Vittoria Trattoria is a well-known authentic Italian restaurant, with three locations scattered across Ottawa and an award-winning selection of wines.
Starting as a family restaurant in the Glebe (shoutout to Nonna Rachele), the Byward Market location opened in 1996. This William Street restaurant is cozy and classy at the same time. Tables covered in white linen and dotted with tiny candles. It's the perfect place for date night, business meetings or catching up with friends.
At Vittoria Trattoria, not only can you smell the heavenly pizza dough right away, you can watch it being made. I suggest the Quattro Stagioni (a pizza divided into four slices, each separately topped with artichoke hearts, black olives, sundried tomato and prosciutto ham.)
Appetizers:
Bread with Olive Oil and Vinegar
What could be better than a restaurant that starts the feast off with unlimited bread? (I'm looking at you, East Sides'.) Unlimited bread with olive oil, that's what.
Antipasto Della Casa
A platter of assorted deli meats, cheeses, and marinated vegetables. This charcuterie board was delicious, although I don't often eat cheese by itself, this was an exception. There were entire cloves of marinated garlic and mushrooms that were to die for.
I also suggest the bruschetta and garlic cream steamed mussels for any seafood fans (you can get them curry steamed as well). Vittoria Trattoria doesn't mess around.
Mains:
Cannelloni di Funghi
This was a great cannelloni made with wild mushroom and potato filled pasta tubes baked with white truffle scented cream sauce. This was my favourite dish here. The pasta was rolled around a frothy mixture of mushroom and potato. The creamy, slightly salty sauce was beyond delicious. I ate the leftover sauce like it was soup.
Chicken Parmigiana
This breaded chicken breast was topped with a house cheese blend and a herb tomato sauce served with fettuccine in a pesto cream sauce.
I loved how crispy the chicken breading was yet light at the same time. The pesto cream sauce on the pasta was amazing, it was a more fun version of alfredo and definitely tasted indulgent. I swapped the fettuccine for penne (for some reason the shape/texture of fettuccine freaks me out). Don't judge me.
Pasta Alla Nonna
This penne was served with grilled chicken, green onion, red peppers, and baby spinach in a sherry parmesan herb cream sauce. The sauce was light and slightly sweet, making it stand out from traditional penne dishes. You can't even complain about the vegetables.
Dessert:
New York Cheesecake
Although the Cheesecake Factory is a winner in my heart, nothing can beat this authentic-tasting cheesecake. The filling was very moist and light, unlike most commercial cheesecakes.
The graham cracker crust was thin and plain so as not to overpower the rest of the dessert. Drizzled in caramel sauce and slathered in fruit compote, I polished off most of this on my own. And took the fresh mint leaf as an after-dinner breath mint, why not?
Creme Brûlée
I wish I liked this dessert (just the name of it makes me feel fancier), but I've never been a fan of any kind of creme brûlée. Luckily, my sister was able to express her admiration of this dessert. The white chocolate flavoured creation was definitely one of her favourites.
Whether you're as crazy about Italian food as I am (or maybe you just love a good glass of wine), Vittoria Trattoria is the place for you. The next time you're exploring Byward Market, don't pass up this place. Amazing pizza is never just for the weekend.