Must Wine Bar and Tapas

This is a delayed post… three months in the making. I had a truly wonderful experience at Must during the holidays in December 2015. I met up with a very dear old friend on a very slow night just before Christmas. Atmosphere was perfect. Wonderful wine list and a fab selection of small bites and small plates to accompany the wine. Unforgettable company and truly wonderful ambience and courteous and discreet staff. Highly recommend.

I had the Grilled Mahi Mahi and the portion was so small I was really hungry just an hour and a half later. The service was very very friendly, but they kept forgetting things like our wine even. The actual meal was pretty good, but did not deem a price tag of 28. Very nice ambience, felt like we were in a little Italian restaurant upstairs.

The restaurant itself is on the cozy side, not too many tables, with a warm décor: exposed bricks, soft lighting and dark neutral tones — all conducive to a nice relaxed evening — or a romantic evening for couples. I reserved for a larger group on a Thursday night — we had a private room, which was great and I found that the service was great considering the size of our group. The wine list was on the short side for a ‘wine bar’ but the offerings were decent. People seem to be raving about the food — personally, I found my selections to be a disappointing. I tried the fried brussel sprouts with a spicy mayo — nothing to write home about but ok. Now, the 18 $ plate of elk tartare was the biggest let down — absolutely flavourless. Saving grace: the salted caramel potatoes: very tasty but then again, its boiled potatoes with caramel and salt on them. As other members of our party seemed to enjoy their selections, I would probably go back to try the more ‘complex’ dishes but with a myriad of similar options in Ottawa, I think I will take my chances elsewhere.

Ambiance was really nice! There was a musician and he was perfect, should have stayed longer.
Food was good, the risotto had too much truffle. Figue and goat cheese was my favourite and my boyfriend really enjoyed the elk tartare!

Didn’t try the food, but went here on a Thursay evening for a few drinks and it was completely dead. Then again it was cold, early fall and it is Ottawa…
The wine selection was decent, the menu of small plates looked ok if a bit on the pricey side, not much under $ 18… That’s fine if the restaurant is knocking it out of the park on food, but pricey if you’re not. Will try some of the small plates next time.

Went to must for dinner last night with a few girlfriends and could not have been more impressed! The food was outstanding, we shared the truffle tortellini as well as the duck wings and the flat bread. We then had 2 cheese boards and desserts which were also divine. What also really stood out was the phenomenal service. Georgina our server went above and beyond to make our night at Must an enjoyable evening, and that is saying a lot from the three of us who all work in resturants in the market.
Great food, great atmosphere, great service.
Oh and you also can’t beat the $ 5 corking fee to bring your own wine on Sunday nights ;)
We will most definitely be back and I recommend Must to all!

This used to be one of my go-​to places in Ottawa, but they seem to have started drifting in a downward spiral some time ago. Every consecutive time I’ve visited this restaurant, the quality of the food has gotten progressively worse. I’m wondering how much of this is due to the two changes in ownership that have happened since ~2012. My most recent visit was a bland mess, and I will certainly not be returning.
As much as it pains me to say it, you’re better off finding another place to eat. You can get much better food elsewhere for the same price.

Delicious!!! I haven’t had a meal in Ottawa that has truly wowed me, until I came to Must. Food was amazing, excellent for a group because there is enough to choose from, and the service was attentive and friendly (but not too friendly). Standouts were the duck wings, foie gras, and charcuterie! Would definitely return!!! Added bonus is they feature local artists, and I was able to buy a few pieces that I loved, right off the wall!

Long over due, but here it is! Must Kitchen & Wine Bar is located in the byword market. My husband and I went a few weeks ago on a Saturday night and had a wonderful experience! We were greeted by a lovely hostess and brought to our table in this historic building where we were served a welcoming (and complimentary) salmon mouse starter followed by Fresh made in house seasoned chips, yum! The Décor is lovely with local artist displays and on weekend they have a live Spanish guitarist playing which we really enjoyed. We loved the variety of the wine list (ok I enjoyed the wine list!) You can also try a flight of wines if you are unsure of what to try. must offers an interesting menu that had sharing plates and if you aren’t good at sharing– full sized dinner portions as well. We are good at sharing so that’s what we went with. We loved the scallops (I hope no one saw me lick the plate) and the beef carpaccio salad was amazing too! The wild game ribs were hands down the most amazing ribs I have eaten (sorry PS) (they were Bison) We finished our night off with a slice of double chocolate stout cake! All in all a wonderful experience and we will be back again!

The new owners have already wowed me and their fans. With a great private room upstairs for events and decadent new menu this wine bar will continue to be one of my favorites in Ottawa.

such a great place good proper food with good music #relax.n.enjoy

I love their tapas and their wine by the glass. Must tries include the truffle mac ‘n’ cheese, the flatbreads and the scallops. So delicious! Also, they have an amazing wine list including many by the glass. Also, they have wine flights that you can try as well. The only downside is the smell that sometimes lingers from Lush. It can be distracting.

We love this place!!! It’s fantastic, and we really like the tapas. It’s great to share. They have a a delicious white wine. It’s called Appleby and we can’t find it anywhere else. You won’t regret coming here!

Good: Fun wine list. Unpretentious and friendly service.
Better: The small plates are quite tasty, but nothing wows. That said, there were no disappointments either. Steak tartare, tomato soup and scallops were all above average, but there were no surprising or innovative flavours in the bunch. The homemade mustard is an exception; great combination of spice and sweet… is the secret ingredient maple syrup?
Best: Very romantic ambiance — a nice oasis in the middle of the hobag market.
Dollars: $ 100 for 5 tapas plates, ½ litre of red, tax and tip.

Really? Must you?
I went here on a recommendation from a friend, she told me to try the duck wings and the figs, I also ordered the truffle mac n’ cheese.
To wet my whistle, I ordered a glass of the Riesling they had. I am pretty sure that bottle had been opened for wayyyyy too long, cause that glass no longer resembled a Riesling in any shape or form.
The food was ok. Like really, for the figs I have had way better variations and the duck wings were actually gross. I enjoyed my mac and cheese, but the truffle was scarce and some of the noodles were undercooked.
My second glass of wine was way better thank the lord (I smartly switched it up); server was friendly.
For $ 50 bones though (for one person!), there are a lot better wine and tapas bars back home in Calgary than this joint.

This place is well hidden in the Byward Market if you’re not looking for it. It really blends in with all the other restaurants and shops in this strip.
The food isn’t bad here but I like coming here for drinks, especially upstairs. As Chloe has mentioned it’s a bit more cozy there.
Try their pizza, my friends were raving about it last time we were here.
They have a nice wine list and they also have some beer. For a nice quite night with someone I’d recommend coming here and being tucked away somewhere quite upstairs :)

I love this place, It’s small, has a slight romantic flair to it. The food is very good and they also have a nice tapas/​small plate menu as well. Every Monday night is half price mussels and I always go with the green curry sauce. I know they have another choice as well but the green curry preparation is so good there’s no point trying the other preparation, which I’m sure is great also. The mussel plate comes with french fries as well and they are addictive. They’re served with a garlic sauce, which goes really well with the fries but I still prefer ketchup. My only complaint is I like fries with my ketchup, so just give me the bottle and not a small spoon of ketchup:) They have a fig small plate appetizer which was actually very good. I tried it based on the owners recommendation and I have to say, well done! They have a very nice wine selection and the service is friendly and always great. The upstairs is more cozy than the downstairs. So if you’re there to people watch… sit downstairs. If you’re there with a date, I’d recommend upstairs. Mondays are pretty quiet, which is when I like to go for my mussel fix. It’s a small restaurant, somewhat hard to find but a definite winner for someone interested in quality food and friendly service. BTW, They also have free Wi Fi, you just need to ask for the password.

Amazing food. Fantastic ambience. Cannot say enough good things about this restaurant.
My colleague and I traveled from San Fran and had the best mussels that we have ever had. Their Mussels in green curry is to die for and the french fries melted in your mouth.
We were tired and hungry and could not have chosen a better food experience. A definite must for anyone looking for quality food.

Went there last night with the bf for dinner. Overall it was okay. The wine list was good, but a bit overpriced. We shared the figs for a starter. AMAZING. I had the duck confit (too salty and the fat wasn’t rendered enough). My bf had the mussels (okay, but not clean tasting). For dessert I had the pumpkin chocolate crème brulle. It was great! He had the chocolate plate. It was ok at best. They didn’t offer coffee with dessert — and we would have loved some. Also they reminded us to keep our fork & knife between courses — my pet peeve. If I’m paying over $ 140 for dinner they can give me clean cutlery.

This is one of my favourite places in Ottawa. Most restaurants close very early in the By Ward Market. Usually if you want a bite at 10:00 or after you are SOL unless you want to go to a crappy diner.
However, Must Wine Bar has never let me down. They were always able to serve me food after 10:00 and they have a great variety of wines. Then have some red wines available from the endomatic system and they have my favourite Sauv Blanc Apple By Lane from New Zealand. A treat that the LCBO has yet to offer.
When you first walk in, it looks very small, but when you reach the second floor it is spacious and cozy. The service has always been amazing too.