World Exchange Plaza

After taking a tour of the Parliament building, my relatives took us here for a quick bite to eat. The World Exchange Plaza is easy walking distance from the Parliament.
We headed straight to the food court inside here. I did not pay attention to anything else here. All I can tell you is that they have clean restrooms, they keep the dining areas spic and span, and they have a variety of dining choices here.
My wife got some Thai food from Thai Express. It wasn’t too bad. I got pizza from Cheesy Pizza & Pasta, and it tasted good. Got me a tasty tart from Kebob Kebob for dessert.
3.5 stars for the World Exchange Plaza in Ottawa.

Jeff’s review does a great job of describing this plaza. I enjoy it’s lofty ceilings and surprising assortment of offices, stores, and food vendors. I mostly go here for a quick bite and to run some errands over lunch.
I stopped by the Canada Post located inside the convenience store here – the guy behind the counter was super quick and managed his lineup really wall.
The food court is one of the best that I’ve been to in the downtown core – there’s a good selection of food and it is nice and clean (the bathrooms here are infinitely better than the Rideau Centre). I like their recycling receptacles especially.
Several of the dining options are cash only, but there are a few cash machines in the building. In fact, on my first visit I went to the Soup Guy and failed to notice the cash only sign, but the cashier was super nice and let me come back with my money.
¹⁷⁄₃₀

The World Exchange Plaza is a building in Downtown Ottawa that is seriously underappreciated — it’s a hidden gem.
Located in the core of downtown Ottawa, it is a welcoming place of business that successfully integrates an office building, a hotel and a shopping centre.
The World Exchange Plaza has a lot of interesting details. The ceilings are very high, the finishing and railings are modern. Part of the exterior resembles the Roman Coliseum. In general the building is striking, and has a a very regal look.
I have always had a fondness for the suspended belugas in the main entrance area.
The ‘shopping centre’ portion of the building is minimal, but the second floor food court is the best in the Capital. I absolutely love the theatres — it’s the anchor that brings me to visit!
It’s been an unknown commodity to most residents, as it’s pretty much dead on the weekends and evenings. Hence, one of Ottawa’s best kept secrets…
FREE
PARKING
EVERY
WEEKEND!
The downtown hotels definitely want it kept secret.
There are two parking entry points:
* Metcalfe & Albert
* Queen & Metcalfe

The World Exchange Plaza is a much fancier building. It’s just so pretty inside, quite gorgeous actually, and gives it a much more upscale, classier feel, reflecting the building’s businesses and tenants.
The building has many different offices of major companies like Microsoft, Ernst and Young, and CTV, but it’s also popular for its shopping mall, food court, and movie theatre. The clothing in the stores is mostly business wear and professional apparel and accessories. Other than the shopping, you can find a wide variety of restaurants here. There’s pasta and pizza, a deli, a kebob restaurant, and a ton of Asian fare.

World Exchange has a movie theatre, LCBO, card and flower shop, bank and several food options.
In fact this plaza has one of the best food courts in the downtown. The court has a lot of different options from Greek to subs to Asian and Italian. There are lots of seats but don’t be fooled by that because this place gets quite busy at lunch time during the week.
The underground parking is also very busy and has multiple levels. Those who work in the building are quite lucky to have that many services right at their fingertips but a lot of people who stop in here to support the merchants are people who work within two or three blocks of the building.
The Metcalfe Street entrance side of the building has a very large outdoor staircase which is also a hot spot for people to enjoy their lunch on in the warm months. You’ll usually find a street meat vendor in this area too.