There's no day better than your birthday. You have all your closest friends and family come to out to celebrate an entire day dedicated to you and the day you were born. On top of the celebrations, you also get an abundance of gifts and you're really just showered with love. That being said, planning your birthday can be stressful AF (trust me, my birthday is in 2 days and I'm totally in birthdayzilla mode); it's not fun at all.
You have to think of who to invite, what to wear, what theme you want, if you want to stay in town, and the worst of all, where the heck you're going to do it. Choosing a venue for your birthday party can be one of the hardest parts of birthday planning; do you rent out a place or just go to a restaurant? How far in advance should you book? How many people can you invite?! The list of questions just goes on.
With that being said, fortunately in Ottawa, there are so many places to celebrate your birthday. Lately, the ByWard Market has been boomin' with new restaurants, clubs, and bars but that's not the only spot. Elgin St. and Lansdowne have also majorly improved and expanded meaning you seriously have a crap ton of options to celebrate your birthday the right way. Whether it's a low key lounge or a super lit club, you'll definitely find the best spot for you!
First things first when it comes to choosing a venue, you need to decide if you're going to go all out and be boujee AF or if you'd prefer a chiller, low key event so what are you looking for?
Super Chill
Chill
Kind of Boujee
Super Boujee
For Super Chill, Click "NEXT"
Although being boujee AF can be fun, sometimes it's just better to keep it low key and chill AF. If you're not really feeling that extra for your birthday, there are tons of ways to still celebrate it and have a good time without turning into a birthdayzilla.
If you're looking for a super chill venue to host your birthday, then you should totally look into:
Zak's Cantina
Where: 10 ByWard Market Sq.
Price: 💸
Type: Mexican
Enjoy a small taste of Mexico at this fairly new restaurant in the ByWard Market. If you've been to Zak's before and you loved it, then you'll definitely love this place. It's super casual but it's still nice enough to get some sick IG photos; I mean the restaurant is basically a bus, after all.
Cineplex
Where: Various locations
Price: 💸
Okay, seriously, who doesn't love going to the movies? You can dress up or dress down, it's totally up to you but this will definitely be a super chill night. You basically get to relax and kick back for a whole two hours while eating your favorite snacks. It's also super cheap so you won't feel too bad afterwards.
Gatineau Park
Where: Various locations
Price: 💸
Go for a nice hike or a refreshing swim while you bring out your inner nature side. No need for makeup or heels, this can be such a relaxing and fun experience so basically the perfect way to spend your birthday if you want to be chill.
Karaoke
Where: various locations
Price: 💸
Feel like Beyonce without necessarily having to look like Beyonce. Karaoke is a super fun, low key, and chill way to celebrate your birthday without needing to stress over it. You can rent a private room and invite as many friends as you want or you can just go with a few friends and try your luck in front of strangers!
All You Can Eat Sushi
Where: Various locations
Price: 💸💸💸
Ugh, sushi is just so friggen' delicious. There isn't much that needs to be said because anyone that tries it knows just how amazing it is! And if for some wild reason, you don't like sushi, at All You Can eat, you have the option to get other things such as chicken wings, french fries, shrimp tempura, etc.
For Chill, Click "NEXT"
Sometimes, you don't really want to look bummy but you still don't want to go all out. You'll wear makeup but the basic minimum and you'd prefer to wear jeans over a dress. That being said, there's absolutely nothing wrong with this! We all deserve to have a chill night and if that's what you want for your birthday, here's a list of spots to hit up:
El Furniture Warehouse
Where: 77 Clarence St.
Type: American and Asian dishes
Price: 💸
You can dress up to the 9's or go in jeans, Warehouse is honestly that chill. Although the service is questionable and the food portions are a little small, you do technically just get what you pay for. Honestly, food here is just 5 bucks!
Burrito Burracho
Where: 105 A Clarence St.
Price: 💸 💸
Type: Mexican
Burrito Burracho is so underrated, it should be a sin. This place is dank AF but it's never busy meaning you'll always have a place to sit and your food won't take too long. The staff is also super friendly and the drinks here are the bomb.com!
Green Room
Where: 130 York St.
Green Room is the spot to go to if you're all about dancing on tables, wearing whatever you want, and getting super sloppy drunk. It's such a chill place to go because everyone there is already really sweaty and gross so you don't get judged!
El Camino
Price: 💸 💸
Type: Mexican cuisine
You have the option to dress up a bit and eat at the restaurant or grab your food and dip. That's what makes this place oh so great, asides from their amazing tacos of course. You have the option to get vegetarian tacos, beef tacos, pork tacos, chicken tacos, and who knows what else, tbh! You won't know til you find out.
FRNZ
Where: 87 Clarence St.
You'll definitely see some boujee people here but the vibes are hella chill. You'll have to dress up a bit but it's more of a lounge than a club so you won't feel too overwhelmed. With that being said, they do have a bottle service menu so you can still get kind of lit and have a great time!
For Kind Of Boujee, Click "NEXT"
Calling all my bad and boujee ladies out there! If you're boujee and you know but you don't care what anyone thinks then it's time to get lit! Put on your best pair of heels, highlight those cheek bones and let's get it poppin at any of the places below:
Tomo
Where: 109 Clarence St.
Price: 💸💸 💸
Type: Japanese
Would this really be a list of boujee places if Tomo didn't make it? Nope! Tomo is very boujee and they know it. However, it still a place with great vibes that you can head to last minute when it turns into a club.
Atari
Where: 297 Dalhousie St.
Price: 💸💸
Type: American cuisine
Atari itself isn't really that boujee but the people that go there are. It's a cute little spot that has a really good menu with lots of good choices. Their drink menu is also sick AF and during the summer, you have the option to sit on their rooftop patio!
Common Eatery
Where: 380 Elgin St.
Price: 💸💸 💸
Type: Contemporary
Common definitely has a rep for being a little pretentious and very boujee. When you walk in, it seems as though everyone already knows each other so this can be a little intimidating but it's actually a really nice spot. The music is always bumpin' and the drinks taste great. This is for sure one of the bougiest places in Ottawa and the huge rose wall should be enough to prove that!
Side Door
Where: 18 York St. b
Price: 💸💸 💸
Type: Contemporary
This place is so boujee, people have weddings here! It's a really cute spot though and they've definitely got some great food. The donuts here are to die for and they're something you 100% won't regret getting. It's kinda what they're so popular for.
Kavali
Where: 34 Clarence St.
Kavali is honestly just really boujee. In a good way, though! Everyone here is always dressed to impress, the club has a great rep, and the music they play makes you feel like you're not in Ottawa.
For Super Boujee, Click "NEXT"
Alright, this one's for all the boujee, not bad, chicks out there! The most extra, divalicious, mini-Mariah's out there. You know it's your birthday but you want everyone else to know that too so you're going to be dressed up in a glittery dress, you're going to have your hair and makeup done, and your shoes might just be red bottoms.
No judgement over here though, you better live out your bougiest dreams! The following spots are the most boujee and extra places to spend your birthday in Ottawa:
Copper Spirits and Sights at Andaz
Where: 325 Dalhousie St.
Price: 💸💸💸
Type: Contemporary
C'mon. Dinner on a hotel's rooftop overlooking the entire city. You mean to tell me that's not boujee AF? Ugh, it's totally amazing and everything I aspire to live for! If you're boujee as heck like me, hurry up and make your reservations here because this place is always booked!
E18ghteen
Where: 18 York St.
Price: 💸💸💸💸
Type: Canadian
This is definitely for those of you who love to ball without a budget. This restaurant is definitely an upscale restaurant in Ottawa and you probably won't find too many younger people there. Unless of course, they're boujee AF, duh!
Absinthe
Where: 1208 Wellington St.
Price: 💸💸💸
Absinthe is a little pricey and a little boujee but it's good AF and you're going to feel like a rock star when you're there. Just play Bad and Boujee in your head while you celebrate more life!
Nordik
Where: 16 Chemin Nordik
Could this list really be complete without the infamous Nordik? This place is literally sooooo boujee! You might even run into Sens players with their wives here because of how boujee it is. It's definitely a great time and extremely relaxing but it might even be too boujee for me! Wait, is there even such thing as too boujee? SMH.
PPL.
Where: 130 George St.
Honestly, you have to be extremely boujee to want to go here. The staff serves bottles in cars, they're always sold out, and everyone that goes there looks like they're sponsored by Fashion Nova. No shade though because this place knows how to get lit! You might go broke trying to afford a bottle here but at least you'll have an amazing time.