Follow my food blog on Instagram for restaurant reviews: @mimi.munches! 💖 I've always wanted to go to Dreamland for the longest time after seeing delicious pasta photos everywhere, and finally got the chance to go recently! . Firstly, their interiors are SO cozy and decorated beautifully. I recommend making a reservation, and I'm looking forward to dining on their outdoor patio this summer! . To start, we both got their house sodas - I tried the Cherry-Lime, and my friend got the Raspberry-Lemon. Both were so pretty in colour and very photogenic, plus had a strong fruit flavour which went really well with the rich pasta dishes. . We decided to share an appetizer, their "Just Meatballs" ($12), which had 3 of Nonna's famous meatballs doused in tomato sauce and parmesan, served with garlic bread. This was a great starter, although it IS a lot of meat! Next time, I'd love to try the meatball sub. . As for the pastas, I chose the Carbonara ($20): with creamy egg & parmesan sauce with crispy strips of guanciale. Topped with lots of parmesan. This was SO indulgent, and exactly what I wanted! Can't go wrong. The pasta (spaghetti) was cooked perfectly and had lots of flavour. . My friend got the Puttanesca ($19), which I liked more than the Carbonara. Why? It had smashed cherry tomatoes, roasted red pepper purée, habanero peppers, sautéed onions, green olives, pesto, & crispy capers. The pasta is Rigatoni, which is great as it can hold a lot of sauce! They recommend a sausage add on, which was chosen - definitely recommend for additional flavour! . 📍Location: 262 Preston Street, Ottawa, ON K1R 7R5 (Little Italy)

This is the sweetest little cafe, which serves topnotch pasta, a caesar salad that my teenaged son begs for, and a tiramisu that has no rival! The owners have created a gorgeous, instagram-worthy space and kept going when so many others crumbled during COVID. I can't say enough good about this lovely little gem in the midst of Little Italy. Check it out!

Food was better than I expected but still lacking. The gnocchi was fine but there was nothing special about it. The simplicity of pasta dishes should allow for the quality of the ingredients to stand out, but I didn't feel that here. The Brussels sprouts had potential, however there was way too much sauce and it ended up making everything overly salty and sour. I thoroughly enjoyed the smashed potatoes; they were seasoned very well and I can highly recommend those. Avoid the tiramisu at ALL costs; it's like a train wreck that you can't look away from. It's practically 70% mascarpone cream with the thinnest layer of coffee-soaked ladyfingers that you can imagine. I've never had a salty tiramisu before but this was a one-of-a kind horrific experience. The bread pudding was the opposite; overly sweet and almost slimy in texture. For the price; pass on this. Buy some pasta and sauce from a nearby Italian market (you're in the neighbourhood, anyway!) and you'll likely end up with a better result.

Awesome selection of wine. Food was okay. They were out of spaghetti so got fettuccine. Nice they make the pasta in house but rolled a little thick I think. Potions were alright maybe on the small side of you don’t upgrade to the large(or have protein) or don’t get an appetizer. Got the Parmesan salad which was good, soggily too acid but went well with the garlic bread (that was tasty). All in all cozy spot for garlic bread and good wine.

Dreamland is consistently fantastic. Every time I go I'm impressed with the food. I recommend this place All. The. Time. They have a fantastic and reasonablly priced wine selection and even their mocktails are great. Make a reservation cause they fill up quick.

Still dreaming about that garlic bread! Food was very good, would definitely recommend for date night or with some friends but the place is pretty small so you probably need a reservation or some luck!

If you’re craving some delicious pasta, DreamLand has to be your next spot to eat! The pasta options are phenomenal (definitely recommend the creamy pesto), the drinks are fun and tasty, and the overall menu plus atmosphere is just perfect!

This is my second time ordering from Dreamland and it is SO GOOD. It is pricey, but worth every penny. I ordered the puttanesca with meatballs and ricotta red pepper. They were both so delicious. The puttanesca was slightly spicy, but it was the perfect amount of spice. Dreamland is probably the best restaurant to order pasta from in Ottawa, would definitely return!

DreamLand Café is honestly the best place to eat in Ottawa if you’re craving Italian food, or just food in general. Everything from their appetizers to their dessert menu is full of flavour and never disappoints. We went to DreamLand last night as we were fasting, and the staff was extremely accommodating. Our reservation was set for later, but Natasha took our order ahead of time so that the kitchen can start cooking while we awaited our seating. Our server Kamisha was super cool and friendly too! I was really impressed with the way everything was handled and will definitely be going again. Thank you Natasha and Kamisha for an amazing night!

Service was great. I had the spaghetti and it was the best I have ever had. I will say that the restaurant is very small so it is definitely worth booking in advance. If you are a fan of pasta this is a must try in Ottawa and well with the trip across town for us. I was very impressed and won’t soon forget about the dinner I had here.

Had a wonderful visit here! It’s a very small spot, so make a reservation beforehand as things filled up quickly. The gnocchi was really scrumptious and they had great cider too. Lots of vegetarian/vegan options. Shoutout to Dani, who was our awesome server! Will absolutely be coming back here again.

This little restaurant was such a pleasant surprise! The decor was lovely and welcoming, loved the atmosphere and the service. The food though... Absolutely mind blowing. Everything was insanely delicious, and it's all made fresh in house. What an experience, I highly recommend the truffle and mushroom mac and cheese!

Absolutely wonderful dinner, the staff were very attentive and made sure my partners birthday was wonderful. Meal came out very quickly and was delicious. This place has comfort meal down in our household with the Mac n cheeses with all the different choices. The truffle one being our favorite thus far. Wine selection was amazing and not your everyday they bought a box of 50 bottles of the same kind. Desert was good, nothing to scream home about and it was better then normal restaurant quality desert. Easily in my top 5 of choices for date night pasta in Ottawa. Make sure you get a reservation

Good food, the pasta seems to be home-made but the portions are quite small. This a place where you come because you have a craving for pasta, not for a full dinner, it is not expensive in itself but it's expensive for what you get. The entire menu is basically pasta.

Very cute cafe and patio! It gets pretty busy during dinner so I would recommend booking in advance. When the food came out, the portions looked small but I was surprised by how filling it was! I ordered the red pepper pasta, meatballs, and garlic bread and was very pleased. Customer service was great, too.

The food and drinks were delicious! The lemon ginger iced tea was refreshing and well balanced, and the raspberry Italian soda had an amazingly intense raspberry flavour. The portion size for the French onion mac was very filling and it was nice having a taste of the garlic bread on top. The gnocchi texture was nice and pillowy and was served with a good amount of sauce. This was my second time here and I'll be returning for the tasty food, cozy ambiance, and attentive friendly service.

Beautiful, cozy place with one of the best food I have ever had. Delicious food and drinks. Great service. Glad to have discovered it. PS: Must try their mac mushroom truffle.

By far, the best pasta I’ve ever had. Ordered their Classic Mac n Cheese, and it was incredible. My girlfriend ordered their Rose pasta as a safe bet, and enjoyed it, but wish she tried something else after trying my dish. Our desert was great, and their house lemonade was good too. The only disappointing thing about this restaurant is it’s a five hour drive from home.

Awesome experience!! The restaurant is so cute and cozy. It’s candlelit and has a nice atmosphere. I love the ravioli shaped tables. The service was great. Everything we tried was incredible, our favourite ended up being the machta tiramisu for dessert. This is an awesome spot for a girls dinner or even a romantic date.

The food was excellent and the atmosphere was really cute, especially on the patio in the evening. Service was great too, we were seated promptly and our server was really attentive. I got the puttanesca pasta, and I could eat the sauce straight it was so good. The garlic bread was also great, really buttery and garlicky.

Visited Ottawa from Toronto with some family and decided to have dinner here on our first night. The place itself is pretty small, but they do have some outdoor seating. All the servers were very nice and helpful. There was a bit of a wait when we got there and they handed us some menus to look over while they arranged our table. We ordered the brussels sprouts and cheesy garlic bread to start. The brussels were tender and were coated in a delicious dressing that had a hint of freshness to it. Cheesy garlic bread was a hit because you cant really go wrong with bread and cheese. It was a bit pricey for only 4 slices but it was honestly so good that we even ordered a second round. I highly recommend the creamy pesto pasta and rose all day. Pasta was cooked perfectly and each sauce was flavourful. We also ordered cocktails but unfortunately we weren't a big fan of any of them so I would just stick to this place for the food!

The cutest dinner date spot! Girlfriend and I came here on a Friday night and they still had tables for 2. We tried the espresso martini, which was more like a latte?? It was creamy, pretty sweet, and not much alcohol. The pinot grigio was normal. Their caesar salad is one of the best I’ve had in Ottawa. It had the right amount of tartness, crunch, and dressing. For our mains, we tried the cacio e pepe and green eggs and ham. Would recommend both. Food took about 25 minutes to come.

If you haven’t tried the smelts and the butter beans, you MUST! I wish I had taken pics, but honestly they were devoured before I could think of it. Love the staff—front and back. They always make us feel welcome and at home. As always, this little gem of a restaurant didn’t disappoint.

The pesto linguini is delicious! I loved the sauce. I'm giving it 4 stars because the quantity isn't a lot for the price. You'd need to order additional protein and garlic bread on top of the pasta if you'd like to be full (like my friend's dish in the photo). I had to eat something afterwards... We sat outside as it was a summer night so I didn't go inside the restaurant... But from what I saw it looked nice.

Best night out with friends and family I’ve had in a long time! The food here was absolutely incredible- I had the Shrimply the Best pasta (gluten free) and agree it holds true to its name. Staff was friendly, service was quick, and drinks were phenomenal!