%20Imagotipo%20Horizontal.png)
Best Gourmet Pizza in Ottawa: Linden Pizza
- Miranda Caley
- Aug 25
- 8 min read
If you are looking for the best gourmet pizza in Ottawa, look no further, because we have found a new favourite! Nestled inside a renovated house on the corner of Beechwood Ave. and Chapleau Ave., this new place, which opened in April, is already making waves with its refined yet experimental menu and vintage vibes.
Pizza is by far my favourite food. It can be creative and it's difficult to screw up. However, I would argue it is hard to make a slice that by itself, it stands apart from anything else you have tried before.
At Places To Go Ottawa, we are constantly looking for places that stand out, and Linden Pizza, is exactly that. This place was not just good, it was unforgettable.
A vintage, cozy vibe
Walking into Linden Pizza feels like stepping into a retro time capsule. Starting with the floor tiles at the entrance, Linden Pizza is decked out in a gorgeous, warm-toned 70s aesthetic. The combination of orb lights, sage green, burnt orange, and dark wooden furniture makes it so cozy and welcoming.
The intimate space only fits about six tables and a bar, yet the layout feels intentional, stylish and cozy. Even when the space is fully booked, it does not feel crowded, although, the noise levels can get pretty high when everyone is talking.
Sissi (Places to Go Ottawa's founder) and I got together to enjoy a girls night, and right as we entered the place, we felt right at home.
What stood out immediately to us was the massive colourful wine shelf behind the reception that doubles as a an art piece. Both shelved and chilled bottles are decorated with handwritten tags highlighting the flavour profiles of each wine. Mainly from France and Italy, all the wines in display are available to be consumed on-site, or taken home to enjoy.
This eye-catching wall shows how much Linden Pizza cares about the details in this place.
Cocktails with a twist
Our table was next to the bar, which was just as busy as the tables surrounding us. Linden Pizza's Beverage Director, Camille Hopper-Naud, was stationed behind it, shaking up cocktails for a group. She's also the restaurant's Front of House Lead, which meant she doubled as our server for the evening. First impression? She is so cool.
Camille provided us with a ton of information right off the bat about the rotating cocktails on the menu, which she intentionally crafts with the team. She also gave us recommendations for what Sissi and I may like based on our conversation with her. I opted for Pegasus Buck and Sissi decided to be adventurous with the spicy Queen Bee.
The cocktail game in Ottawa is not strong, so we were gladly impressed when we took the first sips of our recommended drinks. The flavour-to-alcohol ratio was balanced making each sip an enjoyable experience.
Experimental appetizers
With our first cocktails, we also ordered apps, and with a refined menu this meant we wanted to make the right decision. Camille was incredibly helpful with providing recommendations, since it was hard for us to decide. We ended up going with Gamberi, which was wild-caught pickled shrimp with garlic and lemon, and the Chicory Caesar salad.
I have to be totally honest: I've never really eaten shrimp before. It has always intimidated me, but the gamberi looked delicious. With guidance on avoiding the tail from Sissi (thanks!), I had my first few bites of shrimp, and... it was phenomenal. The balance of lemon and garlic was superb. The shrimp was marinated thoroughly with it and the flavours were just incredible. It was tender and chewy and has honestly changed my perspective on ordering shrimp in the future, though Linden Pizza set the bar quite high for future places.
The Chicory Caesar salad was unique. We actually had the chance to speak with Linden Pizza's owner, Tracey Clark, who told us about their decision to skew from the norm of caesar salads. She mentioned how, typically, everyone has already established the flavours they are expecting from their favourite caesar salad, whether it's made by a parent, served at a certain restaurant, or made by themselves. So, the standard is automatically set for caesar salads in particular, which, to Tracey, meant they wanted to deviate from the normal.
And with the Chicory Caesar salad, they did absolutely that. This salad was different and introduced me to a range of new flavours I had not tried before. I particularly enjoyed the radishes; the anchovy dressing blended beautifully with it.
We were also served snap peas with pesto and parmesan, which were a highlight of the night for me. These were an evening special, so they aren't on the menu, but if you ever get the chance to try them, I highly recommend it.
What's a cocotte?
You would think that we would dive into our pizzas after the starters, but we actually needed to try a standout menu item: cocottes. Specifically, we ordered the Morels e Manzo cocotte, which features garlic scape butter stuffed morel mushrooms laid on a bed of charred cabbage and topped with thinly sliced carpaccio. Sprinkled on top of that? Fresh parmigiano.
The dish was served to us in a mini cast iron, with the ribbons of beef slowly cooking with the remaining heat on the skillet. This looked like it came straight out of a fine-dining magazine. The first bite was immaculate and the beef just melted in our mouths. The stuffed morel mushrooms were delicious as well—the garlic scape butter is what stood out for me. It was creamy, flavourful, and quite frankly addictive.
Camille suggested we paired it with some Willa Lambrusco, and the fruity notes of the wine made for a delicious complement to the mushrooms.
Dishes made with love and intention
Like I always say, the shorter the menu, the more likely I am to enjoy a restaurant because of its intentional dishes, and Linden Pizza was no exception to this rule.
We also spoke with Linden Pizza's Head Chef, Mackenzie (Mack) Coombes. He's actually a former chef at the Opera House in Australia and he's French classically trained, which was not surprising considering how good our meal was up to this point.
When we were trying to decide which pizza to order, he emphasized his love for the Valentina, a classic red pizza with its Linden-exclusive half-beef, half-pork la cultura pepperoni, fior di latte, mozzarella, hot honey, and basil.
"The Valentina is named after my girlfriend," Mack told us. "It's never leaving the menu."
With that, we ordered the Valentina. The sauce and pepperoni stood out to us, both were fresh and flavourful.
And, of course, we ordered the Linden. Named after the space itself, the Linden is a white and green pizza featuring roasted leeks and garlic confit, fennel sausage, chervil, and gruyere.
The Linden was my first white-sauce pizza ever. It was equally as delicious as the Valentina and I can see why it's named after the restaurant. The combination of roasted leeks and fennel sausage was to die for. The Linden was almost addictive and I would highly recommend it. It's innovative and I can guarantee you haven't tried something like it before.
They also make three in-house sauces: hot honey, garlic, and a Calabrian chili oil. We, of course, ordered all three.
I couldn't stop dipping my slices into the hot honey and garlic sauce (which pairs perfectly with the Linden)! They were both so decadent and tasty. I gave the chili oil a try as well, and while I enjoyed the flavour, I'm not a fan of spicy, so I stuck to the other two.
The perfect gourmet pizza crust!
I was mostly looking forward to trying out the crusts, because Tracey had told us about how hard she, Mackenzie, and Camille worked on perfecting the recipe.
Their goal was to create something that would stand on its own as delicious and unique, and ended up developing a triple-fermented, 80% biga crust. And with my first bite of the Valentina... oh my God. I had no clue that I was looking for it, but I'm not kidding when I say I think we found the perfect gourmet crust.
The crust was crisp but still chewy, and felt really light. In fact, Mack informed us that gluten intolerant people can eat their pizza because of this customized crust recipe. So, if you're searching for gluten-free pizza in Ottawa, you might want to check out Linden Pizza.
Nightcap
As if the starters, cocotte, and pizzas weren't enough, we knew we had to try one last thing: dessert. Linden Pizza's dessert menu is incredibly refined, holding only two options, being either Chocolate Tiramisu or Rhubarb Panna Cotta. Sissi and I are both chocolate lovers, so we, of course, chose the tiramisu.
Along with the tiramisu, we ordered the Amaro + Milk nightcap, which is amaro meletti, steamed oat milk, and honey, topped with semi-sweet chocolate.
Like their crust and the caesar salad, Tracey told us they wanted to set their tiramisu apart from tradition. To do that, instead of using ladyfingers as the base, they instead use a house-made chocolate sponge cake.
This tiramisu was the best I've ever had, and that's no exaggeration. It was highly rich, flavourful, and I simply couldn't stop eating it. It paired nicely with the nightcaps, which were more on the bitter side.
The Amaro + Milk was fragrant and tasted unlike anything else I've had before. I don't typically have a drink with my dessert, so this was a really nice treat.
No reso? No problem
While we were chatting and chowing down on our pizzas, I couldn't help but notice just how many boxes of pizza were being passed up to the front of the restaurant throughout the night.
Though Linden Pizza's got a small dining space, they do offer takeout, and have the cutest branded boxes. I know that I will be ordering in at some point if I'm ever struggling to book a reservation!
Final thoughts
After trying a good chunk of their menu and speaking to the people behind Linden Pizza, I cannot recommend this place enough.
The team at Linden Pizza is really wonderful and it's not hard to tell they deeply care for the project. Mack's passion for coming up with new and innovative dishes has helped them nearly reach zero food-waste, which is something we're so happy to highlight. Prior to opening Linden Pizza, Tracey had been making pizzas for her family for over 20 years, so she said this felt very natural for her. Camille is a well-known mixologist in Ottawa, so she's constantly coming up with new cocktails and wine pairings to complement Mack and Tracey's creations. It's safe to say they're running a well-oiled machine, especially with the supporting kitchen and serving staff.
Overall, if you're looking for a gourmet pizza experience in Ottawa, Linden is the place to go. It's high class without being intimidating. The starters and cocottes are deliciously unique. The pizza crust alone is worth it, but if you need a recommendation for pizza: the Linden and Valentina are a must. Oh, and no matter how full you are, do not skip dessert.
Which dish would you try first: the Valentina, the Linden, or that dreamy tiramisu? Tell us in the comments!
That tiramisu looks INCREDIBLEEE
I love the Valentina, specially because was inspired by my beautiful daughter! I love the place and the people. Great food and amazing experience