Prohibition Public House ★9.1

A Centretown gastropub that lets the bar run the evening

Prohibition Public House opened in 2016 and has spent the years since proving that a bar can carry a serious kitchen. The frame is a New York gastropub filtered through the bootlegger decade, and the cooking is modern Canadian, sourced from farms around the National Capital region rather than a distributor’s catalogue.

The Concept · The Story

The place is run by managing partners Matt Loudon, Steve Halucha and Gregg McCabe, with executive head chef Alex Pruner leading a brigade the menu prints by name — unusual credit for a room this casual. Suppliers get the same treatment: Mariposa Farms, Trillium Meadows, Heart City Farms and the Ottawa Farmers Market are listed on the card itself. The taps follow the same logic, running almost entirely on Ontario breweries, and the house pilsner carries the Prohibition name.

What to Order

Open with the striploin tartare — Canadian AAA, lemon aioli, puffed pappadam, grated Louis d’or — or the shrimp ceviche with leche de tigre and cancha corn. Blueberry-cured salmon on house sourdough and smoked brisket arancini with hot honey punch above appetizer weight. Among mains, the 72-hour smoked beef brisket and the glazed confit duck leg with leek and potato pavé are worth arguing over, while the red wattle and venison burger is the bar-side standard. Vegetarians are not an afterthought: harissa hummus, fried polenta, mushroom tacos, rigatoni with a vegan build. Weekend brunch keeps the theme with the Bootlegger Breakfast, the Prohibition Benny and a brunch-cuterie Caesar.

The Space

Wood-panelled rooms, vintage detail and light set for conversation instead of photographs. Upstairs sits The Parlour, an event floor with screen and audio that holds about a hundred standing; the Gangster Room seats eight to ten around a single table — roughly the right size for a conspiracy. Friday and Saturday the room runs into the small hours, rare enough in this part of Ottawa to decide who ends up here after a show.

Good to Know

Do they take reservations? Yes, online; parties of eight or more are held with a credit card, and larger groups are arranged by email.

Is there a happy hour? Yes, early on weekday evenings — an after-work slot rather than a late-night one.

Can it host a private event? Yes: The Parlour seats sixty-five or holds a hundred standing, the dining room takes about two dozen, and the Gangster Room is built for under ten.

Is brunch worth planning around? It runs both weekend days, with bottomless mimosas and its own menu.

Is there much for vegetarians? Yes — several appetizers and a main are marked vegetarian or vegan, with gluten-free swaps noted on the card.

Opening hours