ByWard Market Square

Byward Market Square is a 3.5 star experience for me as a local. However, if you’re visiting the city, it’s certainly a place you should stop by as it’s home to a ton of local merchants and souvenir shops, and many people see the Byward neighbourhood as «the heart of the city», which is where the square is located.
Byward Market is filled with fresh fruit and veg stands, but during the summer months I prefer to walk outside instead of in here. It’s still a fun place to explore if you’ve never been, so if you’re visiting, you should check this place out.
It’s a fantastic place for people in the neighbourhood to get fresh produce and flowers, but since I don’t live in that area, I prefer the Ottawa Farmers’ Market or Parkdale Market. I just find it gets super busy and crowded here, and I prefer the openness of other markets.

The Byward Market is the heartbeat of the city — especially for the nightlife! Lots of sight-​seeing, shopping, and restaurants — all within easy walking distance. Parking is available, and although you’ll pay for it during the day, you can find free parking in the evenings. Why not leave the car at home and take the bus to the Byward Market?
You’ll find any kind of food to appeal to your taste and your budget, from affordable Pizza, to upscale restaurants (like Vitoria Trattoria), to celebrate special events all down in the market area.
I like poking my nose into these little boutiques in here, although it’s a bit kitschy. You should do touristy things in your own city every once in a while.

The Byward market is in my mind the best meeting place just above downtown in Ottawa. It represents the heart of downtown Ottawa! From the fruit and vegetable stands that surround in 3 seasons plus the other various merchants selling their jewellery, clothing and crafts it’s great to come and browse around. Lots of foot traffic on the weekends!
The Market is surrounded by many quick and casual restaurants and the fine dining that the movers and shakers of Ottawa plus the political cronies and their staffers (who believe they run this town) frequent on a regular basis. On many evenings you will find the political crowd in their power suits hobnobbing around the market restaurants, lounges and bars.
Th market also has some interesting clothing shops but most of the action is here for the food and drink.
As the sun sets the night owls come out and it transforms from a family friendly atmosphere to a vibrant nightlife!

«A nice walk»
This is a great area of Ottawa to just to walk around and browse in stores and sample some foods in different restaurants. There are usually street performers/​musicians playing on the street which you can enjoy. That makes The Byward market is a must visit if you’re in Ottawa.
The market is also a short walk to other major attractions, sightseeing stops and a mall so if it’s a nice day it would be wise to park at the Market and venture out from there.
Once in the market you cannot miss out on Beavers Tail so make sure you indulge in some of that sweet sugary tail. There is a fantastic bakery close to the Beaver Tail shop in the main building that offers shortbread «Obama» cookies that are beautifully iced in the Canadian flag and other designs a must try. The bakery also has wonderful pastries and deli style options. The ByWard market offers a great way to spend a morning or afternoon.

food can be a bit pricey, but i enjoyed walking around, hanging out.

We were walking around Byward Market the first day we got there in the afternoon and was deciding on where to eat for dinner in August 2012. We were in the Byward Market area. That’s where our hotel was. There were bars, restaurants, bakeries, etc. It seems like no matter where we went in Canada, there was some sort of Thai influence in the area. I think that’s pretty cool. There were also chain restaurants. Also, the prices were similar to NYC so we were fine with the prices. However, for other people, they may not like the prices. Byward Market is a touristy area with a lot of students and business people and people from the Parliament Hill area coming to the area after work for happy hour. Great area to explore!

I really, really, really, really, really, really want to love this place but honestly I don’t. The square is home to a handful of souvenir shops, food stands and is in the Byward Market.
It’s a fun place to wander through and even possibly grab a coffee from Café 55 but the rest of the place I’d compare to a selection of food stands with mediocre food for a massive premium!
It wouldn’t be so bad if there was somewhere that was amazing in there but there really isn’t. Everything is poor to ok at best. There are much better options for food in the area and that kills me to say! The souvenir shops are ok but seriously it’s stuff you can find elsewhere… wait until the summer time when there are actual local souvenir and jeweler makers on the streets.

Byward Market is a nice place to hang out period. There are a variety of restaurants, bars, shops, bakeries, coffee shops, meat markets, and outdoor venders selling fruits and vegetables.
My fiancé and I really had a good time browsing, eating, and walking around. This place is relatively big, well organized, and clean.
If you are hungry, or if you are just in search of an interesting place to browse around, this is the place to go.

The Byward Market Square hosts a variety of restaurants, coffee shops and stores. You can find something for everyone here.
I have most often shopped here when it is raining and I’m in the Market. It is convenient to have this sort of mini-​mall or centre here to duck into to escape the rain for a while. It is also useful for getting from one part of the market to another when it is raining.
I love the selection of ethnic foods and gifts that are available here. The workers from different parts of the building seem to know each other and everyone is always really friendly.
A great place to grab an interesting gift and a bite to eat!