In a town with a ton of fun things to do with your kid before dark, I think there's a real niche to be filled for parents of babies those circadian rhythm more resembles a teenager than an infant. I'm also a complete snob when it comes to paying too much money to eat/drink in horrible chain restaurants/pubs. So I'm working on a list of decent places in Ottawa where parents can get a pint and well-behaved babies can enjoy yams fries after dark (read: 8pm, I'm not completely neglectful):

The list so far:

The Corner Bar and Grill (Glebe) - see above. They have a fair number of sturdy wooden (but tray-free) highchairs, the kid gives the yam fries in this place a solid endorsement, the parents enjoy a selection of fairly interesting beer, we also highly endorse the "Corner Burger" (cheddar and bacon). Apparently their brunch is really good too but we haven't tried it yet.

To try next:

We're thinking we may check out The Brig (Market). We've been a few times before the kid and found that they have a decent selection of beer and interesting food.

The kid hasn't been back to Patty's Pub (Old Ottawa South) since she was 4 days old but it may also warrant a stop. Food is nothing great but it would be a good place to meet up with a some of our sans-baby friends since it's noisy enough to make even a few child-squawks unnoticeable.

Edited to add: taking the kid anywhere "bar-esque" always makes me think of that scene from the movie "Sweet Home Alabama" where she sees her old friends: "Look at you, you have a baby... In a bar." Gold.