Pelican Fishery & Grill

Good food, fresh ingredients and good service. If you’re a fan of seafood you should give this place a try.

This is a neat little Ottawa restaurant. It’s a combo fish market/​restaurant in an unassuming little strip mall. For mid-​afternoon on a Friday, it was very busy. For the appetiser we had the Calamari which was light, fluffy & very fresh. I don’t know how the get fresh fish in the middle of Ottawa but it sure tasted great. Was feeling a fish tacoish so this is what we found. The taco was outrageously good. Lots of slaw & cilantro that was topped off a local IPA called «Rye Guy» from the Beyond the Pale Brewery. Not my favourite (little too citrusey for my taste) but it went decent for the meal. This is a recommend from me!

We have been many times to the Pelican, and sometimes we have brought along young children. In almost every case, we all enjoyed our food.
Last night my husband took me for my birthday, and the Pelican will offer a free «crème brulee with fruit on top» for the birthday person. Funnily enough the couple next to us, also were celebrating a birthday and were offered the same wonderful dessert.
MY husband had the scallops on a purée of celery root and slender green beans, and a small pork belly. I had the Thai shrimp curry. They were both marvelous.
The wait staff were attentive, and the place was hopping.
Do come and try… you won’t be disappointed.

I went here last Friday with my boyfriend who loves seafood and me not so much. We got the crab cakes and fish tacos to start, both weren’t anything special. I got the fish and chips (halibut) and it was the most delicious I’ve ever had (better then east coast!) and he got the pan roasted trout and wasn’t too impressed with spaetzle as he was expecting an Italian style — was a Czech style deep fried little pieces. Overall would recommend and will come back

Amazing food. Fresh, scratch.
The Pelican is tastier than some of the places I’ve visited on the Halifax Boardwalk.
Initially the strip mall setting put me off but I followed a hunch. Pleasant surprise.
Definitely worth a visit.
Cozy.

Best halibut fish and chips in Canada!!! I have tried it coast to coast. The best fish and seafood in all of Ottawa. We are so lucky to have this gem of a restaurant and seafood store in our neighbourhood.

this place is a pretty solid sea food restaurant. they also have a seafood market as well which is just slightly small than the dining area. i ordered fish and chips and was quite happy with the juicyness of the halibut. the fries could’ve been better. but the fish was definitely done well.

Perfect. I’m pretty sure this place would turn any fish hater into a lover.

A wonderful dining experience. Incredible chowder soup, a must have ! Overall good selection of fish and seafood. Prices are ok, on the pricey side. But quality is above average.
One little remark… the pop drink was completely flat. Maybe time to invest in a second pump?
Will definitely come back to try more.

After reading all the glowing reviews here on Unilocal for Pelican Fishery and Grill, I just had to try this place. Having tried it, I agree, this place is amazing.
My husband and I went on a Thursday evening for dinner. We didn’t know what time we would go so we didn’t make reservations and just chanced it. Luckily for us, we were able to get a table for 2 rather quickly. However, the place was packed, so I will definitely make reservations next time.
We both had the Lobster Roll ($ 25), which comes with salad and fries. I love lobster and the lobster roll did not disappoint. There was a good amount of lobster in the roll, not mainly filler like at some places. The mayo wasn’t overpowering. It tasted to me like instead of celery they used cucumber in the mayo. There was also green onions. The lobster roll was served on a baguette instead of a hot dog bun. I liked this, as it held everything together better, but my husband thought it was a bit too dense.
The fries were hand cut and with the skins on. They were amazing.
The salad was a real mixed greens salad with shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. I asked for the dressing on the side and it arrived as requested. The dressing was green and slightly creamy. I loved it.
Despite being incredibly busy, service was great. Our receipt said that we were served by John. He was very courteous and efficient.
Décor is industrial meets nautical. When you walk in the fish market is on the left and the restaurant is on the right. Despite it all being open, the place does not smell like raw fish. A true testament to how fresh the seafood there is.
Other reviewers have compared the lobster roll here to that of the famous Luke’s Lobster in the USA. I feel that the lobster roll here is even better than that at Luke’s Lobster! And I loved Luke’s!
This place is located in a strip mall (same strip mall as Farm Boy, Quiznos and Ichiban Bakery). There’s lots of free parking.
I will definitely be back!

Best fish and chips ever. I had the haddock version (they also have halibut). Haddock was fresh and perfectly cooked. The batter was light and flaky and cooked to a beautiful golden color.
The rest of the menu and the fish market look fabulous as well. Unfortunately I live in Colorado and this may be the only time I get to Ottawa. Locals, consider yourselves fortunate to have this place.

Where do I start? It started out as me trying to find a place for brunch after church service while visiting future sister-​in-​law in Ottawa on the weekend. I saw the reviews on Unilocal for this place and thought it was worth checking out. OH MY GOD. This place is AMAZING! if i could give it 6 stars I totally would. The food is absolutely fantastic! the experience was so good that I told my fiancé from now on every time we are in Ottawa this is a MUST eat. If anyone loves and is obsessed and crazy over seafood (like me), then this place you HAVE to come and try!
We strolled in and the place was already buzzing with activity. We were seated at a round table (which is nice because with 3 people you can actually see each other across the table. I love how this restaurant is also a fish market, and next time i’m in Ottawa i’m definitely buying some of that fish/​seafood and also their frozen treats home — actually after we finished eating I bought a bunch of their frozen stuff to take back to TO and had to borrow future SIL’s cooler :)
Anyway, lets start with their bread. They don’t just serve bread, they serve BANANA bread to start. Best part, if you ate one piece and it’s not enough, you can ask for more :) Their portions in general are quite good. The only one that I thought was a little less was their fish tacos. 2 for 16 seems a bit on the pricer side. We ordered lobster roll, lobster benny (benedict) and fish tacos. Everything was so delish! The hollandaise sauce went SO well with the lobster claw meat that was sandwiched between the english muffin and the poached egg. The potatoes that came with it was SO tasty. The fish tacos were also amazing. All the condiments on top went beautifully together in a cocktail of flavours and the best part is despite all that intensity you can still taste the fish cooked beautifully inside that taco. my future SIL had the lobster roll and it was quite filling — you can see how much meat is piled into that roll~ yummmm.
I ordered two shucked oysters, both were very fresh and they have their own sauce to go with it as well — quite nice :) We were too full for desserts after. But hands down one of the best seafood places I’ve had in a while and I“m definitely coming back to try their fish and chips next time!
And yes, afterwards i went toward the fish market section and bought the seafood pie, lobster stock, some tuna, scallop and lobster MAC AND CHEESE. Will update my post once I’ve tried making them at home :)

The lover and I love us some seafood — nothing more satisfying in the summertime. Thankfully, we decided to make reservations. Otherwise, we would have had to wait and would probably have been crammed into a tiny table with other couples crowding in around us. If possible, I suggest asking for a corner table as it will afford you more privacy.
In terms of food, we both loved the oysters — best yet in Ontario. I was also pleasantly surprised by my Thai shrimp curry — I would whole heartedly recommend. My partner was a bit underwhelmed by his lobster roll, and after the reviews, I was a bit disappointed too. It’s nothing to scoff at, but it also doesn’t compare to my curry.
Service was okay — nothing special. Atmosphere is nice. A bit pricey if you’re young and on a budget.

Rarely do you find a restaurant of such quality. My only five star rating on Unilocal for an Ottawa restaurant. Everything about the concept works. Great for family get togethers. I like the salmon for takeout as a healthy alternative to fish and chips.

One of my favorite places to grab lunch and then shop for sea food.
The menu is smallish, but inventive. My fave starters are the crab cakes with aioli and fried baby calamari.
The service is great and I love the small space with crowded little tables — nice ambiance.

My gosh I loved this place.
Try the lobster roll dinner !
It had lots of chunks of lobster and a very light binder. very tasty and adequately filling. The side dishes that came with it were simple (hand cut fries and a small micro salad) but nicely done. A good value for the price. I would also recommend the fish tacos. The fish inside is lightly breaded and deep fried, making for a very light and healthy treat.
I would also highly recommend their Prince Edward Island raw oysters on the half shell. They were very fresh, very tasty and needed no condiments.

If I have to eat out in Ottawa, this is always my first choice. Hands down best fish and chips (halibut!!) ever, anywhere. We also like their fried smelts and calamari too. It’s not that we love fried foods but they do it right here. Light and not overly greasy.
I highly recommend picking up some of the house cured smoked salmon from their market as well. It is sooooo good. They don’t over salt it and call it flavor like other smoked fish out there.
This is a family run place and their service is lovely. It looks like the younger members of the family work there as well and it’s so nice to see that they seem to enjoy learning the family trade and proud of the business.

This is my go-​to restaurant to eat at with family and friends when I’m in Ottawa. To be honest, it’s pretty much the only place I eat other than at home in Ottawa. The quality of the food here has been consistently excellent since the first time I went over 5 years ago. A couple of tips:
— the fresh bread. Holy moly. Eat it.
— Anything is good. The specials, regular dishes.
— The dishes are constantly revolving and updating, I’ve really liked the changes to the menu over the past few years
— The fresh fish counter (connected) has a lot of great options. I suggest pickup up some smoked salmon to enjoy the next day for brunch!
Service is great too! Very polite. Would recommend.

Great seafood place!
You walk through the seafood deli to get to the restaurant, which is kind of cool because you can see the fresh product they use in the restaurant and you can buy some too.
The service was also great! Super friendly and they made sure we had everything we needed!
I ordered the wild haddock fish and chips and my friend ordered the lobster poutine. They were both excellent. My friend certified it as the best lobster poutine, and my fish and chips were very good (surprisingly it’s easy to screw up!).
I would definitely return here to try out more of their tasty eats :)

Update: Back after two years, changes to layout open up the place, but unfortunately a very limited take out menu limits this location as a favored lunch spot in Ottawa. For dinner, try the PEI mussels or scallops. Avoid the salmon sandwich served at lunch.
Fresh fish, reasonably priced. In the roughly seven months I have spent in Ottawa, Pelican Grill and Taylor’s are my favorite places to eat.