Restaurant

Tennessy Willems

Name: Tennessy Willems
Address: 1082 Wellington St. W, Ottawa, ON, K1Y 2Y4, CA
Telephone: (613) 722-0000
Price range: value

Pizza•Downtown•value

Tennessy Willems is one of the best pizza restaurants in Ottawa for cheap eats, especially if you want a strong option in Downtown.

Tennessy Willems is the kind of place that makes you wonder why more people don't just go build the thing they want.

Editorial review updated•Jul 28, 2026

Tennessy Willems is the kind of place that makes you wonder why more people don't just go build the thing they want. Lisa and Jochen Braun — the restaurant is named after their kids, which tells you something about the stakes they put on it — came back from a wood-fired pizzeria in New England and decided Ottawa's Wellington West needed the same conviction applied locally. The setup is a wood-fired oven, sourcing relationships with regional farmers, and a dining room built with salvaged wood planks reportedly milled from the old LeBreton Flats construction. That level of intentionality tends to show up in the food, and by all accounts it does here. The two pizzas that define what the kitchen is known for are the Elmdale and the Wild Boar. The Elmdale — fire-roasted tomato, spicy Italian salami, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella — is consistently cited as the most popular pizza on the menu, and the logic is straightforward: it's a well-balanced, well-seasoned pie on a thin crust that the wood-fired oven reportedly blisters just enough to give it character without losing structure. The Wild Boar, built around pesto, is what diners describe as the menu's more ambitious move — earthy, richer, and a strong case for the kitchen's technical range. For a price-one spot, the ambition on both is genuinely unusual. The room is small and reservations run tight, particularly Thursday through Saturday when demand consistently outpaces capacity. Walk-ins during peak hours are a real gamble. If you want a lower-friction experience, Monday through Wednesday around 4pm is the window most regulars seem to swear by. Start with the Elmdale — then come back for the Wild Boar.

Carlos Mendez, Food & Drink Editor

Methodology•Ottawa guides•Editorial team•Report outdated information

Cheap EatsPizza casual night takeout easygoingneighborhood

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Taste Score 7.6/10

Rating (Google) 9.0

1,021 reviews

Ottawa

At a glance

The fastest read on whether this place fits tonight.

7.6/10

Taste Score

Google 9.0 from 1,021 reviews

Best for

Cheap Eats and Pizza

Price and pace

Good value

Neighborhood

Downtown | 1082 Wellington St. W, Ottawa, ON K1Y 2Y4, Canada

Price

Good value

Taste Score

7.6/10

Phone

(613) 722-0000

Inside the restaurant

Photos of Tennessy Willems

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Tennessy Willems on video

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What to order

Signature dishes at Tennessy Willems

Elmdale

Wild Boar

Why go

What makes Tennessy Willems worth the move

Tennessy Willems is a strong pizza option in Downtown in Ottawa when you want somewhere that already has a solid public track record. Elmdale and Wild Boar also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.0 rating across 1,021 Google reviews.

What to know fast

Public rating

9.0 from 1,021 Google reviews

Best for

Cheap Eats and Pizza

Style

Pizza in Downtown

Spend

Good value

Best for

Cheap Eats Pizza casual night takeout easygoing neighborhood

Know before you go

Google rating: 9.0 from 1,021 reviews

Price point: value

Popular dishes: Elmdale, Wild Boar

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TastyPals Reviews

What diners are saying

0 diner reviews · reviewed by Carlos Mendez for Tennessy Willems

Google snapshot

9.0 from 1,021 reviews

TastyPals notes

Editorial review by Carlos Mendez

Vanier doesn't need Starbite Resto to be precious about anything, and from what research consistently turns up, it isn't.

Vanier local spotslunchtakeout

308 reviews

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Website Menu Rate

Plan the visit

Quick details

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Address: 1082 Wellington St. W, Ottawa, ON K1Y 2Y4, Canada
Phone: (613) 722-0000
Price: value
TastyPals score: 7.6/10
Google rating: 9.0 (1,021 reviews)
Cuisine: Pizza
Neighborhood: Downtown

Restaurants in Downtown

Frequently asked questions

What cuisine does Tennessy Willems serve?

Tennessy Willems is a Pizza restaurant located in Downtown, Ottawa. Tennessy Willems is the kind of place that makes you wonder why more people don't just go build the thing they want.

What is Tennessy Willems best for?

Tennessy Willems is best for cheap eats, pizza, casual night, takeout, easygoing, neighborhood. Tennessy Willems is a strong pizza option in Downtown in Ottawa when you want somewhere that already has a solid public track record. Elmdale and Wild Boar also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.0 rating across 1,021 Google reviews.

How much does it cost to eat at Tennessy Willems?

Tennessy Willems is in the Good value price range (value). Google rating: 9.0 from 1,021 reviews

What should I order at Tennessy Willems?

Start with Elmdale and Wild Boar. These dishes are shown from TastyPals notes or restaurant data on this page.

Is Tennessy Willems worth visiting?

Tennessy Willems holds a 9.0 Google rating from 1,021 reviews. Tennessy Willems is a strong pizza option in Downtown in Ottawa when you want somewhere that already has a solid public track record. Elmdale and Wild Boar also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.0 rating across 1,021 Google reviews.

Where is Tennessy Willems located?

Tennessy Willems is located at 1082 Wellington St. W, Ottawa, ON K1Y 2Y4, Canada. Directions are available via Google Maps.

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Restaurants in DowntownBrowse nearby places around Downtown.

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