Until recently, downtown Ottawa’s ByWard Market — the name for both one of Canada’s oldest farmers’ markets and the roughly four-block neighborhood that encompasses it — suffered from a common capital-city affliction: After hours, it turned notoriously sleepy. Lately, however, numerous chefs and entrepreneurs have reimagined and reinvigorated the area, ushering in a new era of one-of-a-kind shopping, hybrid establishments and must-try bars and restaurants.

Wine Rack

Neighborhood wine shops are rare in Ontario, where alcohol is sold almost exclusively through government-franchised retail emporiums. At the boutique-size Wine Rack, which opened in June 2013, customers looking for varietals to pair with ByWard Market provisions find a number of food-friendly cabernet franc, gewürztraminer, pinot noir and riesling vintages all locally grown, as well as an array of Canada’s signature ice wines and ciders.

54 ByWard Market Square; 613-789-6823; winerack.com.

Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut

Ottawa’s first outpost of this renowned Calgary-based chocolatier, which opened in January 2013, is also the first to offer house-made flavors of hot chocolate (5 dollars), like peanut butter or ginger and orange. But the biggest lure may be the rosemary or oregano “chocolate fusion” bars spiked with habanero-infused sea salt (13 dollars each), to be paired at home with charcuterie-style meats and cheeses.

256 Dalhousie Street; 613-241-7111; cococoottawa.com.

Workshop Studio & Boutique

This longtime tenant of Dalhousie Street, founded by the local designers Christina Ballhorn and Bridget Remai, reopened last February with a new layout. Now customers can observe designers in action, with new space for sewing, silk screening and jewelry making.