Kitchener/Waterloo

[phoenikia]

Does anyone have any suggestions for places to dine in Kitchener/Waterloo?

I've dined at Janet Lynn's and Wildcraft several times, and found both to be fine for what they are, but I'd like to try some other restaurants on my next visit to K/W.

Any type of cuisine, and any price point.

Edited February 25, 2009 by phoenikia (log)

[Endy']

I haven't been in Waterloo for a few years now, so I don't know if these places are still around or good. But these are some of the interesting places I remember.

Salute -- on King near Bridgeport (?). Good for pasta lunches. A few bucks more than you'd pay elsewhere in town, but with a much higher quality-to-price ratio. Surprising care in the food.

Yukiko's -- interesting casual little cafe with desserts, coffee, and light lunches (sandwiches, salads). Nothing crazy, but I liked it compared to the standard safety of Waterloo fare.

Marbles just off King, near Waterloo Town Square. They were known for grinding their own meat for burgers once upon a time, but I don't think they do anymore. The burgers are still pretty decent though. Sit-down kinda place.

the Heuther Hotel -- they brew some good beers there. Lunches are alright.

Cedar Barn -- north of the city. Breakfast place. I liked their farmer's sausage.

Shandiz (? on the name), in University Plaza, next to UW on University. Persian food. Quite tasty, I liked the rices a lot.

Waterloo has really great pho. My favourite was Pho Dau Bo on King in Kitchener (cross street Frederick I think?). Pho Ben Thanh at Northfield/Weber in Waterloo was decent too, but likely less so now that they aren't brand new. One of the pho places -- I think it was Dau Bo -- opened a new (as of about 2 years ago) location on Victoria.

Verses -- formal dining and quite innovative...for Waterloo. I liked it back when I went, but given that you have regular access to better in Toronto, you should probably skip it (if it's even still around).

Harmony Lunch -- on King in Waterloo somewhere. Greasy diner that serves one thing -- pork burgers. I hate it, but it has a loyal following. You might want to bring a change of clothes that you can sacrifice to the greasy smell. I'm not kidding.

...looking back over this list, I realize that I'd never recommend most of these places to you if they were in Toronto. The pho -- better than any I've had in Toronto, ever -- is the main exception. Otherwise, honestly, depending on the nature/duration of your visit, you might want to just eat whatever, and save yourself the disappointment. Or at least start with zero expectations.

Edited February 25, 2009 by Endy' (log)

[phoenikia]

I haven't been in Waterloo for a few years now, so I don't know if these places are still around or good.  But these are some of the interesting places I remember.

Salute -- on King near Bridgeport (?).  Good for pasta lunches.  A few bucks more than you'd pay elsewhere in town, but with a much higher quality-to-price ratio.  Surprising care in the food.

Yukiko's -- interesting casual little cafe with desserts, coffee, and light lunches (sandwiches, salads).  Nothing crazy, but I liked it compared to the standard safety of Waterloo fare.

Marbles just off King, near Waterloo Town Square.  They were known for grinding their own meat for burgers once upon a time, but I don't think they do anymore.  The burgers are still pretty decent though.  Sit-down kinda place.

the Heuther Hotel -- they brew some good beers there.  Lunches are alright.

Cedar Barn -- north of the city.  Breakfast place.  I liked their farmer's sausage.

Shandiz (? on the name), in University Plaza, next to UW on University.  Persian food.  Quite tasty, I liked the rices a lot.

Waterloo has really great pho.  My favourite was Pho Dau Bo on King in Kitchener (cross street Frederick I think?).  Pho Ben Thanh at Northfield/Weber in Waterloo was decent too, but likely less so now that they aren't brand new.  One of the pho places -- I think it was Dau Bo -- opened a new (as of about 2 years ago) location on Victoria.

Verses -- formal dining and quite innovative...for Waterloo.  I liked it back when I went, but given that you have regular access to better in Toronto, you should probably skip it (if it's even still around).

Harmony Lunch -- on King in Waterloo somewhere.  Greasy diner that serves one thing -- pork burgers.  I hate it, but it has a loyal following.  You might want to bring a change of clothes that you can sacrifice to the greasy smell.  I'm not kidding.

...looking back over this list, I realize that I'd never recommend most of these places to you if they were in Toronto.  The pho -- better than any I've had in Toronto, ever -- is the main exception.  Otherwise, honestly, depending on the nature/duration of your visit, you might want to just eat whatever, and save yourself the disappointment.  Or at least start with zero expectations.

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Thanks so much, Endy;)

[mkayahara]

Verses -- formal dining and quite innovative...for Waterloo.  I liked it back when I went, but given that you have regular access to better in Toronto, you should probably skip it (if it's even still around).

←

I passed this place yesterday as I was heading through town; it does appear to still be open. Curious about this phenomenon of restaurants in ex-churches (cf. the Church restaurant in Stratford), I checked out their website. The menu struck me as being a little conservative, but if it's well-executed, it could be good.

[phoenikia]

Verses -- formal dining and quite innovative...for Waterloo.  I liked it back when I went, but given that you have regular access to better in Toronto, you should probably skip it (if it's even still around).

←

I passed this place yesterday as I was heading through town; it does appear to still be open. Curious about this phenomenon of restaurants in ex-churches (cf. the Church restaurant in Stratford), I checked out their website. The menu struck me as being a little conservative, but if it's well-executed, it could be good.

←

Thanks for your comments and the link, Matthew.

[phoenikia]

Verses -- formal dining and quite innovative...for Waterloo.  I liked it back when I went, but given that you have regular access to better in Toronto, you should probably skip it (if it's even still around).

←

I passed this place yesterday as I was heading through town; it does appear to still be open. Curious about this phenomenon of restaurants in ex-churches (cf. the Church restaurant in Stratford), I checked out their website. The menu struck me as being a little conservative, but if it's well-executed, it could be good.

←

Tried Verses last night for dinner. I was impressed with the atmosphere and the service. While some of the food was hit or miss, I would return if I was looking for an upscale dinner in K/W.

Our friendly server brought us a bread basket soon after we arrived. The bread selection was more interesting than I expected- an herbed cracker bread/lavash, an herbed white, a whole wheat (possibly with sundried tomato) and a traditional white. It came with butter- seems like so many restaurants have been serving bread with tapenade or hummus lately in TO, so I was happy to see regular butter on the table. All the breads were extremely fresh. A second basket was offered to us, which we were happy to accept.

The composed salad was my first course. The salads were stacked vertically, with a frisee and beet salad on the bottom, celeriac salad with pommery mustard mayo in the middle, and a watercress, fennel and orange salad with grilled goat brie on top. I really enjoyed the frisee/beet salad, and the watercress/fennel/orange/brie salad, but there was a hint of a certain flavour (not sure if it was the Pommery mustard- I usually like mustard) in the dressing of the celeriac salad that I didn't enjoy.

For my second course, I ordered the pan-seared scallops with a chili fennel brittle and tomato ginger jam- beautifully cooked, nicely presented but the scallops themselves seemed to be slightly less than optimal freshness. The tomato ginger jam and chili fennel brittle were tasty, innovative accents. My dining companion tried wonton wrapped esgargots, and the Bouillabaise, which he enjoyed.

For dessert, I tried the Schnitz pie- an apple, dried apple and caramel pie with sharp Cheddar and vanilla ice cream. I enjoyed the pie- light, flaky pastry, not too sweet, and lots of firm apples.

Overall, the service was friendly and professional, and I now have a good idea of how I might order better on my next visit. I liked the food, service and atmosphere better at Verses than Janet Lynn's or Wildcraft, so Verses will probably be my first choice in the future for an upscale dinner in KW.

Edited March 4, 2009 by phoenikia (log)

[Endy']

glad to hear that you enjoyed Verses -- I liked it better than Janet Lynn's too. Also glad to hear that Verses is still around, still doing interseting food, and that they've been able to stay afloat in K-W doing it.

[phoenikia]

Just had dinner at Sole on Erb St in Waterloo. http://www.sole.ca/main.htm

Have to say it was surprisingly good for a midrange restaurant in Waterloo- I like it better than Wildcraft. Not as expensive or as refined as Verses, but great for a casual weeknight meal.

I started with the salad special- a spinach salad with artichokes, kalamata olives, roasted red pepper, lemon/olive oil dressing and basil/mozzarella/prosciutto pinwheels, which was followed by the sweet potato lasagna with portabello mushrooms and feta.

Big portions, tasty food and friendly servers.

Edited March 25, 2009 by phoenikia (log)

[phoenikia]

Had dinner at Uptown 21 last night. Have to say, I've found my favourite place for a somewhat upscale dinner in KW. Best tasting food I've found in Waterloo.

This restaurant opened a couple months ago. Inside, it's quite casual, sort of a gastropub atmopshere.

The menu looked somewhat conservative compared to some dishes at Verses. But at Verses, I found the dishes sounded amazing on paper but were lacking in execution. At Uptown 21, the dishes sounded somewhat ordinary in their description, but the food that was delivered to the table was carefully balanced and executed.

The choices seemed pared down compared to the many dishes offered at Sole or Janet Lynn's. The menu seems to be planned so most people will be able to find something to eat, but each dish seems to be well-thought out, with attention paid to sides and sauces. In addition to the regular menu with maybe 6 starters and 6 mains (1 veg, 1 pork, 1 beef, 1 tuna, 1 chicken), there is a prix fixe option, with a choice of 2 different first courses, choice of 2 second courses, choice of 3 mains (last night veg risotto, pork chop or halibut), and choice of 2 desserts. $35 for 3 courses, and $45 for 4 courses.

What impressed me at Uptown 21 is that the main course tasted so good. Surprisingly good. I didn't get tired of the flavour. Usually in Ontario restaurants, I find that the descriptions sound delicious or even just interesting leading to high expectations, but the food delivered is usually quite ordinary if not disappointing.

My only disappointment was the bread and olive oil that was served before our starters. The bread was dried out. It was a nice enough raisin bread. Not sure if it just had been sliced too early, or whether it was baked the day before. The raisin bread was served with olive oil, and butter would have been a better match with the flavour of the bread. Considering how good the rest of the meal was, maybe this was an oversight. Fresher bread served warm would be a nice touch.

I started with the Brazilian codcakes. Not sure why they were called Brazilian, since they tasted pretty much the same as Portuguese codcakes. 4 little croquettes, crispy, with small chunks of salt cod inside. I probably wouldn't order them again, but they were decent, a little better than the version at Portuguese bakeries in TO. My main, a quarter roasted chicken with sage spaetzle, marinated cranberries and mushrooms was delicious. I don't usually order roasted chicken out, but I have to say, this chicken was tender and juicy, and the spaetzle was probably the best I've had outside of MittelEuropa. I had their "I can't believe there's no dairy" Chocolate mud cake for dessert- lighter texture than I expected for a mud cake, but dark chocolate flavour.

Other dishes ordered at the table included panzanella with goat cheese, wild boar terrine (the terrine changes daily), potato and cheddar tortellini with truffle brown butter and pecans, choucroute garni with porkchop, bacon and sausage, steak frites, pork chop, maple sugar pie, apple and shortbread crumble.

Filling, but not massive portions. Friendly service in a relaxed atmosphere. I'll be back.

http://www.uptown21.ca/

Edited April 1, 2009 by phoenikia (log)

[mkayahara]

Thanks for that report, phoenikia. Sounds like it would be worth a visit.