Ada's diner - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Ada's is on the west side of Bank Street, just north of the Queensway highway.<p>
The name is a misnomer; Ada's doesn't serve dinner. Only breakfast (excellent) and lunch (pretty good). It closes at 3 p.m.<p>
The ambiance is poor--it's small, but not particularly intimate. The walls are faded, the tables too close together, and the chairs uncomfortable. The service, while very friendly, isn't terribly quick. Nevertheless, it's consistently full on weekends, crowded on weekday mornings, and passably active for weekday lunches. This is because everything else that matters is excellent: the prices are low, and quality high.<p>
There's a very wide variety in breakfasts, and no servers will bat an eye if you stagger in for eggs at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. In fact, you'll be given a breakfast menu by default. The standard meal is the "Hungry Man's Special"--eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, beans, fried potatoes, toast, and coffee--for $4.95. This is a superb price by Ottawa standards. You can find that list of ingredients for less at other places, even on the same road, but not delivered in anything like the same quantity. The coffee is decent, but be warned that all other drinks come out of bottles.<p>
There are also daily specials. The stir-frys (particularly a breakfast-oriented one that includes scrambled egg, and often a slightly spicy sausage) are superb.<p>
Lunch offerings (like breakfast, available any time the restaurant is open) are nearly as good. They're limited to relatively basic items--hamburgers, club sandwiches--but are invariably well-executed, given the price. The french fries, a bellwether item for diners, are well-cooked, crispy and browned on the outside, but still soft and mealy within. They are never soggy.<p>
The host will seat you in friendly fashion, and will remember you after a very few visits. He will never make an untoward inquiry as to your name, occupation, or previous evening's activities. Tip enthusiastically.
The name is a misnomer; Ada's doesn't serve dinner. Only breakfast (excellent) and lunch (pretty good). It closes at 3 p.m.<p>
The ambiance is poor--it's small, but not particularly intimate. The walls are faded, the tables too close together, and the chairs uncomfortable. The service, while very friendly, isn't terribly quick. Nevertheless, it's consistently full on weekends, crowded on weekday mornings, and passably active for weekday lunches. This is because everything else that matters is excellent: the prices are low, and quality high.<p>
There's a very wide variety in breakfasts, and no servers will bat an eye if you stagger in for eggs at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. In fact, you'll be given a breakfast menu by default. The standard meal is the "Hungry Man's Special"--eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, beans, fried potatoes, toast, and coffee--for $4.95. This is a superb price by Ottawa standards. You can find that list of ingredients for less at other places, even on the same road, but not delivered in anything like the same quantity. The coffee is decent, but be warned that all other drinks come out of bottles.<p>
There are also daily specials. The stir-frys (particularly a breakfast-oriented one that includes scrambled egg, and often a slightly spicy sausage) are superb.<p>
Lunch offerings (like breakfast, available any time the restaurant is open) are nearly as good. They're limited to relatively basic items--hamburgers, club sandwiches--but are invariably well-executed, given the price. The french fries, a bellwether item for diners, are well-cooked, crispy and browned on the outside, but still soft and mealy within. They are never soggy.<p>
The host will seat you in friendly fashion, and will remember you after a very few visits. He will never make an untoward inquiry as to your name, occupation, or previous evening's activities. Tip enthusiastically.
