Punk Ottawa

Like any city with a conservative core, Ottawa has been a home for punks for decades. And the punk scene here remains strong—enough so to support its very own website. Launched in 2001, punkottawa.com serves as a bulletin board for events listings at venues around town (including all-ages shows). The site is a veritable hub of underground (and above-ground) activity, including tips on the most punk-rock places to rent movies, grab a bite, get a drink, and tons of other stuff.

Ottawa’s Chateau Lafayette

A shadow of its former self, the Chateau Lafayette (Ottawa’s oldest hotel and bar, having opened in 1849) is old enough that it once had separate entry doors: one for men, and the other side for “ladies and escorts.” Sure, the “Laff” has improved in that it’s not as dangerous as it once was, but it’s also lost some of its original character. One of the few downtown taverns left in the city, this is this place to see Ottawa legend Lucky Ron perform originals and covers every Saturday. If you’re really down and out, you can still rent one of the furnished rooms upstairs, small enough that you can open the door, turn on the television, and open the refrigerator all from the comfort of your single bed.
42 York St., 241-4747

Dominion Tavern

In a city where change is constant, something to be praised is a good old-fashioned tavern that is able to remain the same. (Ottawa hasn’t actually handed out a tavern licence in years—the only way an establishment can sell quarts; the licences no longer exist.) With some of the cheaper beer in town, and irregular punk shows (check the schedule on their website), “The Dom” is a place where you will be
assured that when you are inside, you will hear that same Pixies album playing from over a decade earlier, along with some garage/punk and a bit of ska thrown in for good measure. When it’s warm enough, check out their back patio, which was once voted “Best Patio” in an Ottawa X-Press poll. And if you decide you’ve had enough of this place, you can either go upstairs to the strip club, or next door to Zaphod Beeblebrox without having to call for a cab. 33 York St., 241-7706

Ottawa Irish Bars

Arthur Hodgins Jr and Peter Ananny opened Patty’s Pub (1186 Bank St., 730-2434), previously known as the Mayfair Tea Room, in Old Ottawa South in 1974 in order to, among other things, serve Irish stew and feature Gaelic folk singers. With slightly warped hardwood floors and a comfortable atmosphere, the space manages exactly the right combination of Celtic respectability and old-style charm. Given that it was March 1975 before it received its liquor licence, many current patrons of the establishment might be amazed that it lasted as long as it did without one. There is some debate as to whether this was Ottawa’s first Irish pub, or if that honour should go to Molly McGuire’s in the Market (130 George St., 241-1972). Regardless, the city now has almost too many of them, with the Aulde Dubliner (62 William St. 241-0066), Heart & Crown Irish Village (67 Clarence St., 562-0674), and Patty Boland’s Irish Pub and Carvery (101 Clarence St., 789-7822), just to name a few. For years, D’Arcy McGee’s (44 Sparks St., 230-4433) has been a famous Parliamentarian hangout for journalists, staff, and MPs alike. Another part of the tight lid that Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government has placed on things has been not allowing their interns to drink at D’Arcy McGee’s perhaps lest they blurt out state secrets. I’ve always suspected that Conservatives couldn’t hold their liquor as well as the Liberals or the NDP. If Irish isn’t your style but you still want a pint, there’s always Cornerstone Bar & Grill (92 Clarence St., 241-6835), Earl of Sussex Pub
(431 Sussex Dr., 562-5544), and (99 Fifth Ave., 237-0448).