Ottawa | Marijuana Travel Guide

Source: Tony Webster

Nestled in the shadow of Parliament Hill, the shop- and restaurant-filled Byward Market sits close to the original settlement of Bytown, which later became Ottawa. The Market, as it’s usually called, is now the main nightlife and commercial district in the city. It’s hard to summarize the Byward Market succinctly, other than to say this: if there’s something you’re looking to do, eat, or see, chances are the Market will have something for you, be it fine dining, a great pub, fresh market produce, or a chance to take a souvenir photo with the Ottawa sign.

Source: P199

If you venture a bit outside the downtown core — known in town as the “Ottawa bubble,” a term describing both implied neighbourhood and cultural boundaries — make your way west to Hintonburg. It’s one of the younger, hipper neighbourhoods in the city, and home to an eclectic mix of boutique shops, bars, restaurants, and coffee shops — one where you can get donuts, buy fancy furniture, shop for records, and hit one of Ottawa’s three dispensaries all in one afternoon.

Source: Ross Dunn

One of the most unique parts of the Ottawa area is its inter-provincial, bilingual nature: cross the Ottawa River from downtown and you’re in Hull, Quebec. There, French is the first language (though English is spoken almost everywhere). If you head a bit further north from Hull, you will find Gatineau Park — a sprawling campground and wooded area that is known for its great hiking trails. There are lots of tour buses that will take you up in summer and fall months (when the changing leaves are at their most picturesque) — making it a wonderful place to smoke up and see some of the best views the National Capital Region has to offer.

Source: festivio

What better way to honour federal legalization than to roll up and spark a joint on Parliament Hill? And for the time being, it’s still entirely legal to do so: the large lawn of Parliament Hill is owned by the National Capital Commission, so while the City of Ottawa bylaws don’t technically allow smoking in public parks, the National Capital Commission hasn’t put any cannabis laws in place yet. And the biggest plus? It’s a really nice lawn, a great place to people-watch, and in the summer months you can hang out until dark and watch the light show projected onto the Parliament Buildings.

Source: House of Targ Instagram Page

Located in Old Ottawa South, House of Targ is a great place to go for lovers of classic arcade games. They have dozens of old-school pinball machines on one wall, and a great lineup of video classics like Mortal Kombat on the other. For high-volume gamers, the best night to go would be Sunday nights: for $6 a person ($10 for a pair), you can play all the machines for free after 8 pm. They also specialize in pirogies!

Source: Rathwell

In the winter months, when much of the rest of the city seems to be hibernating, there’s always life on the Rideau Canal. Known as the world’s longest skating rink, it is equal parts recreation day and thoroughfare, as many people use it to skate to and from work. But on weekends, it’s an attraction in its own right, with people skating and stopping at huts to drink coffee, hot chocolate, and eat the fried-dough treat known as a beaver tail.

Source: Superette Facebook Page

Superette, simply put, looks unlike any other dispensary you’ve ever been to. It’s modelled after a breakfast diner of the 1980s, complete with an updated Pong machine. It’s also channelling some 1950s, throwback vibes, with diner-style booths where you can hang out and peruse their all-analog menu (a deliberate choice). It’s got a full line of cannabis products, ranging from pre-rolls to oils and sprays, and often have educational events going on. Address: 1306 Wellington St W, Ottawa, ON K1Y 3B2, Canada

Source: Hobo Recreational Cannabis Yelp Page

Though the Hobo Cannabis chain is spiritually home in Vancouver, where the chain’s owners are based, its first actual store was right in the heart of Ottawa’s downtown. It’s got an upstairs, where you can talk to staff, learn more about the available products and lounge around on the couch, and a downstairs with more of a grab-and-go mentality for those in a hurry. It’s a bit like buying weed from modern, minimalist living room — no fussiness, and all geared towards a relaxing consumer experience. Address: 319 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K2P 1Y3, Canada

Source: Fire & Flower Facebook Page

The third dispensary in Ottawa is Fire & Flower, located closer to the Byward Market. It’s in an old barbecue restaurant, so the layout may take a moment to get used to, but they have a wide range of products, and the knowledge that has made Fire & Flower into a nation-wide chain of dispensaries. They have lots of info available for new smokers and old stoners alike, with unique tags for each strain available. Fire & Flower are aiming to offer up a sophisticated experience for cannabis consumers. Address: 129 York St, Ottawa, ON K1N 5T4, Canada

Source: Ward 14 Instagram Page

Ward 14 is a place that could fit in virtually any one of these categories. It is an enigmatic spot that defies categorization: half bar, half consignment shop where everything — and I must stress, everything, from the mounted taxidermy right down to the glass you drink out of — is for sale. On Mondays, they run a popular, by-reservation-only trivia night, and on the weekends they set up a vintage clothing store in the bar. A rotating selection of sometimes-available local beers, a stoner-friendly menu of tater tot poutine and other concoctions, it’s one of the most brilliant of Ottawa’s hidden gems.

Source: Muttoo

If you’re in the mood for high art, look no further than Ottawa’s National Gallery, one of the premier art galleries in the country, if not in North America. It has a highly prized collection from the Group of Seven, as well as an always-intriguing selection of contemporary works and special exhibitions. On Thursday afternoons/evenings, it’s also free (as are all the other museums in the city), and it’s a great dose of high culture.

Source: Mayfair Theatre Facebook Page

The Mayfair Theatre, in Old Ottawa South, may not have the widest repertoire of films, nor does it tend to show the big blockbuster films, but it’s a theatre firmly committed to doing things the old-school way. Films tend to show there for a week or so, and then are rotated out for older titles, foreign films, or cult classics. One of the real highlights for a stoned movie-goer with the munchies is the classic, treat-filled concessions stand and — if you show up early enough — the couches on the first row of the balcony. It’s often most fun to go on Saturday nights, when they play one-off cult classics, bizarre and rare films and, every so often, classic adult films as part of their ‘Sinema Saturday’ series.

Source: Black Squirrel Books Facebook Page

Depending on the time of day you go, Black Squirrel books can be a lot of things. It’s a quaint little coffee shop and book store in the mornings, a place to hang out with a beer or cocktail in the afternoon, and somewhere to see a DIY concert at night. While any of this is going on, you can also roam through the stacks of books and thumb through their eclectic collections of just about any book you can imagine. For the really off-the-wall finds, check out their basement section, where books are simply piled on top of one another in a nearly incomprehensible order.

Source: Mirra Fine & Daniel Klein

Ottawa often likes to call itself the shawarma capital of the world, and often claims to have more shawarma restaurants per capita than pretty much anywhere outside the Middle East. The city has a sizeable Lebanese population, with many settling here after fleeing from the civil war in the 1970s, and as a result shawarma — a garlic-y mix of seasoned and slow-roasted meat and veggies — is available pretty much anywhere in the city. (Seriously: stand on any street corner and chances are you can see a shawarma joint somewhere nearby.) It’s a favourite of the late-night diners in the city, and who has the best shawarma is a constant source of debate in the capital.

Source: SuzyQ Donuts Facebook Page

Other times, your sweet tooth will take over. For that, there’s not much better you can do than SuzyQ Donuts. Located at the east end of Wellington West, Suzy Q’s makes some of the best donuts anywhere, with varieties like London Fog (the icing is infused with Earl Grey tea), Raspberry Chassis, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and D’Oh-nut (a donut straight out of The Simpsons). Get there early, though, for the best selection — there’s often a line-up by mid-morning.

Source: Gongfu Bao Instagram Page

One thing that defines Ottawa’s food culture is that many of its best spots aren’t sit-down restaurants that cater to the professional crowds, but smaller spots with their own spin on the classics. Gongfu Bao, a new Asian-inspired street food restaurant, is just that. Most of their small menu uses a fluffy bao bun as a foundation, and tops it with meats like fried chicken or brisket, and fresh and crunchy vegetable accessories. Competition for seats in the small restaurant is fierce, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, but Gongfu also delivers. Great for a snack or, if you’re interested in ordering a few dishes, a full dinner meal.

Source: Elgin Street Diner Facebook Page

It would be tough to design a more weed-smoker-friendly restaurant than Elgin Street Diner: It’s open 24 hours, so any time the munchies hit you can get a meal, it’s decked out with a playful 1950s diner decor, and they give you way more food than you need. They are most famous, locally, for their poutine — a greasy, delicious pile of shoestring french fries, cheese curds, and gravy, with the addition of a range of meats if you so choose. Also: delicious, creamy, thick milkshakes. It practically demands for you to smoke up before eating there, if only to make enough room in your stomach for all that food. Price: