Rebuild set to begin at Vittoria Trattoria after six-years of delays, setbacks 

Construction is set to begin on a ByWard Market business, six years after Vittoria Trattoria was destroyed by a fire. CTV’s Tyler Fleming reports.

A major milestone is now underway at the fire-ravaged site of Vittoria Trattoria along William Street in Ottawa’s historic ByWard Market.

Owner Domenic Santaguida says underground connections to city infrastructure is nearly complete, clearing the way for a full rebuild of the popular Italian eatery, more than six years after fire gutted the heritage property.

“Right now we’re doing the sewer and water services,” said Santaguida. “The water service has been put in. That needs to be tested and chlorinated. There’s new provincial regulations. We are waiting for the city to free up a crew. Hopefully, they can get here next week to close up the hole so that everything can be back to normal for Saint Jean Baptiste and Canada Day.”

The April 2019 blaze caused more than $2 million in damage and destroyed the original location of Vittoria Trattoria. Since then, the old brick facade and faded signage have remained.

Santaguida says interest rates and red tape, including about $600,000 of development fees, have hindered much of the progress on the construction.

“Our total investment here will be about $7 million which will be mostly borrowed money,” he said. “I don’t have that floating around in my pockets, so we decided to wait until things stabilize a bit.”

The new property will include a larger space than before, including a new restaurant, a leasable space in the basement and a 14-unit “boutique hotel” with short-term rentals upstairs and a terrace on the roof. A four-storey expansion that more than doubles the buildings original footprint.

Despite the setbacks, Santaguida says he has never wanted to quit on the ByWard Market.

“We have another restaurant in the south end, but its not in my nature to give up,” he said. “My grandmother worked with us, started in 1990 at age 80, and she worked until her 90s. She lived to 100. But she wanted to continue on, so we’ve tried to continue on in her memory.”

The new build pays tribute to that legacy. The original stonework has been restored by Santaguida’s late father, a bricklayer by trade. And Santaguida notes all his children are now involved in the business.

“We hope to bring a unique piece of architecture and something they’ll be talking about and will last another 100 years. This building is over 100 years old as it is,” Santaguida added.

While the rebuild is now officially in motion, Santaguida is also thinking about what it means for the wider community.

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“We’re hoping to bring back some draw… with new businesses that have opened up in the last year or so, it’s driving people back down,” he said. “Ottawa Tourism is doing a good job getting people into Ottawa. The City of Ottawa perhaps needs to do a better job overall, just marketing to our own citizens. Getting people to kind of rediscover the market.”

Santaguida says if everything goes according to plan, Vittoria Trattoria will reopen in spring or summer 2026, right as the city wraps up a major revitalization of the Market and converts William Street into a pedestrian-only corridor.

“So, we’re hopefully going to time things perfectly that the street will be redone and will be open at the same time,” Santaguida added.

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