pasticceria gelateria

always a favourite.. when i go to ottawa this place is my favourite to get desserts, in particular macarons. they've gone up in price, but before it was $1.25 a piece. the flavours are good and i like the texture of their macarons - it's soft, chewy, and the cookie doesn't flake and break all over the place. my faves are pistachio, chocolate, white chocolate raspberry. :)

this is the sweet retreat in little italy (ottawa). delicious desserts and coffee, the master baker and owner of pg is joe calabro- an award winning pastry chef. he’s competed, won awards, and represented canada all over the world, including at the world culinary olympics in frankfurt (1992), the world banqueting competition in ireland (1995), the culinary olympics in berlin (1996) and most recently, season 1 of cake walk on slice tv.
the gelato is delicious and flavorful! meals are tasty, with my favorite being the soups and the aracini riso (italian rice balls). don’t forget to take home a box of cannoli...the best!

best cannoli in ottawa. it's piped fresh, after you order, which means the filling is cool, smooth, and the biscuit isn't soggy. it's a nice light treat that isn't too sweet.

food:
i had settled on the lunch combo, which consisted of a piece of chicken parmigiana, and a tomato/lettuce/bocconcini salad. i also decided to order an arrancini ball (rice ball) on the side, along with a bottled water. the meal looked delicious on my plate however, it didn't taste as good as it looked. when i had placed my order, the young woman behind the counter had taken the chicken parmigiana from the display case in the front, then placed it on a plate and heated it up in the microwave. she then took the tomato/lettuce/bocconcini salad from the display case and placed it in a bowl, then asking which dressing i would prefer (i chose the italian dressing). she also took the arrancini ball and placed it in the microwave.

once i had received my food, i was happy to start eating as i was hungry. the chicken parmigiana was quite large however, when i bit into it, i noticed that it was not fully warm on the inside, and the bottom of it tasted like rubber. also, the tomato/lettuce/bocconcini salad was bland, even with the dressing on it; it tasted as though it had been sitting there for quite some time. the most disappointing part was the arrancini ball, which was given to me frozen. i couldn't even put my knife into it to cut it; that was when i brought it back up to the front to tell them that it was still frozen. another young woman then brought me another one which was piping hot and actually, quite delicious.

another thing that i found difficult to understand was that the arrancini ball wasn't even served with tomato sauce! (that is what it makes it taste so delicious) i then asked for some tomato sauce, and was given a bowl of tomato sauce that was cold. i was beyond frustrated, and decided to eat the arrancini ball with the cold tomato sauce. although the arrancini ball was delicious once it was given to me the second time, the other food was a huge disappointment.

atmosphere:
for 12:30 pm on a friday afternoon, there were a few people coming and going for the lunch counter, however, it seemed as though this café was known more for their desserts then for their lunch meals. their counters were lined with desserts, along with gelato, coffee machines, and other fixings. it didn’t seem fit to be serving lunch, which i believe was where they failed in comparison to their desserts (which i regretfully didn’t have a chance to try). the seating area where we were seated was small, and it was difficult to get comfortable as people were walking near our table. also, it was quite hot as the air conditioner didn’t seem to be working properly.

service:
the young woman whom took our order at the beginning and replaced my arrancini ball, along with bringing me a bowl of tomato sauce, seemed nice enough. she did apologize about the arrancini ball being frozen, which i thought was genuine of her. the other young woman whom prepared our meals was also nice enough however, i didn’t see her after she had prepared our meals and placed them on the trays near the cash register for us to take to our tables. there was nothing that any of these young women did that went above and beyond however, it was good enough for what needed to be done.

cost:
two lunch combos: $19.90 (total) + 1 arrancini (rice ball): $3.45 + 1 bottled water: $1.25 = $27.80 (taxes included)

would you return?
i would not return to this café for lunch. i was deeply disappointed with the food, especially when it came to the taste. i would not recommend anyone try this place for lunch however, possibly try their desserts (which is what i may
do next time).

preston highlight. when someone out of town asks where they should pass by in terms of food, these are one of the places i recommend (and which afterwards, they thank me over and over again for recommending). gelato is great, the pastries are wonderful, and best of all, they make cannoli ready to order. i've never tried their take out lunch but i was told by a friend it was great. i also love that they have coffee there as well.

top notch desserting.. excellent range of pastries and gelatos, plus some more standard savoury fare and caffeinated beverages. definitely worth stopping in. i was also very pleased by the helpful and knowledgeable staff, who took the time to direct me to the two items (our of probably fifty) that would be suitable for the gluten and dairy-sensitive mrs. jabberwocks. only downside is that it's a bit on the pricier end of the scale, but this is understandable given that i'm sure restaurants' monthly rent on preston these days is about $357 million dollars.

seriously overpriced coffee, but good.

outstanding quality. cannolis were amazing. gracias.

best treats. we frequent here to get a late night treat. huge selection at reasonable prices. i have started getting all my cakes for family dinners here. so far there have been no complaints.

friday for lunch in little italy , i visited pasticceria gelateria italiana  ( 200 preston street, ottawa ) which i originally thought was a mere bakery of wedding cakes and the odd sweet including gelato.  but i was sadly wrong, why had i not at least seen there was more? perhaps it was because the storefront itself is raised a little bit with a front veranda and thus making the front windows hard to see all the delightful goodness inside.  i heard there was more inside and decided to check it out in hopes of finding another lunch spot. i was warmly greeted from behind the counter by the staff inquiring if i knew what i wished to order.  i was a little too awestruck at the delectable site before me.  to my left was an expansive display case of regular gourmet cakes, cookies, and other sweets.  to my right were the day's pasta dishes for lunch plus a display case of various italian gelato's.  further down was a complete coffee bar for any italian coffee you could imagine.  of course th

awesome cannoli. they fill their cannoli on order, making for a very crisp and creamy contrast. it was a little pastry gem. their espresso-based beverages are also excellent.

love the place. old fashion cafe with awesome desserts.

best tarts ever!. i am in love with their chocolate raspberry custard tarts and the lemon meringue tarts. each time i go in there i find it hard to not buy 50 desserts - they all look so delicious. their cappucinos are also amazing.

established may 5, 1979, pasticceria gelateria italiana has become an institution. it was the first establishment in ottawa to serve european style coffee. it was the first to serve italian gelato (freshly made daily). it opens 7 days a week. it caters birthday parties, anniversaries, baptisms, bridal and baby showers, and weddings.

high standards make great desserts. i agree with terry-sam. the quality and authenticity impress me as much as the great taste. when we want something special for dessert, we go here. and have a coffee too! been going here for 16 years.