Deachman: Ottawa needs more Parkdale Night Markets (Citizen)
August 26, 2025 - The Ottawa Citizen
The generous coating of crushed Doritos on the barbecued corn-on-the-cob I had at the Parkdale Market on Wednesday evening won’t likely replace the elote, or Mexican street corn, I typically make at home. But you know what? It was tasty and fun to try, and the next time I go, I might even take the crunchy cheddar/jalapeño Cheetos version out for a culinary test drive.
But sticking with just one vendor at Parkdale’s weekly night market feels like needless self-denial. Recent visits have found me noshing on Cantonese bass and oyster mushrooms, a grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough, potsticker dumplings, freshly baked challah, Caribbean jerk chicken, Moo Shu ice cream and a spicy margarita — with plenty more I’ve yet to try. But I remind myself that there remain a baker’s half-dozen more Wednesday evenings before Thanksgiving arrives and the night market packs up its tents and calls it quits for the season.
If this were in New York,” a friend said on a recent visit, “we’d all be saying, ‘Why isn’t there one of these in Ottawa?’”
But there is, and that’s really the point of this column. If we’re going to ding community-building initiatives that miss the mark — the terrible artificial skating rink in the ByWard Market, for example — then let’s give credit to those that really nail it. And the Parkdale Night Market’ which is run by the ByWard Market District Authority, hits the mark in so many ways.
