The Prescott

The place seems a bit run-​down. I know they’re going for an old-​timey pub feel, but it just comes off as more sad than rustic.
Food was not great. Their giant meatball was really bland and the rest of the dish was unexciting.

Really mediocre. We ordered the waiter’s recommendation of meatball sandwich and pizza. The meatball sandwich was bolognese sauce on white bread and the pizza was about the caliber of McCain deep n delicious. To avoid.

Prescott has some of the most mouth watering pizzas i have ever tasted. Located in the heart of Little Italy, this casual joint offers more than just pizza. Every item on the menu is authentic and fresh served right from the oven.
At first glance, Prescott gives this illusion of being just a bar, however, as you walk in, you are humbled by the simplicity of the atmosphere. The chairs and tables which are made of traditional wood, compliments the atmosphere.
The Food amazing! If you’re looking for affordable authentic Italian eatery– check out Prescott. Every item on their menu looked delicious. My eyes wanted to eat everything but my stomach could only take in so much LOL. Prescott offers all types of pastas, pizzas, hot subs/​sandwiches and burgers. one of the things they are best known for is their meatball sandwich with their daily fresh meat sauce. I ordered the «Prescott pizza» which was super tasty. One thing that surprised me and my partner with Prescott was that they always served different types of olive oils with their pizza. The server told me the olive oils were used to sprinkle on top of the pizza so I did just that and OMG– the best thing ever!!. Not only was it tasteful, it also greatly helped digest the pizza.
All in all, Prescott is an awsome place to be for casual dinning. I learned that olive oils can help digest pizza. Thanks Prescott for a joyful experience :)

Pub style do i wouldn’t bring my kids but the meatball sub is to die for. Good for groups. Service is ok.

It’s not fancy at all. It’s like someplace you went to with your grandparents (if Grandpa belonged to beer-​league curling). I only ever eat the pizza. It’s pretty good, although some people are fanatical about it. I kinda like the square, crisp but medium-​thick crust. I’m ambivalent about the cheese which is more creamy (think Kraft) than stringy like most mozzarella. Nevertheless, the place is friendly and a throwback to 1970s Canada. Dining room is cosy, tavern side is louder — you may be invited to join a bowling team.

My younger brother and I were really hungry and he had a craving for pizza. This was the first place on Preston that we came across — we figured pizza is pizza.
The first thing I noticed is that it was completely empty and awkwardly quiet. On the tv screens they were showing a junior golf tournament, but there was no music or background noise, so we felt like we had to whisper.
It was like being in a small town family restaurant on a Monday morning, except that it was actually a Saturday afternoon.
The waitress that served us was very friendly, I have nothing bad to say about the service.
I ordered the smallest size of their specialty square pizza and my brother ordered the next size up. The food arrived in good time, they were able to add the oregano I requested — which is a must for any place serving Italian food I feel. The pizza was big and filling, but tasted incredibly bland. The crust was strange, and the amount of cheese on top was excessive. I didn’t really feel like I was eating a pizza, but more of a cheesy bread creation.
Not somewhere I would ever consider going back to, as there are many other restaurants in the area and good food is more important to me than a bubbly waitress. Also the lack of background noise or music made the atmosphere very uncomfortable.

I was referred here by a local guy at work, and I had no idea what to expect, I was told it was a beacon of Ottawa and had to come here before I left town.
I pulled up and had troubles with the pay parking machine across the road.
I walked in and didn’t really know which way to go, I eventually found my way to the back bar area which is though a take out area.
I sat at the bar and was greeted and I asked what was in bottle, since the place did have a bit of a sketchy feel to it. I had a quart of beer and was told they were famous for their meatball sandwich, so I went with that with a side of fries. The service was quick, surprisingly so, I don’t even think it took 8 minutes for the sandwich to come. After the first bite I realized how it came out so quick, it was not heated enough it was warm enough that I didn’t want to bother sending it back. The cheese was barely melting and was already getting hard again before I was finished.
The space is in definite need of redecorating or something to get rid of the sketchy feel of the place. The service was friendly and quick, and had the meal been heated properly it would have earned an extra star.
I’m not sure I’d go back, maybe only if a group of friends wanted to, but I don’t think that will be an issue since I’m not from around here.

If you don’t happen to know of The Prescott, it’s best to read the following before going. At it’s best it is a fun bar to have drinks with buddies and watch the game. At it’s worst, The Prescott is a mediocre bar with mediocre food.
First know that this is an institution in Ottawa, especially for those 50+ that frequented the place when it still had a male-​only area.
The food is heralded by some, but the fact is the whole menu is NOT great. They are known for their square, fluffy and airy pizza. Those who like it, love it, but it isn’t for everyone. Same goes for their meatball sandwich. I would stay away from their nachos, as I have only experienced a gloppy mess rather than nachos.
For a bar of it’s style and type, their are decent beers. The quarts they serve are a good deal, and yes even Stella comes in quarts there.
The service has always been good, and you will always find a few people on the bar side pretty much any time of the day.
All-​in-​all it’s a fun, laid back place to be, just don’t expect anything other than that. You can’t be all things to all people.

The other reviews calling this «Blue Collar» is a code name for terrible. The square pizza was more like a casserole. THE Worst pizza I have had in my entire life, hands down. I ordered the pasta combination and I was shocked. It was like a Lean Cuisine TV dinner. The meat was a gray, flavorless, texture-​less paste. The sauce was terrible and the cheese seemed fake or processed too. It was like they poured Chef Boyardee out of a can. I was staying in Ottawa for a short time and thought a pasta dinner in «Little Italy» would be great. I read these reviews and decided to go to The Prescott. I was so disappointed! I should have known though because it should have been a busy dinner rush and we were the ONLY table in the entire restaurant section. They never brought us water, the beer was from a can, the «bread» they gave me was SERIOUSLY a hot dog bun! The waitress laughed nervously every time she walked by as if she was embarrassed to have brought us that crap they are serving. All in all, I can’t think of a dining experience I have had with a poorer quality of food. It was the worst aspect of my visit to that city. I am going to post a picture of my «bread», I was floored. It was almost like I was on a prank show!

As always, great service and food. Great blue collar no-​nonsense restaurant. The meatball platter with cheese is an ottawa institution… as are the beer served in old-​school quarts.
It’s not fancy but it’s good and honest fare without the corporate pub interference.

Another proper working class watering hole. The kind if place you go for a quart (or more) of beer and a good, inexpensive meal. I have been there for drinks a few times but went for lunch for the first time today. Their advertised specialty are meatball sandwiches, I had one and wasn’t all that impressed, the meatballs were good, the sauce wasn’t great, and it was made between two slices of supermarket white bread. Not exactly fine dining but it did the job for lunch. My co-​worker had a chicken wrap with Salad, I had a bite and it was really tasty, while the square pizza’s looked very tasty as well. Plus they have a good selection of beer, both on draught and in bottles. If you order a beer in a bottle, be warned, you WILL get a quart or equivalent large bottle unless you specify otherwise, so if you have to drive, or be productive at work, you should specify that you want a regular sized beer.
The service is very good and friendly, there are some people who have been working there for a million years and are super friendly. I haven’t had a bad experience in that regard. The décor is not that exciting, but that’s not the point of the place, they have a large number of large TV’s showing various sports channels while the tables and chairs are well, tables and chairs. You sit on the chairs and put your drinks and food on the tables, nothing fancy, nothing pretentious, nothing unnecessary.
Overall, if you want a tasty, quick, inexpensive lunch accompanied by an inexpensive beer, this is one of the best places in Little Italy. Preston street has become a bit overrun by expensive Italian restaurants that are all kinda the same, so the Prescott is a refreshing change from that.

The Prescott has been around for ages, and I’ve always enjoyed myself while I’ve been there. A few of my friends have worked there over the years and really like working there, which speaks highly of the management.
I stopped in tonight with some friends, and we only ordered a couple of drinks, but the server was very sweet and reminded me of some other good experiences I’ve had here.
This is a great place to bring a group — particularly if there’s of different ages. The food is universal — who doesn’t love Italian? They make a really great meatball sandwich and I like the square pizza as well. It’s a great place to catch the game, and there’s always a bunch of regulars hanging around, which makes it feel very local to me. I like that The Prescott has withstood the years, and they’re clearly very picky about who they hire which I like.
If you’re looking for a laid-​back vibe or a place to have a birthday dinner for your parents drop by.

The Prescott — an old town favorite — continues to impress.
Since my first visits back in 80s, the Prescott has continued to invest in itself… always clean, adding touches of new, like big screens.
Even though the area has transformed itself, adding many new restaurants, the Prescott continues to pack them in, especially at lunch.
Originally known for square pizza, the menu expanded to include a variety of traditional Italian dishes… now appearing to lead the charge with meatball platter, which is great!
Above all else, it is a great social meeting place.

This place is a pub with your typical Italian-​Canadian food (lasagna, alfredo, spaghetti etc). The décor is pretty boring, really boring actually. I’ve ordered a cheese pizza, a chicken alfredo and a linguini with tomato sauce from here… The pizza was nowhere near as good as they claim it is, I think it’s made in a wood burning oven which I usually like the taste of but it was pretty bland. The alfredo was also really bland, chicken was tough and a little too black for my liking. For whatever reason the sauce on the linguini though was fantastic, it’s one of the best vegetarian spaghetti sauces I’ve had, so that’s why this gets a 3 and not a 2.

What can I say! This place is an institution in little Italy in Ottawa. I’ve been going there for many years. The atmosphere and the food are great. Once again, what is it about square cut pizza??? That is one of the things the «P» is known for.

Another Ottawa institution, the Prescott is a large beer hall with a dining room on one side. It’s not fancy, a bit dingy actually, with dozens of tables with people guzzling pitchers of cheap draught beer. They’ve got music acts in frequently on the weekend.
This was a favourite gathering-​place for me and my mates when I lived here, though, for the food. I returned last week and found it as good as ever. There’s a large menu of typical burgers, sandwiches, steaks, etc (their menu is on their web page). But there are two items that make me go weak in my high-​fat knees: the meatball sandwich (two pieces of bread with meatballs between, with cheese and lots of bolognaise sauce over the whole thing) and the Dewie pizza (a square monstrosity loaded with pepperoni, green peppers, mushrooms, olives, bacon and onions). The artery-​clogging puissance of these items is only exceeded by their popularity, and a lot of people get them for takeaway.

If you want to try one place in Ottawa famous for its pizza, try the Prescott. Its crispy crust, and square slices taste best washed down a quart of beer, while watching Hockey Night in Canada on one of its many screens. The little restaurant beside the tavern has a decent menu and friendly service, and is a dependable stop too.

Since I’m not a fan of watching sports on TV in bland bars with the usual pub menu items, I don’t enjoy The Prescott. It’s a good place to go on Preston if you don’t want to spend too much money and you’re traveling with a large group that needs accommodating. I would advise against the nachos though.
Recently, The Prescott has welcomed Yuk Yuks as part of its family. From Wednesday to Saturday you can come upstairs to see some comedians for about $ 14-​$ 20 per ticket. Amateur night is on Thursdays. However, I would highly recommend only coming here if Absolute Comedy across the street is sold out or if Yuk’s has a great comedian that can’t be missed. Absolute is cheaper and it has a better atmosphere.

There are times when you want to go out for the night dressed to the nines armed with a fat wallet to pry yourself into a martini bar, a fusion-​style restaurant, or upper-​shelf dance clubs where you’ll be expected to spend top dollar for a round of drinks for your friends or date you intend to impress. Going to the Prescott will be like none of that.
The Prescott is a tavern, pure and simple. As you walk in, you can still see how the Ladies’ entrance gives a sense as to just how long the Prescott has been around and serving. As a tavern, it’s one of the best that you’ll see. Tavern style tables, off-​track-​betting in the basement, a basic selection of tap beers, but the option to order quarts. Yes, quarts.
The food is equally basic and equally good. It’s tavern food pure and simple with some signature dishes that can’t be missed with portions that I’ve not seen since I ordered a Grand Slam breakfast in the US. I made the mistake of ordering a salad with my meatball sandwich (the ultimate dish served at the Prescott). Out came two platters, one housing my sandwich, the other filled with a house salad. Doggy bags may be encouraged.
Entertainment-​wise, the Prescott has several TVs for your sporting needs and houses a satellite club for the town’s Yuk-Yuk’s franchise (
). It stands out as a grain of pepper in the sugar bowl of finer restaurants on Preston Street.