If you’ve ever taken a vacation to a seaside city and enjoyed seafood while watching nearby waves, you’ll likely appreciate a trip to The Beach House in Ottawa. This restaurant matches the flavors, décor, and relaxed feeling people may remember from their coastal vacations – and that’s exactly how owner John Mathias designed it to be.

“It’s supposed to be fun,” he said. “We have flavors that try to help us evoke that food memory.”

In addition to owning The Beach House, located at 700 LaSalle St., Mathias, who is originally from Philadelphia, and his wife, Maura, originally from Boston, also own Sweet Bean Gelato at 704 LaSalle St. and Pesciolino Osteria in Channahon. Before opening his first solo restaurant in 2008, Mathias paid his dues in the restaurant business by working his way up. He began working in a restaurant in high school to earn spending money, starting by bussing tables and washing dishes, as many teenagers do.

“I grew up in the kitchens,” he said.

Mathias enjoys creating restaurants from scratch.

“Most of my restaurants over the years have been seafood. We bought this property (The Beach House) during Covid,” he said. “The place was falling apart.”

They fixed it up, opened The Beach House, and then later opened Sweet Bean Gelato. Renovations are underway on the space between the two businesses, which will serve as a venue for private parties, business meetings, and more.

“We made a big investment in Ottawa. We love the community,” he said.

It’s a challenging time right now in the food industry – wages have gone up, insurance costs have skyrocketed, and everything seems to cost more, Mathias said. But he remains committed to giving customers good value for their money without compromising on the quality of the ingredients he uses.

At The Beach House, Mathias offers seasonal, fresh seafood dishes, along with other menu items.

“We’re flying stuff in from all over the world,” he said.

Since the menu is designed to feature fresh, seasonal ingredients, it changes two or three times a year. If you no longer see your favorite item on the menu, it may return when the ingredients are back in season.

“Our wait staff is trained,” he said, adding that they are professional, friendly, and knowledgeable about the food they are serving.

The wait staff is happy to share their knowledge with customers – and Mathias hopes they learn something new about food during their time at The Beach House.

“We’re very passionate about what we’re doing,” he said. “We craft everything here by hand.”

At all of his restaurants, there is one driving force at the heart of every concept – bringing people together. He said he tries to create places where people can come “to make real connections and relationships.”

“You’re throwing a party every night,” he said. “We want our customers to feel they were nurtured.”