A&W Ottawa: Rideau Centre Location, Menu, Hours and Reviews
Where to find A&W in Ottawa, what to order from the Burger Family to the Smash Burger, and what diners actually say about the downtown and Merivale locations.
A&W has several locations in Ottawa, and the easiest one for visitors is the A&W in the CF Rideau Centre food court at 50 Rideau Street. The food court is on Level 2, and the mall has direct entrances to Rideau station on the O-Train. If you want a drive-thru, look at the suburban locations: the Merivale Road and Hunt Club area in Nepean, or Barrhaven, where one location is listed with a 24-hour drive-thru. My short answer: downtown, go to the Rideau Centre; after midnight, drive to Barrhaven. I checked every address, rating and opening time below on October 7, 2026, against directory listings, mall pages and A&W’s own press releases.
A&W in Ottawa at a glance
A&W is Canada’s second-largest burger chain after McDonald’s (Wikipedia, 2022 figures), and Ottawa has locations downtown, in the east end and across the southern and western suburbs. At the end of Q2 2026 the chain had 1,115 restaurants across the country: 1,105 franchised and 10 company-owned (Q2 2026 results via Quartr).
How many of those are in Ottawa? I can’t give you a confirmed number. A&W’s official locator at web.aw.ca would not load during my research. Here is the history I could confirm. In March 2008, A&W said it already had 9 mall restaurants in the region when it opened a new standalone drive-thru at Merivale and Hunt Club (A&W press release, 2008).
A&W Rideau Centre: address, transit and parking
The A&W at the Rideau Centre is in the Level 2 food court of CF Rideau Centre, 50 Rideau Street, Ottawa, ON K1N 9J7, phone +1 613-230-2753. Those details come from Tripadvisor and Yellow Pages. The two directories give different unit numbers, so I left the unit number out.
CF Rideau Centre at 50 Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa. The A&W is in the Level 2 food court (Photo: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CF\_Rideau\_Centre,\_Ottawa,\_Ontario\_(29440308073).jpg), 4000×3000)
You don’t need a car. The mall has two direct entrances to Rideau station on O-Train Line 1, the Confederation Line, and the ByWard Market is a short walk away. If you do drive, the mall has 1,590 parking spaces (Wikipedia, Rideau Centre).
Rideau station on O-Train Line 1 (Confederation Line), which has two direct entrances to the CF Rideau Centre, where the A&W is (Photo: Earl Andrew, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rideau\_station\_byward\_market\_entrance.jpg), 2560×1920)
Expect a big, shared space. The food court covers 35,000 sq ft, with 16 counters and 850 seats shared by all of them. CF Rideau Centre opened on March 16, 1983, and is owned by Cadillac Fairview. There is no A&W dining room here: you carry your tray to the common tables, and a food court counter offers neither a drive-thru nor reservations.
Map of downtown Ottawa showing the CF Rideau Centre A&W (50 Rideau St.), Rideau O-Train station, the ByWard Market and Parliament Hill (Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL (iframe embed 800×450; download a local poster image))
A&W Rideau Centre hours
The A&W at the Rideau Centre has no confirmed opening hours, so use the mall hours as your guide: Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Cadillac Fairview, checked October 7, 2026). The directories are a mess. Yellow Pages lists 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, two hours past the mall’s latest closing time, while other listings give 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. or 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. I trust the mall hours more than any of them. Before a late or early visit, call +1 613-230-2753 or check the official locator.
CF Rideau Centre opening hours, used as a guide for the A&W counter: Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (checked October 7, 2026) (Table: Burger Breton, data from Cadillac Fairview)
A&W Ottawa locations: drive-thru, mall and suburbs
Outside downtown, most A&W Ottawa locations sit in malls or along suburban arterial roads, and the suburbs are where the drive-thrus are. The addresses below come from directories and delivery apps, not the official locator. Check that a location is still open before you go.
A&W locations in Ottawa: the Rideau Centre downtown, St. Laurent and Place d’Orléans in the east, Merivale Road in Nepean, and the Barrhaven and Kanata drive-thrus (Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL (iframe embed 800×500; add markers for the 11 addresses and download a local poster image))
| Location | Address | Area | Format (where confirmed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CF Rideau Centre | 50 Rideau St., K1N 9J7 | Downtown | Food court counter, Level 2 |
| St. Laurent Shopping Centre | 1200 St. Laurent Blvd., K1K 3B8 | East end | Mall location |
| Place d’Orléans | 110 Place d’Orléans Dr., K1C 2L9 | Orléans | Mall location |
| Merivale Road | 1642 Merivale Rd., K2G 4A1 | Nepean | Not confirmed |
| Merivale Road | 1460 Merivale Rd., K2E 5P2 | Nepean | Not confirmed |
| Merivale Road | 1830 Merivale Rd. | Nepean | Not confirmed |
| Herongate | 1670 Heron Rd., K1V 0C2 | Herongate | Not confirmed |
| Bank Street | 2948 Bank St., K1T 1N8 | South Ottawa | Not confirmed |
| Strandherd | 4255 Strandherd Dr. | Barrhaven | Not confirmed |
| Highbury Park | 30 Highbury Park Dr. | Barrhaven | Dining room and 24-hour drive-thru (per Barrhaven BIA) |
| Edgewater | 41 Edgewater St. | Kanata | Listed on Uber Eats |
Sources: shopping-canada.com, Barrhaven BIA, Uber Eats, checked October 7, 2026.
A&W Ottawa locations by area and format (directory listings, checked October 7, 2026) (Table: Burger Breton, data from shopping-canada.com, Barrhaven BIA and Uber Eats)
Merivale and Hunt Club: the drive-thru option in Nepean
The Merivale Road and Hunt Club area is the place to go if you want an A&W with a drive-thru instead of a food court. In late December 2007, A&W opened a company-owned standalone restaurant at that corner, with about 55 seats and a drive-thru. It was A&W’s first standalone restaurant built in Ottawa in more than 35 years (A&W, 2008). Which of today’s Merivale addresses it is, 1642 or 1830, my sources don’t say.
The location at 1642 Merivale Road, Ottawa, ON K2G 4A1, can be reached at +1 613-224-2943 (Tripadvisor).
Is there a 24-hour A&W in Ottawa?
Yes, according to the Barrhaven BIA. The A&W at 30 Highbury Park Drive in Barrhaven runs its drive-thru 24 hours a day, and its dining room is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Barrhaven BIA, checked October 7, 2026). That is one local source. Before a late-night trip, check the official locator.
A&W Ottawa menu: what to order
A&W Ottawa serves the national A&W Canada menu: the Burger Family, beef from cattle raised without added hormones or steroids, and a permanent plant-based burger. I found no burger sold only in Ottawa.
An A&W Canada tray with an Uncle Burger, onion rings and a mug of A&W Root Beer (Photo: Deansfa, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A%26W\_Restaurant\_Menu.jpg), 3456×2304)
The Burger Family and the Teen Burger
A&W’s signature burgers are the Burger Family, a lineup named after family members. A&W created the Papa, Mama, Teen and Baby Burgers in 1963, and A&W Canada later added the Grandpa Burger (Wikipedia, A&W Root Beer; Wikipedia, A&W Canada). On a first visit, I would order the Teen Burger. It belongs to the original 1963 lineup, which makes it the closest thing A&W has to a house classic. For the exact build and size of each Family burger, check the current menu board or the A&W app, because I did not find a source I could verify.
A&W Burger Family statues: the burger lineup, which includes the Teen Burger, dates from 1963 (Photo: Rowanswiki, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A%26W\_Burger\_Family\_Statues\_Morinville\_2022.jpg), 4032×3024)
Better Beef: is A&W beef hormone-free?
Since October 2013, A&W Canada has served only beef from cattle raised without added growth hormones or steroids. It launched the change as its “Better Beef” campaign (Media in Canada). Read the wording carefully. “Without added hormones” is not “hormone-free”: cattle produce hormones naturally, so no beef can honestly claim to be hormone-free.
A&W Smash Burger
A&W calls its Smash Burger the first smash burger launched nationally by a Canadian fast-food chain. It arrived on May 25, 2026, as a limited-time offer, with a single or double patty, melted cheddar, pickles, sliced onions and a secret sauce on a toasted brioche bun (A&W press release; Daily Hive). Is it still on Ottawa menus in October 2026? I couldn’t confirm it. Check the app before you set your heart on it.
The A&W Smash Burger, available as a single or a double, launched across Canada on May 25, 2026, as a limited-time offer (Photo: A&W Food Services of Canada Inc., official press kit via CNW Group (https://awincomefund.mediaroom.com/2026-05-20-Smashed-to-Perfection-A-W-Drops-Its-First-Ever-Smash-Burger-Across-Canada); press-kit usage terms need checking before publication)
Plant-Based Burger: the vegetarian option
A&W’s vegetarian option is the Plant-Based Burger, added permanently to menus across Canada on September 22, 2025. The patty is made from pea and soy protein. It comes with lettuce, red onion, tomato, pickles, ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise on a toasted sesame bun, and it replaced the Beyond Meat Burger (Daily Hive). Vegans, note the mayonnaise in the standard build and ask at the counter.
Breakfast
A&W serves breakfast, and it comes up on the positive side of the reviews at both Ottawa locations I checked. At Merivale Road, reviewers name the “All Canadian” breakfast. At the Rideau Centre, they list breakfast among the strong points.
A&W Ottawa menu prices
I am not publishing A&W Ottawa menu prices, because I could not find a current, dated Ottawa price from an official source. The promotional prices I found online had expired or came from other cities, and I would rather leave a gap than print a wrong number. For live prices in Canadian dollars, use the A&W app or the menu board at the counter. Ontario menu prices are shown before the 13% HST, so the total at the till will be higher. To see how A&W’s deals stack up against other chains, read our coverage of the 2026 burger value wars.
A&W Ottawa reviews: what diners say
A&W Ottawa reviews are middling: both locations I could check score 3.7 out of 5 on Tripadvisor. Diners like the hot burgers and the breakfasts. They complain about price, cleanliness and food that arrives cold. Google and Yelp scores were not available to me, so the figures below are Tripadvisor only, checked October 7, 2026.
A&W Ottawa Tripadvisor ratings: the Rideau Centre and 1642 Merivale Rd. both score 3.7/5, from 16 and 20 reviews (bar chart, checked October 7, 2026) (Chart: Burger Breton, data from Tripadvisor (Rideau Centre and https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant\_Review-g155004-d768304-Reviews-A\_W\_Restaurant-Ottawa\_Ontario.html))
| Location | Tripadvisor rating | Reviews | Rank (Ottawa Quick Bites) | Praised | Criticized |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rideau Centre, 50 Rideau St. | 3.7/5 | 16 | 162 of 220 | Hot burgers, breakfast, convenient location | Price (a C$72 bill for 2 combos and 10 chicken strips, Nov. 2023), cleanliness and cold food (Aug. 2025) |
| 1642 Merivale Rd. | 3.7/5 | 20 | 153 of 220 | Well-cooked burgers and fries, All Canadian breakfast | 15-minute wait and cold food (Sept. 2026), restroom cleanliness |
A&W Ottawa reviews: what diners praise and criticize at the Rideau Centre and Merivale Road locations (Table: Burger Breton, data from Tripadvisor)
How I put this together. I have not eaten at these restaurants for this guide, so there is no Burger Breton rating here. The table summarizes public reviews with their counts and dates. Sixteen or twenty reviews is a thin sample, spread over several years. My reading: both locations are ordinary chain outlets, neither praised nor panned, and the complaints about cold food are the ones I would watch.
A&W Canada vs A&W in the United States
A&W Canada and A&W in the United States are separate companies. The chain began in Canada in 1956 with a first restaurant on Portage Avenue in Winnipeg, as a subsidiary of the American chain. Unilever bought the Canadian business in 1972. In 1995, a group of Canadian managers and franchisees bought it, and it has been independent of A&W in the US ever since (Wikipedia, A&W Canada).
Today A&W Canada is based in North Vancouver, British Columbia, and Susan Senecal has been president and CEO since February 2018. The business is still growing. In 2025 system sales reached C$1.92 billion, up 2.8%, the chain opened 26 restaurants, and same-store sales rose in each of the four quarters (Retail Insider).
A&W Canada timeline: 1956 first restaurant in Winnipeg, 1963 Burger Family, 1972 bought by Unilever, 1995 Canadian buyout, 2013 Better Beef, 2025 Plant-Based Burger, 2026 Smash Burger (Timeline graphic: Burger Breton, data from Wikipedia, Media in Canada, Daily Hive and A&W press releases)
How A&W compares with its rivals in Ottawa
A&W’s main rivals in Ottawa are the same as everywhere in Canada: McDonald’s, the only burger chain bigger than A&W in the country, and Burger King. To see what those two launched this year, read our roundups of new McDonald’s burgers in 2026 and Burger King’s 2026 Whopper changes. For another chain guide in the same format, see our Five Guys Covent Garden guide in London.
More burgers in Ottawa and across Canada
This guide is the first on our Ottawa burger hub, which gathers every Burger Breton guide to the city. For more Canadian burgers, browse the Toronto, Montreal and Hamilton city hubs, or go to the Restaurants section for reviews and guides from around the world.
A&W Ottawa FAQ
How many A&W restaurants are there in Ottawa? I could not confirm the current total because the official locator would not load. Directories list about a dozen addresses. In 2008, A&W had 9 mall restaurants in the region plus a new drive-thru on Merivale Road.
Where is the A&W at the Rideau Centre, and how do I get there by O-Train? It is in the Level 2 food court of CF Rideau Centre, 50 Rideau Street, K1N 9J7. Take O-Train Line 1 to Rideau station, which has two direct entrances into the mall.
What are the A&W Rideau Centre hours? They are not confirmed. The mall is open Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call +1 613-230-2753 to check the A&W’s own hours.
Which A&W in Ottawa has a drive-thru? The suburban locations have them. The Barrhaven BIA lists a 24-hour drive-thru at 30 Highbury Park Drive. A&W opened a drive-thru restaurant at Merivale and Hunt Club in late 2007. The Rideau Centre counter has no drive-thru.
Is the A&W Smash Burger still available in Ottawa? It launched on May 25, 2026, as a limited-time offer. I could not confirm that it is still sold in October 2026, so check the A&W app.
Is A&W beef hormone-free? Not exactly. Since October 2013, A&W Canada has served beef from cattle raised without added growth hormones or steroids, which is a narrower claim than hormone-free.
Does A&W have a vegetarian burger? Yes. The Plant-Based Burger, made with pea and soy protein, has been on the menu permanently across Canada since September 22, 2025.
Can I get A&W delivered in Ottawa? A&W Ottawa locations appear on DoorDash and Uber Eats. One example is the Kanata location at 41 Edgewater Street on Uber Eats. I could not confirm which locations accept app orders or delivery.
Can I order in French at the Rideau Centre A&W? Yellow Pages lists French and English as spoken at the Rideau Centre location. That is a single source, so I could not confirm it.
.jpg){kind=link}
