After moving to the quiet suburban neighbourhood of Bells Corners in 2021, my wife and I were pleasantly surprised with the diverse cuisine choices of the many restaurants that are scattered in isolated strip malls along Robertson Road. Amongst the many, our favorite is in a small strip mall hidden behind the shadows of the large golden arches of the McDonalds at Moodie and Robertson Road—Duna Bistro.

Duna serves authentic and delicious Central and Eastern European cuisine. In Ottawa, Eastern European restaurants are, it seems, quite uncommon, which is surprising given that we seek comfort food that is well matched with beer and wine. Furthermore, German, Hungarian, and Austrian food tends to have crisp and tender meat that is tremendously paired with acidic sides—sauerkraut, spaetzle, or braised cabbage.

The flavour combination provides a rich food experience that has your fork matching sides with the main.

What attracted us to Duna is that it is a humble restaurant that serves authentic food, crafted from scratch with fresh ingredients. What makes it our favourite are the powerful flavours coupled with generous portion sizes.

For our review, we got takeout, ordering for four adults and two toddlers; however, the decor of Duna Bistro is a traditional decorated interior, extremely inviting for a couple on a first date or large family outings. We ordered the appetizer of mushroom and sauerkraut pierogies, schnitzel with spaetzle and braised red cabbage and beef rouladen with cucumber salad and mashed potato.

Immediately the schnitzel draws a crowd; it is served in a large pizza box with several lemon wedges on the side. Using a pizza cutter to divide, everyone had a generous portion; our one-year-old kept demanding more and more and more. Be sure to get the spaetzle and sauerkraut for sides—the schnitzel demands the presence of its sauerkraut soulmate.

The beef rouladen is a tender piece of flattened meat, rolled around a pickle with a delicious gravy coating. This dish represents the magic of Duna; incredible, complex flavours and sides that should just be part of the main.

The food brought merriment to the table. Everyone’s wine or beer glass kept getting filled the moment it emptied and stories of recent life adventures were shared. Duna Bistro is a hidden gem that is a welcome sight for Canadians seeking an authentic food experience.