Food tours are a unique way to experience the culture of a city when travelling, and they can be great ways to learn about your hometown. The Old Aylmer Food Tour offered by Aventure Outaouais is the perfect way to have an extraordinary culinary experience without having to go far from home.
Take a Culinary Vacation
Aventure Outaouais is an exceptional tour company showcasing the beautiful Outaouais region. Regardless of if you’re new to Ottawa or have lived here all your life, their tours are bound to take you somewhere you’ve never been or teach you something you didn’t know. These tours are great for anyone but I especially recommend them for people without cars as Aventure Outaouais provides a rare opportunity to get out of the city without having to drive yourself.
All Aventure Outaouais tours are all-inclusive, offering pick-up in Gatineau or Ottawa and provide everything you need to have a great time. They also have excellent information packets they send out before your tour so you know exactly what to expect. Their excellent service really makes you feel like you’re on vacation.
Must-try Food in Aylmer
Aylmer is one of the towns that have joined together to create the city of Gatineau. Despite it being a short drive from downtown Ottawa, I had never visited so this was a great opportunity to try something new. In addition to the culinary highlights, your guide will also bring your attention to all the points of interest along the way.
Bistro L’Autre Oeil
The first stop on our tour was Bistro L’Autre Oeil. Originally a brewery, Bistro L’Autre Oeil has expanded to provide a menu of delicious food as well. Here we sampled tartare and bruschetta. While it turns out tartare is not my favorite food, this was a great opportunity to try something that I wouldn’t have otherwise. The patio here looked like a lovely place to be on a sunny day and with many dishes to choose from, this is a place I would visit again!
Bistro L’Autre Oeil sign. Photo by Torie Wotton.
Antonyme
Second, we visited a fine dining restaurant called Antonyme. Here we receive a larger plate to try. The menu at Antonyme is constantly changing so you never know what you’ll be treated to at this stop. Everything we tried here was delicious and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. A neat feature of Antonyme is that they offer a discovery menu where the chef prepares some surprise plates for you. Reasonably priced for fine dining, this would be a great restaurant to visit when celebrating a special occasion.
Our plate at Antonyme. Photo by Torie Wotton.
William J. Walter
All of the restaurants in the Old Aylmer food tour are located on the same street so after a very short walk we arrived at our third destination: William J. Walter Saucissier. This might have been my favorite stop on the whole tour! We tried five different types of sausage and every single one was amazing! With tantalizing flavors like lamb and mint, boar, guinness and pepper and cajun chicken there really is something for everyone! I felt like this stop especially was a hidden food gem because I wouldn’t normally have considered visiting a sausage shop. At this stop, you also have the option to buy some products to take home with you. I highly recommend this, I didn’t buy any and I’ve been regretting it ever since.
Our samples at William J. Walter. Photo by Torie Wotton.
Béatrice et Chocolats
Next, we crossed the street to visit Béatrice et Chocolats. Walking into this store, the wonderful smell of chocolate immediately envelopes you and makes you want to stay there forever. Every sample we tried was amazing and this time I did buy some to bring home. I was so excited to see that she had an orange chocolate option as these can be hard to find! All the chocolates are handmade on site and they have some very neat specialty options, such as chocolate golf balls, that would make great gifts.
Excited for chocolates. Photo by Torie Wotton.
5e Baron
Next, we visited 5e Baron, a craft brewery. Here we were treated to a tour of the brew room and an interesting lesson on how beer is made. I am not a big fan of beer so I was surprised that I actually really enjoyed one of our tastings. 5e Baron has a beautiful patio as well and seems like a great place to sip your drink on a summer night.
Tasting at 5e Baron. Photo by Torie Wotton.
Old Aylmer Marina
Finally, we made our way down to the Aylmer Marina. With the sun just beginning to set, the views were awesome and this was a great place to get some pictures. Having never considered visiting Aylmer it was really nice to see the beautiful scenery, historical buildings and delicious food that contribute to its charm.
At the end of the night we walked back to the van, comfortably full and reflecting on all the delicious food we got to try on the tour. Brandon pointed out some additional restaurants worth trying so I’ll definitely be returning to Aylmer soon.
The view at the Aylmer Marina. Photo by Torie Wotton.
You can book Aventure Outaouais tours here. Tours sell out quick so make sure to get your tickets soon!
Check out my reviews on more Aventure Outaouais tours here, including wine tours, a kayaking day trip and more.
Torie is a policy analyst who loves to write and travel. Recently graduated from the University of Ottawa, Torie is excited to invest some of her new free time into both of these hobbies by writing for Little Miss Ottawa!
Torie has loved adventures and trying new things for a long time. Family trips both close to home and abroad fostered this mentality and set the stage for future adventures both big and small. Moving to Ottawa from Manitoba gave Torie the opportunity to explore a new area in depth and emphasized the fact that every day can be an adventure if you bring the right mind set.
When she’s not out on an adventure, Torie can be found at the rink practicing with her synchronized skating team or coaching skating.
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