Ahora Mexican Restaurant in Ottawa

The vibe was totally Mexican! The food was tasty but mot my favourite. It was not spicy at all but you can use the salsa/sauce bar which is all free. And I recommend trying the Margarita (with an alcohol free option). It was great! Food : 3/5

Authentic Mexican cuisine for a reasonable price. I highly recommend this place.

Food was great, love Wet burritos and the Mexicolas had me buzzing. staff was solid and reminded me of vendor food at a pow wow. Good Stuff. love that you can customize what kind of of burritos you want. love the rice.

Vegetarian options: Good veggie menu, too Food

Great food, and try the churros!!

Really tasty and authentic. You will enjoy, especially the self-serve salsa bar - mild or hot.

Thank god Ahora exists in Ottawa. The place is great. The food is tasty and fresh and very affordable. The vibe is kind of student funky meets O-towne sophistication. Paintings of Freda on the wall. I love Mexican food and I love Ahora. Kid-friendliness: Any kids would love it.

Super good!!!!

Great food. I will definitely go again.

Wow! Excellent food. Ordered take-away, was fantastic. Cant wait to go back and dine-in. Everything was wonderful, and that red sauce should be bottled and sold direct!

Great Mexican spot, always busy, nothing fancy but doesn t compromise on taste. Plus a salsa bar. How can you go wrong

Good little Mexican restaurant located at the ByWard Market in Ottawa. Affordable prices. I like the decoration and the little salsa buffet. The small criticism: the food was not hot, but lukewarm.

Food wasn t good at all.

Overall nice mexican place. Very busy so factor that in. Food was above average.

The food is amazing, while the prices are very reasonable. There are not too many places as good as this in Ottawa.

Consistently delicious every single time!

The food was yummy and just wait like 5-7 minutes and your food is ready i really liked the quesadillas and tacos

This is a great spot to grab mexican food, good prices and the food is good

Meat was old and stinky on a taco... Eat at your own risk...

I would say the food is Mexican inspired, not really Mexican, I think even Chipotle is more Mexican than what you get here. Rice tastes like those precooked packages. Tortilla chips and tortillas are low quality. Meat is overcooked. Yes, service is ok and restaurant has colors. But food is bad.

I don t understand how can this restaurant have such a high score on google. We went looking for decent food, probably not authentic Mexican but at least some resemblance. However, the food here is not good at all and the restaurant itself doesn t seem very clean. It is also expensive for what you get. Tortillas are very poor quality, not properly warmed, meat and rice and flavourless, some salsas are decent. Service is ok. Wheelchair accessibility: It s not accesible with wheelchairs or strollers

This is my favourite spot to eat when I come to Ottawa! The food is delicious and made with care. Gracias! Food

Nice little traditional Mexican restaurant. Fast service. Reasonable price.

A great downtown Mexican place

excellent mexican food! would definitely go there again anytime!

Got chicken enchiladas. Huge portion. Good taste. P.S. missed cutlery

Best mexican restaurant I tried :)

It was beautiful. There could of been more touches to the food but I love cooking, bbq/smoking my own food. So going out is hard sometimes but I loved this place. So what if you have to get up and order. Little more moving wouldnt hurt you. The salsas are amazing, the opportunity to have as much salsa as I wanted when I sat down to eat and another time when I ordered out. Mild to hot salsas, even the hot ones arent too hot which is good for the mild ones out there. Gives you the opportunity to try a little more than what you may be used to. Love love love Kid-friendliness: Bro just bring your kids

The food was very tasty and a very decent size, the atmosphere was very cool as well. The service was a little confusing as there was a sign saying please wait to be seated and we waited there while people passed us by to start ordering at the register. We were seated after a bit of wandering around looking confused and given a menu, however we had to get up to order at the register afterwards. The food took some time to arrive, but it was definitely worth the wait, tasty and a very good portion. Vegetarian options: They had many vegetarian options, and all of those could also be ordered as vegan. Wheelchair accessibility: You have to go down a flight of stairs to enter, I didnt notice an elevator alternative but there might be one.

Huge let down based on the reviews. I ordered the tres tacos and the chicken and beef were dry and tasted a bit burnt. The veggies weren t very fresh. The margarita was watered down with barely any tequila and the lime juice in it tasted of bottled lime juice from the grocery store, nothing fresh. It s a shame because the restaurant has a cozy feel and nice decor. I definitely won t be coming back.

Authentic food. Great variety of sauces. Amazing service. Loved the atmosphere.

This restaurant is amazing!! This was my first time, but my friend loves this place! My meal had the most wonderful flavour! I am from Edmonton AB but will definitely be back when I visit. Thank you, Ahora!

The food was absolutely tasty. And reasonably priced.

Was super filling and super yummy. There was an open salsa bar which I didnt wanna risk getting and feel like they should remove. Fast service, kind staff and good food! Vegetarian options: Multiple (>5) vegetarian options, from appetizers to full on filling meals

Dirty place. Table and seat was sticky. Floor was covered in left over food from past customers. Meat was over cooked and bland. I wouldnt recommend this place to anyone.

Very well eaten and fair price! Welcome

Amazing authentic Mexican food that is reasonably priced and delicious. If looking for Mexican eats, this is a must visit.

No surprise actually, the meat was over grilled, flavouring did not stand out, and serving was small. Average experience and left something to be desired when the rating is high

always delicious, my favourite mexican restaurant in ottawa!

Food was insanely fresh and delicious, service was fast, and atmosphere was wonderful!

Totally an authentic Mexican restaurant. My wife and I visited in June 2024, and both enjoyed the meals. I had the Plato Ahora carne and my wife had a vegetarian taco and cheese/guacamole quesadillas. The food matches what I would have expected walking a Mexican city. The atmosphere is unexpected, below street level, in a tiny space, with no A/C. It was warm, but reasonable. We were there on a Friday evening with 25 to 30 people, and all was all being managed with 5 staff. Food took maybe 20 minutes. Many post mention food being dry or well done. Mine was well done but still very good to eat. Id love to come back. This is not a high end fancy restaurant. You are buying your food like you would at a fast food restaurant, you are drinking out of a can, or glass bottle your drink came in, and receiving well prepared food as a bonus. Your food is brought to you after you order, and you can leave when done. There is culturally appropriate music playing and the decor also provides ambiance. There is no access except by stairs. Kid-friendliness: There was a childs birthday party while we were there. A cake was served.

Food 3/5, Service 2/5. Im not sure how this place got such rave reviews for their food and so many awards?? Our entire family enjoyed their meal, but nobody was impressed or loved what they ordered. Service was friendly the few times we managed to get it. You have to order and pay at the register, so if you want to add something, you have to get back up yourself order and pay. Three people in our family wanted something at different times, so I got up to order and pay three additional times to our first main order. Every time I got up, I waited several minutes at the register for service because the two employees were in the back working. If you are going to make people go to the counter, than at least have an employee AT THE COUNTER.

The food was really good! But... The service was absolutely horrible! The salad bar was also a major let down. Was not happy with what was offered. Mainly liquids...? Which was really disappointing, poor labels as to what the liquids were and the ingredients that were used. Atmosphere was just ok. The temperature was on the hot side, wanted to leave immediately as it was too warm to sit and actually enjoy the meal.

A great authentic Mexican restaurant just on the edge of the Byward Market area. The food is delicious and the service is fast.

There s an overwhelming number of positive reviews here, but I should have listened to the negative ones. Ordered the nachos with steak for takeout (arte it within 5 mins at my hotel up the street, so transport wasn t an issue). Basically the worst version of nachos possible. It was just a bland, soggy in the middle, burnt on the outside, barely edible mess. Nothing had flavour. Couldn t tell what was what underneath the top layer since it was just all one soggy mush. 1/5 for the food. The service also gets a 1/5. Server seemed annoyed I wanted takeout (weird given its revenue without occupying a table), was impatient and dismissive, and didn t respond when I said thank you both after ordering and getting the food. Giving this place 2/5 just as benefit of doubt for the other reviewers. Otherwise my experience was easily 1/5.

Great nachos and the green salsa was amazing! Fun, laid back Mexican vibes.

Very good food, i recommand a lot

Very disappointing meal. We ordered a Taco Taco and a burrito pollo. The chicken was almost unpalatable and dry. Like it had been re-heated a few times. I wish we had read some of the reviews before going there. There are so many other reviews complaining about dry and reheated chicken as well as beef it s surprising the restaurant has made no apparent improvement.

DRY DRY DRY! Robbed of $$, the food was cold AND burnt & dangerously hard. I may have loosened a filling as it still hurts 3 hrs later. Every bite was a mouth full of burnt food. All the sauces didn t help either to improve this garbage. They ve figured out how to get fake positive reviews. So pathetically tasteless, they have even watered down the hand soap in the bathroom. Yuck yuck

I would never find this place if not awesome google reviews. Great Mexican food.

Excellent place for Mexican food in Ottawa. Very good quality/price ratio. I recommend it without a doubt. Plus, its very authentic.

9 CAD for a 50 ML plastic container full of Guacamole. At first, they just ignored the fact that I had ordered the guacamole at all, and upon requesting what I had paid for, thats what I got. Didnt seem to be too accidental, thankfully Im a native Spanish speaker and managed to catch the fact that it was really likely to be a consious decision to not give me what I paid for. The rest was ok, nothing special and overprized

I have had their food before and it was good . But this time the quality was poor . It taste like to was just preheated and packaged . No flavour and dry . Quality has gone done !

We had a great time, the servers were very friendly

Excellent Mexican restaurant, a colorful door but nothing else to see it from the street. Inside it is magnificent and very good, highly recommended.

A nice little Mexican restaraunt making authentic mexican food is hard to come by in Ottawa. They have a salsa bar with a bunch of homemade salsas (that are really good) along with extra condiments like onions and cilantro for your food. I ordered the carne asada plate and was left pretty disappointed. It s unfortunate that they are doing so many things well, but I was served a steak that was cooked basically well done, and was either cooked from frozen or was reheated from another day. The steak was so dry and chewy that I could barely eat my tacos, i ve had carne asada in Mexico and Arizona, I don t even think it was marinated. I paid $30+ for lunch and the portion sizes were great, but unfortunately this ruined the whole meal. Such a simple thing that could go a long way. Hopefully somebody from management see s this and it doesn t happen to others in the future.

Got carna / pollo Asada, meat was dry and not made fresh. Corn tortillas overpowered everything. Steak had no flavour at all. I really like the vibe of this place however paying as much as I did I would expect the meats there serving to not be from a tray that was made hours before.

First time Ive been to a restaurant that refused to give extra plates.

One of my favorite places to go when I go into the city

The food is alright and the prices are just okay for the quality of the food. Love the colors all around on the walls and the atmosphere. Service is always fast and friendly.

Not the greatest atmosphere but the food is always bang on and is the main reason I keep going back!

Got takeout burritos, tacos and shrimp quesadillas. One dish had pretty cool meat that, while previously cooked, didn t retain much heat on the 10 minute walk back to the hotel. Everyone enjoyed the meal. Portions were good size. Wheelchair accessibility: None. The restaurant is two flights downstairs. Saw no way to make this wheelchair accessible.

We love coming here. Its our favourite restruant downtown Ottawa.

Got to love this place, I never leave unsatisfied!

Best mexican food on Ottawa, the food was great and the experience was good too.

Great casual spot with reasonable prices, a great atmosphere, and delicious, generously portioned Mexican food.

Great food, service and decor. The trifecta of a good restaurant.

Best burrito place in ottawa by far. We took the steak-cheese and it was amazing. Very nice lady served us. This place truly represent the Mexican culture the atmosphere is on point. 10/10 would go again.

Dietary restrictions: GF, vegetarian Food

The food is not so great and below average, the atmosphere is below average and my table wasn t clean, I wouldn t recommend this place.

Came here with High expectations. Tried the steak tacos and chicken burrito. The steak was over cooked and the tacos had no flavour. The burrito was mid.

Amazong food , I have had the authentic mexican for the first time and I loved it

Two steak tacos with chips. Authentic flavor. Dont be afraid of the Fuego sauce because it is not very spicy if you like it spicy (it is not habanero) -> but yes, it has an excellent flavor.

If you couldnt tell, it was so good I forgot to take a picture for my review. I LOVE the way they run the restaurant. I love that you pay before you get the food so you can get out of the restaurant as soon as youre done eating and that you dont have to wait for other tables to be served. The food comes out of the kitchen so fast and the staff are able to service the whole place really quickly too. I had the chicken taco tacos with rice for a side and was absolutely blown away by the flavlur of the chicken. I also do not love raw tomatoes but they were so good on the taco. The rice was also really flavourful and such a large portion too. Absolutely love that I came across Ahora, and I will absolutely be back in the future. The enchiladas looked phenomenal so I know Ill be here exploring the full menu.

Such a great experience! The staff were absolutely lovely and the steak quesadilla I got was delicious!!! Would 100% recommend.

Wonderful little restaurant

Decided to give it a try given the decent reviews. Had the vegetarian burrito. Portion was more than adequate, and very tasty. Might be a bit salty for some palettes. Appreciated the salsa bar which allows you to tailor your meal. Would say that the vegan options seemed limited. Would love to see the owners try a veggie Al pastor using tofu. Vegetarian options: Limited but adequate

Super good Mexican restaurant! I had the vegan burrito which was super good, especially when added with all the salsas that are available. The owner Rigo was super nice, he made conversation with us and even offered us nachos. I recommend 100%!

Cute little basement spot. The food was ok. Also took longer than expected to arrive. I would go back if I were in the area and wanted easy Mexican. I wouldnt go out of my way to return or recommend.

Always fantastic food!

I always said, Do not judge a book by its cover. I would like to say that this time I have to say: it looks exactly as you would expect. Again, I went here based on the reviews, and I do not understand the high and positive reviews of this place. We ordered a Pollo Asado and a Carne Asada. As you can see in the picture, the meats were dry and lacked flavour, especially the chicken. The beef was tender, but thats about it. The beans and rice also lacked flavour. The lady gave me four containers for sauces, but even after adding the sauce, it did not help much. It was very unpleasant to eat. We ate most of it because we did not want to waste food or our money (I paid ~$43 after taxes). I would not recommend buying these platters. I have not tried other dishes, but I know that the tacos and burritos use the same meat, beans, and rice. I can assume that they taste the same. I definitely won t come back.

Very good experience in an exotic setting! The atmosphere is great and the food is very good. Highly recommended for a unique experience in Ottawa!

Amazing food! The food was seasoned perfectly, the sauces where amazing and the overall experience was amazing!! Ill definitely be coming back!

To taste the flavor of Mexican food

A true delight !! Very colorful little restaurant with a delicious menu. We have been going there as a family for over 15 years and we are never disappointed! Plus, the owner is super nice and attentive.

Always the food is excellent at a reasonable cost. A bit busy in a downstairs setting but you go for the food

a little bit expensive and salty. But very kind

Excellent food and atmosphere!

Didn t really enjoy the experience here. Food was very oily, and not really exceptional in any way. I didn t like that the restaurant was in the basement, it felt dark.

Tasty Mexican cuisine. Don t let the basement scare you. Go in and enjoy the delicious foods.

This is one of the best places to eat in the market. Great value for money. Love their salsa bar and their fresh horchata. Nice atmosphere below street level.

Authentic Mexican tasty food the staff were very nice and welcoming we enjoyed every bite and will definitely visit again.

Very compact space and colourful of dining. I would like to try first time Mexican food restaurant. It s awesome. Heavy portions of tacos and burritos. Totally I enjoyed food and drinks. it s take to me different level. Thank you guys. Keep it up .

Visited Ottawa for the weekend and this was the best restaurant we ate at! It felt like Mexico inside. Staff was very friendly (drew a corazón on our tres leches ), fast service and the food was phenomenal. It s hard to find good Mexican food in Canada so this was a pleasure. Thank you for an awesome experience.

Cute little place for Burrito and love the spices bar. Reasonable price and comfy spot for friends gathering.

A full plate of traditional Mexican enchiladas with a choice of optional sides. Friendly service.

It looks like an authentic mexicain restaurant in the heart of Ottawa. It is unground but it feels cozy and the stuff is friendly. Food is really delicious i will definitely go back to try other things

Such a cute location. Also, wow, what a great burrito

First time here with my Father and Fiancé. The atmosphere is beautiful and welcoming. The food was pretty good. And the owner even came down to thank us for dinning! Overall it was a great experience.

Best authentic Mexican food you can eat in this area. Very clean restaurant, friendly staff, great service, veggies always crispy fresh. Food

Your Mexican hole in the wall! I love this place. Food is amazing. Counter service is a surprise, but does work here - a little annoying if you have your meal and need another beer, but there is a line to order, but the you work with it because the food is worth it. Enchiladas every time!

Service was phenomenal and the food was absolutely filling

This is my new favourite place

Regrettably, my recent dining experience at this establishment was profoundly disappointing, particularly from the perspective of someone who appreciates authentic Mexican cuisine. I opted for both chicken and steak tacos, anticipating a delightful meal. However, the reality was starkly different. The meat in both tacos was notably tough and lacked any discernible flavor, making for an unpalatable experience. This was, without exaggeration, the most unsatisfactory rendition of tacos I have ever encountered.The tortillas did not redeem the meal either, sharing the same tough and unappealing texture as the meat. Such quality is not what one expects when seeking out an authentic culinary experience, and its disheartening to see these standards not being met. Moreover, the meal had an adverse effect on my well-being, leaving me feeling unwell for several hours afterward. This unfortunate outcome only adds to my dissatisfaction. Its telling when a restaurant requires payment upfront, perhaps indicative of a lack of confidence in the customers willingness to pay post-meal, based on the quality served. The person accompanying me shared in this disheartening experience, further affirming the consistency of the quality issues we faced. It is my hope that this feedback serves as a catalyst for improvement, as every patron deserves a meal that is both enjoyable and reflective of the rich culinary traditions it claims to represent.

Best Mexican spot in Ottawa. Love the variety and atmosphere

Amazing little gem. I m not Mexican but only detail to improve was the playlist. Too much salsa (Cuban) music. Might want to curate some corridos bélicos or Rancheras

Great authentic mexican food! Probably the best in Ottawa (Mexicali roasas is close 2nd for me!) But very fast service, kind staff, restaurant is small but comfortable and mostly importantly food is delicious

Had an amazing lunch here 2 days ago, I got the steak quesadillas, such a great hidden gem in the Ottawa restaurant scene! You really take a dive into some authentic Mexican cuisine Thank you! Food

Amazing place and food ! The good address to know ! Thanks for your beautiful restaurant Food

Heard great things so finally made our first visit. Food didnt disappoint! Very flavourful, great portions. There are some GF options too. Will return when in the area.

Great restaurant with a warm environment, and delicious and affordable dishes. I ll be back for sure.

cozy atmosphere, food was tasty

I ve been coming back here everytime I visit Ottawa. Although I m a vegetarian, their veg enchiladas are delicious! Their salsa bar adds a wonderful touch to their experience and as a sauce lover, it s heaven! Definitely don t miss this!

Unique atmosphere in the core of the market

Great food and drinks !

Love the food here. Portions are generous. The salsa bar in the best, my personal favorite is the salsa Verde. We got the Ahora burrito plate which was delicious. I would recommend sharing as the portions are big. Vegetarian options: A decent selection of vegetarian items

One of my favourite restaurants.

So good. I dream about the enchiladas. Amazing, highly recommend

Great Mexican food, really good value, big portions and great service!!

Mmmmmmmm mouth watering good

This is the best place for Mexican food in byward market , the cost , the taste, service was top notch.

Good Mexican place in the center of Ottawa, great food and good service and excellent atmosphere. Average price per person 20 CADS.

Delicious quesadilla!

Ahora Mexican Restaurant feels a bit like a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant in the context of Byward market. Once you enter through the front door, you immediately go down the stairs into a well-decorated sit down small restaurant which has a homey and restaurant feel. Please wait to be seated l. You can then place your order at the counter after reading the menu above the counter or reading the paper menu that they gave you. The serving sizes are definitely huge and they will definitely fill you up! Plenty of rice and beans to go around. They also have a self-serve salsa bar at the far end of the ordering counter. Feel free to try every one! Or mix and match!

I was greeted right away by Staff as I entered. Ordered a plate of nachos with a Modelo beer. Order was quick & the beer was cold. Nachos was very tasty. Staff was awesome.

Excellent I highly recommend it

Good food ! Interesting Mexican experience! But portion of guacamole too small!

Awesome service, tasty food, good portions. Pork and beef tacos are delicious. I like that they come with a side of guac. Quesadilla was good and comes with guac and sour cream. Burritos are pretty big, but they don t come with a side. Seating is limited, and I found prices to be a bit expensive, but I like this place.

A great little find. A small mexican restaurant in a basement. Basic setup with tasty, plentiful food, and friendly staff. Had the Ahora enchilada and was very impressed.

A great place for Mexican food lovers. Burrito and Quesadillas were great. Authentic atmosphere.

Excellent food, defo recommend

Authentic Mexican in Ottawa

Absolutely delicious food! And very polite staff as well. I got the enchiladas and my friend got the mex vegetarian burrito.

Bland

Small, typical Mexican restaurant, well decorated. Nice atmosphere. The food is good and still affordable. The table was dirty and the service average, you had to ask for everything like a glass for beer or napkins.

Simply great. It may not be the most fancy, the most trendy, or the most cutting-edge - but thats not why you go. With generous portions, modest prices, and a wonderful atmosphere, Ahora is as solid as the bedrock this basement restaurant is built into. Truly an Ottawa gem. Dietary restrictions: Gluten-free and Vegetarian friendly!

Amazing authentic food! Favorite place to go! Parking: Right around the corner from the restaurant. Food : 5/5 |

The food was amazing, the service was pretty good and the atmosphere was

Love the cultural vibe! You are greeted with a friendly staff! They are known for Mexican cuisine as the name suggested. Do visit this place, you wont be disappointed. Food

I cant recommend this place high enough. The burrito carne with sides rice and salad is the perfect meal. Add salsa Verde and onions from the salsa bar and its Heaven! Hate the stairs though. The nachos are hit or miss. But even when not the best they are still super yummy. If you have never been you have got to check out this little Mexican gem!

Nice experience... Unfortunately the dishes lost their traditional flavor trying to make them more palatable to Canadian taste, leaving them with no kick whatsoever.. not even thehot sauces were anything but..

Amazing food. Amazing service. Very good price and great serving size

Lovely food, kind service!

If you go there for the service or the decor, you shouldnt, however i am giving this restaurant a 5 star because this is the type of place where the food is thaaaaaat good! Wow i can finally say that I liked a place to eat in Ottawa. The tostada i ordered was delicious! My boyfriend was happy with the food too. If you want to try a mexican restaurant, this is a must!

A gem in the city. This is one of the best spots for Mexican food in Ottawa and features a self-serve salsa and sides bar. The food is always great and at a very very reasonable price. The chicken quesadilla is amazing. Kid-friendliness: Great place for a family as well.

It was ok, I did not digest it good and it was not spicy