Bars and nightclubs
The Dominion Tavern
York st. simple beers and some pool: picture your friend's basement apartment, even serving 40's of beer.
Foundation
York st. in the alley behind e18hteen. restaurant during the week that is open for lunch and dinner. excellent food and one of the only restaurants in ottawa to serve fondue. on friday and saturday nights it transforms into an upperclass nightclub. dress to impress, no logos or running shoes, and be prepared to spend a few bucks on drinks.
E18hteen
18 york st.
Barrymore's
Bank st. an old converted movie theatre, their 80's night is the place to be in ottawa on sundays. they also have a 90's night on thursdays and live concerts on most other nights.
Zaphod's Beeblebrox
York st next to dominion. alternative rock/new age punk, hip-hop nights on thursday. recently short-listed in cbc radio 3's "searchlight: the best live venue in canada" competition. and yes, they do offer a drink they call a "pan-galactic gargle blaster"!
The Standard
360 elgin st. a restaurant during the day, pumping club/lounge at night. the standard is popular thursday, friday and saturday nights with a different style of music each night. friday is excellent old-school and modern hip-hop/r&b while saturday is a little of everything. excellent beer tap selection and daily drink specials.
Options Bar
Located off the main lobby of the brookstreet hotel, 525 legget drive. a relaxing and sophisticated lounge, sometimes good for celebrity sightings.
Club 292
292 elgin st.
Pubs
Black Thorn
Clarence st. upscale, great food, huge patio with good views.
Chez Lucien
137 murray st. corner dalhousie: one of the few pleasant, non-faux-irish pubs downtown a favourite along with the manx. serves good pub fare including excellent fries, can get busy especially after work. a good selection of microbrew beers.
Minglewoods
A great place to drink for cheap! Pitchers of domestic and premium beers are priced under $11 so if you're on a budget this is the place to go. It is close to the University of Ottawa so many students frequent Minglewoods between or after class. There is a good selection of pub fare, also for reasonable prices. On the weekend there is a packed dance floor on the second level.
D'arcy McGee's
Sparks street & elgin st. beautiful architecture with impressive food selection
Quinn's
1070 bank st., is a small but cozy sports bar and pub located next to the mayfair theatre. expect good pub fare, a nice ambiance and good selection of beers.
Lieutenant's Pump
Elgin st. british style pub with a good variety of food selections and inexpensive draught.
Pub Italia
Preston st. a large selection of beers from the world, especially belgian. excellent pizza and pastas. interior design is a bit strange but the patio is very nice.
Centretown pub (CPs)
A gay pub located near the corner of bank and somerset.
Clocktower
Clarence st. a microbrewery with 4 locations throughout downtown. excellent beer at a good price with a very tasty and well priced menu. also a location on bank st. and pretoria.
Patty Boland's
Clarence st. feels like an old tavern, but big. friday and saturday nights patty's has live music so expect to pay cover, and mandatory coat check in the winter. during the musician breaks there is a dance floor with top 40 music.
The Manx
Elgin st. great microbrews, wide scotch selection, bohemian/hipster feel.
Irish Village
Clarence st. ottawa's largest pub complex, including the eponymous irish village loud, lots of live music and the heart and crown.
Since the mid-1990's there has been an explosion in Irish-/British-style pubs across the city. In the core you will find:
The most popular bar areas are in the ByWard Market, along Wellington Avenue in Westboro and along both Elgin Street and Bank Street between Somerset and Gladstone in the Centretown area. There are pubs and bars scattered throughout the city as well.
You can also take a small trip over the Ottawa river to Gatineau. Bars on Ottawa side close at 2:00 AM, though the province of Québec has a last call of 3:00 AM, an exception is made in Gatineau where bars also close at 2:00 AM.
Note that smoking is not permitted in Ontario or Quebec restaurants and bars. A new bylaw, which came in force in 2012, also bans smoking on the patios of bars in Ottawa.