Best Restaurants in Aylmer

Aylmer is the quietest of Gatineau's three sectors — a heritage town fused into the city in 2002, with Old Aylmer (Vieux-Aylmer) stretched along Rue Principale to the Aylmer Marina at the west end. About 20 minutes from downtown Ottawa via the Champlain Bridge, it's overlooked by people who default to Hull or stay on the Ontario side. But there's a small, sharp dining scene here — a chef-driven fine dining restaurant that ranks among the region's best, a heritage-house crêperie, and an iconic family restaurant that has been feeding Aylmer for decades.

Fine Dining

Restaurant Antonyme — Aylmer's Top-Rated Restaurant

Restaurant Antonyme is consistently cited as Aylmer's #1 restaurant. Chef Marc-André Camaraire runs a chef-driven kitchen that blends contemporary Canadian with French and Spanish influences, holding a Restaurant Guru rating of 4.7 across 1,400+ reviews. The format is intentionally rotational — small plates change every two months, and the chef's tasting menu (with wine pairings) is refreshed every three weeks. Bison Tartare, Duck Breast, and house-cured charcuterie are recurring highlights. Service is high-touch with a dedicated mixologist, and the room is intimate enough to be a date-night fixture.

Address: 150 Rue Principale (Old Aylmer)

Brunch & Sweet

Beurre Salé — French Crêperie in a Heritage House

Beurre Salé Crêperie et Boutique is set in an old Aylmer heritage house on Rue Principale, just steps from the Aylmer Marina. The kitchen specializes in buckwheat galettes — savoury crepes done the proper Brittany way — including the signature smoked salmon. Sweet dessert crepes and waffles round out the menu (the caramelized apple waffles are a local favourite). A small attached boutique sells French gourmet products. Google 4.7 (404 reviews).

Address: 31 Rue Principale

Iconic Local

Restaurant Dinty's — An Aylmer Institution

Restaurant Dinty's on Chemin d'Aylmer has been a family-owned Aylmer institution for decades — a Greek + Canadian diner that locals plan their week around. The Greek side delivers souvlaki, gyros, and pita; the Canadian side delivers fish & chips, the Banquet Burger, and the famous Dinty's Special Pizza. Open 7am–9pm every single day. With over 1,400 Google reviews and a 4.3 rating, the volume tells you what kind of place it is.

Address: 620 Chemin d'Aylmer

Quick Comparison

Crossing to Aylmer — Practical Tips

• Bridge: Champlain Bridge is the direct route from downtown Ottawa (~20 min). Portage and Macdonald-Cartier work but route through Hull first.
• Old Aylmer parking: Street parking on Rue Principale is metered. Lots near the Marina at the west end.
• Walking the strip: Antonyme and Beurre Salé are both on Rue Principale within a few blocks. You can stack a meal + dessert by walking.
• Marina visit: The Aylmer Marina at the west end of Rue Principale is worth the walk down after dinner. Lac Deschênes (the wide Ottawa River) views.
• Currency & tax: Quebec uses CAD same as Ontario. Sales tax is GST + QST (slightly higher than Ontario).
• Language: Service is bilingual at all three restaurants — French is the working language but staff switch to English seamlessly.

Why Cross to Aylmer

It's the most overlooked of Gatineau's three sectors but has its own quiet identity — a 200-year-old heritage strip, the only marina in the National Capital Region, and a dining scene with a genuine Tier 1 fine-dining anchor (Antonyme) that punches well above what its small-town setting suggests. For a date night without ByWard Market crowds or a Sunday brunch with character, the 20-minute drive earns its keep.