A private dinner, with the whole venue to yourselves
A menu built for your table and cooked on site, for 30 to 65 guests and nobody else.
Ask about your dateA private dinner at Ashlar is the whole evening on your terms, with the schoolhouse set for your guests alone, a menu built around the occasion and no other table in the building. Companies book it for strategy days, off-sites and client dinners, and families book it for engagement parties, rehearsal dinners and the birthdays and anniversaries that deserve more than a restaurant's back room. It hosts 30 to 65 guests in a restored 1890 stone schoolhouse in Munster, about 25 minutes from downtown Ottawa. Every event here is different, so every event is custom quoted, with a $2,500 venue fee on every date and a per-person price built around the experience you want.
At a glance
- 30 to 65 guests, seated or standing
- Munster, about 25 minutes from downtown Ottawa
- A $2,500 venue fee, then custom quoted per person
- A menu built for your dinner and cooked on site
The dinners we host
- Client dinners and board dinners
- Engagement parties and rehearsal dinners
- Milestone birthdays and anniversaries
- Private dinners with a menu built for one table
- Year-end and holiday parties
What makes a private dinner different here?
Your guests arrive to a building that has been set for them alone, and dinner is cooked on site by the chef who built the menu around your event, rather than brought in by a caterer. Our culinary director has spent 30 years in Ottawa's best kitchens and builds every menu from scratch around what's in season and what's local. If a guest has an allergy, the menu is adjusted for it so they eat the same courses as everyone else.
Ask about your dateEverything your dinner includes
- The building, the courtyard and the grounds for the whole of your event, with no shared spaces and no other booking that day
- A menu built around your event by our chef and cooked on site
- Tables, chairs, linens, a sound system and parking on site
- Wi-Fi, screens and AV equipment
- Coordination through the planning and on the day, so you can be fully present
- Bar packages, chosen separately
How is a private dinner at Ashlar priced?
A $2,500 venue fee applies to every date. From there, every event is custom quoted per person, built around the experience you want: the guest count, the menu, the bar and anything you add. A plated dinner for 40 and a standing reception for 60 are different evenings for the kitchen, which is why the quote follows the event rather than a package. Gratuity of 15% and HST of 13% are applied to the full subtotal at invoice.
How many guests can a private dinner at Ashlar seat?
Between 30 and 65, seated or standing, and no other booking shares the building with you that day.
Can we hold a working session before dinner?
Yes, and the whole building is yours for it, so a team can work in the schoolhouse during the day and sit down to a dinner cooked on site that evening without anyone else arriving. Wi-Fi, screens and AV equipment are on site for presentations and working sessions, and the hours are set around your day rather than a house schedule, depending on what the date has open.
Can we bring our own vendors?
You can bring your own vendors, and the team works to your vision and your timeline.
How far is Ashlar from downtown Ottawa?
Ashlar is at 2876 Munster Road in Munster, Ontario, about 25 minutes from downtown Ottawa, 20 minutes from Kanata and 15 minutes from Stittsville. Parking is on site, and hotel accommodation is available in Kanata, Stittsville and Richmond.