Wilf & Ada’s

One of the best lunch meals in Ottawa! I decided to take a long walk from my hotel to work off my plenty-​o-​pints from the Byward market pubs the night before and followed fellow Unilocal!ers’ advices and decided to give this place a try when I got hungry.
I got there about 11:00, and they were busy. Thankfully, a table opened up and I got sat right away. The décor is simple and nice. The first thing I noticed was their use of cloth napkins and other environmentally conscious procedures. The server was excellent and described the menu proficiently.
Despite a two page menu, their choices were plentiful and diverse. I could smell the pork fat on the griddle and was sold on ordering their homemade smoked bacon as a Pavlovian response. I decided to try it with a grilled cheese sandwich.
The sandwich was grilled excellently without being too greasy. The bacon is as excellent as everyone says it is! It went great with a large glass of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice.
Give this place a try. Don’t forget to order the bacon!

Soooooo gooooood! Out of Towner and came through recommendation, definitely worth another visit!

Enjoyed our breakfast here. My family was looking for the best breakfast and brunch in Ottowa. Unilocal said this was one of the best. The food was nice and cooked from scratch. However, I did find things a bit disappointing. Perhaps I was looking for too much. We were disappointed that they could not serve champagne or bloody caesars until 11, so that was a big downer. We sweated our butts off from the heat coming through the front window. The best thing about the meal was the Eggs In Purgatory which was very good. Everything else was so-​so. Location is a bit sketchy. Not much around this location to do afterward.

This is a scratch dinner, if you are not familiar with that means, they basically make everything from scratch, their food comes from organic farms around Ottawa. I ordered the veggie breakfast, it was perfect. This is a busy place, I came a Friday morning and had to wait 10−15min to get seated. They allow you to go get coffee my a place next to me, best coffee you will probably have. Get ready for a wonderful morning experience

Such a small and cute brunch spot. The décor is so homey and the staff are super chill and friendly. Expect to wait around 15 – 30 minutes on the weekend because this place gets super busy. My boyfriend and I got both types of the eggs benny, but the other options were so tempting. The eggs were perfectly cooked and the toppings were pretty generous, especially the spinach. I do wish they were more generous with the homies though. I also got an iced dirty chai which comes unsweetened.
Will definitely come back to try the Eggs in Purgatory! It looks delish!

Nice atmosphere with very delicious breakfast. Definitely I’ll go there again.
Maybe today

Ada’s diner is your classic mom & pop shop style diner, fairly inexpensive for decent quality food. In the past, I used to visit there frequently and order the eggs Benedict with hash browns and coffee. Straight forward meal, but was consistently good. The building isn’t massive, and there are are occasionally wait times, but in my opinion it is well worth the wait. Now that Unilocal is a larger part of my life, I will make sure to update my review the next time I am in that neck of the woods!

We came here for breakfast before leaving out of town. It was really convenient, their Blackstone was to die for!!!
I ordered Florentine, and I loved the eggs benedict, but olives and feta was too overpowering for my taste in the morning. If you love olives and feta (like my boyfriend), Florentine will be a good choice: D

Honestly the most adorable place in Ottawa. There should be more like it! Tends to be busy (approx. 30min. wait time), but there’s places worth checking out nearby to pass the time (Rag-​Time, Thimble Cakes). They also text you once they have a table available so you don’t have to wait there, super convienient.
The atmosphere is warm and cozy, and the food is delicious. The eggs in purgatory are my favourite. Perfectly spicy and fresh tasting. Coffee was good, mimosas were excellent. Tasted like it was made with freshly squeezed orange juice. Feels like every detail has been thought out, even their straws are striped and cute.
Service is wonderful. Really easy to talk to, attentive enough without being annoying. The staff all seemed to get along and which added to the positive experience. Definitely a place to visit.

I was visiting Ottawa for the weekend and stayed near the Nature Museum. My host recommended to come here for brunch. I had the eggs in purgatory and was not disappointed. Eggs were beautifully soft boiled in a spicy tomato sauce. Arugula salad and potatoes on the side were well prepared. Good stuff.

Super friendly genuine staff, seated us right away. As recommended, we started off with the Dirty Coconut Chai, which exceeded my expectations… So delicious and flavourful.
The food was fresh and delicious, even the heavier menu items seemed to lean to the lighter side of their potential caloric weight.
The atmosphere is rustic but clean and inviting, not dinerish as much as industrial chic.
A surprising number of seats for the space… I imagine it could get loud at busier times, but the opposite was true for us, relaxing, easy and yummy!

We came here on a Sunday during Easter long weekend. The place was crowded. The waitress took down our names and numbers, and estimated a 40-​minute wait.
We thought that the wait was worthwhile.
We ordered:
1. Eggs in purgatory — this is the first time we had this. It has eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce topped with a special cheese and a generous amount of arugula. The combination was perfect. It also comes with homemade fried potatoes and two slices of toasts.
2. Dirty coconut chai — the coconut flavor brings a refreshing taste to the latte. Sweetness is just right!
3. Black stone — this has two portions of buns with tomato, bacon, poached eggs and generous amount of hollandaise sauce. Also, not to forget the yummy fried potatoes that is crispy in the outside and soft in the inside.
Will definitely recommend this place!
Service: ⁵⁄₅
Food: ⁵⁄₅

We came here for brunch while we were in Ottawa. The place is very busy but they take your name and cell number and will text you when your table is ready. They also have a sister café around the corner where you can get a drink while you wait for your table.
The food was amazing and coconut chai latte was insane.
I highly recommend the blackstone and the eggs in purgatory.
Great experience. 5 stars and highly recommended.

It was an absolute delight to dine here and I would most definitely return again and again in the future.
Our server was wonderful and so was the food for a fair price! I got the bare bones which was just enough for me, and my boyfriend got the bigger breakfast with the sausages and beans.
The beans are way better than any I’ve had before. They have a smoky pulled pork flavour to them, and the homemade strawberry jam is to DIE for. The sausages are none of that 99% fat and 1% unknown meat source stuff you usually get at your typical breakfast place (I’m not saying there’s something wrong with them, they’re my guilty pleasure), you can actually tell it’s real meat at Wilf and Ada’s.
This is the place to go for a fantastic breakfast or brunch!

Not going to repeat the story about the origins of this place, but it’s completely better since the buy out (sorry Ada).
Great quality, good price, and a great place to meet up with friends for brunch. Just expect it to be packed on weekends.

Food ⁴⁄₅ décor ³⁄₅ staff&service ⁴⁄₅
Located in Ottawa’s Gleeb neighboorhood, the restaurant is a hipster breakfast and lunch joint. The ingredients are fresh, the service is quick and the staff are all super friendly. From what the waitress told us, Wilf and Ada (husband and wife) were the previous owners of the restaurant, it was a greasyspoon type of place and when the new owners took over they decided to change the food while paying homage to the previous owners.
1. Veggie classic (11 $) — basic 2 eggs with lettuce, tomatoe, toast, homefries
2. Grilled cheese of the day (15 $) — roasted red peppers (homemade not the canned stuff), fresh red beats, feta cheese (a blend of cow’s and sheep’s cheese), tomatoes, and herb mayo.
The homefries were delicious, the outside was crispy while the inside was soft. The grilled cheese was incredible!

I saw the reviews on Unilocal and decided to give this place a try. I went there with my a friend on a Wednesday afternoon and didn’t have to wait in line. The waitress quickly came to seat us and take our order. The service was fast and friendly all throughout our time there.
We went with the eggs benedict with bacon which came with the highly anticipated hollandaise sauce and the Hungryman’s breakfast. The eggs benedict did not disappoint as everything tasted fresh and flavorful, especially the home made potatos or homies. The Hungryman’s breakfast was also very satisfying with the highlight being the french toast with whipped cream and compote that came on the side. I also ordered a coconut chai which was pretty good. Will probably try something else from their variety of tea and coffee next time.
The prices were fair as the whole thing ended up costing us in the 40 $ range. I will definitely visit this place again very soon.

This is a great brunch spot. I came on a weekday but it was pretty full. You can tell they use natural ingredients and fresh veggies.
Coffee was excellent.
I know I was supposed to get the Eggs in Purgatory but I was really really hungry so I tried the Hungryman breakfast. I’m glad I did because every ingredient on the plate was fresh and delicious. The eggs over easy was great as were the toast, potatoes, and bacon. It even came with a side of French toast with strawberries.
I will definitely try their other items when I’m back!

In the search for good breakfast before we left Ottawa to head back home, I happened upon the reviews for Wilf and Ada’s — what people are saying about this place are mostly great things. And with recommendations of «eggs in purgatory» and «dirty coconut chai» carving out my hunger, we headed out for a yummy morning.
Once we got to the diner around 11am, there was a waitlist since the place was packed. How it works is a waiter takes down your phone number and texts you when your table is ready. When it is, you have to text back to confirm and you then have 10 mins to claim your seat (s). Although we had to wait about 20 mins, I’d say it was worth it.
Wilf and Ada’s is a «scratch diner» — they do their best to make as much of their menu as they can from scratch and in-​house while sourcing ingredients from local suppliers and products whenever it’s possible. For me, this is another reason to support the business — sustainability is important and it’s great to see it work through small businesses that connect with each other.
We ordered:
Eggs in purgatory ($ 13.50) — 2 eggs simmered in spicy tomato sauce (it packs quite a bit of heat), arugula, and parmesan. This was yummy — Im not used to eating a lot of arugula but it added a nice earthy and leafy taste to the dish giving it a fresh and healthy spin. The sauce is pretty spicy so take caution. It was served in a nice mini skillet/​cast iron pan that kept the eggs in purgatory nice and hot throughout my time there. This was also served with a side of toast and homies (home fries) which were good — slightly crunchy and soft and a side of beans which were so good — I liked the heartier and more dense texture of beans and it went nicely with the rest of the dish. Their sweet flavour complemented the saltiness of the spicy eggs and homies.
The Classic ($ 11.00) — 2 eggs, sausages, beans, toast, and homies. This dish usually comes with bacon but they had sausage today so that was an option we took. From what my dad said, he liked the dish — simple classic.
The Hungryman ($ 15.00) — 2 eggs, sausages, beans, toast, homies, and side french toast with fruit compote, whip, and maple. This is just like the classic but with the side french toast. My mom enjoyed it — it was certainly a lot to eat but we helped each other out to finish the dish.
French Toast ($ 12.00) — this is the same as the French toast side. House-​made bread, buttermilk batter, fruit compote (a dessert made of fruits, in this case apples, in sugar syrup) and maple syrup. My brother liked the french toast — nice, soft, and fluffy and sweet. While he didn’t like the compote, I did — it’s delicious and I loved sampling bites of the French toast with it. The compote makes it juicy and fruity and adds a bit of crunch to the toast.
Dirty coconut chai ($ 5.25) — espresso, chai, cinammon, coconut, & milk. I love chai tea and other chai drinks so I was excited to try this one out. For the most part, it was good but it does have a strong coconut taste — keep in mind that it has espresso so if you’re expecting a sweet drink, it won’t be as sweet as you might expect.
Wilf and Ada’s is fresh, local, fun, hipster diner. Simply put — a business doing it right. I love the fact that it’s a scratch diner and I love the décor of the place — Wilf and Ada’s has a long history of a few owners taking it over but I think whoever is running it now (Wilf?) means Wilf and Ada’s is here to stay.

The bennies brunch really made my last day in Ottawa!
I came there around 10 a’clock. The restaurant was almost full of people. The beautiful waitress guided me to a table like a bar seat. The restaurant was a little noisy but actually full of energy~
I ordered their famous dish Bennies with homies and extra baked beans. Bennis and homies are actually the nicknames of Benedict eggs and homemade fries. Really like this lovely action~
Highly recommend the baked beans!!! It was soooooo delicious! The bacon and beans were almost melting in my mouth~ It tasted sweet with smoked flavored. Must try the side dish~~ Also, the eggs were cooked in a good condition and yolk was still flowing~ Their home made fries were not greasy at all. Love it. The price was a little expensive but deserves.