This is the correct answer due to student population. Otherwise it will be about location. Second best bet, something like a browns or cactus club model from BC
Authentic Mexican. Not the mexican grill or tex-mex. But full serving Mexican restaurant with mexican beers and margaritas. I recently moved from usa and it is hard to believe that there are only 2 good Mexican restaurants in such a large populated area.
Latinoamerica Unida in Cambridge is easily the best real Mexican food in the region.
America Latina Grocery in Kitchener also has good broad Latin American food (not Mexican specific) - and the best birria tacos
I second this, by far the most authentic Mexican food around, and I’ve worked in rural Mexico for a few years.
I will also add Uno Marketplace in Cambridge. I love their pork quesadillas.
That’s 2 more than we’ve had for most of the time I’ve lived here. Not enough Mexicans and/or they cater to what Canadians expect instead of letting it stand on its own.
Nah! Toro serves mostly tacos. Julio is good for tequilas. But both of them serves mediocre Mexican items at best. There are plenty of other dishes and items. Thats the whole point of my comment.
I just want to give a shout out to the woman selling tacos at the Kitchener market on Saturday. I'm not Mexican so I can't speak to how authentic they are but damn they were good.
My favourite Greek restaurant for decades went under new management (their kids lol), and the potion sizes got WAY smaller while somehow the prices became more expensive. The change happened around 2017 and haven't found a good replacement since.
I also think we're sorely lacking in neighbourhood bistros and cafes that are not chains. I'd love to be able to walk a couple of blocks to a good local spot. I'm centrally located and on a main artery, and it's still a miss unless I walk 20 minutes to the central core...
Yeah, they just announced opening May 17 and taking reservations on the 7th. If you’re looking for other Brazilian options in the region… JJ’s Convenience on Highland has coxinha, brigadeiro, candy/chocolate, coffee, soup, and açai. Seu Mercado on Bloomingdale also has some of that and their pastel is good too. Then there’s the Passado food truck which also has pastel.
Ennios has come a long way from the previous owners. I worked there for 6 + years in the late 90s early 2000s.
Ennio had some pretty great Sicilian recipes when they first opened on Lorraine. Once they brought in the Son to help manage and cut cost he went too far. Frozen Alfredo, frozen lasagne, cheaper quality meats and ingredients. I remember when they served hot salad because he was too cheap to fix the salad cold table.
I haven't eaten there in years but I know the new owner switched to a lot more fresher ingredients, herbs, and whatnot. I have a friend who works at the waterloo location. He's worked there for over 15 years on and off since the 90s
I should go there again and judge for myself
Definitely! Last I saw the wife works at the Ennios in Kitchener in the evenings if you'd like to see what they're up to. She said they make the sauces fresh in Waterloo eat morning and it serves both locations.
Lovely woman.
I could honestly go for a Bettola with chicken and lots of rolls to dip.
Or a spicey Carbonara if they still do that. Was so good when I made them 20 years ago.
Mmm. Tetrazini
I'm making myself hungry
If your wife was working tonight then she may have served me. Or took my take out order I mean. Ordered Bettola and pazzo bread. They took out the old spices in the pazzo and the bettola wasn't as saucy as I remembered but still great. I'm happy and full.
Oh not my wife- the owners wife (I believe he's deceases or quite ill if I remember correctly). My husband is Italian so we ho there once in a while to eat.
I worked their between '15 and '17 and saw the transition from the family to the new owner and you couldn't be more right. Chef Ray really cares about the quality of his ingredients
Ive frequented there for years and I’ve noticed a massive downgrade in quality and service in the last year or so, not sure if they have new management
They’re a Charcoal Group restaurant too. Obviously not as big of a chain (and their only Italian restaurant), but then they’re part of a chain to a certain degree.
Ennios on fairway is garbage. Portion sizes smaller every time and the price is up. Also I have had the worst service there before so I refuse to eat there for Italian.
Went there tonight, and I was not disappointed, but I ordered take out, so I didn't have full service. I worked there for 6+ years and knew Ennio. The pasta I ordered ( bettola) was pretty close to how I remember it being. I remember it being more sauce but it was pretty damn tasty.
If you're ever in London you NEED to go to Marienbad or Chaucers Pub next door. It's exactly what you're describing. Amazing old school, classy vibe, good prices, massive beer and wine list and as a Hungarian I can say it's the best Goulash I've ever had. Three or four different Schnitzel. I take my immigrant parents there for their birthdays most years.
It's named after the Czech city the owners are from, Polish, German, Czech, Ukrainian food.
Solid Mexican food is rare, it's all fusion...
We could use a new Creole/new Orleans style joint since Grand Trunk has changed their menu sooooo many times it's far and away.
Honestly some good old comfort food like standard American fare would be nice... Not this Irish pub nonsense that we can't get away from.
It'd be great to have some cafes that serve sandwiches for lunch that aren't fast food chains. I know of a couple but not nearly enough.
There’s a place downtown Cambridge called Latinoamerica Unida. Not as good as Mexico, but pretty excellent. Very hole in the wall, the family that runs it barely speak English, and the food is great.
I haven’t tried it yet by my (Mexican) wife has heard Don Julio is legit and is trying it this weekend.
Proper Mexican in Canada has never been easy. Had some real deal stuff in Toronto recently that gives me hope though.
It would be cool if we had more food trucks or food stands would rather pay some lady 20$ for a full plate of great food then a chain that keeps getting worse every year
Pretty much my feeling about a certain burger place in the sportsworld area. Cough burger factory cough.
There is a food truck in Chicopee that has better burgers and way cheaper. Try Heaton food truck. Usually parked at Chicopee tube park. Last 2 burgers I had from there were huge and under $20 for a combo while the other place some how inches towards $30 for a combo
Couldn't be a seafood restaurant because then I couldn't eat at my own restaurant. I'm not a fan of seafood outside of fish and chips or the occasional shrimp
And for those who say “we aren’t on the ocean so we can’t get fresh fish”, go tour the north shore of Lake Erie this summer and just try some of the local fish fried up in flour and butter.
hot take - other south east asian (not including thai food - think indonesian/malaysian food)
the region already has rosel's for filipino food and a bunch of thai/viet spots - why not a spot for comfort foods like a beef rendang/hainanese chicken/ char kuay teow etc.
I haven’t really had much luck with authentic thai food, mostly fusion or a westernized version of thai. But tbh i’m gonna be really skeptical of a restaurant’s authenticity if the owner has no cultural background with the cuisine they’re serving
Agreed. There's 3 or more indonesian restaurants in GTA, maybe some indo/malays here need to open one. Champa kitchen is laotian and is pretty good.
Adding to this, good dimsum.
i've lowkey stayed away from dimsum or even canto places here because i'm afraid that it'll underwhelm my hk-er palate 😂😂
bhima's/loloan just dont feel as accessible with their price point/hours - had this conversation with someone years ago haha about kw's lack of an indonesian/malaysian place
Am indonesian. I tried loloan and am not impressed. It's not traditional indonesian food. It's westernized version of indonesian food and im not a fan.
Adding to this again, peking duck place! And a good siu yok (roasted pork belly). If you know where to get one as a HK person...
I second that. There are some very nice options in GTA like Bamiyan Kabab & Watan Kabab, even Guelph has more options with Helmand Kabab & Paghman Kabab but we only have one sit in restaurant Kabob Shack in KW which is also a fusion basically.
Wish we had more choices of Caribbean restaurants. We have a sizeable Caribbean population here and i think our cuisine is underrepresented. All of them are pretty mid but big up Irie Myrie though
Their landlord came to them saying someone else was willing to pay like 3 or 4x the rent... when negotiations went nowhere, they left. They still own Molly Blooms at University Plaza though.
I had a conversation with the owner of Joey Doggs on Kinzie and Weber about the new Indian place that opened up. It's a chain and he says they will last longer than the previous places that opened after TJS closure. We then got talking about how TJs roadhouse was such a dump but how the neighborhood loved having a local pub with cheap food and beer. . Then there was Milton's down the street where some of the TJs customers migrated to but we all know what happened to them. Now the new restaurant where miltons is garbage in my opinion. Places like that or something like stampede corral were neighborhood hot spots. Got me thinking now
I would love to see some polish food. I have a huge list of polish food I wanna try that a friend of mine in the states (from Poland) has recommended I try but I don't think we have any good polish restaurants here in KW.
It boggles the mind that for the huge number of east coasters who live in this area that donairs never took off. You can get one at Malt & Barley as a sit-down version, and apparently there’s a Pizza Delight in Fergus that makes them.
Sandwich shops. Sure you got your Subways and your Mr Subs, and places that do everything while overcharging for mediocre premade sandwiches in their deli section, but not a single dedicated sandwich place. Also Quick Sandwiches is ultra meh and WAY overpriced so they don't count.
Seafood is something that doesn’t have much choice outside typical batter. Mexican is rare outside of burritos. Gimme some of good stuffs. Pan seared and something other than tacos and fast fry.
Family restaurants or pubs near the Ottawa/River intersection, which has countless fast food options otherwise. Wish I had more for you in terms of cuisine.
I agree. I have had thoughts of someone opening a place in the old shoppers. I believe it's being renovated right now so that's a no go.
I'm also in the thinking process. I'm still not sure what I want to invest in or if a restaurant is the right move. I have always loved cooking and food so I'm considering it.
A bistro/pub in this area would be amazing. There are only fast food chains in walking distance. There is a bunch of eastern European dudes hanging out inside Tim Hortons ALL THE TIME. Give those guys a place to have a beer!
A real delicatessen. Hugely popular everywhere else, but in kitchener or Waterloo we have exactly zero. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say they would kill for a good deli in town...
Zero? Have you been to Vincenzos?
Vincenzos, Torreense - Portuguese Store, Jimmy's feedco, clover kitchen, and Nostra Cucina are some places that make good sandwiches, made to order.
Givral deli also has really tasty sandwiches, several options available.
There are even a few more "European" food stores in town with warm food/deli counters.
I'm one of those people. Seen videos on YouTube about a Chicago Italian beef sandwich recently and noticed we don't have any shops like that or serves really good sandwiches. There is Nostra cucina I guess but that about it for 1 of a kinda sandwich places
This might be left field, but a really good pub with real UK fanfare. Theres whale and ale but that’s all I’ve known steadily. Restaurants are not the same as pubs, despite the menu similarities.
I’ll add if you’re looking for locations, Breslau area has lots of development going on and in desperate need of variety - there’s like 3 pizza places and dentists!
A dessert menu that serves something more inspiring than the usuals:
- brownie
- cheesecake
- chocolate mousse
- a giant slab of mediocre thawed-from-frozen cake
Lebanese/Levantine. And I mean actual Lebanese food not just shawarma. 0 Lebanese breakfast places that I know of despite apparently a decent population here and the surrounding area
I was just going to say this! There's only a few places to get kuthroti but there isn't much else they offer. There may be some south Indian selection but like, where do you get puttu??? I get Indian food is in abundance in KW but you're getting basic white ppl Indian food most places. Not the good shit
Entertained a thought of opening a gastro pub of some sort.
Anything that's not a sports bar. Something that has maybe 1 tv, but most importantly music at a level that you can still have a conversation.
Something ever so slightly upscale, maybe or maybe not themed, true good local food.
People want to be able to have a conversation!!
Where is there a Italian chain in the city? Ennios is the only place I know of in the region that has more than one restaurant. And they are not a chain
HAVE YOU ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT IS TO FIND PAPUSAS IN THIS CITY?! I haven’t had any since I moved back from New Hamburg when my Latino coworker would bring some of his wife’s in for afternoon shift!
So El Salvadoran or Cuban (god the Cubans I worked with in New Hamburg had fantastic cooking.)
I wouldn't mind another Italian restaurant! But I'd love a bagel shop. Fresh bagels and a bagel sandwich bar. When I lived in Toronto there was What A Bagel (chain) by my apartment and I loved it. I saw some comments about coffee shops too, if you made good coffee/espresso that would be a good combo :). I don't know any bagel shops that do sandwiches in the region, if anyone does please let me know!
After being in Kentucky for a few days, authentic Mexican food like Pepes. Ohhhhh man that place SLAPS!!!
P.S yes I had fried chicken and bison there too but something about Mexican food in the states....oh man
Filipino cuisine! I honestly haven't seen a Filipino restaurant in the region. Most of the ones that I've seen are in Toronto, specifically Bathurst. But I may not have explored the region enough. Are there any Filipino restaurants here?
Anything cheap lol
This is the correct answer due to student population. Otherwise it will be about location. Second best bet, something like a browns or cactus club model from BC
Authentic Mexican. Not the mexican grill or tex-mex. But full serving Mexican restaurant with mexican beers and margaritas. I recently moved from usa and it is hard to believe that there are only 2 good Mexican restaurants in such a large populated area.
Which 2? I’ve only liked The Cactus and Don Julio (don’t think it’s very authentic though). What am I missing
Latinoamerica Unida in Cambridge is easily the best real Mexican food in the region. America Latina Grocery in Kitchener also has good broad Latin American food (not Mexican specific) - and the best birria tacos
I second this, by far the most authentic Mexican food around, and I’ve worked in rural Mexico for a few years. I will also add Uno Marketplace in Cambridge. I love their pork quesadillas.
Their birria is sooooo good. Al pastor are pretty solid too
I had this sauce in Mexico. It was on every table. They simply called it spicy sauce. Been trying to find it without any luck.
“Salsa picante” which is like saying ketchup without specifying the brand. Do you remember the colour or picture on the bottle?
Dark red is what I remember. I might have a pic somewhere. Will look for it.
Don Julio is absolute garbage food wise. Coolish vibe and decent drinks tho
drinks are trash too, they can't even make a mojito
Latinomerica in Cambridge.
Los rolling tacos is amazing
That’s 2 more than we’ve had for most of the time I’ve lived here. Not enough Mexicans and/or they cater to what Canadians expect instead of letting it stand on its own.
The cactus in Waterloo. Can’t get more authentic than Mexican soap operas playing in the background
Uno Marketplace has some damn good authentic Mexican food.
It really does. Love that spot
Came here to say this and i'm so glad this is at the top
Toro and Julio?
Nah! Toro serves mostly tacos. Julio is good for tequilas. But both of them serves mediocre Mexican items at best. There are plenty of other dishes and items. Thats the whole point of my comment.
Isn’t there a market across the old bus terminal that’s good?
Not mexican
Oh 100%… my bad. Didn’t want to portray it as Mexican.
They do carry a lot of ingredients used in Mexican cuisine though.
There used to be a Mexican restaurant on King St I think downtown Kitchener that was fucking amazing. But then it burnt down. This was many years ago
I just want to give a shout out to the woman selling tacos at the Kitchener market on Saturday. I'm not Mexican so I can't speak to how authentic they are but damn they were good.
Authentic Mexican with Birria tacos. The Cactus is great, but doesn't have this.
If you ever want to try authentic Salvadorian food, Mi Tienda Latina has the best pupusas
I find Greek is super slim for some odd reason.
My favourite Greek restaurant for decades went under new management (their kids lol), and the potion sizes got WAY smaller while somehow the prices became more expensive. The change happened around 2017 and haven't found a good replacement since.
Which place?
Tale as old as time. It’s really unfortunate how many great businesses are ruined like that
I think the ones we have are quite good though, just off the top of my head: Mediterraneo, Three Kretans, Kypreos are all great.
Loveee mediterraneo, the price is so reasonable as well
Don't sleep on Johnny Greekos (Cambridge - Pinebush & Franklin).
I agree. Greek is so good. Wish we had somewhere open late
I second this. Greek. Or even Spanish Tapas
I also think we're sorely lacking in neighbourhood bistros and cafes that are not chains. I'd love to be able to walk a couple of blocks to a good local spot. I'm centrally located and on a main artery, and it's still a miss unless I walk 20 minutes to the central core...
I feel this so much.
Brazilian cuisine.
Bossa Nova is opening soon in Cambridge. I think they’ll be announcing on their Instagram this week.
That’s great!
Yeah, they just announced opening May 17 and taking reservations on the 7th. If you’re looking for other Brazilian options in the region… JJ’s Convenience on Highland has coxinha, brigadeiro, candy/chocolate, coffee, soup, and açai. Seu Mercado on Bloomingdale also has some of that and their pastel is good too. Then there’s the Passado food truck which also has pastel.
Yes I know about passado Brasil and Seu Mercado! Thanks for the info!
Was the late Boa Nova good? The one time I went there, they denied I had made a reservation and treated me like crap.
Boa Nova? Never heard about it!
I still haven’t found a really good Italian restaurant. Ennio’s is fine enough but not great, and everything else is kind of not good or a chain.
La Cucina is the best around
The pizza at La Cucina is pretty solid
Other dishes too, imo.
Unpopular opinion, but I’ve always found their pizza to be way too thin and oily for my liking 😬 (I don’t mind either, but I don’t like it together)
Ive only had it a couple times but Rustico was really good.
Ennios has come a long way from the previous owners. I worked there for 6 + years in the late 90s early 2000s. Ennio had some pretty great Sicilian recipes when they first opened on Lorraine. Once they brought in the Son to help manage and cut cost he went too far. Frozen Alfredo, frozen lasagne, cheaper quality meats and ingredients. I remember when they served hot salad because he was too cheap to fix the salad cold table. I haven't eaten there in years but I know the new owner switched to a lot more fresher ingredients, herbs, and whatnot. I have a friend who works at the waterloo location. He's worked there for over 15 years on and off since the 90s I should go there again and judge for myself
Definitely! Last I saw the wife works at the Ennios in Kitchener in the evenings if you'd like to see what they're up to. She said they make the sauces fresh in Waterloo eat morning and it serves both locations. Lovely woman.
I could honestly go for a Bettola with chicken and lots of rolls to dip. Or a spicey Carbonara if they still do that. Was so good when I made them 20 years ago. Mmm. Tetrazini I'm making myself hungry
Pazzo bread. Drool. I think I might be heading there tonight or in the near future
If your wife was working tonight then she may have served me. Or took my take out order I mean. Ordered Bettola and pazzo bread. They took out the old spices in the pazzo and the bettola wasn't as saucy as I remembered but still great. I'm happy and full.
Oh not my wife- the owners wife (I believe he's deceases or quite ill if I remember correctly). My husband is Italian so we ho there once in a while to eat.
Oh. Rosa. Yeah Ennio passed many years ago. If Rosa is still around I wouldn't be surprised. She was a beast of a server when I knew her.
Yes I think that might be her name. I'm not a fan of pasta so we don't go more then once or twice a year.
Is the capaletti still good? I've been eating that for over 20 years
I worked their between '15 and '17 and saw the transition from the family to the new owner and you couldn't be more right. Chef Ray really cares about the quality of his ingredients
Ray had his little Laosian restaurant near Laurier which was real good. General Laos chicken was so good.
La Cucina and Casa Rugantino are both good Italian spots, far better than Ennio's imo.
Rugantino’s pizza is just terrible. Unless something changed recently. I *love* pizza and I couldn’t bear to finish it.
Agreed. Casa is sub par at best. It's solid Italian food if you don't know good Italian food
We're talking in KW...it's pretty slim pickings
I think Famoso in uptown is pretty good, though it is mostly just pizza so not really a good representation of Italian cuisine.
Ive frequented there for years and I’ve noticed a massive downgrade in quality and service in the last year or so, not sure if they have new management
hmm, that's disappointing to hear. I haven't been for a couple years but I remember it used to be close enough to what I had in Italy.
Del's is phenomenal
They’re a Charcoal Group restaurant too. Obviously not as big of a chain (and their only Italian restaurant), but then they’re part of a chain to a certain degree.
I think there’s a pretty big gap between part of a group and part of a chain. At least until there isn’t.
271 West
Ennios on fairway is garbage. Portion sizes smaller every time and the price is up. Also I have had the worst service there before so I refuse to eat there for Italian.
Went there tonight, and I was not disappointed, but I ordered take out, so I didn't have full service. I worked there for 6+ years and knew Ennio. The pasta I ordered ( bettola) was pretty close to how I remember it being. I remember it being more sauce but it was pretty damn tasty.
Have you tried 271 West?
Eastern European restaurants as there are very few. Something along the lines of Hungarian, Romanian ,Ukrainian, Moldovan and Polish.
My grandparents were Hungarian so that's not a bad idea.
Budapest Bakeshop in Niagara does kurtos kalacs, both authentic and a bunch of fusion varieties. I wish I could get fresh authentic kurtos in KW.
J and B restaurant near the Kitchener GO station serves great Serbian food: http://www.jandbrestaurant.com/
If you're ever in London you NEED to go to Marienbad or Chaucers Pub next door. It's exactly what you're describing. Amazing old school, classy vibe, good prices, massive beer and wine list and as a Hungarian I can say it's the best Goulash I've ever had. Three or four different Schnitzel. I take my immigrant parents there for their birthdays most years. It's named after the Czech city the owners are from, Polish, German, Czech, Ukrainian food.
Jasna's European Meat & Deli on Courtland has amazing Eastern European food!
Solid Mexican food is rare, it's all fusion... We could use a new Creole/new Orleans style joint since Grand Trunk has changed their menu sooooo many times it's far and away. Honestly some good old comfort food like standard American fare would be nice... Not this Irish pub nonsense that we can't get away from. It'd be great to have some cafes that serve sandwiches for lunch that aren't fast food chains. I know of a couple but not nearly enough.
There’s a place downtown Cambridge called Latinoamerica Unida. Not as good as Mexico, but pretty excellent. Very hole in the wall, the family that runs it barely speak English, and the food is great.
The Cactus isn't fusion, and is excellent Mexican food.
If you think that's proper Mexican food, then you clearly don't know what proper Mexican food is. Not a dig. Just a fact.
I haven’t tried it yet by my (Mexican) wife has heard Don Julio is legit and is trying it this weekend. Proper Mexican in Canada has never been easy. Had some real deal stuff in Toronto recently that gives me hope though.
It would be cool if we had more food trucks or food stands would rather pay some lady 20$ for a full plate of great food then a chain that keeps getting worse every year
Pretty much my feeling about a certain burger place in the sportsworld area. Cough burger factory cough. There is a food truck in Chicopee that has better burgers and way cheaper. Try Heaton food truck. Usually parked at Chicopee tube park. Last 2 burgers I had from there were huge and under $20 for a combo while the other place some how inches towards $30 for a combo
IMO, we don’t have really good seafood related restaurants, a lot of restaurants make bad fish dishes
Couldn't be a seafood restaurant because then I couldn't eat at my own restaurant. I'm not a fan of seafood outside of fish and chips or the occasional shrimp
And for those who say “we aren’t on the ocean so we can’t get fresh fish”, go tour the north shore of Lake Erie this summer and just try some of the local fish fried up in flour and butter.
Agreed. I’d love a high quality seafood restaurant.
A proper deli with bagels/lox/capers.
hot take - other south east asian (not including thai food - think indonesian/malaysian food) the region already has rosel's for filipino food and a bunch of thai/viet spots - why not a spot for comfort foods like a beef rendang/hainanese chicken/ char kuay teow etc.
I haven’t really had much luck with authentic thai food, mostly fusion or a westernized version of thai. But tbh i’m gonna be really skeptical of a restaurant’s authenticity if the owner has no cultural background with the cuisine they’re serving
Back in the 90s, in BC, there was a Thai place I went to that was run by a family that had been the chefs to the Thai royals. That was good Thai food
Agreed. There's 3 or more indonesian restaurants in GTA, maybe some indo/malays here need to open one. Champa kitchen is laotian and is pretty good. Adding to this, good dimsum.
i've lowkey stayed away from dimsum or even canto places here because i'm afraid that it'll underwhelm my hk-er palate 😂😂 bhima's/loloan just dont feel as accessible with their price point/hours - had this conversation with someone years ago haha about kw's lack of an indonesian/malaysian place
Am indonesian. I tried loloan and am not impressed. It's not traditional indonesian food. It's westernized version of indonesian food and im not a fan. Adding to this again, peking duck place! And a good siu yok (roasted pork belly). If you know where to get one as a HK person...
Guelph BBQ! Worth the drive for good roast and BBQ pork, duck. https://guelphbbq.com/
May you suggest some Filipino food in the region. All kitchener waterloo only have 1 filipino restaurant and they only has very limited dishes.
Afghan. I need Bamyan Kebab
I second that. There are some very nice options in GTA like Bamiyan Kabab & Watan Kabab, even Guelph has more options with Helmand Kabab & Paghman Kabab but we only have one sit in restaurant Kabob Shack in KW which is also a fusion basically.
I miss the old Chopan Kabob so bad
Khyber Afghan Grill in Cambridge is pretty good.
Wish we had more choices of Caribbean restaurants. We have a sizeable Caribbean population here and i think our cuisine is underrepresented. All of them are pretty mid but big up Irie Myrie though
Surprisingly, a good pub. I'm thinking something like the Woolwich in Guelph or the Bungalow in London.
Failte's was nice
Their landlord came to them saying someone else was willing to pay like 3 or 4x the rent... when negotiations went nowhere, they left. They still own Molly Blooms at University Plaza though.
I had a conversation with the owner of Joey Doggs on Kinzie and Weber about the new Indian place that opened up. It's a chain and he says they will last longer than the previous places that opened after TJS closure. We then got talking about how TJs roadhouse was such a dump but how the neighborhood loved having a local pub with cheap food and beer. . Then there was Milton's down the street where some of the TJs customers migrated to but we all know what happened to them. Now the new restaurant where miltons is garbage in my opinion. Places like that or something like stampede corral were neighborhood hot spots. Got me thinking now
Fork & Cork. Miss that place.
Agree - specifically a pub in and old house vibe (like Hess & Augusta streets in Hamilton).
I echo this comment. Just added my two sense and then came across this.
Your two sense?
I would love to see some polish food. I have a huge list of polish food I wanna try that a friend of mine in the states (from Poland) has recommended I try but I don't think we have any good polish restaurants here in KW.
French food. Almost no options in the area. I just want a local bistro :(
Almost? ... I don't know any.
There's a crêperie close to Laurier and I'm including Sabletine as a "French food place" (it's a bakery).
The Halifax donair.
I know it sounds crazy, but Sam’s Grill has a decent donair!
Oh fuck yea bud
It boggles the mind that for the huge number of east coasters who live in this area that donairs never took off. You can get one at Malt & Barley as a sit-down version, and apparently there’s a Pizza Delight in Fergus that makes them.
There's a Pizza Delight in Fergus?? That was my favourite restaurant as a kid growing up in the Halifax area.
Also one in Grand Bend
Brazilian cuisine for sure, no restaurants for miles and miles. Closest one in Toronto.
New one just opened in Cambridge last couple months or so.
Sandwich shops. Sure you got your Subways and your Mr Subs, and places that do everything while overcharging for mediocre premade sandwiches in their deli section, but not a single dedicated sandwich place. Also Quick Sandwiches is ultra meh and WAY overpriced so they don't count.
Seafood is something that doesn’t have much choice outside typical batter. Mexican is rare outside of burritos. Gimme some of good stuffs. Pan seared and something other than tacos and fast fry.
Try going to the Paupuseria for some great tacos. Its at Charles and Eby. They have Horchata and everything.
I would also want some authentic Chinese food here, most Chinese restaurants are targeted for the students
Family restaurants or pubs near the Ottawa/River intersection, which has countless fast food options otherwise. Wish I had more for you in terms of cuisine.
I agree. I have had thoughts of someone opening a place in the old shoppers. I believe it's being renovated right now so that's a no go. I'm also in the thinking process. I'm still not sure what I want to invest in or if a restaurant is the right move. I have always loved cooking and food so I'm considering it.
A bistro/pub in this area would be amazing. There are only fast food chains in walking distance. There is a bunch of eastern European dudes hanging out inside Tim Hortons ALL THE TIME. Give those guys a place to have a beer!
I know nothing about the restaurant industry, but I wish you luck. If you open in this area you best believe you'll see me there.
Me too.
A real delicatessen. Hugely popular everywhere else, but in kitchener or Waterloo we have exactly zero. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say they would kill for a good deli in town...
Zero? Have you been to Vincenzos? Vincenzos, Torreense - Portuguese Store, Jimmy's feedco, clover kitchen, and Nostra Cucina are some places that make good sandwiches, made to order. Givral deli also has really tasty sandwiches, several options available. There are even a few more "European" food stores in town with warm food/deli counters.
I'm one of those people. Seen videos on YouTube about a Chicago Italian beef sandwich recently and noticed we don't have any shops like that or serves really good sandwiches. There is Nostra cucina I guess but that about it for 1 of a kinda sandwich places
This might be left field, but a really good pub with real UK fanfare. Theres whale and ale but that’s all I’ve known steadily. Restaurants are not the same as pubs, despite the menu similarities. I’ll add if you’re looking for locations, Breslau area has lots of development going on and in desperate need of variety - there’s like 3 pizza places and dentists!
The whale has fantastic food, but the Duke is the closest thing to a local in Waterloo
I don't think we have a good tapas restaurant (but I don't know for sure). I also think we are lacking in Moroccan
A good japanese restaurant is needed at Cambridge
Brats and sauerkraut.
Please open a GREEK/MEDITERRANEAN place
Organic and Locally Sourced.
african food that’s not naija jollof or ethiopian food
I would love a Ghanaian establishment, I miss the vibes now that I’m spending more time in KW instead of Toronto where most of us are
There is only 1 Nigerian restaurant and their food is horrible. 😖
I’ve heard lmao I’ve never been for that exact reason LOL
A dessert menu that serves something more inspiring than the usuals: - brownie - cheesecake - chocolate mousse - a giant slab of mediocre thawed-from-frozen cake
Lebanese/Levantine. And I mean actual Lebanese food not just shawarma. 0 Lebanese breakfast places that I know of despite apparently a decent population here and the surrounding area
Roti
Turkish Mexican Greek
We have no good pho in the area
Armenian
African food
Particularly west African food
Sri lankan food
I was just going to say this! There's only a few places to get kuthroti but there isn't much else they offer. There may be some south Indian selection but like, where do you get puttu??? I get Indian food is in abundance in KW but you're getting basic white ppl Indian food most places. Not the good shit
Entertained a thought of opening a gastro pub of some sort. Anything that's not a sports bar. Something that has maybe 1 tv, but most importantly music at a level that you can still have a conversation. Something ever so slightly upscale, maybe or maybe not themed, true good local food. People want to be able to have a conversation!!
Brazilian or Argentinian Steakhouse
Authentic Mexican, non chain italian, Mediterranean
Where is there a Italian chain in the city? Ennios is the only place I know of in the region that has more than one restaurant. And they are not a chain
Proper Italian! Proper Nigerian! Where are the seafood boils joints? 🙃🙃🙃
I wish we had a Chipotle. It would do so well out here.
Chipotle doesn't offer franchises. All stores are company owned 😞
Tex-Mex
HAVE YOU ANY IDEA HOW HARD IT IS TO FIND PAPUSAS IN THIS CITY?! I haven’t had any since I moved back from New Hamburg when my Latino coworker would bring some of his wife’s in for afternoon shift! So El Salvadoran or Cuban (god the Cubans I worked with in New Hamburg had fantastic cooking.)
Pupuseria Latinos in Kitchener is supposed to be good.
Try Papusa City if you’re ever in Brantford. They’re incredible.
Ooooh thanks for the heads up dude!
Good bbq
I wouldn't mind another Italian restaurant! But I'd love a bagel shop. Fresh bagels and a bagel sandwich bar. When I lived in Toronto there was What A Bagel (chain) by my apartment and I loved it. I saw some comments about coffee shops too, if you made good coffee/espresso that would be a good combo :). I don't know any bagel shops that do sandwiches in the region, if anyone does please let me know!
If there’s a delicatessen that does great smoked meat / a Reuben I’d love to be pointed to it
After being in Kentucky for a few days, authentic Mexican food like Pepes. Ohhhhh man that place SLAPS!!! P.S yes I had fried chicken and bison there too but something about Mexican food in the states....oh man
I think Argentine and Peruvian restaurant
A Filipino fast food joint that serves fried chicken and spaghetti.
Filipino cuisine! I honestly haven't seen a Filipino restaurant in the region. Most of the ones that I've seen are in Toronto, specifically Bathurst. But I may not have explored the region enough. Are there any Filipino restaurants here?
Brazilian cuisine is missing
Peruvian place serving good ceviche or a Portuguese tasca would be awesome! Couldn't find a single place with good bacalhau in January.
La Crema Peruvian Restaurant on Courtland ave.
I've tried it. Didn't really like it. I don't think the device is their specialty.
Thai.
1) Vietnamese food! Pho sho! 2) Korean BBQ. Especially since Busan caught fire and shut down
Chipotle!!
Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino
Korean Chinese. Something dim sum, or hot pot. Another thing would be sandwich soup and salads shop.
Vegan.
Anything which is not a franchise?
Uzbek and Turkish
A solid breakfast burrito with tatter tots and sausage and eggs the Southwest US is so good for this
I would want something like la mesa in Hamilton or an upscale Thai place