1 Elgin

1 Elgin Restaurant, previously known as Le Café, is a deluxe restaurant offering the finest Canadian cuisines. Located at the historic Rideau Canal, Downtown Ottawa, 1 Elgin Restaurant is largely attracting tourists’ attraction owing to its exclusive culinary offerings.

The Restaurant was founded in the late 70s by Chef Kurt Waldele who ran it until 2009. He established it with the idea of offering distinguished taste in Canadian cuisines through the use of local ingredients. After his death, the tradition was continued by Chef Michael Blackie who served as the executive chef and later by Kenton Leier, the current executive chef of the restaurant.

“We continue to promote the highest level of Canadian cuisine and we feature chefs from across Canada with our Resident Chef Program. We also have the unique distinction of being a restaurant both located in Downtown Ottawa and directly on the historic Rideau Canal,” says Julie Berthelot, the Marketing and Projects Coordinator for NAC Food & Beverage.

Their traffic is majorly the masses who appreciate culinary excellence and the great diversity the Canadian culinary theme offers. Their visitors also include people from a diverse cultural background that want to try different Canadian dishes and discover new tastes. The ideal customers for 1 Elgin Restaurant are the ones who have a deep fondness for nouvelle cuisine and encourage the local Canadian ingredients. 

Being in business since 1979, they have established a long-standing repute that has resulted in countless loyal customers. People return when they trust that every dish on the menu is thoughtfully prepared, delicious, and healthily served by highly competent staff. In addition, the amazing ambiance and amiable staff have further added to the eminence of this restaurant. Being located inside the National Arts Centre and with an astonishing view of Downtown Ottawa, 1 Elgin Restaurant is capturing huge attraction.

The other salient feature is the variety of distinguished chefs throughout the year that brings an enriching and fresh experience to the culinary scene. “Our Resident Chef series has always been in the limelight where we have a season of four chefs each year that bring us their perspective on Canadian cuisine. They collaborate with the executive chef in preparing the menu for the restaurant and in other activities for the special dinner event. They also participate in interviews, demos, and artists’ talk to share their experiences with all Canadians,” says Julie.

Since the COVID pandemic has surfaced, they had to shut down twice (in both waves of the pandemic). With a little luck, they were able to keep their terrace open for the summer, in compliance with several new protocols and procedures for patrons’ and employees’ safety. Excitement has been found to have the next Resident Chef, Nick Benninger, onboard once the restaurant’s activities will resume to normal post-COVID. They are also going to offer exclusive information and resources about their upcoming and previous Resident Chefs through their webpage.

1 Elgin Restaurant

https://nac-cna.ca/en/1elgin

A premium experience of craftsmanship in Canadian cuisines

Address: In the National Arts Centre – 1 Elgin, Ottawa ON, K1P 5W1

Phone: Cell – 613-799-5672