ByWard Fruit Market

Alright, there is a lot of confusion in the reviews here and even I was confused when I originally reviewed the Byward Fruit Market. I mean it makes sense to be the stands in the Byward Market right?
Wrong!!! The Byward Fruit Market is actually the little grocery store that is situated beside the International House of Cheese.
If you walk in it’s a convenience sized grocery store were most of the (it seems to me when shopping here) products come from outside of Canada. I’ll drop in quickly when I’m in the middle of cooking and realize I’m out of a certain ingredient but for the most part I wouldn’t shop here. This place is open year round and does the most basic of items that you’ll probably want for your kitchen. They also have spices and other items throughout the store but it’s very small.
I hope this clears things up for anyone who actually goes into the store itself. The store is an independent entity from the vendors on the st… actually it might have a street spot in the summer but that’s something I have not confirmed with them. Things here seem slightly pricier than the local grocery store.
The low review is from the small selection of imported items. Honestly you could go to a grocery store for equivalent produce with a larger selection at a better price.
I’ve been meaning to update my review a lot earlier but kept forgetting to. My apologies.

August is the perfect time to buy fruit and veg at the Byward. Everything is at its peak. Plus, it is the only place with any real deals in the Ottawa Market district. Everything else in the market is priced high for tourists but the market vendor prices are very competitive with grocery store prices (and the market stuff is home grown). The prices are actually better than you will find at the farmers’ markets on the weekends. Perhaps it is because the Byward and Parkdale markets are populated by working farmers and the weekend markets attract the more elite organic types (and their wealthier customers).
My favourite thing at the market right now is the late season raspberries and the wild blueberries. Wild blues are so, so much better than the fat farmed ones. Don’t scoff at the price. Five dollars for a two-​cup container is not steep when you imagine some poor soul scampering across rocks in forest fire zones in Northern Ontario and Quebec to hunt these tiny beauties in the wild. It’s a deal. Would you pick berries for an hour for $ 5.00?
Get them now, they are only here for a couple of weeks.

Similar to Toronto’s St Lawrence market but mostly outside. Bustling community full of shops, restaurants and a full-​fledged farmers market. beautiful produce on display, flowers, plenty of things to look at. My favourite part about the visit to Ottawa for certain. Cannot miss it.

This hood makes any daytime walk through Ottawa’s downtown SO enjoyable. The smells, the gorgeousness on display, the shade, what else is there? It’s impossible to walk through those corridors of edibles without stopping to look.
All/​most of fruits and vegetables are at lower price than at the grocery store. You can get a lot of cool stuff too! Like purple cauliflower, scape and hierloom everything. The list goes on. Hey, how about you meet some farmers while you’re at it? Or get hustled to buy a barrel of blueberries you will never, ever be able to finish!
Stop and smell the peaches.

Paistries art the end of this market are sooo goooood… You must visit and buy something here (can’t go wrong with any kind of danish) before you leave!!!

Don’t do it!
Well do it. I mean it’s pretty and has fun vibe. But, there’s quite a few re-​sellers (ie. truck farmers, non-​producers, etc etc) here. Not that I have a personal vendetta against re-​sellers but there’s a lack of honesty with some vendors here that really drives me nuts.
If you’re looking for a quick market walk through, head to Byward. But for a real true blue market head to Landsdowne. You’ll get a real feel for what the Ottawa area has to offer and not feel like your buying from the mob.

Vendors here are very quick to offer you help or advice on their products! I’ve just been walking through this place with my iPod on and quickly glanced over at something and one vendor was ready to sell me her entire stand.
I’ve also purchased corn on the cob here and some other items. I love how the vendors will cut you deals and throw in extras or do whatever they can to help you.
There is a wide assortment of items from fruit to veggies and flowers (lots of different flowers) to crafts and handmade clothing such as scarves, mitts, etc. The vendors are all local but at this market I don’t believe there are any rules or policy on the items they’re selling having to be local like there is at Lansdowne’s market.
The narrow streets that encompass the actual market make for a bustling adventure on busy weekends so don’t be offended if you get an elbow in your side or get a local blazing through here trying to get from point A to B while listening to their iPod (sorry!!!)
The prices are decent and the vendors are good people. Support them when you can!

The Fruit Market is conveniently located right in the heart of ByWard Market, so you absolutely cannot miss it. The many different vendors sell a wide selection of both organic and non-​organic fruits and vegetables. They have exotic fruits, baby vegetables, jams, gourmet seasonings and dried spices, maple syrup products, and other specialty foods. Aside from produce, you can also find arts and crafts, jewelry, and even clothing.
The prices tend to be a bit higher, but you can support your local farmers and you can usually find some pretty good deals if you have time to browse around. They’re mixed berry baskets are my favorite, which I can usually smell right away because they’re so fresh. My boyfriend also bought me a small fresh-​water pearl necklace for a very reasonable price. The Market is great in the summer when people are usually out and about, walking around on a hot day, but it’s also fun to check out in the Christmas when they sell wreaths and other decorations.

Way more than a just fruit market and too much to explore in just one afternoon, it was an unexpected highlight of our trip to Ottawa. Forgo visiting familiar franchises and instead focus on the the varied and unique stores and vendors. Where else can you munch on perfect croissant, people watch over a cappuccino, buy his and her matching teacups, fresh fruit and flowers, have a genuine leather belt custom fit and have a romantic Italian dinner? The market is best explored on foot, if you can leave the car behind, do so.

Great marketplace in downtown Ottawa! I had no idea something so bustling in what I perceived to be a sleepy town! There are lots of other stuff to partake besides fruit so go ahead and stop by at this place!

I have mixed emotions about Byward Market. While certainly a tourist attraction, one can’t help but appreciate the fruit and vegetable vendors who proudly display their fresh items. Add the handful of retail shops that sell cheeses, bread, meats and other food items, this is a nice one stop shopping destination for food items.
The brick market building itself is more of a cafeteria with assorted trinket sellers, a number of them touting Obama related souvenirs, as the President visited this historic building during a recent visit. One retailer sells Obama key chains, since the President had purchased one there, another shop sells Obama cookies, even though he made a purchase at the shop, but not the shortbread variety that now bares his name.
There are a number of restaurants on the outer edges of this district that are worth a visit, such as Domus, Murray Street Restaurant and Social as well as other upmarket retailers facing the US Embassy, so don’t let the postcards, key chains and stuffed teddy bears with little knitted maple leaf sweaters deter you from exploring this area.

I visited in the summer, and loved it. Talking to locals, virtually all of them indicated with some disdain that it’s a big, overpriced tourist trap.*
This, I think, indicates the mindset difference between vacation and not-​vacation. The vacationer can take things at novel face value. Thousands of miles from my responsibilities, discovering a quaint (there’s a word only used on vacation) little farmer’s market set up near the Ottawa river feels like a pitch-​perfect bit of local color.
I snacked here a few times during my stay. Sometimes fruit, sometimes a bagel or croissant. Were they overpriced? Maybe. They were also delicious; and that latter point always trumps the former in my vacation memories.
* living in southern california I frequently have the same feeling about the local color here…

i love this market! i got here kinda late in the day, so most of the stalls were closed, but it was still nice to walk around and see everyone out on the restaurant patios on a sunny day!

It is a traditional farmers market that sells all kinds of stuff from fruits, prepared foods, plants, flowers, meats, and other stuff. Located within the complex are many restaurants, stores, and cafes.
Yes, you have the Hard Rock café and other chain restaurants in the area but, this is also a place where a lot of the locals come to shop for daily produce, meats etc.
It has been in existence since 1846 and it it goes indoors during winter. It is very pretty during summer when all the vendors lay their stuff outside, specially the fruit and flower merchants.
Pick up from bread from the French bakery, they have great croissants.