Spark Beer & Pizza in Ottawa

I love this place so good and I give 100 of 100

Spark Brewing has delicious salad and pizza! We especially loved watching mid 80 s music videos (A-ha) on their mid 80 s Commodore (1701) monitor.

the puzza, the beer and the service is great

UPDATE, OCTOBER 2024: Spark has totally shifted their food identity, so the below review no longer applies. Great beer, good pizza. Youre not going to have your mind blown like you might at City Goose, but Spark knows who they are and do what they do well. Leaving the woeful tale of wet hot dogs below so you can see how far theyve come. -- Alright, lets get the good out of the way first: their beer is incredible and their service was friendly. Really great, inventive beer made locally. Cocktail menu and the flights of beer are nice touches, too. So why three stars? Well, we ordered food. Spark has a pretty sparse food menu, which is fine for a brewery. One of their options is hot dogs - veggie or sausage, with sauerkraut and mustard. We ordered three dogs, two as veggies. Half an hour later, the staff brought us three lukewarm veggie dogs. The buns were wet (from the sauerkraut?) and damn near Wonderbread. The hot dogs dont get grilled; they could have been microwaved, maybe boiled. The dogs are served with some chips and a small wedge of pickle. Dear reader, I will be clear about this: no matter who you are, you do not want to pay $36 for three wet hot dogs and some chips. Come in, order a beer, look at their nice decor and drink their good beer, and leave. Do not order a tragic hot dog. You have been warned. EDIT: Cant respond directly to the owners, but only some of these problems could have been remedied by noting the issues on-site. You cant un-wait half an hour in a mostly empty bar, and you cant magically make better veggie dogs, buns, and an actual grill appear. We waited too long and were ready to go; thats just how it is sometimes.

Long live the sparking lot.

Amazing beer , staff and pizza. Patio is spacious and dog friendly

The best Pizza and Beer in Ottawa!! Love it! Try their Peach beer and the service is great!

Always great beer and good service here. And the lunch special starting this week is tempting!

Great spot, super friendly people.

Some of the best beers in the city, definitely worth the trip! Garlic fingers with donair sauce are great! Pizzas are really good too.

This is an awesome bar on somerset for drinks and pizza / wings. Lots of space inside, great service, and a very fun aesthetic Great staff too.

I came in on Canada Day with my boyfriend. I m new to beer but Ember was able to recommend me something that I actually enjoyed. She was making us laugh every time she came over and made our experience really fun. Thanks Ember!! We will be back

Drinks and pizza were delicious! But please learn how to cook wings.. they should not be boiled and tossed in a sauce (not worth the money).

Decent enough pizza.

What a gem. My first visit from out of town. They have an impressive beer list. I had their Fete 2023. What a tasty Farmhouse-style Belgian. Well done folks! Great patio space. My server was just fabulous. She sent me home with one of their previous Belgians since she knew I was a fan - super cool folks!

Great place, delicious beer.

Good beer but very pricey. Menu offers happy hour but they refused to honour it since they were not able to print their new paper menu. We werent sure if it was just counter service or table service. Was a bit disappointed

Just delicious!! Drinks were fresh and the pizza was one of the tastiest Ive had in Ottawa. A nice ambience and great staff!!

Pizza and beer were amazing, service was phenomenal!

Great beer, pizza and service. Id definitely go back.

My new favourite spot in town. The pizza is delicious and make sure to get the donair sauce! The beers are super tasty and theres a huge variety. And the atmosphere is really cool.

Decent beer, absolutely disgusting bathroom.

Very good beers, I highly recommend it! Its worth the detour.

Although the service was commendable, I found the beer and pizza lacking in flavor. Despite sampling three different varieties of pizza, only the jalapeno one stood out as tasty. The most concerning aspect of the experience was the malfunctioning entrance doors, which intermittently remained open due to being broken. Consequently, we were compelled to rise and close them ourselves, as the cold weather became quite bothersome.

Fav local beer spot by far. Go for the atmosphere.

Fantastic beer, great pizza, super service and a cozy, chill vibe.

Had an amazing experience stopping in from across the street as I work at the local dispensary, felt immediately welcome and was advised to call ahead of time for slices if im not interested in ordering a whole pie, Id like to thank all the staff at Spark Beer for creating such a welcoming, and warm environment for all your patrons. Definitely a great date-night spot or great if youre just looking for a bite!!

Great beers and delicious food!

Great experience at Spark! Amazing beer and great atmosphere. The owner, John, was very friendly and I really enjoyed our chat. Highly recommend.

Very good quality and selection of beers. I particularly liked the hazy IPA. Always nice to be able to sample a flight. Friendly and efficient service.

Im one of those reviewers that only reviews places that I really like - and this is one of them. Excellent friendly bartenders. Their beers are legitimately great. Prices on the high end though for beer, but that makes sense given their scale (they dont distribute and they brew on site, likely in relatively small batches). Also, I was also lucky enough to meet the owner who, like myself, has a background in technology. Pretty awesome.

solid spot

Amazing beer, and the pizza was great! Got the tomato pie and a flight. The stout wasnt my thing but the Italian pilsner is , and the pizza was perfectly thin and cooked to a good crisp.

First stop on the Brew Donkey tour, and what a way to start. This place opened in January 2020 in Chinatown and I tried some very unique and tasty beers. I will definitely be back to pick up some bottles, and will be checking in to see what is new and interesting on tap

I visited Spark Beer as it came recommended by a friend. As someone who loves sour beers, you cant go wrong. I enjoyed a flight of four and really enjoyed the Manhire the most. I also ordered the Number One Pizza in Heaven and was not let down.

The beer is absolutely delicious, service is great and the pizza and new salad are fantastic. They have really great events too!

Cozy lil beer place. The English milds and the sour beers were my fav. Will defo visit again

Nice atmosphere and selection of beers.

I like the beer here

We ll be back for garlic fingers with *authentic* perfect donair sauce soon. The beer is wonderful too, we tried a flight. Cozy atmosphere for date night! Thank you Spark

Really fun experience. Decor gives off a really cool vibe. Great selection of beer and lots of variety with the pizza (all of which was super tasty!). Friendly staff too, was very good at accommodating our large group (9 guests).

Amazing beer, pizza and people! 5 stars all around!

Great atmosphere! Great staff! Great beer! Great food! Definitely recommend

spark is the best! great beer, great service, excellent friendly neighborhood vibe. the patio around back is very chill. dont not go here!

Amazing beer and Im really picky!

Amazing staff and very pleasant environment! I would list all the praises, but I think ill go over the word count.

Amazing beer, wished I hadn t eaten dinner elsewhere because the pizza sounds terrific.

Super pizza and great beer - what more do you need?!

This place was a huge surprise. Buried in Ottawas Chinatown, looking from the street I expected a dingy, run down pizza joint. But what a surprise. Great vibe, on premise craft beer and a cool menu, although I didnt have time to grab a snack. I will definitely go back to this place. Good job to the owners and staff.

Brought our own food, as per the website advice, but were told once we got there that no outside food was allowed. Even the door states that pizza is available Fri and Sat nights. Waste of a trip.

Service and beer was great. beer made on site, good variety high quality. I had a raspberry sour & a hazey IPA Theyve added Pizza to their menu. I had the Good Good Things, & it was

Just tried their beer for the first time today and it rocked my world. Most unique beer I ve had in some time. Funky.

My cool friend Lynsey B suggested a group ride and eats. Had excellent service and the food and drinks were delish!! We shared and sampled each others pizzas and they were all great Will be back with a few more friends Thanks for having us!!

great beer and pizza, love it!

Pizza here is honestly among the best I ve ever had in Ottawa. High quality ingredients. Their beer is awesome as well. Staff are super nice people

Movin to the country is delicious

Been here a couple of times, great pizza and wonderful staff. Strong branding, good puns, and kind policy. A rare place where you can buy local art off the wall if you like it. I wish there were a couple more playful non-alcoholic beverages but overall I consider it a great spot in the neighborhood!

I wouldn t come here for the pizza, I don t know if it was an off day but it was definitely burnt. Both my friend s pizza and mine was fairly burnt in the bottom and the prices are on par with places that specializes in pizzas. That being said, the beer is always good here and they have an awesome selection. I ve come here for cocktails and beer a bunch of times and the selection is always great. Overall, I d recommend Spark beer for the drinks rather than the food.

I had the best time at Spark Beer. Fabulous beer and great atmosphere!

Awesome logo brew pub .... even better yet its right by our office - Love our beer neighbours. Visit when they open back up on Monday.. Cheers

Really cozy place with great service and a solid beer line-up

Exceptionally good beers and unique too.

Quiet and relaxing place and friendly service great beer as well, Cheers!

What a wonderful addition to Chinatown! This place has a great atmosphere and delicious beer. Coming in for flight makes for a great date. The complimentary popcorn is a nice touch.

Great local spot, friendly staff, affordable local beers with wide range of flavours! Free popcorn is a nice touch. We stop in for a round on weekends, and get beer to go for the house. I love the laid back music, the plants, and the vintage decor.

Great beer. We got a flight to try a few. Staff was super friendly & the bar is cute!

Great beer, friendly service

Fantastic addition to the area. Great beer, great people, great vibe. If you havent been you are missing out.

Great place and amazing staff. A variety of beers that do not disappoint. Our server Ben was a delight and made our time there an unforgettable experience! A must place to visit!

Fantastic staff, great beer, and just a comfortable place to be.

Excellent beers and nice cozy setting.

Very tasty selection of beers.

Great beer, amazing staff! Also, they have a turntable and a very good 80s rock and pop vinyl collection... how cool is that?

We only had 1 taster when we stopped by, but picked up a bunch of the bottles to go. Really good beer. It would be more convenient if they opened earlier.

Delicious beer, great service. The Wednesday drag show was awesome. Highly recommended.

Such a friendly and inviting atmosphere along with some great beer! Great selection of IPA, sour beer, and pale ale. Definitely a must stop while in Ottawa.

Very good selection of beers here, at the SPARK micro-brewery!

Sooo good. Nice beer garden too!

Summer favourite beer - one stunning gorgeous cartwheel. Best Friday company zoom social beer - Black as Midnight on a Moonless Night in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada

The beer is excellent and the setting perfect. Go to the patio from the back not through the restaurant. It s dog friendly too!

Spark is about as well balanced a brewery as you can find in Ottawa. They love brewing based on seasons, they have 10-15 beers on tap at anytime and they have an cellar program thats fun too. What I appreciate about Spark the most as a consumer, is I can go on the patio, enjoy a flight, my kid can order a kid friendly drink and we can bring take out food from a restaurant in Chinatown. Everyone wins. If there was one thing Spark could improve on it would be collaborating with businesses on Somerset to make unique flavours of beer, but Spark is a young Brewery and Im sure they have many great ideas still to be birthed.

Delicious radlers! Not only do they offer free popcorn, I appreciate how people can grab take out from neighbouring businesses and enjoy it on the patio with their beers. The gender-neutral bathrooms located downstairs were nicely decorated and spotless!

Loved it! Excellent beer.....tremendous service. Just awesome.....

I like to try and support local breweries, but this place left a sour taste in my mouth. I recently attended their Sparktoberfest event and found the $15 ticket or cover charge had very little to show for it. There was free popcorn and what amounted to a karaoke performance and that was it. I seriously regret not just going somewhere else. The 14oz pints come to over $11 when you factor in tax and tip. I understand costs are up for breweries everywhere, but this just feels exorbitant. The beer is above average, but that price point borders on prohibitive especially after feeling particularly ripped off by the aforementioned cover charge. My group ended up leaving for Pubwells over on Preston who were also having an Oktoberfest event featuring $11 32oz steins of German beer, and no cover charge. Disappointed because Ive followed Spark on social media for quite some time and was looking forward to finally seeing what it was all about it person.

Best craft brewery in town! Octobrtfest beer was fantastic! Really great staff, welcoming environment.

Great sours!

Love beer? Of course you do if you re reading this. Hands down some of the best pours in Ottawa. Incredible and consistent quality. Plus the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable.

Great little spot in Chinatown! Pumping out a ton of quality beers from a small production system in the back. Super stoked to come across this brewery while in town

The staff here are so friendly! We managed to get a spot in their patio space, and the beer was excellent. Will definitely go back for the good vibes and great beer!

Awesome beers, and quite the vibe going at the tap room.

A touch quiet when we stopped in but we were just escaping the rain. I did a beer flight which ended up being 3 nice beers and one that was so so. The IPAs are delicious.

Warm atmosphere and welcoming servers. The beer was excellent!

Excellent selection of craft beers brewed in the back.

Yum!

Didnt get it in my flight since Ive had it in cans before but the Nanaimo bar stout is a must-try. The even downtown apricot sour was my favorite out of the four. It would be nice if patio tables and chairs were sanitized between guests.. especially during covid. Other than that, the brewery has a chill atmosphere and Ill be back to enjoy new beers that come up.

Loving the back patio

Great local brewery! Go support Andrea and John!

Cute spot near Chinatown. The IPA was awesome and sour beers were top class. Would definitely visit again.

The sour beer is a must try. Great selection of IPA !!

Great beers. Great staff.

Great beer and friendly staff. Follow them on Instagram @spark.beer

Great beer, friendly people, plus you can get takeout at any of the restaurants nearby and eat on the spark beer patio.

Good beer. Really enjoyed it. Place is easy to miss when going there for the first time.

Fantastic beer and great snacks! Super chill place to catch up and have a few drinks. Nice bathrooms as well which is always a positive.

Update: Went back and picked up a tasty IPA (Ominous Whooshing). Looking forward to trying others.

Chocolate beer...sick!! Made 10-20 Microbrewery. Amazing service from Kelly Couple from Gatineau

Great selection and service in a very nice, chilled out environment.

Great beer, great atmosphere, clean bathrooms.

The owners and staff are just the warmest and most welcoming people, the atmosphere is great, and it doesnt hurt that the beer is by a mile the best around! The Manhire Weisse with raspberry syrup is cant-miss!

Delicious beers! Havent had a chance to visit the brewery yet but have tried many beers on many occasions and have never been let down!

This is my local and its amazing. The beer they produced this past year is top notch across a wide variety of styles. The service is always great, amazingly friendly folks who make you feel at home. The space is modern and cool and looks and feels great. Ive had the chance to talk to their brewers about their products and they have an incredible enthusiasm for their craft that translates into great products Ive enjoyed over and over. Top marks, love it every time and so glad they joined our Somerset St family!

Gorgeous spot, great service and delicious beers!

Visited recently, and had a great time. The beers are great, loved the berliner weisse. The staff are really friendly and helpful, got a great tour from the owner John. Highly recommended.

A great atmosphere for a unique craft beer experience in the heart of Ott-City. I personally love the Activities! IPA, a terrific take on the style with nods to both coasts. Multiple taps of in-house craft beer, bottles to go, snacks, friendly staff...all in a relaxing setting. Im already looking forward to my next Spark visit to sample more delicious, locally crafted beer.

Hidden gem! Bright and sparkling decor; friendly service. Superb beer..it s all about the beer

A beautiful spot right in the heart of downtown Ottawa. Amazing beers, and top notch service. The owners are cool, too!

Great spot, people and beer.

We went here when we heard a new brewery was opening in Centretown. Firstly, the space is gorgeous. Secondly the beer is awesome. They had other options for non-beer drinks and non-booze drinkers too. We had a perfect night and will be back!

Great beer! Great service!

Really nice space, friendly people and, most importantly, great beer. Can t wait to try more as they continue to ramp up their production.

Beer is great, service is excellent. Has more of a vibe than most brewpubs....

Great low key atmosphere with fantastic beer on tap.

We went last night and really enjoyed. The decor/vibe is a bit more upscale than then other nearby breweries, which is great for a date (though a bit noisy). Beer was very tasty. There are about 6 beers on tap, with more to come apparently. Slightly on the pricier side (basically $9 for a 400ml glass after tax), so not necessarily the type of place for a big night out with buddies. However, definitely will return soon.

Great place to stop in for a fresh beer. Service was amazing and friendly.

Super little craft brewery tucked away in China Town. Cool atmosphere with a chic upscale decor makes this a great place to bring a date, or have a drink after work. Staff are knowledgeable and friendly and are more than happy to talk about the cute for the brewery. Definitely worth checking out!

Love the atmosphere! Fantastic beer. Definitely a place you should check out.

Fantastic beers and a great atmosphere!

Really cool chill vibe and excellent beer!

Clean, bright with friendly staff. Try the sour, its delicious!

Love this new neighbourhood brewery. So glad they opened up near me. Their stout and the IPA are my favourites and cant wait to try the new beers that come up. Great ambiance, clean, and comfortable. Awesome team who works there. Marcus is awesome!

Great beer and atmosphere!

Great beer and location!

Might be the best brewery in town! The beers amazing - try the Berliner Weisse, its incredible. I tried the entire beer menu there and they were all great. John (the owner) was super welcoming and Robin and the rest of the serving staff were friendly and knowledgeable. The location and vibe immediately make this one of the best places to visit in Ottawa.

Clean layout, great beer, nice folks. Worth a walk!

Amazing beer and great staff! Highly recommended.

Love the new space. Its warm and inviting. Cant wait to sample the full menu :) I already have a favorite if you havent guessed. Way to go Spark Team.

Great addition to the neighborhood. Really good Berliner Weisse, some nice IPAs, and more! No full kitchen as on Jan 2020, but look forward to when it comes

Spark just had its soft opening, so things may progress as they continue to grow. But in the meantime, Spark has a beautiful space and friendly staff who are frankly let down by boring beers. Their stout is pretty bland and the sour is weak at best. Im really hoping they get more inventive in time because the space and staff deserve better.

Great little place in Chinatown. No kitchen, just beer and well done at that.

So grateful this place opened near my apartment! Amazing beers and a great atmosphere!

Beautiful place with excellent beer

Fantastic beer!

Great addition to the neighborhood. Tasty beer and friendly staff.

Great beer. good service.

Really cool atmosphere with great tunes and an even greater selection of brews.

Great selection of beers for a variety of tastes. Attentive and friendly staff and a very relaxed, unassuming atmosphere. Three thumbs up!

Great addition to Ottawa. Saison is yummy.

Beers good!

I tried the stout and the Ovington Electric APA and both lit up my insides. Also a big fan of the interior design. Solid experience.

The beer is fantastic. I cant stress this enough. We liked every one we tried. The problem is the taproom acoustics are beyond horrible. Its just painted concrete with absolutely nothing on the walls. Every surface reflects sound, meaning every person has to speak louder, meaning more sound gets reflected, meaning people have to talk louder, etc etc. To top it all off, they had music playing which just added to the noise. It was terrible. We wanted to stay and try more beer, but we opted to pay up and go to another brewers taproom where we could actually hear each-other without screaming.

Wanted to try this place out and wasn t disappointed. Service was friendly, citra sour was delicious, and a lot of us enjoyed the music playlist.

Cool little hang out that has nice beers. Beers were good but a little off to my preference. Service was courteous. Would come again and try new pints.

Loved it! Although I dont frequent the area as often as I like, it was a lovely time spent chatting with friends. Volume of other guests can get higher but that is par for the course in a pub environment. Loved the stout - best Ive had since travelling through Germany.

THE best beer in town, hands down. Easily the greatest bar in the neighborhood!

Had an issue with flat bottles that they handled really well. It was much appreciated. Will definitely give them another shot next time I m in the area.

Delicious! A welcome addition to Chinatown. Friendly staff, cute location and most importantly delicious beer.

I like this place. It has a minimalist aesthetic. Nothing fancy adorning the walls. Understated tables and chairs. What they do have however is extremely high quality beer. We have tried four of their offerings and have enjoyed them all. Their Saison is particularly tasty. Servers have been very personable. And I do like the old school chips & dip. I think this place does it right.

Picked up the stout and the how far? IPA last night. Enjoyed both very much. Pricey at 5.50 + tax compared to other local breweries.

In my opinion they make the best beers of any brewery Ive tried in Ottawa. The sours especially are good. I also tried the Hazy IPA recently and its reminiscent of some of the Alchemist New England style IPAs I usually have to travel to Vermont to get. Really impressed with this brewery, bonus points for being on my doorstep!

I ve loved every single beer that I tried so far, and my dog loved their sparky dog treats! Friendly owners and convenient location in China Town.

In these covid times its nice to see parking lot patios come out. There may not be a great view from there but at least it is outside. Went for a couple drinks to try their brews and enjoyed them. The prices are in the high end of the drink spectrum but ok for micro brew.

Staff and beer are awesome! Great patio out back.

Great spot, friendly staff. Double IPA was great. Let me know when I can buy a keg :)

The beer here is amazing! Every type myself and my partner have tried have been so delicious. How far pale ale is definitely one of the best in Ottawa. Also a big fan of their sours, not too sour that it almost hurts your teeth but still gives you the sour taste with great flavour(s). Patio out back is cute, owners and employees are very friendly and knowledgeable! Highly recommend if you re into craft beer!

Great food (beer pairing lunch), great beer (very true to style), knowledgeable staff. Overall excellent experience

Great beers; great people

Spark is awesome! The beer is good and the staff are wonderful. Also, they allow dogs and roll out the red carpet for them. Highly recommend for a nice spot for a beer with your furry buddy.

John and Kaley from Sparks, along with Jacob from Farmgate, presented an amazing virtual beer and cider tasting event on Friday for my company. They put together an assortment of beers and ciders and walked us through an entertaining hour tasting, learning about the production, and asking questions. They packaged the beer and cider in bags and dropped them at our offices the week before so everyone could stop in during the week to pick one up. They surprised us by adding a nice little cards where we could make notes on the flavor, color, etc., during the presentation. Since our office cant get together in person this year this was an amazing alternative! Sparks and Farmgate exceeded our expectations! Thank you John, Kaley, and Jacob!!