Contemporary Italian fixture with a warm vibe & a patio, doling out pasta dishes, cocktails & wine.
Genie
Finally got to try out this cute, little restaurant after trying to get a reservation for so long. Their online reservations only book out about 2 weeks in advance. Since the place is small and popular, they book up really fast. I love that they have vegan options detailed on the menu. I tried the vegan dippers which came with 4 pieces of garlic bread with sides of pesto, tomato sauce, and garlic oil + balsamic. The garlic bread was so good that I ordered 2 more. It was delicious, but it was a bit too oily. I had the vegan Truffle Aglio e Olio which was delicious! Just a FYI, all their pastas are cooked al dente (slightly under done). You can let them know if you would like your pasta well done and they will be happy to do so. Looking forward to the next time I could make it.
… moreDalia Anzawi
Easily my favorite spot for a cozy, indulgent pasta dish. I’ve tried the pesto fettuccine, truffle Alfredo fettuccine, spicy rosé pasta, cheesy garlic bread, and tiramisu—and everything tasted heavenly. The pasta is perfectly al dente and feels very authentic; I think they make it fresh in-house. Portions are generous and very satisfying. Our waitress was very friendly and accommodating. The truffle alfredo wasn’t on the menu but they still made it for me, and replaced the prosciutto with chicken.
One area that could use improvement is washroom cleanliness, which feels a bit neglected. Parking can also be challenging since they don’t have their own parking space. In summer, they have an outdoor patio seating area.
Worth noting: good luck finding a table. This place is packed on weekends and still quite busy on weekdays. Most of the time you’ll be waitlisted, and often the best option is seating at the bar.
… moreida the asteroid
You can tell a lot of thought goes into the food here. as for the experience itself, the place is lovely. however I felt a bit cramped between other tables. the service was relatively quick but the waitresses weren’t overly friendly. I guess it’s part of the authentic Italian experience though
1. rosy pasta with chicken – this dish was good but nothing special. rigatoni was perfectly cooked and coated with silky sauce. could use a little extra salt
2. squid ink pasta with shrimp – my favourite. lemony and buttery (BROWN butter, yum). I suggest requesting Parmesan, it ties it all together
3. The crème brûlée : considering the other dishes were smaller than what I’m used to, I wasn’t expecting such a large portion. it was so incredibly rich, I could taste every speck of vanilla in the custard. the sugar crust wasn’t over burned, just perfect
… moreYumi Lee
Wowww. I love this place so much. The pasta is delicious and so high quality and all the sides are complex and elevated (special shout out to the Cesar salad and Brussels sprouts).
All the cocktails are top tier, and so are the bartenders. We had a great time sitting at
the bar chatting with Ellen, while she whipped up some of the most delicious cocktails from dreamlands newest winter drink menu.
The crème brûlée and tiramisu are both perfect ways to end your meal. Absolutely stellar.
Overall, the vibes are super classy with a cool it-girl twist. It’s the perfect spot for a date, classy drink, dinner or special occasion.
Check out Dreamland immediately 🙂
… moreDenis C
We had been waiting a long time to finally try this place, but the service left us disappointed. After being seated, it took nearly 30 minutes just to get drinks. We quickly learned we needed to order appetizers and mains at once because the service was so slow. The food itself was tasty, the gnocchi was especially good, and the portions were fair. However, when we wanted to order more around 9:30 on a Friday night, we were told the kitchen was already closed, which was surprising. Overall, while the food was enjoyable, the slow service and early kitchen closing took away from the experience.
… moreJas Y
We came for lunch, and I really enjoyed the food, everything was delicious. The brussel sprouts were the most memorable! The ravioli tables were adorable. Can’t wait to come again and try their dinner menu!
… moreSkillsFX
I consider myself a picky eater, a lot of the time I go to different restaurants there will always be one item I don’t like as much. Everything I got here was 10/10, and I say that truthfully.
They have an item called dill potatoes, I kid you not, it is EASILY top 10 food items I’ve ever tried. And I’ve been around the world, Italy, France, Belgium etc, I tried hundreds of items in my life and this dill pickle potatoes were truly amazing! I really was ready to order 2 additional plates just of that dill potatoes.
The truffle Mac & cheese was an absolute 10/10! Truly which i could have got another plate of this also it was amazing!
The food was quality, the energy was vibrant there was people in every table, and I will most definitely come back here, it is easily one of my favourite restaurants now in Ottawa. Everything was a 10/10!!!! I couldn’t recommend you this place enough. I left that restaurant knowing I will make a review about how good that food was, and I rarely do these reviews.
… morePearly Pouponneau
We had the loveliest dinner at Dreamland Cafe! They had just refreshed their menu so we were excited to try it! My daughter tried the ‘Rosey & Spicy”, I had the Lobster Spaghetti with a side of garlic bread and my cousin had the Mac & Cheese Pasta (and added bacon). Everything was so fresh, beautifully presented and creamy! The portions of shrimp & lobster were generous and cooked perfectly. The food was beautiful, the service was great and the atmosphere was great. Can’t wait to be back!
… moreSin Jan
The cheesy dippers were really good and I loved my pasta! Food was great and service was great too. Can’t wait to return!
… moreSamine Sb
The food was just okay, i have definitely had much better pasta and tiramisu elsewhere! Didn’t get what all the hype was about!
Definitely an overrated place and expensive for the portions!
I will definitely not go back!
… more