Restaurant

Cafe Orient

Name: Cafe Orient
Address: 808 Somerset St W, Ottawa, ON, K1R 6R5, CA
Telephone: (613) 563-2422
Price range: value

Chinese•Chinatown•value

Cafe Orient is one of the best chinese restaurants in Ottawa for group dinner, especially if you want a strong option in Chinatown.

Thirty-plus years on the same stretch of Somerset is not a marketing story — it's a verdict.

Editorial review updated•Jul 28, 2026

Thirty-plus years on the same stretch of Somerset is not a marketing story — it's a verdict. Cafe Orient has been operating at 808 Somerset, which means it predates the Instagram era of Chinatown dining by a wide margin and has nothing to prove to it. What a cha chaan teng does — and what Cafe Orient specifically does, by every account of the place — is collapse the distance between a full Cantonese meal and a quick afternoon tea stop. It's the kind of room where a retired couple nurses Yin Yang at one table and a university student works through a bowl of congee at the next, and nobody finds that strange. Ottawa has very few spots that operate on that social grammar, and this one has been running it longer than most. The menu centers on the dishes that define the format. The Preserved Egg and Shredded Pork Congee is the kind of order that regulars and newcomers alike are directed toward — diners consistently describe it as a careful, balanced bowl, the century egg distributed through the porridge rather than used as a garnish. The Har Gow and Pork Shu Mai are reportedly steamed to order, the kind of dim sum that doesn't require a banquet hall context to make sense. The Baked Pork Chop Tomato Rice is a Hong Kong café canon entry that the kitchen is known for doing with conviction — sweet-savory sauce, chop and rice working as a single plate rather than two ideas on one dish. The Hong Kong Style Milk Tea is, by multiple accounts, brewed from leaves sourced directly from Hong Kong, and is widely cited as a differentiator from the bagged-tea approximations around town. Cafe Orient is closed Wednesdays. A weekday lunch is the reported move — the room runs at its own pace rather than managing a weekend queue. Order the milk tea early; diners treat it as the through-line of the meal. If you want the kitchen's clearest signal, the congee alongside a dim sum plate; if you want the full cha chaan teng experience on one plate, the baked pork chop rice. This is not a room for people in a hurry — the rhythm is the point.

Marcus Chen, Senior Restaurant Critic

Methodology•Ottawa guides•Editorial team•Report outdated information

Group DinnerCheap EatsChinatown comfort lunchbusycasual

Visit Website View Menu Get Directions

Taste ID

Rate this restaurant

Start with one score. Add details or a review when you want to help other diners.

Taste Score 7.6/10

Rating (Google) 8.8

659 reviews

Ottawa

At a glance

The fastest read on whether this place fits tonight.

7.6/10

Taste Score

Google 8.8 from 659 reviews

Best for

Group Dinner and casual

Price and pace

Good value

Neighborhood

Chinatown | 808 Somerset St W, Ottawa, ON K1R 6R5, Canada

Price

Good value

Taste Score

7.6/10

Phone

(613) 563-2422

Inside the restaurant

Photos of Cafe Orient

1 photo

Watch

Cafe Orient on video

Short: The Best Eats 613 (third-party feature) · plays on YouTube

Video: Raymond Chin Real Estate (third-party feature) · plays on YouTube

Short: FeedingJackie (third-party feature) · plays on YouTube

What to order

Signature dishes at Cafe Orient

Preserved Egg and Shredded Pork Congee

Har Gow (Shrimp Dumplings)

Pork Shu Mai

Baked Pork Chop Tomato Rice

Hong Kong Style Milk Tea

Why go

What makes Cafe Orient worth the move

Cafe Orient is a clean first click in Chinatown in Ottawa when you want a chinese option you can trust. Preserved Egg and Shredded Pork Congee and Har Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 8.8 rating across 659 Google reviews.

What to know fast

Public rating

8.8 from 659 Google reviews

Best for

Group Dinner and casual

Style

Chinese in Chinatown

Spend

Good value

Best for

Group Dinner Cheap Eats Chinatown comfort lunch busy casual

Know before you go

Google rating: 8.8 from 659 reviews

Price point: value

Popular dishes: Preserved Egg and Shredded Pork Congee, Har Gow (Shrimp Dumplings), Pork Shu Mai

Website linked on this page

TastyPals Reviews

What diners are saying

0 diner reviews · reviewed by Marcus Chen for Cafe Orient

Google snapshot

8.8 from 659 reviews

TastyPals notes

Editorial review by Marcus Chen

Sandy Hill doesn't ask much of you, and neither does NOX — but that's the whole point.

Casual dinnerlunchtakeout

292 reviews

Read restaurant page

Website Menu Rate

Plan the visit

Quick details

Visit Website Menu Directions

Address: 808 Somerset St W, Ottawa, ON K1R 6R5, Canada
Phone: (613) 563-2422
Price: value
TastyPals score: 7.6/10
Google rating: 8.8 (659 reviews)
Cuisine: Chinese
Neighborhood: Chinatown

Restaurants in Chinatown

Frequently asked questions

What cuisine does Cafe Orient serve?

Cafe Orient is a Chinese restaurant located in Chinatown, Ottawa. Thirty-plus years on the same stretch of Somerset is not a marketing story — it's a verdict.

What is Cafe Orient best for?

Cafe Orient is best for group dinner, cheap eats, chinatown comfort, lunch, busy, casual. Cafe Orient is a clean first click in Chinatown in Ottawa when you want a chinese option you can trust. Preserved Egg and Shredded Pork Congee and Har Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 8.8 rating across 659 Google reviews.

How much does it cost to eat at Cafe Orient?

Cafe Orient is in the Good value price range (value). Google rating: 8.8 from 659 reviews

What should I order at Cafe Orient?

Start with Preserved Egg and Shredded Pork Congee, Har Gow (Shrimp Dumplings), Pork Shu Mai and Baked Pork Chop Tomato Rice. These dishes are shown from TastyPals notes or restaurant data on this page.

Is Cafe Orient worth visiting?

Cafe Orient holds a 8.8 Google rating from 659 reviews. Cafe Orient is a clean first click in Chinatown in Ottawa when you want a chinese option you can trust. Preserved Egg and Shredded Pork Congee and Har Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 8.8 rating across 659 Google reviews.