Méli-Mélo is an edible hodgepodge to help you stay on top of the hits and happenings in Ottawa and beyond. Get the latest — from the this-just-opened and give-backs, to new bites, libations and don’t-miss events.
Ottawa Style Bagels
Two years of trial-and-error bagel experiments in their apartment kitchen led to Baci’s Bagels’ first season of Glebe pop-ups. Sebastian Giggey, a baker and croissant-maker at The Wild Oat, always wanted his own bakery, and Cassie Broadhurst, a café manager and barista, always wanted a café of her own. They met while working at The Wild Oat, and as Giggey began bringing his homemade bagels to share at work, he and Broadhurst quickly realized they had similar aspirations.
The Wild Oat’s owners generously let the duo use the bakery’s equipment and rent the kitchen after hours, where they hand-rolled bagels for Sunday pickups all summer long. Their bagels are New York-inspired: thicker and fluffier than the Montreal-style bagel that many Ottawans are used to. “It’s a lot more bagel,” Broadhurst says, noting that they’re perfect for sandwiches or simply tearing and dipping into
Baci’s scallion-garlic cream cheese. Flavours include classics such as sesame, everything and cheese, with occasional seasonal twists such as jalapeño cheddar and autumn-spiced specials.
Since their first Sunday in June 2025, Baci’s Bagels has grown through weekly pre-orders, Instagram buzz and encouragement from regulars. The highlight for Giggey was becoming a part of shoppers’ Sunday routines. “It’s really solidified that we want to have a bricks-and-mortar shop,” Broadhurst adds. Though weekly pick-ups are paused for the season, Giggey and Broadhurt aren’t hibernating; they plan to keep popping up through the winter, and hope to be at one of Ottawa’s farmers’ markets come spring.
Baci’s Bagels
bacisbagelco.ca | @bacisbagelco
From Markets to Main Street
Sisters-in-law Jessica Gutierrez and Ivana Hernandez know empanadas. Both women are mothers of five, and during their most recent maternity leaves, they decided they were ready to try something different, businesswise. Gutierrez, originally from Argentina, has a background in social work, while Hernandez, originally from Colombia, went to culinary school.
“In Argentina, we eat empanadas for everything and anything: lunches, quinceañeras, New Year’s Eve, just to celebrate life,” Gutierrez explains. “In Colombia, it is more like street food, but it is such a big part of both of our cultures.”
The two women started off at the Stittsville Market in 2023, and after selling out of empanadas in their first half hour of business, they haven’t looked back. In 2024, they expanded to several markets and fairs across Ottawa, from Carp and Richmond to Navan, as well as the Latin Sparks Festival. They are also a wholesale supplier for Algonquin College and Ottawa Senators Games at the Canadian Tire Centre. In November 2025, they opened a bricks-and-mortar space in Stittsville, where customers can purchase fresh handheld pies to enjoy on the go or as they sip coffee at the shop, and frozen empanadas to reheat at home.
Their menu includes traditional Argentine empanadas (a flour-based pastry with beef and onions), Colombian empanadas (a cornmeal dough with beef and potatoes), and a vegan option with spiced chickpeas, spinach and sweet potatoes. While they are focused on establishing the shop in Stittsville, they also hope to have packaged empanadas available in local grocery stores in the near future. “From the first market, we haven’t stopped,” Hernandez says with a laugh.
Delights by Mama
1530 Stittsville Main St., Unit C, Ottawa
delightsbymama.ca | @delightsbymama
Sandy Hill’s Second Home
Dinette Atomique is the kind of retro neighbourhood spot that feels like it has always been there, even though co-owners Vu Duong and Jeffrey Cassidy only opened their doors recently. The two have known each other for many years, and often traded ideas about what their dream restaurant might look like. When they first came across the character-filled building two years ago, their offer didn’t land. When the property came back on the market, the two went for it again and dove straight in to making it their own.
“We didn’t want it to feel like it was overly designed or trendy,” Duong says. They are striving to make it feel like a second home. “I wanted something from every decade in the space — records or toys,” Cassidy says. The end result is a look that recalls the 1940s, with an old movie on the TV if there isn’t a big sports game to catch.
The two built their careers in the industry, with Duong most recently in the kitchen at Corner Peach, and Cassidy in front-of-house at Chez Lucien. At Dinette Atomique, Duong describes his menu as approachable and unpretentious. There’s a not-so-secret back room for groups, all-day breakfast, a rotating “daily feast” table d’hôte menu for dinner and weekend roasts served family-style (all with vegetarian options). With the focus on family-style service for the weekly specials, the two say the restaurant is all about community. “It’s the idea of breaking bread together, without things being too cheffy,” Duong says.
With the themed menu changing every week and service from breakfast through to dinner, Dinette Atomique is serving students from the nearby university campus, date nights, brunch gatherings and parents with young children from the daycare up the street, stopping by for a treat. “It’s been very rewarding,” Cassidy says, of seeing the variety of customers who are making Dinette Atomique a part of their days. “It’s truly a catch-all place.”
Dinette Atomique
321 Somerset St. E., Ottawa
dinetteatomique.ca | @dinette.atomique
Another Manic Monday
After working in hospitality and as a barista across Canada with her partner, Dat Tran, it was market research that ultimately brought Phuong Nguyen to Ottawa. She points to surveys showing the capital has some of the highest coffee consumption per capita as part of the incentive to try life here after stints on both coasts.
The pair opened Ugly Monday in Ottawa’s downtown core in July 2025, serving espressos, big chocolate-chunk cookies, banh mi (“one of the best sandwiches in the world,” Nguyen says) and Vietnamese coffee specialties. “We’re both from Vietnam, and we’re very proud of our coffee,” she adds.
Nguyen knew she wanted to share her journey to opening Ugly Monday online and has been active on Instagram and TikTok, posting candid videos of daily life and behind-the-scenes operations. “A lot of people want to open their own coffee shop and don’t have the chance or the experience,” she explains, so she’s bringing followers along to learn with her. The online presence has also helped translate views into foot traffic.
Given the café’s downtown location, Nguyen expected many customers would be office workers, and she wanted a name that would make them feel seen. “Everyone says ‘Thank God it’s Friday,’ but nobody likes Monday,” she chuckles. Nguyen and Tran hope a good cup of coffee can change that.
Ugly Monday
255 Albert St., Suite 100, Ottawa
uglymonday.ca | @uglymonday
