Duna Bistro

The food at Duna Bistro is amazing! There is nothing on the menu not worth trying. A hidden gem in Ottawa's west end.

Came here after a long day on site with a customer and really enjoyed the food. Hearty Austrian/German style fare with very large portions. Unfortunate that they are not licensed, but the quality of the food (especially the spätzle) more than made up for it.

The food here is amazing. It really feels like a hidden gem as they are in a strip mall. The atmosphere was very much a European restaurant and the decor was very classy. Great for a date night or celebrating with family.

The portions are huge. We both shared 6 perogies as an appetizer and ordered our own entrees. We both only ate half the entree and took home basically another meal. The food in some ways seem so simple but taste unlike anything I've eaten with an the flavourings balancing. The best mashed potatoes I've ever had (I don't know how to even describe why they are so good). Highly recommended!

This place was amazing! Hands down the best dining experience I have ever had! The music was amazing and the food was divine! The schnitzel is quite large but it is pounded out thin so it is manageable but you should still be very hungry to enjoy everything thoroughly! The sides were amazing with the hot sauerkraut and cabbage salad oh and the jaeger sauce! Oh it was truly incredible! Leave room for desert unfortunately we didn’t and we sure missed out! Everything was so authentic it didn’t feel like we were in Ottawa! The music that played was a symphony that added so much to the experience! Service was slow but they were very short staffed and they were very apologetic about it! Hats off to the chefs who we could hear making the schnitzel in the kitchen and making the food so incredible! Also hats off to the one server in the dining room! She was amazing! Just so nice! We will definitely be going back!

Duna Bistro was was one of the best restaurants my husband and I have been to in a very long time. The food was spectacular - I ordered the chicken paprikash with cucumber salad, and he got the schnitzel with sauerkraut salad (the portions were AMAZING). We also ordered the pierogis and pelmeni as appetizers, but unfortunately didn’t get pictures as they were eaten as soon as they hit the table. The dough on the pierogis was just like grandma used to make them, with the fresh dill bringing it all together. The atmosphere was exactly what you hope - classical music, beautiful art, and very comfortable chairs. Our server was so kind and attentive, and the chef came to check on each table to ensure they were enjoying your meals. You truly don’t get service like this in many places. I highly recommend this restaurant and is worth going out of your way to visit.

Visiting Ottawa, ON and were looking for a European place to dine-in. Duna Bistro came out to be an amazing option! The menu selection is not large, but very high quality and carefully crafted. We came with a kid and were warmly welcomed by the hostess, who attended to our requests immediately. The food was served within 15 minutes of placing the order and delivered nicely arranged on the plate. Size of the portions is very generous. Schnitzel and honey cake were beyond all praise. The atmosphere was as if we were at a restaurant with paintings on the walls, ambient music and chandeliers. The team is doing a fantastic job with exceptional level of customer service. We really enjoyed every second of the visit and will definitely be back once in Ottawa again.

We heard about this restaurant 5 weeks ago and have been twice since. The food is absolutely delicious, huge portions and fresh. The restaurant isn't very big so I recommend making a reservation. It's expensive but so worth it!

Duna is one of my top 5 favourite Ottawa restaurants.

I keep telling myself that some day I’ll order something other than the schnitzel and spatzle for the main course, but it’s just SO GOOD.

Our first visit was pre-Covid, and the interior of this place is absolutely stunning. A little bit of luxury tucked away in an unsuspecting strip mall in Bells Corners.

We’ve dined in, dined on the pandemic-friendly patio, and had takeout multiple times. Every single time the food has been A+ quality, the service has been warm and friendly, and the portions are generous enough that we get to enjoy the meal for lunch the next day as well. There isn’t a single item on the menu that we have tried and didn’t enjoy thoroughly.

I can’t recommend this restaurant to enough people, and have never had anyone NOT thank me for it later:) Enjoy!

Edited to add: Definitely #1 of my top 5 restaurants. It gets better every single time we visit. Every single food and drink item is just perfectly done. Absolutely delicious.

Wow. Duma Bistro brings back memories of the best meals we had in Eastern Europe while living there. The goulash melted in your mouth with a nice paprika kick. The huge schnitzel was well pounded and tender and the jaeger sauce made it perfect. The spaetzle with cheese and sausage was a fabulous mixture. The beef rouladen was very flavorful and cooked to perfection. All these came with delicious sides of red cabbage, potato salad or cucumber salad. Many thanks to Chef Paul Simon who came out to thank us at the end of our meal. Duma Bistro created new memories for us that we hope to recreate again.

Food is excellent but portions are too large. No alcohol but has unusual sodas that are tasty. $$$

First time at Duna Bistro and I was pleasantly surprised. Waitress was polite friendly and prompt. I ordered the chicken paprikash and cucumber salad for dinner. Wow it was so good and thankfully I had only one plate or else I would not stop eating. I highly recommend this Duna Bistro if you like Hungarian food.

This was such a pleasant surprise. I took my
Mom out here and she had the goulash and I had the schnitzel. It was so good. The schnitzel was so crisp, thin, and full of flavour. We also got a cake on the house since they confused our order, which was a really nice touch on the customer service. It was the honey cake and it was divine.

We visited Duna Bistro following a recommendation from Ottawa's "Strip Mall Guy", who was impressed by the food.
We chose both a Vienna style Schnitzel, even if we already knew that it's not veal, like the Austrian original, but instead pork, as it's often served in Germany and Eastern Europe.
The sides - potato salad and cucumber salad - were at its finest; however, they unfortunately played size wise a very minor role. But that's a North American thing: meat calls the tune.
The Schnitzel was enormous and can only be described as Texas Size. My recommendation: share it because it's enough for two or even three, and it tastes best when it's fresh. The chef used the meat to do a great workout by beating it. Let's say: thin like ten sheets of paper, comme Il faut.
Since the sides are underrated because they are excellent: order extra sides, unless you like homeopathic doses.

The wiener schnitzel and the beef stew were both delicious. High quality authentic Hungarian food in Ottawa and super friendly staff. I can’t recommend it enough.

Checked this place out for a weekend dinner on the recommendation of a friend. 100% worth it. I did feel a bit under-dressed, and should have probably worn something nicer than a t-shirt.

Food was outstanding. Our group ordered a couple of schnitzels, perogies, and chicken paprikash. All were great!

Schnitzel is pounded by hand, to order - which is clear because you can hear it from the kitchen (in a good way - the noise isn't obtrusive at all), and almost flawlessly executed. Probably the best I've had. Those were accompanied by a side of spätzle (other choices were available too) - smaller than you might expect, but plenty big when served alongside a sombrero-sized sheet of breaded meat. This was dressed with caramelized onions and browned butter, and was quite delicious.

Perogies were commensurate with what I came to expect living in Ukranian dominated communities on the Prairies, and better than I've been able to find anywhere in Ottawa until now.

Paprikash was next level. Perfectly done, with a rich, well-spiced, slightly tangy sauce, clinging to the spätzle, and topped with two tender BONE-IN braised chicken thighs. Textbook example of the dish, and not sure if it could really be improved upon.

Other accompaniments were naturally fermented pickles, braised red cabbage and cucumber salad, and I don't have anything bad to say about any of them.

Service was polite, but a bit curt, and they seemed understaffed for the number of tables. Still pleasant, and adequately attentive though. Maybe a bit better experience if you have a reservation, though they weren't full, and were able to seat us right away.

. And let's be honest, even had they been prodding me with a stick and calling me rude names while I ate (they weren't!) - with the quality of the food here, I'd still have gladly paid the price for the meal, and it would still be a five-star place.

If you want solid Central European food in Ottawa, you need to try Duna. You won't be disappointed.

This was our second time here. The food is always delicious, and the portions are generous. If there is a particular dish you have your heart set on, I would call ahead to make sure they have it to avoid disappointment. They tend to sell out of some items because they're busy. Also note, they do not serve alcohol, but do carry a non-alcoholic beer.

Amazing food and warm courteous service.
Best Wiener schnitzel in Ottawa. Massive portions!
Freshly prepared European classic dishes taste like home cooked comfort food.

Shocked at the difference between what I had read on reviews and what I experienced. Located in a sad, shabby little strip mall with a XXX store adjacent, near a garish McDonald's. Carpet had been ripped out, leaving us to walk on super-sticky, gunky rubber under-mat that stuck to our shoes. Uber-tacky prints of Alpine folk-art in cheap frames on walls. Virtually no customers at 7pm on a Thursday in summer. The food? $130 for two pieces of schnitzel, some pickles, a tiny bowl of cucumber salad, and a tiny bowl of quite bland spatzle oozing some sort of weird clear oil. That's $130 (for two people) with no booze (ooops, didn't mention that it is a dry restaurant on the website). Food arrived within 3-4 minutes of ordering - miraculous, almost like it was pre-prepared and heated up for us. I imagine the "chef" in the kitchen scooping the chilled spatzle out of a re-used Sealtest tub, slopping it a bowl, and hitting "popcorn" on the microwave. Father-in-law had to dash to bathroom near end of meal (he had had "Rouladen"), and is currently nursing on sofa with Immodium. I have not exaggerated one iota on any detail in this review. I invite you to reach your own conclusions about the nature of this establishment.

I've ordered takeout from here several times and the food is always absolutely top notch. The best Schnitzel I've ever had, and the spätzle is to die for. The portion sizes are very generous.

I can't recommend this place enough

Very nice place, fantastic giant delicious schnitzel, the only issue is they don't serve alcohol.

For a large group, they were very accommodating. Generous portions of freshly made food. Try the cake when you go!

Best hidden gem in Ottawa by far. We have become regulars as the food is always better than the last time, service is friendly and the owner always makes time to come out to see how your experience was. I'd recommend for sure!

Came from Australia to share a celebratory meal with family. All agreed the food was great and the service excellent and very friendly. The cucumber salad, just the way Mum used to make, and the Honey Cake, melt in the mouth delicious. It’s a long way from Sydney Australia to Ottawa, but a meal here was a bonus to our visit.

10/10, Will come again. Upon entry I was immediately blown by the atmosphere. Feels like a traditional, high class Eastern European restaurant. Service is immaculate. Food brought back childhood memories. Oh and the most important thing - the portions are enormous! Very Very large portions. The waitress is super attentive and it feels like she can read your mind - the experience shows through and through. Excellent job all around!

The pork Wiernn Schnitzel at Duna was delicious - the best I have had in Ottawa. On our first visit my friend had the beef roulade dish which was equally tasty. I returned on June 9 to try the beef Goulash with spaetzle with a side of saeurkraut. Tender chunks of beef in a paprika sauce. So good I forgot to take a picture! My dinner companions enjoyed the Schnitzel with Jaeger (hunter) mushroom sauce. After the meal we chatted with the chef and owner. The restaurant had one waitress so don't eat here if you're in a rush. There is no alcohol license yet. Reservations are recommended but difficult to make as restaurant open in late afternoon and busy / limited staff don't pick up the phone. The chandeliers and Viennese waltz music gave the restaurant added to the ambience of our dining experience.

My husband and I went for our anniversary dinner and this is such a gem. They really understand what customer service is all about. The schnitzel was amazing and the spaetzel is the best I have ever eaten. It is also very novel that the music that was played suited the decor and food. No canned Sirius music. We will be back. Than you for an enjoyable evening.