While country music is not huge in Ottawa, there are still some bars out there for country music fans to visit and enjoy country music. Here are some of the places that might be worth checking out if you are into the country lifestyle.
Address: 325 Bd Gréber, Gatineau, QC J8T 8J3
Business website: https://www.nashvillequebec.com/
Nash Boîte Country (also called Nash Bar Gatineau) is a new country bar that has opened up in Gatineau. Previously this place used to be called as X Lounge. This bar has a large dance floor than the other bars however it can still get quite packed with people during weekdays. If you are looking for line dancing then this would be the place to go.
My personal favorite western themed bar in Ottawa has been Nash Boite Country. The reason being almost always they have country music playing at the venue. This is the only bar in Ottawa where you will find people doing line dancing to country music almost everyday!
Address: 115 Roland Michener Dr, Kanata, ON K2T 1G7
Business website: https://www.thecrazyhorse.ca/
If you are really into country music and dancing then Crazy Horse Saloon would be your best bet! Out of all the places I have gone to so far, Crazy Horse Saloon offers the best experience in the city for country music folks. The place regularly has live music events and it can get quite busy so if you want to get a table, make sure that you arrive early! They also have a mechanical bull on certain days.
Address: 75 Bd Gréber, Gatineau, QC J8T 3P9
Business website: https://restaurantpopobar.com/
Based out in Gatineau, Pop-O-Bar is a popular bar among locals for live music. Just make sure to check their schedule as sometimes they have other things like Karaoke going as well!
Pop O Bar has a variety of events going throughout the year so make sure to check what event is going on as they are not always country. Regardless, if you are living in the Gatineau region, it is a bar that is worth checking out on the weekends.
Address: 1661 Montréal Rd, Gloucester, ON K1J 9B7
Lunergans Pub and Eatery has local country music nights every then and now! If there is a band performing then there wouldn’t be much of a dance floor at this place. I would recommend this place if you want to have chicken wings and beer while listening to country music.
Address: 9 Rue Aubry, Gatineau, QC J8X 2H1
Business website: https://laptitegrenouille.ca/
I haven’t tried their food yet but this place gets packed on Weekends! La P’tite Grenouille usually has live music early in the night and then this place converts into a dance bar late into the night. The place tends to attract younger crowd on the weekends. Live music is usually country however once this place is a dance club then the place has a variety of hip hop, or dance music.
Address: 42 York St, Ottawa, ON K1N 5S6
Business website: https://www.thelaff.ca/
The Chateau Lafayette is the most convenient spot to go to if you are in the Ottawa Downtown area. Located in the Byward Market, the venue has live country music every weekend! The Laff is quite well known for the its local performers who have been performing at the location for more than a decade now and previously the place has been visited by many popular celebrities including Justin Bieber!
If you are looking for other options for country music in Ottawa, your best bet would be when the weather is warmer, as there are internationally known country music artists performing at different festivals in the city.
Feel free to share your experience if you have been to these places or know any other bar in the region.
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
Here are some of my favorite salsa dancing dance bars that I think are worth…
Battures Green - Gatineau, QC J8P 7C2 Known only among the locals, Battures Green is…
You might have often heard in the news how Toronto ranks as one of the…
Many people outside Canada, don't really realize that Canada is actually a bilingual country where…
Close your eyes and imagine the sizzle of Suya skewers charring over an open flame,…
While normally it can take weeks for the Canadian Passport to be issued, you can…