Dunn's Famous in Ottawa

Our Server Shawn is an Incredible Gentleman. And Chef Francine put together the most Fabulous Hot and Tasty plates! This duo deserve a Raise!

The best diner in downtown Ottawa!

I found service good but very disappointed in the $20 smoked burger..it was small, dry and cheese was hard like it had been sitting out. Fries ok but not great

Perfect food

Quick lunch during a trip from Calgary. Enjoyed Dunns excellent smoked meat sandwich on rye with hot mustard. Thank you to Sean for taking care of us, and being accommodating with my special requests. Cheers! I will be back, we need Dunns in Calgary!

Great and fast service! After a long day of work an amazing place to get takeout! Jumbo smoked meat combo never disappoints! Again: Always amazing food. Went there for a late dinner with friends Doug was amazing! Friendly and extremely fast to get everything done. (P.s need a late night drink menu) but overall amazing experience ass always.

Great customer service, amazing fries

Best reuben Ive had in ages

Needs to be 24/7 again.

Food was great but not 24/7 like advertised

The smoked meat sandwich was okay but he far too many chips (1/2 the plate!) and the milkshake was very small compared to the equivalent at the nearby Elgin Street Diner.

Nice place, great food, lovely staff... the area is very dangerous however.

Smoke meat was delicious! The only reason I give it four stars is because the fries were nothing to write home about thanks. I wanted to get 4 1/2 stars but it doesn t look like I can do that

A sticky table, sticky floor, smelly washroom, a hair in your dish all those are waiting for you here.

Kid-friendliness: No Kids menu Food

Good service. Great people. Atmosphere might be rated low only on the fact that you got to put up with the atmosphere on the outside but on the inside. Beautiful! Thanks guys. Great service

Great food great service.

Always love Dunns. Always too much food :-)

Cheap business , beware I ve seen the chef lick his fingers multiple times and touch food that is being cooked for you. Don t work for them either I hear they promise you a set amount of hours then a week later give you much less. This is a poor poor and DIRTY business. I would never recommend people who work like this EVER!!!!!!!

It was excellent, fresh and of good quality. The portions were perfect for good eaters. The service was excellent and courteous.

Charming zinc place, excellent food! Cortez service!

No trip to Ottawa is complete without a smoked meat sandwich from Dunns! I ordered the Jumbo with a beer and fries and my wife had the King without fries (as there is more than enough fries for us to share with 1 order). Our server was awesome and engaging and we enjoyed the experience..... except for the route March to stinky bathrooms!

Very very dirty. Many flies! On the other hand, the waiter was excellent Food : 2/5

very good place to eat smookmeet!! Great service, fast and courteous!!

I tasted like real smoked meat but to my great surprise I received meat pre-sliced in the machine to reheat, it was far from the mark, but the servers service was perfect.

I have to say that it is extremely hard to master a good coleslaw and Dunns achieved it. Thank you for a great experience Dunns!

Wonderful, hardworking folks trying to make it work while everything around them in that area has changed for the worse. Great food, great service!

Want to give this place a 3.5 Service was good, they stacked a good amount of meat on the sandwich but the quality of the meat wasn t as good as a Schwartz smoked meat sandwich and just a bit too expensive Recommended dishes

New Male server was awesome, will be back !!!

Ordered the classic smoked meat sandwich with fries. Im a fan of Dunns in general and their smoked meat in Montreal is fantastic. This is...not that. The meat is not very tender, with the fries tasting stale. Cooked but stale. Hard to describe but overall not very enjoyable. The staff was excellent, with the server apologizing and offering a discount. Hard to recommend but if youre in a pinch this place will do.

Second time being at Dunns and i gotta say the food is A1 every time. Vince the server was very fast and welcoming. He was attentive even with it being busy with a few other tables.

Had a family dinner! Food was amazing we loved the smoked meat sandwich our server Vince was fast and friendly! Great spot

Pretty good.

Love this place. First time there, one waiter take care of like eight tables on his own and super organized. Portions are good pricing is fair and great sound track playing. Were there for breakfast and would go back forsure.

Had the smoked meat it was unreal fries were really good too . I would recommend this place to anybody visiting Ottawa . Vegetarian options: Have a few

When I was driving Motorcoach Tours and if I was in Ottawa I always recommended Dunn s Famous Restaurant on Dalhousie St for lunch or dinner. The staff always treated everybody exceptionally well and the food was always fantastic. If you re hungry in Ottawa Dunn s is a great stop.

Smoked Meat was awesome! Service was great, one of the few places open before 10:00 am in the market, I appreciate that.

Food was amazing

My go-to spot for breakfast in the market. Great prices and good portions. Service is always friendly. I recommend the Eggs Benny Sausage

Three cheese poutine is definitely where it s at!

Thanks to the kitchen staff and our server Sean who ensured our quick lunch service.

Shawn, the server was on his game. My coworker and I are always commenting on how good he is. Thanks Shawn for making our visit pleasant everytime.

Food was great service is good not to attentive

My wife and I went for date night, service was awesome, loved the food, we will definitely be back for our date nights!!

Not only did they refuse to serve me drinks unless I bought a full dinner they have refused to let my child eat from kids menu and she is 9. The place has fallen hard not like the old dunns at previous location. Avoid

Its so cold, they dont heat up to -9C outside, that the cooks wear tuques. We have to eat with our coat!!!!

Another chain quality

Nothing beats the juicy taste of hand carved traditional smoked meat!!! I m a Montrealer by birth and smoked meat there is a staple! Slow smoked and seasoned to perfection you can enjoy a sandwich in store or buy the whole brisket for your personal party. The staff is pleasant and the establishment clean. Parking may be a challenge during peek hours. I find that unlike in Montreal, bread here comes with caraway seeds, just ask for seedless, they may have some. Dunn s is the only place I ve found in Ottawa that does smoked meat right! They do have many other things on the menu, but their meat can t be beat! Dietary restrictions: I m sadly allergic to the bread as it has caraway seeds. Not something found in Montreal which is the smoked meat capital of the world! I m also allergic to dill so no pickles, or coleslaw for me. They gave me extra meat to compensate.

Service is great food does, not stand up to the original duns. I would think this location, follows the original recipes guess not. Prices are fair lots of specials. Food : 2/5

Every time were in Ottawa.

Decent smoked meat sandwich

Unwarm welcome, tables dirty I was sat on a table that seems to have been used just a few minutes before I walked in(food chunks, spilled juice or coffee...) men washrooms not cleaned and no water to flush hence strong smell of urine. Servers not too friendly. I was served without cutlery, had to borrow from another table next to mine. When I asked for mayonnaise, was given a closed bottle. Had to unwrap it myself. For the price, not good service. The food tasted good though. Especially the home fries that were cooked to perfection! Same with the omelet. Kudos to the cook! Service I give 4/10 food I give 8/10 Parking: Lots of street paid parking

Always met with great service and food. A little pricey for breakfast but definitely worth it as the meal was outstanding.

Good service and steak and home fries, but the croque madame was not good, flour in the bechamel was uncooked.

20 dollars for a 2 egg and coffee. Absolute rip off. Below average quality when compared to Cora.

Breakfast was ok coffe not good for price

We went for lunch with family. My son had the spicy sausage benedict and the bun was a hamburger bun and the Hollandaise sauce was a can. My partners basic lunch was good and my omelette was normal. The service was so so since I had to get up to ask for more coffee. Plus, there was no peanut butter. Disappointing in the end. Never lunch at Dunns again.

There are much better places to eat. They need to change their 24 hours sign to Open 13 to 15 Hours Try ZAKS, or any of the 100+ restaurants in the area.

Went for lunch- not bad at all -

Great Tasting Food! Service was perfect. When in town Dunns is the place.

Dietary restrictions: Gluten free modifications available. Food

Awesome breakfast. I highly recommend. Great service and seating

Excellent place!

Fast, friendly service and great food.

Best smoked meat sandwich anywhere

the food was disgusting. i had ordered the chicken fingers and fries. i could NOT even eat it. the chicken has been ripped in half and cooked like that. the chicken also tasted like cardboard. the fries were either under cooked or very burnt tasting. something that isn t about the food is the bathroom was disgusting. not cleaned whatsoever. the mens bathroom sink moved when you put pressure (your hands/elbows) there was also no locks on the bathroom doors so you literally had to lean against the door to lock it. the women s was disgusting. it looked like someone hadn t clean it in months. the floor was sticky and the sink was a brown color and when i wiped the countertop, my finger was a grey/brown. i do not recommend.

Very enjoyable great food

Not only are they completely overpriced, but I have been turned away twice now from Dunns and will never be returning again. The first incident I was turned away late one evening after the security guard asked my friends and I if we were in a sorority. Unsure why that was relevant we replied yes and he informed us that they were not serving sorority or fraternity members. So I made a mental note to lie and say I wasnt in one should I be asked again. I tried to go again a few weeks ago after a night out with friends and we were again turned away because we were wearing matching shirts for the event we had attended that night. We werent drunk and they werent busy. Maybe 5 or 6 tables. If youre not going to let people in to eat in THE BAR DISTRICT of Ottawa, whats the point of being opened 24 hours? I asked the security guard (who felt really bad for having to turn us away) to tell the manager he/she had lost 8 customers for life after going there for the last three years and well be encouraging others to never step foot into their establishment again as well. There are plenty more options for late night munchies in Byward (Like Zacs or that fried chicken place on Clarence). Edit: I made this review in 2016. It is now 2023 and I still have not gone back.

After going to Dunns in Montreal, I cam out a bit disappointed as the smoked meat sandwiches here are smaller than expected, and the food appeared less fresh. Perhaps it was only on that day? or is it that the standards are lower in that location?

food was great and affordable priced.

Wonderful atmosphere, great servers and wonderful food. Very well maintained restaurant. Clean and has a great area for seating. They are swift and caring about our needs. Its affordable even.

Ive been to Dunns a few times now and Ive never really been overly impressed. Potatoes were barely cooked and were Luke warm at best. On a positive note, the hollandaise sauce was delicious! Bagel wasnt toasted and was fairly heavy and doughy (still good but would have been better if it was toasted). Service has been bare bones both times Ive been here. Seems lucky if you get your courtesy check and a refill of your drink. I think Ill skip the restaurants for breakfast next time Im in the area and just go to the market!

Amazing shaved smoked Montreal meat! Great service, and great location! Would go back in a heartbeat

They have picanha They deserve the SKY full of stars Recommended dishes

Not as good as the Montreal location.

Good option for earlier birds! 24 hours service, same prices anytime. Food

My first trip to Ottawa, and I stopped in at Dunns for dinner. The food was marvelous, and the staff were very welcoming.

Good prices and decent food for a quick breakfast.

Not bad! Personally I wasn t the biggest fan of the huge smoked meat sandwich but the rest of my family enjoyed it! I really liked the fries and I think the amount of food you get for the price was worth it. I believe we paid $18 or $19 for it.

If you want a good smoked meat sandwich, this isn t the place. It s not authentic at all and you re better off driving 2 hours to Montreal. We got the shared platter and it looked like store bought, boiled/microwaved quality.

Was a beautiful place to chill

Jay was an amazing server and was very helpful with an order we accidentally messed up. Would recommend.

I liked the experience. I recommend

Smoked meat sandwich with fries was excellent however the coleslaw was awful. 2 out of three. Not bad.

Our waiter was awesome and the food was delicious. would highly recommend. I had the reuben with sweet potato fries

Always the best when we go there!

Solid 3.7 out if 5. Montreal style smoked meat sandwich was NOT hand-cut like AUTHENTIC Montreal smoked meat. (Trust me, it makes a difference!) Fries were excellent. Service was average. Atmosphere in the summer is excellent, especially if you like being near the action. Great location, adjacent the ByWard market.

Russ and his team consistently serve excellent smoked meat platters. The sandwiches are great with heaping amounts of smoked meat! Excellent flavour! I also enjoy the breakfasts there. Good atmosphere and great service! I will continue going there for my smoked meat sandwiches! Thanks Russ! Parking: There is parking all over nearby.

Had a really good smoked meat!

The best steak and eggs!

We went for a smoke meat. The restaurant was not full. They open the windows around the restaurant so we were sitting inside but had an outside feel. The smoked meat and the sweet potato fries were delicious. Our waitress was not very friendly or attentive. The most we got from her was when we were paying and then she was chatty...sort of too little to late to be friendly when we were leaving.

Classic restaurant with breakfast and lunch that has a variety of dishes, large proportions, rich flavor and quick and very friendly service. I highly recommend it. Good prices too.

An interesting place with very varied food and 24-hour breakfast. All burgers are served with potatoes and vegetables. The waitresses are very attentive.

Not totally sure what Dunns is famous for nowadays. The fries are as excellent as everyone says, but the smoked meat is disappointing. The pulled pork is great though!!

I decided to give this place a try since it s close by to our hotel. Just left Dunn s with a poor experience. Really shocked about the lack of care from the server. I ordered a California Salad. The presentation of the salad looked ok from the top however, the bottom of the salad all the spring mix was gone bad. I let the server know to let the kitchen know, the server walked away without a response. Same serve came back with the bill, no apology or trying to make it right whatsoever. Let alone acknowledgment to my comment. If looking something to eat in Ottawa recommend to look elsewhere, there s so many other options close by.

Good place for dinner Vegetarian options: Yeah Dietary restrictions: Yeah Parking: Many places Kid-friendliness: Yeah Wheelchair accessibility: Yeah

The bathrooms dont smell good and arent very clean, the floor is sticky and I saw it was similar in the kitchens. The circles of light on the ceiling are full of dead insects. The quality of the food leaves something to be desired as does the service. They have lost their good reputation. We asked for vegetables, we were served lousy fries.

Not famous at all,,,,,, avoid, and move on very bad impression,

Very average restaurant, same for the service

Great food at a great price. Large portions and the menu has something for everyone. Kid-friendliness: The kids menu has plenty of options.

Arrived at 8:40pm and was told that they ve already done last seating for the night. We re not open 24 hours anymore . Google Maps says they re open until 10. Went for shawarma next door. Update your hours please.

Excellent smoked meat, excellent poutine, everytime I come its usually worth the price but every now and then, its always worth the price when you come down on half-price poutine on Wednesdays.

As my wife is not a beef eating person we, went for pork sandwich and chicken poutine on a sunny Sunday noon. And both the dishes were decent, fresh and tasty. However, tipping combined with GST making this place a bit pricy. Location is a plus point definitely.

Poor service, poor food. Poor beahviour, poor mindset. Do better, yall poor poor souls.

Typically go to Dunn s every time I visit Ottawa, unfortunately this was my last visit. My partner and I each ordered a sandwich (Reuben and Huge Smoked Meat). As I was eating I found a hair in my coleslaw. I immediately stopped eating and informed my server, who took away my plate. As a pretty loyal Dunn s customer, I was disgusted to find hair in my food but also disappointed by how it was handled. My server briefly acknowledged that this was not an ideal experience but other than that nothing was done to address my concerns.

Food is excellent service poor better service now

Located a 1/2 block from the Byward Market, this is I understand the only Dunns location in Ottawa. They offer a choice of draft, smoked meat sandwiches, other deli items including Matzo ball soup, burgers and steaks. Very similar to the menu offered at their original st. Catherine, Montreal location. Service was good and extremely fast. Recommended.

Ok

Washrooms r disgusting ....waitress new an slow.....fries undercooked an gross ....not the dunns I remember

I had a Smoked Meat Sandwich with a Poutine and every bite was DELICIOUS!!! I went with my family and we all enjoyed our meals.

After going to the original one in Montreal I had figured they would be somewhere in the same ballpark, turns out this Dunns poutine is just regular poutine, no corned beef on top, completely different curds. Getting a bowl of poutine and two small corned beef sandwiches with the most rancid pickle Ive ever had for sixty bucks felt like all kinds of a rip off. Will save the cravings for Montreal and skip this location in the future.

Very good for breakfast. I loved the pumpernickel toast. Everything else was good as well.

Had a breakfast one day, followed by a breakfast with associates the following day Awesome service and quality Food

Bouffe excellente smoke meat top notch. Excellente food smoke meat out off this world Food

Pretty Good smoked meat sandwich. Very fresh rye bread. Friendly service

Went here for breakfast, pretty good diner fare. My special came with 3 eggs. I asked for two over easy and one scrambled (so that my 1-year old can eat) and they did it no problem. Thats nice service.

Super delicious beagles

Friendly staff, loved my tasty corned beef sandwich for lunch and breakfast platter for breakfast, huge portions, good value for the price

Great late morning breakfast, super friendly staff.

Love the salad.

Best club sandwich in town!

Was good but if they had put rye bread it would of been great...bathroom was not nice at all

It was good. Ive had better smoked meat.

Good food at a reasonable price.

The restaurant is not open 24 hours. Otherwise lunch is OK, but the fruits are not very fresh and there arent many of them. The waiter made a mistake on the plate (or order) and the bacon and ham I had ordered were missing, the eggs were not quite cooked as requested and the side bread was brown on the instead of white. When the plate arrived I was hungry and I just started to taste, when I realized the mistakes I made the comment to the waiter who brought me back some bacon and ham saying, is a bonus! On the other hand, the bonus was charged at the end of the meal... I should point out, only 4 tables were occupied... No maple syrup (or corn) or other choice than strawberry jam. Average experience...

Smoked meat without taste, sliced thick and whats more it was cold. Dunns me too!

Food was good, a bit expensive for what it was (43$ for 2 sandwich, one portion of fries and 1 glass of water) Server was nice but our table was sticky all the way to the floor...

Bad service, many orders brought wrong, meat not well grilled...I felt it the day after. Bills also brought wrong. Worst fries we had so far in Canada.

Went in for a late lunch. Food was good and portions were appropriate, but it wasnt hot...just lukewarm. Smoked meat sandwich and smoked meat benny were tasty. Service was very friendly. The booth seating by the railing was very cramped though. Couldnt freely move our feet under the table without them getting caught.

Got a veggie club sandwich... slightly overpriced for what it is.

Ok Smoke meat Sandwich a little Chewy lots of fry s quick service

Standard food quality. Service was a bit lacking.

My experience was not a good one. I was excited to try Dunns for the first time. We booked a table for 8 at 11am plus requested a high chair for a two year old upon arrival. The hostess said sure. We weren t given a high chair. My friends two year old son had to sit on lap/chair. We managed. Second, I got a long blonde hair in my iced tea. I was grossed out but waitress apologized and exchanged it. All of this is minor and easily understandable mistakes but what comes next, made my boyfriend and I sick. I ordered the waffles with fruit. Everything was fine. I added the syrup. Waffles were good. I added the sweet cream for extra sweetness. When I took a bite I nearly vomited after swallowing. Took another bite and realized it tasted extremely moldy and rotten. My boyfriend tried it aswell to give me a second opinion and was beyond disgusted. The waitress apologized and offered a new plate without sweet cream I was extremely hungry so said yes. That was it. I was disappointed as the experience for us as a group all around was not pleasant. I am only going to write this review from my personal experience. I am disappointed in the management. You should be tasting/checking labels/dates etc... I work in the industry and am fully aware of this. I had hoped to atleast get compensated for the meal since I first ATE MOLD then had to wait for a replacement plate. Customer service goes a long way to show you attempted to fix the situation! Final thought, Dunns Dalhousie left a bad taste in my mouth. Will not be returning and do not recommend.

Was good food had soup

The service is good, the food is decent.

Very good lunch

Excellent food very friendly staf

Quick service with good and affordable food.

One of the best diners Ive tried in Ottawa. Theyre open 24 hours. Food and alcoholic drinks available. Clean washrooms. Had the very satisfying and tasty Philly Cheese steak sandwich.

Their is a large sign saying theyre open 24hrs, but theyre not. Misleading.

Horrible place staff are disrespectful do yourself a favor dont eat here

Huge portions, poutine can be shared perfectly. We had a Hot dog Poutine and the smoked meat Benedictines and a dessert and everything was 10/10!

Food came before beverages? Thats a first Filthy washrooms. Remember...good chance the kitchen staff use em too! Cold dank fries. Flat beer. Cold smoked meat sandwiches. Theres more...but....if I keep going itll look like piling on ( unlike the smoked meat ) and Ill lose credibility lol. Roll down the car window and just toss your hard earned cash out. Save the time. Eat somewhere where they care.

The management needs to be fired. What a let down. Lived in Montreal in the 80s. Was the best place to eat. This place is DONE!!!!! BATHROOMS ARE FILTHY!!!!

Very expensive $55 for 2 very ordinary lunch!!!

I ordered the smoked meat sandwich meal with a beer. Smoked meat was very bland, very little mustard and no other toppings. The fries were burnt however they did gave me a new plate of fries. Better go elsewhere for better smoke meat.

Great service and good prices! I stopped by for a quick bite and I was extremely pleased with the service I got. The fresh cut fries are the best! The wings come breaded but the flavor is on point. I recommend this as a good family spot to eat at.

Enjoyed eating here a lot. I will definitely go back again.

You know something... really enjoyed my breakfast.. good stuff thanks muchly.

Great food... quick service!

Good but expensive for simple dishes

First, AMAZING staff especially Chris the busboy. Sadly, I am drawing a blank for the waiter and manager(I am sorry you two, I know you literally just told me too) I accidently left my dentures on my plate and just spent about 20 minutes going through the garbage with Chris. I felt so bad because they were so helpful and trying hard to find them. I offered to put on gloves and look with him, which I did. Chris luckily did find them. I honestly can not thank the whole staff enough. I kept apologizing for wasting their time and Chris just kept saying, it was ok and accidents happen. Definately a Remembrance Day Ill remember. Again, thank you guys. Cheers,

Way way TOO expensive for what little truck stop food you get includes fruit flies.

Consistently solid smoked meat sandwiches, great shakes, amazing onion rings and a great anytime choice.

all day breakfast. what more can you ask for?

ByWard Market staple

Absolutely amazing staff, wonderful experience with excellent food for reasonable prices. I will definitely be returning.

Service was incredible. Handsome older dude, seemingly working on his own on Sunday evening. Busted his butt to serve us mediocre food that was pretty sub par. He has the only highlight of the experience.

Great Reuben and poutine. Almost had to dislocate my jaw to eat the sandwich. It was all delicious