Union 613

When under stress I’m like a small shivering mouse: I just want to crawl into a deep dark hole and regroup. You know, ’cause life and death and blood and soil and love and loss are not often easy things to work through. Union stepped up with a tiny hole for me to scurry into.
Secret spaces beyond stacks of dusty spines. Elixirs with house-​made everythings. Strong booze-​forward drinks (it’s off menu, but the bartender made me some sort of artichoke bitters, something-​tasty-​infused-​bourbon drink and it judiciously hit the spot). Mellow tunes. Quiet, vibrant, quirky human creatures. Upright servers. Steamy dish cleaning under Louisiana swamp barge bistro lights. Atmosphere for miles (compressed into a 200’ish square foot footprint).
After we downed our drinks, we walked down Somerset to see a sea of shut down restaurants and bars. Don’t let Union suffer the same fate. Go belly up to the bar, Molly Brown, and support them so this ship don’t sink.

The speakeasy is awesome to visit. The restaurant is also nice with a great selection of drinks, but the food is hit and miss. Some dishes are great, but others are a weird combination of food and flavors that don’t work well together. Worth the visit, but I’d recommend sticking to drinks and shipping the food.

Great place. All the details have been very well considered. Nice décor, great wait staff, food is amazing and the plating was very unique. We ate downstairs in the speakeasy and thoroughly enjoyed it. Anyone who complains that it’s expensive doesn’t understand the difference between cheap and value. The experience was worth every penny, an all round excellent meal.

It’s gourmet food on a peasant’s budget. You can’t go wrong. Make a reservation though, this place fills quick. Great beer and whiskey, nice setting, great service.

The ambiance is good but the food very poor. I had the chicken over cooked with a sort of an accompaniment tasteless. The salad was also without dressing not fresh. The melasse pie was like a month fresh! You may go go for a drink.

So the other day, in preparation for a trip to Ottawa, I find a buzzfeed article on the top bars in Canada. I scrolled through the list and VOILA Union 613 popped up. I read the article, the reviews online and figured it was worth a shot — no pun intended: D!
First thing to note is that the downstairs is a speak-​easy bar. Meaning, few know about it and you have to ask the servers in order to gain access. WHICH IS SUPER FUN! I mean, who doesn’t love the notion that you know a secret place that no one else knows about? The waitress brings us down to the room (which is sealed by a bookcase) and seats us. The room is extremely small but so awesome.
I awarded the three stars for a few reasons. The first is that upon ordering, the waiter told us that there were no egg whites left to make cocktails. Thinking this was no big deal, I noticed that the menu consists of 5 cocktails where 3 of them have egg white. Basically, we could only choose two… which REALLY SUCKS. So I ordered one cocktail and another person from our group ordered the other one. He loved his and I hated mine. Wasn’t good at all and tasted like maple? or wood? A very weird flavour.
However, those two points didn’t bother me so much as the MUSIC. I feel like the space and service are a jazz type but the music that plays is hardcore rap. RAP. It really doesn’t suit the place well since our waiter even said that the place is hipster. When Unilocal asks what the ambience is?! I can’t answer!
All in all, if you haven’t been to such a place yet then I’d highly recommend it just for the fun of it. However, if I do travel to Ottawa again, I won’t be returning =(

I’ve been to Union a handful of times (in the evening), and every visit has been grand. The drinks and boiled peanuts are killer. Service is conversational and attentive (my friend was vegan and they made a creative alternative).
Worth a visit :)

I’ve been to Union on several occasions now. The first time I went for drinks and it was excellent. The cocktails are delicious and different.
The second time I went for dinner. I don’t eat meat so I ordered the veggie meal which was some type of warm bowl of vegetables with grits. It was hot (spicy) but pretty much flavourless. I went again for brunch and I had baked eggs and beans. Again, lots of veggies and well cooked, but no flavour. Im not even sure that they used salt.
The atmosphere is great and our service was also good. I’ll come back for drinks, but I don’t see myself returning for food in the future.

Superb!
Very cozy, stylish, delicious place to go in Ottawa.
The experience starts with very well thought through décor and ends with show stoping desert.

This was my favourite find on a recent work trip to Ottawa. I love pretty much everything about this restaurant — the layout (in a building that looks like a house), the ambiance (dimly lit, kind of hipster with mason jars for décor), the food, the drinks (all ingredients made in-​house), and the prices.
I got the hibiscus rum punch to drink and it was delicious — sweet enough that it went down really easily and tasted delicious, with a nice spice/​cinnamon-​y flavour. Our waitress for the night was so nice and took time to explain all of the drinks to us and recommending some based on what kind of flavours we liked — she really knew her stuff.
Obviously, coming to a «southern/​comfort food» place, I had to try the fried chicken here. It’s two pieces (a leg and a breast), pepper vinegar, and cabbage slaw, plus you get to pick one side. The dish is only $ 23, which is a STEAL for the amount of food you get. I didn’t use much of the pepper vinegar because it had a bit took much of a kick for me, but I still enjoyed the chicken and slaw for the most part. The chicken was decent, but not the best I’ve ever had, plus I found the white meat to be just a tad dry. I tried some of the cheddar and roasted garlic grits my co-​worker got as his side, and thought the flavours were pretty good, although I didn’t really enjoy the texture of the grits that much (I found them too hard.)
Let me just talk about the cornbread I got as my side though. It comes in a cast-​iron pan with a slab of bourbon brown butter on top… and let me just say, THIS IS AMAZING. I split half of it with my coworker and then regretted it because I wanted more after I was done. I love cornbread, but often times I do find it to be too heavy and dense… this was definitely not the case here. It was the fluffiest cornbread I have ever had, plus the buttery flavour that came up in every bite was heavenly. It didn’t feel oily or greasy or soggy at all, it was just some kind of sorcery that made the whole thing feel so light, but also so fragrant and so delicious. I’d come back here just for the bread, honestly.
I am definitely going to keep this place in mind for the next time I visit Ottawa. I heard that have a cool speakeasy area, so I would love to return for drinks and food again in the future!

The décor is really hip and they have great art on the walls. I just felt like they should have more lighting. The server gave us a mini flashlight just to look at the menu.
The boiled peanuts were definitely not my taste. I had the pickled and fried tomatoes and it was delicious. Their red wine sangria had fresh fruit in it and was delicious. I thought the basement and the take on the prohibition with the bar behind the bookcase was pretty cool.

It’s an experience more than a meal. With a cozy atmosphere on the upper floor and a fun, dark and almost faux-​dank atmosphere in the secret room they call the «speakeasy», it’s easy to get into this place.
The drinks and cocktails are top notch. Most of the ingredients are made in-​house (they make their own tonic…) and it shows You’ll be hard pressed to find a better selection of top quality booze and high-​end cocktails.
Don’t let that last sentence fool you, the prices are more than reasonable for the quality.
As far as food goes, my meal (fried chicken) was quite good, as were the fingerling potatoes. Corn bread was a bit dry, and my GF’s pork chop was good but not great. I’d give the food a ⁷⁄₁₀ and the drinks ⁹⁄₁₀.
Go here at least once to dine, then come back fro a few drinks.

Their shrimp/​grits dish and their Dark & Stormy really do it for me. What a delicious meal!
The boiled peanuts they have are really weird, but tasty all the same.
Last time I went, our initial server took our menus away without actually having taken our orders, so we were sitting for a long while without anyone realizing we needed service. I don’t hold this against her at all, as it was getting pretty busy, and a different server eventually realized that we hadn’t been tended to and he took over.
I don’t really like the communal table in the middle, but hey, it’s not like you’re sitting in the other person’s lap or staring into their plate.
I’ve been very happy with my experiences here. And I should mention that I think it’s really cool that they took part in Arboretum Fest this year!

This place is one of my Ottawa favourites! I’ve only ever dined downstairs, so my experience is limited in that way, but I can’t recommend this place enough!
The décor is meticulous with even the smallest touch adding to the southern, old fashioned theme. This attention to detail extends to their food and drink offerings which offer balanced, creative flavours which offer interesting takes on southern standards.
Vegetarians might be found wanting here as most of their dishes have some sort of delicious meat.
You can’t go wrong with this place.

A solid establishment. From the outside its an inconspicuous place that looks like a rundown house. However, once you enter you will realize it’s a transformed exposed brick trendy bar and restaurant. I really enjoyed the vibe, which is dark and romantic. It can get a bit loud but never to a level where you can’t carry a conversation.
We were having dinner on a Tuesday evening and decided to try this place.
1. Drinks: delicious, both alcoholic and no –alcoholic. The sweet rooibos tea was pleasant and only mildly sweetened which I appreciated.
2. Salad: I forgot the full name for this salad, but it’s the one with tomatoes and avocados. It’s well-​portioned and has a variety of very fresh produce. We got this to share (very shareable)
3. Shrimp and grits: I loved this dish. Beware that it’s quite spicy. It’s also not your traditional shrimp and grit. There is a lot of juice and the grits is hidden under an assortment of shrimp and delicious veggies. I definitely recommend this dish.
4. Fried chicken: a southern classic, it’s nonetheless pretty standard here. You get two decently sized pieces and a side of pâté-​flavored potatoes and mushrooms. I loved this unique flavor combination.
5. Chickpea curry dish: I really liked this dish too. It’s vegetarian an quite spicy but very flavorful. I think the thing that clinched it for me were the toasted almonds on top that provided that perfect crunch.
6. White cake with strawberries. Not very sweet. I kind of wished it were sweeter but overall a very light and pleasant way to finish off the meal.
Service was great. Again, great place for a date. Apparently in the basement there is a secret gateway to an underground bar area.

Let’s say, thank god for Unilocal.If you’re not in the know, you won’t know. Even with the address in hand, you’re like– is this really the place?
We got in with no reservations, and ended up in the speakeasy, which was pretty entertaining in itself. Fantastic drinks from a witty bartender. Great food. Salad, fried chicken, a curry dish, the boiled peanuts. I’m just glad we ended up here with only two nights in town.

Definitely one of my favourite hangout spots in Ottawa. I stumbled upon this place while walking away from Chinatown, and upon seeing the front sign «Union Local», I wasn’t really sure of what to expect. After all, it was 10pm already and very few places were still serving dinner at this time.
I was pleasantly surprised by the cosy, low-​key décor that reeks of retro inspiration. Memorabilia and various pieces of art by local artists were hung on the wall, and the wooden furniture made the small restaurant/​bar feel even more welcoming. Low-​lit and featuring indie music on the sound system, it definitely struck a chord!
The crowd is mainly composed from young twentysomethings sipping on craft beers and eating reinvented finger foods. There are a dinner and a late night menus in order to accommodate all types of diners, but since portions are huge, a tapas was more than enough for me. Food menu consists of comfort food with a twist: I got blue cheese chicken wings, and I shared a fritos pie (think about a burrito’s contents served in a bag of Ringolos, OVER Ringolos!). Prices are as expected for his type of place that bases its menu on «reinvented» foods.
Beer selection is also awesome, and featured crafts also include Canadian beers – I ordered the Gypsy Tears Ruby Ale and the Red Racer IPA, both from Vancouver.
Last but not least, the secret (and not so secret, now…) lounge/​speakeasy downstairs, hidden behind a fake bookshelf mounted onto the wall in front of the washrooms entrance. Tucked under the staircase, this very intimate hangout space consists of a few wooden tables and some spots at the bar. Come here for the beers on tap (seasonals, served from a tap that looks like a tree stump) and the creative cocktails! Warning: they’re doubles, but who will complain?

Was SO excited to try this place out. First I went with a friend just for drinks. Tried a cocktail and a beer, which were both great. Fast forward about a month and a friends birthday party is planned to be held there. I showed up with nearly half the party (4 out of 8) right at our reservation time and had to wait almost 15 minutes for our table (our reso was for 630).
The peanuts they give you at the beginning are gross, I’m sorry, I just don’t get it. No one at our table liked them.
My BIGGEST problem with this place is the lack of description on their menu. As a vegetarian, I would of appreciated being told that there was bacon on the devilled eggs. The place is very dark and I thought it was fried onion or something, thankfully I only ate one when I realized. Then, I ordered the ONLY vegetarian item on the menu (rice, chick peas, raisins… yummm) and it was one of the spiciest dishes I’ve ever had in my entire life. (Again, no description of the food). I can take some spice, but even a friend with us tried it (who loves spicy food) and mentioned it was pretty spicy, even for his taste. I had maybe ¼ of the bowl and had to stop and was still so hungry.
ALSO, we were there for over 3 hours. There was a big group at the back when we walked in, but they left before we ordered our entrees and it took us more than an entire hour to get our food. One of my friends ordered steak, got the pork chops, but ate them anyways because she knew it would take forever to get another plate of food.
All in all, I have been so excited to try this place. I don’t usually ever write reviews, because I am seriously not that picky, but I was quite disappointed in the food and food service.
Drinks are good, speakeasy is pretty cool. As a ‘hipster’ bar I thought they would be more creative and have more options for vegans, vegs, etc…

Wasn’t sure what to expect, but we weren’t disappointed. The place is very nice inside, vintage lighting, very hipster feel.
The servers were really nice and helpful. I ordered the chicken and grits, and man was it ever good. The chicken is one piece of white meat and one dark, and it was so crispy and tasty! The grits were amazing, never had anything like them before.
We had a really good time here and would go back for sure!

Oh Union is fun. This is eating with a big ‘ol grin on the whole time. Calling it ‘inauthentic Southern food’ is one part accurate (yes, it’s a mash up of tastes of cultures) and one part self-​effacing Canadianism. Saying it’s ‘inauthentic’ might lead one to imagine that it’s either: 1) of low or specious quality, bad or 2) fusion cooking. Neither. Union is very smart locally minded Southern cooking. Where such a concept came to Ottawa, I have no clue, but I am happy for it and especially glad to have their chicken and waffles (this of course is truly inauthentic Southern food, since chicken and waffles originates with Roscoe’s in Los Angeles) close by in the capital.
Everything is great here, but aiming to avoid food comas, I’m fervently committed to Union for brunch, where I feel less guilty to linger through a pile of beignets (now called ‘brunch balls’) and smother chicken in that spicy, tangy, maple syrup – nectar of the gods. It’s a small menu on the weekend, but you can’t actually make a wrong turn, unless you were looking for light and guilt-​free. Union embraces the lard-​core but does so with an ample supply of fresh produce. It isn’t kitschy or silly but you’re not eating a fruit salad either.
Servers here are effortlessly charming even when the weekend rush has them running at high hum. The food is fantastic, fun, and downright smile-​inducing; the folks serving it up are a wonderfully kind accompaniment. If the food was vaguely homey, there’s no doubting the comfort in a good-​natured crew that have always made me feel like I just walked in to their living room.
And lest I forget, punch bowls! Nothing says comfort like a big bowl of booze and fruit juice. There are plenty of seductive cocktails here for good measure, but there’s something so charming about a punch bowl at brunch – maybe a bit decadent, a little whimsical, and very fun. That’s Union and that’s why I love it!

Quelle surprise d’avoir un oasis culinaire dans une ville endormie telle Ottawa. Un service irréprochable: simple et courtois. L’ambiamce détonne :on se croierait ailleurs; et c’est exactement pourquoi on aime ça! Le menu est simple (le poulet frit est succulent et juteux! Une belle petite sélection de bières en plus!!! Amènes-​en des d’mêmes!!!