Cozy aand honey atmosphere. Owner VJ keeps nostalgia going with piano nights and karaoke events. All adult ages accommodated. Not for eats, just drinks and popcorn. Quarts beer bottles.
Michelle M
Fun little pub in the downtown core.
Remi Gagnon
Stay away...old guy serves you beer foam save from previous pours...so your beer is flat. He can't remember your order and spills half before he gets it to you.
Brad Garner
Very homey bar. VJ makes you feel at home.
Max Power
Old timey piano bar. Love it!
Sharon Lalonde
Great place..nice atmosphere..friendly. The owner is a good singer.. entertaining.
j mcd
Casual and cosy piano bar playing mostly 50's 60's 70's music. Excellent piano player Friday and Saturdays, huge repertoire. Quirky and definitely interesting owner in his 80's. He is not to everyone's taste but definately a character. Limited food and liquor choices. A blast from the past
Sarah Dos Santos
From the moment you walk in, there's beautiful music and a fun atmosphere. You'll go back in time to when music made you feel something, and spending time together was about conversation and quality time. Also, VJ is amazing!
Christina XINA Lamothe
Wacky atmosphere. Beer. Swing dancing with Johnny Vegas equals fun.
Vanessa D.
My friend and I came here on the night the tornadoes hit in September. The city was mostly without electricity, but VJ's was open, so we thought instead holing up, we'd have a night on the town. My friend had been there before and she raved about how cool the live piano-accompanied Karaoke was. Unfortunately, the dour piano player hampered our style. VJ was there in person holding the door open for us. He's about 90 years old I think. He waited on us, occasionally asking us to repeat our order. There is no cocktail menu, just simple wine and beer (I think the place doubles as a sandwich shop during the weekday). We sat at a table for two right up front and introduced ourselves to the lady who seemed to be in charge of the lineup. She signalled to the piano player that she had an addition to the list (me), and he snarled back that he had other plans. Fair enough, I didn't mind waiting my turn. I usually do karaoke at the Shanghai where there's always a wait. I danced in between, and my friend and I enjoyed listening to the regulars performing Frank Sinatra and Billy Joel. After about an hour, it was my turn. I asked the piano player if he knew All that Jazz from Chicago. He grimaced and said he doesn't do showtunes and that he's "classically trained" and that he only plays music from the 50s, 60s and 70s. Right. A piano karaoke player who doesn't do showtunes? Now I've heard everything. So I offered summertime by Gershwin (oddly enough, he knew that one even though it's from Porgy and Bess, a Broadway show). It started all right and then he hit a button and sped it up with an electric swing beat. I tried to keep up, but it threw me off and in the end, my friend came up to help me out. It was mildly embarrassing for me. The ambiance of the place is pleasant and simple. IT's clearly a neighbourhood spot with regulars. But it doesn't seem penetrable as a social scene, largely because of the way the piano player runs the show.
Hidden gem in Ottawa. Nice small bar with live piano entertainment every Friday and Saturday evenings (8h30 pm to midnight). Very talented pianist with wide repertoire, VJ (the owner) has a magnificent voice. Guests are also invited to come up and sing songs. Overall an amazing and fun place.
Avery Zabudsky
One of my favourite places in Ottawa. My friend and I came here every Thursday night to visit VJ and hang out in a quiet atmosphere with an old style vibe. VJ always has a joke and a smile. Friday nights get quite busy and VJ's got a voice and a half when he takes his turn at the piano.
George S.
Nice quiet bar the guy that runs the place is a nice fella I guess Friday and Saturday night the piano bar is the thing here I stopped in for a couple of beers
Greg M.
VJ's is a chance to step back in time to martinis, Sinatra, piano bars and Louis Armstrong. It's a little hole in the wall piano bar with the exquisite pain in every drink of sixty years living the Rat Pack ethos. VJ is the owner, bartender and cranky raconteur. Many of the regulars have been coming for thirty years. Take a turn singing at the piano that dominates the front and dance a little. Don't expect WiFi. Leave your phone in your pocket. VJ appreciates a good story the old-fashioned way.... Looking in your eyes. VJ's is the only one if it's kind left. It's not cool but that's how VJ likes it, and that's what makes it so damn cool.
Cozy aand honey atmosphere. Owner VJ keeps nostalgia going with piano nights and karaoke events. All adult ages accommodated. Not for eats, just drinks and popcorn. Quarts beer bottles.
Fun little pub in the downtown core.
Stay away...old guy serves you beer foam save from previous pours...so your beer is flat. He can't remember your order and spills half before he gets it to you.
Very homey bar. VJ makes you feel at home.
Old timey piano bar. Love it!
Great place..nice atmosphere..friendly. The owner is a good singer.. entertaining.
Casual and cosy piano bar playing mostly 50's 60's 70's music. Excellent piano player Friday and Saturdays, huge repertoire. Quirky and definitely interesting owner in his 80's. He is not to everyone's taste but definately a character. Limited food and liquor choices. A blast from the past
From the moment you walk in, there's beautiful music and a fun atmosphere. You'll go back in time to when music made you feel something, and spending time together was about conversation and quality time. Also, VJ is amazing!
Wacky atmosphere. Beer. Swing dancing with Johnny Vegas equals fun.
My friend and I came here on the night the tornadoes hit in September. The city was mostly without electricity, but VJ's was open, so we thought instead holing up, we'd have a night on the town. My friend had been there before and she raved about how cool the live piano-accompanied Karaoke was. Unfortunately, the dour piano player hampered our style. VJ was there in person holding the door open for us. He's about 90 years old I think. He waited on us, occasionally asking us to repeat our order. There is no cocktail menu, just simple wine and beer (I think the place doubles as a sandwich shop during the weekday). We sat at a table for two right up front and introduced ourselves to the lady who seemed to be in charge of the lineup. She signalled to the piano player that she had an addition to the list (me), and he snarled back that he had other plans. Fair enough, I didn't mind waiting my turn. I usually do karaoke at the Shanghai where there's always a wait. I danced in between, and my friend and I enjoyed listening to the regulars performing Frank Sinatra and Billy Joel. After about an hour, it was my turn. I asked the piano player if he knew All that Jazz from Chicago. He grimaced and said he doesn't do showtunes and that he's "classically trained" and that he only plays music from the 50s, 60s and 70s. Right. A piano karaoke player who doesn't do showtunes? Now I've heard everything. So I offered summertime by Gershwin (oddly enough, he knew that one even though it's from Porgy and Bess, a Broadway show). It started all right and then he hit a button and sped it up with an electric swing beat. I tried to keep up, but it threw me off and in the end, my friend came up to help me out. It was mildly embarrassing for me. The ambiance of the place is pleasant and simple. IT's clearly a neighbourhood spot with regulars. But it doesn't seem penetrable as a social scene, largely because of the way the piano player runs the show.
Restaurantji Recommends
Hidden gem in Ottawa. Nice small bar with live piano entertainment every Friday and Saturday evenings (8h30 pm to midnight). Very talented pianist with wide repertoire, VJ (the owner) has a magnificent voice. Guests are also invited to come up and sing songs. Overall an amazing and fun place.
One of my favourite places in Ottawa. My friend and I came here every Thursday night to visit VJ and hang out in a quiet atmosphere with an old style vibe. VJ always has a joke and a smile. Friday nights get quite busy and VJ's got a voice and a half when he takes his turn at the piano.
Nice quiet bar the guy that runs the place is a nice fella I guess Friday and Saturday night the piano bar is the thing here I stopped in for a couple of beers
VJ's is a chance to step back in time to martinis, Sinatra, piano bars and Louis Armstrong. It's a little hole in the wall piano bar with the exquisite pain in every drink of sixty years living the Rat Pack ethos. VJ is the owner, bartender and cranky raconteur. Many of the regulars have been coming for thirty years. Take a turn singing at the piano that dominates the front and dance a little. Don't expect WiFi. Leave your phone in your pocket. VJ appreciates a good story the old-fashioned way.... Looking in your eyes. VJ's is the only one if it's kind left. It's not cool but that's how VJ likes it, and that's what makes it so damn cool.