn’t have one specific aesthetic. You can find just about anything here, from fine dining to diners, from dollar stores to expensive boutiques, from local Ottawa artisans to fast food chains. There are plenty of office buildings and stores for work, condo buildings and residential neighbourhoods, high schools and retirement communities.

There is a little something for everyone in this area of Ottawa!

Centretown has a population of over 20,000 people. It is a great mix of all ages, including students, young professionals, young families, teens, and elderly people.

There are all types of businesses and attractions in Centretown, making it one of the most diverse and populated areas in Ottawa!

There are a vast number of schools in Centretown for kindergarteners, middle schoolers, and high schoolers in both the Catholic, public, and French streams.

List of schools in the Centretown area:

• Centennial P.S - JK-G6

• Elgin St P.S - JK-G6

• Fisher Park P.S / Summit A.S - Alternative Program with Core French - G7-G8

• Glashan P.S - MFI REG EFI - G7-G8

• Lady Evelyn A.S - ALT - JK-G6

• Lisgar C.I ENS IMM GR9-G12

Centretown is a community focused on bettering itself and improving the lives of its community members. Community enrichment is very important in the Centretown area, and there is no shortage of community support programs in the area. From community gardens to community centres, there are plenty of places to join together as a community and support each other!

A full list of Centretown Community Centres and Community Enrichment Programs:

• Centretown Community Health Centre

• Old Town Hall Community Centre

• Jack Purcell Community Centre and Pool

• Centretown Community Gardens

• Dalhousie Community Centre Park

• Italian Community Centre

• Ottawa Chinese-Canadian Heritage Centre

• Centre 507 Drop In

Yes! Centretown is a very pet-friendly area filled with dog parks, pet stores, dog-friendly buildings, dog-friendly parks, and more. On any given day you can see hundreds of dogs and even more unique pets out and about in the Centretown area.

Pet Stores

Healthy Pets HQ

• 420 Bank St

Pet Circus

• 274 Bank St

Vets

VCA Canada Pretoria Animal Hospital

• 16 Pretoria Ave

Centretown Veterinary Hospital

• 955 Somerset St W

Dog-Friendly Parks

• McNabb Dog Park

• Jack Purcell Park

• Primrose Dog Park

• Plouffe Park

• Tech Wall Dog Park

Centretown is kid-friendly! There are some amazing places for kids to play in the area.

First and foremost, taking a walk or bike ride along the Rideau Canal in the summer is a great way to get outside. In the winter, skating along it is just as great - and you can stop and get a beavertail on the way!

There are plenty of museums in the area, including the War Museum, Museum of Nature, and Museum of Civilization!

There are also a series of temporary events that happen in Centretown, including outdoor film festivals, shopping, good festivals, and more. There are always new events each year!

Besides this, Centretown is also home to a ton of parks and playgrounds, community centres, swimming pools, and more.

The two main Centretown shopping areas are Bank and Elgin street. Both of these major streets host a variety of local and chain businesses for all types of shopping!

The two main streets in Centretown are Bank and Elgin, which both host a ton of different types of shopping experiences.

There is a great number of local boutiques selling natural and handmade items, as well as Indigenous art. There is a good variety of music stores (many of whom offer lessons!). Another great aspect of Centretown is the amazing number of vintage stores in the area. There are also a large number of specialty stores, from gift stores, to soap stores, to a store all about maps!

Centretown is not just home to shopping and dining - it is also filled with rich history!

Some of the great historic landmarks in the area:

• Canadian Museum of Nature

• Dundonald Park

• Jack Purcell Park

• McNabb Recreation Centre

• Ottawa Curling Club

• Sens Mile

• Ottawa Central Bus Station

Centretown is home to several grocery stores and around 30 specialty food stores, as well as 23 convenience stores.

Massine’s Your Independent Grocer 296 Bank St

Farm Boy 193 Metcalfe Street

Thana Markets (Indian Grocery) 386 Bank St

Arum Korean Market 508 Bank St

Herb & Spice Food & Wellness 375 Bank

Athena Gourmet Greek Imports 386 Bank St

Domestic Foods 595 Gladstone Ave

Seed to Sausage General Store 729 Gladstone

Top Shelf Preserves 527 Gladstone

Night life is a big aspect of Centretown culture, and the main streets (Bank and Elgin) are often filled with amazing opportunities for fun. In the summer and winter, Elgin and Bank also host a number of festivals! You can catch Capital Pride, the Sonido Latin Music Festival, parts of Winterlude, a winter lights festival, and oftentimes during the summer the streets are closed to encourage people to walk around and explore!

Centretown is home to around 100 amazing restaurants, fast food locations, and take out options. We’ve separated our list into the two main streets; Elgin and Bank Street, but there are others that also host amazing restaurants available to discover!

Bank Street

• Social Thai

  • 399 Bank St

  • Thai spot offering classic curries and stir fries

• Dumpling? Dumpling!

  • 382 Bank St

• The WORKS

  • 580 Bank St

  • A burger-specialty joint

• Atomic Rooster

  • 303 Bank St

  • Live music, burgers, and sandwiches

• Wolf Down

  • 380 Bank St

  • German doner

• Fauna

  • 425 Bank St

  • Elevated Canadian dining

• Bramasole Diner

  • 428 Bank St

  • 50s style diner

• Talay Thai

  • 511 Bank St

  • Traditional Thai food

• Island Grill

  • 324 Bank St

• City Goose

  • 478 Bank St

• Gongfu Bao

  • 365 Bank St

• Wilf & Ada’s

  • 510 Bank St

  • Breakfast and brunch from scratch

• Pizzeria da Romolo

  • 410 Bank St

• The Greek Souvlaki Shack

• Tamis Cafe & Restaurant

  • 374 Bank St

  • Filipino-fusion

• Hanabi Japanese Cuisine

  • 434 Bank St

  • Sushi, sashimi, ramen, and more

• Meow! That’s Hot

  • 519 Bank St

• Euro Mex Resto

  • 252 Bank St

  • Classic Mexican food

• Burgers n’ Fries Forever

Elgin Street

• PI RHO Grill

  • 346 Elgin St

• The Waverly

  • 339 Elgin St

  • Canadian fare and classic cocktails

• Browns Social House

  • 160 Elgin St

• Datsun

  • 380 Elgin St

  • Asian fusion

• Gitanes

  • 361 Elgin St

• Johnny Farina

  • 216 Elgin St

  • Italian pizza and pasta

• El Camino

  • 380 Elgin St

  • Contemporary Mexican food

• The Standard

  • 360 Elgin St

• Pancho Villa

  • 361 Elgin

  • Mexican food

• Lemongrass Thai Cuisine

  • 331 Elgin St

  • Relaxed Thai food and dinner combos

• Gitanes Burger

  • 380 Elgin St

  • Coffee, shared plates, and cocktails

• Town

  • 296

  • Modern Italian food, wine, and art

• Elgin Street Diner

  • 374 Elgin

  • Classic breakfast, brunch, and dinner diner

• The Lieutenant’s Pump

  • 361

  • British bar with a large assortment of beers

• The Manx Pub

  • 370 Elgin

  • Pub-style food

• Nando’s

  • 90 Elgin, Unit 3

  • Afro-portuguese food specializing in chicken

• The Whalesbone Elgin

  • 231 Elgin St

• Sir John A Pub

  • 284 Elgin St

  • Patio-bar with draft beer and cocktails

• Pure Kitchen Elgin

  • 340 Elgin St

  • Vegan and vegetarian health-conscious food

Centretown is a very diverse area for homes of all types!

There is a large number of condo buildings in the area, but you can also find apartment living, half split homes, full houses, and unique home designs as well!

Some of the condo buildings in the Centretown area:

• Central Condos Phase One

• Mondrian

• Gotham Ottawa

• Central Condos Phase Two

• Hideaway/Central Condos Phase 3

• The Slater

• Tribeca

• Tribeca East

• Lofts at Tribeca

• The Bowery

• SOHO Lisgar

• Studio Argyle

• The Merit

• The Pinnacle

• The Opus

• Hudson Park

• Queen Elizabeth Towers

• Centropolis

• 475 Laurier Ave

• Cathedral Hill

• The Strand

• Kent Towers

• The Laurier

• One Thirty Queen Elizabeth

• The Mayfair

• 18 Nepean Street

• Somerset Place

• Somerset Court

• Bay Laurier Place

• Dwell

• Park Square

• Gilmour Place

• 200 Bay

• Pullman

• The Everett

• The Gardens

• Metropolitan Phase One and Two

• Somerset Gardens

Centretown is home to a ton of parks perfect for all ages. Some for pets, some have parks, and others are great for walking.

Dundonald Park

• 516 Somerset St W

• Playground, paved walking paths

Jack Purcell Park

• 320 Jack Purcell Ln

McNabb Park

• 180 Percy St

Arlington Park

• 165 Arlington Ave

Charlie Bowins Skatepark

• 435 Bronson Ave

McNabb Dog Park

• Small park off of McNabb park for dogs - gated.