If you’ve never done a self-guided food tour before this is your sign to try C’est Bon’s epic culinary experience. Based in the Byward Market, this tour combines food, history, and points of interest to create an experience unlike any I’ve had before. As a local, it encouraged me to examine Byward in a new way and I had a great time enjoying the tourist attractions in my own city. If you’re visiting for the first time, this tour is a great way to see a lot of the market in a short amount of time.
Ottawa’s Self-Guided Food Tour
To begin your experience, you must buy your tickets here. Even though the experience is self guided, your ticket is date specific so make sure to plan ahead. Once you’ve made your purchase, you’ll receive an email with clear instructions on how the experience is layed out. Make sure to review them so you know what to expect.
The tour is done using an interactive map on an app. All download and setup instructions will be in your information package. The most important point is that you can download the app at any time after purchase but you should not start the activity until you are in the Market and ready to begin. Once you’ve started the activity, a countdown will begin and you will not be able to relaunch the activity after it ends. It provides lots of time to do the tour but you don’t want to start it too early and force yourself to rush.
Once you’ve launched the activity, you’ll find a map with all the locations you can visit during the tour. There are 6 stops where the food is included in your ticket purchase. These are indicated in blue on the map and you should follow them in order for an optimal experience. You must do the first stop first to get the coupons you show at each restaurant to receive your food.
My new favorite place to eat in the market. Photo by Torie Wotton.
Stops in the Byward Market
I chose not to look up the locations or the food we’d be having ahead of time and found that it was really fun to be surprised as I went along. On the tour there was a mix of places I’d been before and others I’d never eaten at. In my opinion, we visited some of the best food spots in the market. The food at each stop was delicious and the tour featured must-try dishes. I tried some dishes I would never have ordered for myself and part of the joy of the tour is that, even if you don’t love a particular dish, you get the opportunity to try it and get a snapshot of Ottawa food culture in the market. By following the order on the map, you’ll follow the flow of a meal; starting with main courses and ending with dessert.
Even though this is a tasting tour, the portions on the tour are very generous and you may not be able to do all the included stops one after the other. Luckily, the app has additional aspects included that allow you to take a break from eating while still exploring the area. Visiting the other markers on the map gives you the chance to learn about and see some of the points of interest in the area. At each location, you’ll be prompted to take a picture or play a game to win points. The points you collect earn you coupons to other locations in the market and you can be entered to win additional prizes based on your total points.
While this may seem silly, we had a great time playing all the little games.Visiting all the locations provides a thorough overview of the market and our competitive spirits came out as we tried to get every possible point. We got some great coupons that I used to pick up some treats to take home. Despite having lived in Ottawa for five years, I learned new facts about Byward and had fun doing it. Once you complete the map, you will have many ideas about where to eat on your next trip to the market.
Getting some fun photos at the points of interest. Photo by Torie Wotton.
An Afternoon of Delicious Eats
It took us about three hours to complete the entire map but C’est Bon recommends allowing up to five in case the restaurants are very busy or you choose to move at a slower pace. They also recommend completing the tour between 11 and 5 o’clock to ensure that all the stops are open. You’ll need a phone with a data plan to do the tour and I recommend bringing a portable charger if you have an older phone to make sure you make it through the day. I also recommend bringing a bag to carry your goodies in as you’ll receive a few things to take home with you. We also chose to box some of our food for later to make sure we could eat at all the stops.
The tour involves a fair amount of walking, I covered about 6 km over the course of the tour. Make sure to wear comfortable and weather appropriate clothing and bring along a water bottle. If you need to use the washroom in between stops, there are public washrooms available on the second floor of the market building.
Just one of the samples along the way. Photo by Torie Wotton.
This self-guided tour is one of only a few in Canada, making it a unique foodie attraction. It is a great way to explore the Byward Market regardless of how many times you’ve visited it before. Book your tickets here.
Torie is a policy analyst who loves to write and travel. Recently graduated from the University of Ottawa, Torie is excited to invest some of her new free time into both of these hobbies by writing for Little Miss Ottawa!
Torie has loved adventures and trying new things for a long time. Family trips both close to home and abroad fostered this mentality and set the stage for future adventures both big and small. Moving to Ottawa from Manitoba gave Torie the opportunity to explore a new area in depth and emphasized the fact that every day can be an adventure if you bring the right mind set.
When she’s not out on an adventure, Torie can be found at the rink practicing with her synchronized skating team or coaching skating.
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