Cafe Nostalgica

The food is medicore. The service is afwul sometimes you have to wait a long time to order.

Service is awful, food is overpriced and not good. I had a good Cobb salad there once. Don’t bother with breakfast, it’s bland if not unappetizing.

Food is alright but pricy. Service is hit or miss. They need more staff on busy nights.

This restaurant is incredibly overrated. I was served coffee in a blatantly dirty mug. I ordered breakfast and got sausage instead of bacon, and the toast wasn’t even buttered. The homefries were awful.
Overpriced, overrated, and overall disappointing.

I came by to check out an artists against repression art show with a silent auction. I had actually forgotten that this was a university place, but having attended classes here before I was quite comfortable getting on campus again. Nostalgica is located just off the intersection of Laurier and Cumberland and is easy to find. It is in a house like building with a large patio. Inside their was a good intellectual and civilized vibe. Many grads as well as students hang out here. Service was good and they have many healthy selections on the menu, some featuring organic or gluten free ingredients. On this particular night I was treated to live music including politically oriented rap, and folk music. I also enjoyed viewing the affordable art. It’s a fine place to hang out or take in whatever culture happens to be on tap.

A nice, small space owned by graduate students with charm.
I’ve eaten everything on their menu and everything is fantastic.

Nostalgica is the perfect, little place for anyone downtown but ESPECIALLY the Ottawa U student to go for a meal, drink, and/​or coffee. It’s in close proximity to everything DT related and will not break the bank.
The meal was good. Nothing on the menu is over $ 12.50 which is pretty student-​geared and great. I got the pesto burger which was delicious and juicy! The mushroom, roasted rest peppers, and onions got along famously together and were all perfectly cooked.
The Cajun spiced French fries were a bit over-​fried. Not all of them, but maybe half. I think everyone likes a crunchy outside and soft inside whereas these fries were all chalky crunch. The salad was nice and fresh but the dressing was quite bland, except for a hint of orange. You’re more than safe ordering coffee here; we just had to ask for milk.
The atmosphere is light and relaxed. This is both a strength and a weakness. It’s great to be in a calm environment and to not feel rushed but sometimes a little guidance is also appreciated.

It’s a very laid back place with lots of students but it would seem most of the patrons are older students. I think the younger ones head over to Hull (where you can bar hop a year earlier than you can on the Ontario side) or to one of the clubs in the Byward Market.
I was here on Canada Day and had a great time with friends. They had a really fun band playing outside and the patio area was quite bustling. The crowd was very hipster but really it was a decent mix.
The bartender inside was very friendly and they took our orders quickly.
My favourite thing about this place was the student prices (and I’m not a student!).
The building is older but has enough space inside to fit groups or clusters of students who want to get together after an exam or on the weekends.

I only went to Café Nostalgica a handful of times while I studied at the University of Ottawa, but realized afterwards what a great place it is.
Café Nostalgica caters primarily to grad students, more specifically in the arts. It is a place where they can hang out, study and talk about life.
But the great thing about Nostalgica is that it also showcases the arts at University of Ottawa. They have nights with no cover, when musicians from OttawaU play, giving students a chance to perform and other students a chance to see what is going on at their own school.
The café also showcases artist from the school.
Trivia and theme nights are held periodically as well.
It is hard NOT to find something you like here! I was here for an arts party and the café was full of my kind of people. Because it caters to a university crowd, prices are kept low and the feeling is low key.