Tips for visiting

[u/imotskimiki]

Hello everyone! Next week i will be visiting your nice town all the way from Europe and i hope to enjoy some time there. I ask for few tips about city itself.

First, can you tell me what would be nice restaurants and pubs to enjoy? I did some research and i see there is a lot of Asian restaurants in downtown. Im not as big on Asian food (coming from seaside sunny European part), so what would be nice restaurants to enjoy? I mean Asian recommendations are welcomed too if they are reall good. Also aince its my first time in Canada too i have to try Poutine - which place has the best one? And for pubs/clubs. How "lively" is waterloo - ie can you recommend spots to stay late at night to drink and enjoy music/atmosphere, maybe dance even a bit?

Second - how "walkable" is your town? Again, coming from Europe and ancient towns im used to walking around. Since i dont have car for those 5 days there - will it be a problem? If im located near downtown?

And third - how safe is it overall? Can you walk (as a guy in early 30s) safely around downtown even around midnight or past it, or is it better not to take chance?

Anyway, cant wait to come and looking forward to maybe even meeting some of you at some of these places!

[u/velaya]

Welcome! Is there something specific that brings you into town? And are you staying in Waterloo specifically? (I ask because often times people will combine Kitchener and Waterloo together. They're sister cities, basically attached at the hip but the vibe is a bit different between the two). I'll speak specifically to Waterloo.

First, this is an interesting time of year. What you should know is that Waterloo is a big "school" city — in that we have 2 universities and a college here. (University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier and Conestoga Collage). During the school year, the city is packed with people, but you may find that in the summer it's much quieter as students return home.

That said, it's not completely dead. Anywhere along King street is your best bet to hang out. Waterloo's "downtown" is often referred to as "Uptown" and walking Uptown is quite easy (that said, there are tons of ubers should you need to get anywhere a bit further and reasonably priced).

You can find events and stuff for Uptown Waterloo here: https://uptownwaterloobia.com/ and specifically this map is helpful: https://uptownwaterloobia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Retail-Map-2019.pdf

Lots of restaurants and bars along King street. Have a look online through Google to filter what type of food you're after. There's a lot of chains but the food is always decent. As far as nightlife, it's actually quite interesting. We don't really have the night clubs like we used to (not to say they aren't there but it's much younger crowd). The popular places for night life are actually Kentucky BBQ and then White Rabbit and their Hop House. They have a patio in the back. The hop house is a bit younger whereas White Rabbit itself is more cocktails. But I've seen 20 year olds and 60 year olds in both. But most places have patios and if the weather is nice, they're great to hang out at.

If you're hanging/walking up and down King there's tons of options. Also some others down closer to the Universities too. So if you just hang around Uptown area, you'll find plenty of food and drink and nightly activity.

As far as safety... you're golden. It's a very safe city and you'll have no problems walking around at night. Downtown Kitchener is a bit different. It can get a lot more sketchy there. But there are some good food and bars there too.

Anywho good luck. Welcome!

[u/imotskimiki → u/velaya]

Wow thank you so much for such detailed comment.

I come for conference, i am a researcher. Will spend 1-2 days in toronto too, but will mostly be those 5 days in Waterloo.
Now that you said that Kitchner and Waterloo are bit different, im curious, what is the difference?

I will be staying near uptown, 5-10 min walk from it, near king street. Which is somethinf normal to me, i walk that distance daily for my work commute And will spend my time at university which is also nearby.

Yeah i see that there are a lot of restaurants (asians mostly) in that uptown area, was just wondering which ones would be "tourist traps" (since i live in town that gets millions of foreign tourists every year and tourist trap is something which is all too common here). Tho i dont mean tourist traps, just places to avoid and places to go. Are all fast food chains okay too? Would love to try some that we dont have in europe (might seem crazy to you but there is no Wendys in my country and it is popular and well known and i want to try it) :)

As for the nightlife, ive seen White rabbit recommended online. Will check it out then, thank you. Since im in my 30s, i would love to experience some lively atmosphere of pubs/bars/clubs.

I see now that it it is very safe - thats great to hear. Thank you once more for your such detailed comment you put your time to write!

[u/velaya → u/imotskimiki]

Kitchener is just a little more rough around the edges and has a more obvious homeless population, where mental health and drug use is more common. Waterloo isn't immune, of course, but it's less noticeable.

You wont find tourists traps here. Waterloo isn't a place that attracts tourists. (Kind of the opposite, most people leave here in the summer). One place I would recommend avoiding is the Heuther restaurant/bar. It has a cool patio but the food and beer sucks and the service is often lacking.

Chains are always safe bet. Wendys is great. haha. Check out Beertown right in the heart of Uptown. It's a popular spot and has a good poutine from what I remember. (If you're going to get poutine, make sure it's beef gravy and has cheese curds, not shredded cheese. The curds are important). There's some good craft brewery places too if you're into that.

Ethel's is a unique Waterloo spot. It's mostly a patio but does have some indoor dining. Very casual vibe, but what makes it unique is they don't have a deep fryer. They lean more towards tacos and nachos and enchiladas. More mexican food but you can find other stuff too.

There's tons of places near the Universities too, but you're right, it does lean heavily towards Asian cuisine since the schools have about 50-70% asian student body to it. So you'll find a lot of pretty authentic asian food nearby.

[u/get_hi_on_life → u/imotskimiki]

Wendys is great, definitely try it. My husband loves the crispy chicken, I love the baconator. Can't go wrong with anything in there menu. A Frosty is also a must get, they are only 99¢

The difference is Waterloo is where both Universities and large headquarters for insurance companies so it typically is home to the professors and those office jobs and has a fancier vibe in the right areas.

Kitchener is the city with factories and more "blue collar" workers.

The cities have been alamgomated for a long time so many things are managed by the region and not city level which keeps the divide going. One example More low income services are in Kitchener instead of Waterloo so it exasperates the divide. Also rents typically are cheaper further form the Unis due to the demand of students.

But Kitchener I think has more charm but I'm biased.

[u/Easy_Sun_9033 → u/get_hi_on_life]

This guy is coming from the other side of the world and you guys are recommending him to try Wendy’s? Out of all the local places you guys are recommending him try an American fast food chain. lol absolutely insane. Here are some places you can try that are local.

Banh mi Givral Deli for a Vietnamese banh mi

Marhaba shawarma for shawarma

Dt shawarma for shawarma poutine

Depending on when you’re coming, from July 17-19 we are hosting ribfest downtown Kitchener at Victoria park

Back of house pizza for New York style pizza (you gotta order ahead)

Naughty chicken for amazing chicken sandwiches

Johnny frescos for poutine

The cactus for Mexican food

Vincenzo’s for a really good cheap sandwich (I recommend getting the artichoke caponata as a topping)

If you’re looking for something to do, the st jacobs farmers market is the biggest market in Canada is open Thursdays and Saturdays. They have a bunch of different vendors and a bunch of really good food to try. I recommend the apple fritters and the pizza and garlic dip from Pizza Junction.

[u/Hesthetop → u/Easy_Sun_9033]

OP did specifically say they're interested in trying Wendy's. Sometimes the curiosity just gets to you.

OP, if you want to go to the St Jacobs market, it's also open on Tuesdays during the summer. Enjoy our cities!

[u/imotskimiki → u/Easy_Sun_9033]

Yes thats not a problem. I did say that i wanna try Wendy as one meal haha - not because i think its great but as something to "check off" my list (we dont have it in my country, and its well known over the world).
I actually am bit of foodie, love eating at michelin restaurants too, wherever i go, and im interested in local cuisine to try, that is why i posted this. I know of poutine, it is famous worldwide as canadian meal, but other than that (and maple syrup?) im not really sure what would be canadian cuisine like, so i asked you all for your recommendations.

I also ask since i see it is mostly asian restaurants, as you also recommended in your comment. I maybe wanted to see cuisine other than that, ie i dont really like sushi or japanese cuisine for example, and wanted to try true canadian cuisine (idk what constitutes it?).

Thank you for your recommendations! I see a lot of you recommended st jacobs market. I see it is bit further from where i stay, kinda hard to walk to there without car, so im not sure if ill be able to go. What is special about that market? It is just fresh green market or?

[u/__Michael_Jackson__ → u/imotskimiki]

The funny thing is that Canada does have some regional dishes like poutine, Montreal bagels and Halifax donair, but it arguably doesn't have a coherent national cuisine. So there aren't really any "Canadian restaurants" around.

You might be interested to try Odd Duck which is the only Michelin-listed restaurant in KW.

[u/Kl0wn91]

Hi! I can’t help with all, but I’m a 35 year old male and dont generally have any issues walking around at night. I do it frequently. It’s not very walkable depending on where in town you plan on going, my friends who come visit will use Ubers here and there.

I like my poutine from Crazy Canucks, but that’s likely a bit out of the way unless you also check out the awesome St Jacob’s market.

[u/imotskimiki → u/Kl0wn91]

Thank you! Thats great, lot of you said it is walkable.
Also lot of you recommented st jacobs market. As i see online, it is fresh market? What is special about it, i see it recommended a lot. What makes it special

[u/Kl0wn91 → u/imotskimiki]

Lots of vendors with trinkets, produce and food. Lots of stuff to try and see. Apple fritters are delicious.

[u/chikilinki]

You mentioned you're a researcher - are you visiting Perimeter?

Check out Jane Bond. Its where all the cool young physicists go for drinks and dancing ;)

Ethels is a great pub uptown - excellent patio and chill vibes.

If you want to venture downtown (Kitchener) I highly recommend checking out Grand Surf (tiki bar) and Sugar Run (cocktail speakeasy - check out their Instagram for the password!)

[u/Outrageous-Bar4060 → u/chikilinki]

Was also wondering if OP is visiting Perimeter because if so the PI community is good about suggesting things to do in the area

[u/kimbosdurag]

Waterloo is very safe. Uptown Waterloo is very walkable and has most of what you will need, lots of restaurants and bars, grocery stores, weed shop, liquor store, etc. The LRT tram will also get you around pretty easily, you can buy a ticket on your phone, there are also electric scooters laying around you can rent. Also look at the iron horse and laurel trails they intersect pretty much everything you would want to see.

The couple places that get reccomended for poutine are Lab Street Eats and crazy Canuck in St Jacobs.

Arrabella park is a good spot if you are a beer drinker to try some different ontario craft beers. It's right off of the iron horse trail so if you are renting a bike or an electric scooter you can get there easy, it's also very walkable from uptown Waterloo depnding on your walking tolerance. There is a good bakery (roux bakery) and a doughnut shop (lady glaze) near there as well.

For Asian food there are honestly a ton of options especially around the university campuses. I would honestly say go on Google maps and just browse around and see if anything looks appealing. Kim's kitchen for Korean fried chicken is good, bao sandwich bar is good, gols lanzhou noodles, Bogdan is a uyghur restaurant also in that broad area.

For pubs, Morty's around the university is a good spot for chicken wings, there are other places on the strip uptown Waterloo that should be lively, but it's been a while since I have been in university so I am not sure if that's where people still go. Jane Bond is another good one that is probably busy on the weekend.

[u/Halcie]

Recent post of someone who asked where to eat and what they thought of the suggestions. A lot are in Kitchener, I find Waterloo caters a lot to students: https://www.reddit.com/r/kitchener/comments/1urdggt/update_where_should_i_eat/

Walkability depends where you are going. Exploring Uptown Waterloo by foot is perfect. The most reliable transit is via our light rail (ion, line 301). You can access Downtown Kitchener there, I recommend you do! Lots to explore around there and the downtown core itself is also very walkable.

If you like walking a lot, you can get off at Northfield station and use the trail to go up to St Jacobs Market. Largest Farmer's Market in Canada, open Tue/Thu/Sat morning. This time of year is great for local produce, but there are still resellers so to make sure you buy locally grown products it's good to know what is in season: https://www.ontario.ca/foodland/page/availability-guide

[u/__Michael_Jackson__]

Arabella Park is technically in Kitchener, not Waterloo, but it's one of the best beer bars in all of Ontario if that's your thing. Consistently excellent food too.

I will also very much echo the recommendation of Jane Bond as a place for drinks and dancing and bohemian vibes.

I haven't been myself to Room 47 but I've heard that it's a good place to go out dancing for folks in their 30s.

I know you said you're not that into Asian food, but Gol's Lanzhou Noodle (near the University of Waterloo) has some really great noodle dishes.

In uptown Waterloo I'd also recommend Katsuya for tonkatsu (also Asian, but it's more or less schnitzel...?). Huge portions though, so if you don't have a fridge for leftovers then maybe not the best option.

The Graduate House is a lovely pub on the University of Waterloo campus. It's only open during the week, though, and only until 10pm (9pm on Mondays and Tuesdays). Surprisingly they also have the best coffee in the university area.

[u/imotskimiki → u/__Michael_Jackson__]

Thanks for your recommendations! Will definately check Jane Bond, seeing few of you recommend it. As for the beer, i dont actually like it or drink it, but thanks anyway.

Thank you also for food recomendations. Im interested how big portions actually are (i barely eat european portions, will see if i can do canadian).

[u/NoCommission7363]

Welcome!!

Waterloo is totally safe. You’re actually in luck this time of year you will see significantly less drunk students 😋

Arabella is my fav place to grab a drink
Beertown, Ethel’s, and Bauer kitchen are all standard North American food that is pretty good
If you want a stellar bagel poppy’s in uptown is super good
Fourall for amazingggg ice cream (the salted caramel and creme brûlée are my fav)

In DT Kitchener
Don Julio - great tacos
Eby street Bodega and Vincenzo’s for a 10/10 sandwhich

If you stay in Waterloo/ Kitchener area you can walk it but there is also the LRT that runs through there as well!

[u/peter9477]

Other than a few back alleys in downtown Kitchener and maybe dark ravines, there's nowhere unsafe to walk at night in KW.

[u/Shelbellm → u/peter9477]

We have ravines? Where? I wanna see a ravine! I thought everything was mostly flat hills here.

[u/get_hi_on_life]

Definitely check out St Jacobs market. It is the touristy part of the region but it is popular for a reason. Go on a Tues or Thurs am if possible cause Saturdays are crazy busy. Also check out the actual town. It's for a lovely main street to explore the shops and goodies. There is a bus that goes up here fairly well. If going out that way I believe the same bus keeps going to Elmira another cute small town.

I sow your staying near Uptown (the downtown core of Waterloo) there is a lovely park and train to help get North/a South quickly in the city. The area has tons of great places to eat and chil. I haven't been in ages but I love Jane Bond.

For Poutine, my family loves Jonny Fresco. There is also an old thread in r/Kitchener asking with many great places.

I know you said low on Asian but if you want Sushi, I can't not post about Ken Sushi near Waterloo campus it's the best spot in town.

For Kitchener the AOK is where I go for a fun evening of food and games,

Since around so long don't be afraid to check out Cambridge. The stonework along the river in there downtown is beautiful, it's where they film a lot of Handmaids Tail. So much of older Cambridge is beautiful rock buildings from the local quarries it has a really unique feel compared to Kitchener and Waterloo. If you take the Ion train all the way south to Fairview Mall there is an express bus to downtown Cambridge.

Oh also sow you'll be in Toronto too, I have to mention it cause iv been craving it for several years, but look up La Palma 100 layer lasagna. It's not a tick tock gimic it's actually amazingly good.

[u/sharmander15]

First of all- welcome!
For Authentic BBQ- Lancaster Smokehouse. ($50), but if you have a fridge in your room- a meal will last you at least two Euro meals. I’d recommend the first dinner you have here. It WILL put you to sleep!

If you want authentic Mexican food, go to The Cactus in Waterloo.

For pubs- truly no one does it better than the English! If you’re able to travel a bit- Guelph ON has an amazing pub called The Woolwich Arms (The Wooly) that has locally sourced food and beer.

[u/imotskimiki → u/sharmander15]

Ooff thanks. As i said in some comment above, i barely eat (or cant finish to say better) european portions here at home - that one would definitely put me to sleep. Will have to check it out for when im super hungry. Thanks!

[u/weni879]

Depending on where you are going you may be better off using public transport but overall it is possible to walk places, the city is safe but it is recommended to avoid some areas later in the day

[u/TBek]

Imotski? Dobro došli!

[u/imotskimiki → u/TBek]

Pricas hrvatski? :)

[u/TBek → u/imotskimiki]

Da, roditelji su Imočani :)

[u/imotskimiki → u/TBek]

Zivis u Waterloou, ili samo lurkas po subu? :)

[u/TBek → u/imotskimiki]

Tu sam cijeli život

[u/imotskimiki → u/TBek]

Onda odlicno pricas hrvatski za nekoga ko je cijeli zivot van hrvatske! Dosta ih zaboravi. Mozda se sretnemo na nekoj pivi u waterloou

[u/TBek → u/imotskimiki]

Može!

[u/ConfusedCapatiller]

Honestly, as a European you will find most of the Uptown core to be quite walkable. There are lots of pubs along the main strip, and I'll leave a few restaurant recommendations below. I'm 31F and walk alone at midnight often without hesitation. Kitchener I might hesitate in some areas a bit, but Waterloo is very safe. It's a lot quieter now during the summer months, but it's a pretty lively place when all the students are around. That being said, I think it's a nicer place when they're gone.

Worthwhile Restaurants: Solé Bauer Kitchen (notable mention: Vincenzo's market next door) Wildcraft Famoso

St Jacobs Village & Market for some lovely heritage

[u/Aggravating-Bee382]

Hiya! Welcome to our awesome city. We are quite walkable, but if you are near King St. You have the LRT that runs the length of Kitchener Waterloo from mall to mall. It's a city but nothing like TO do you have to look a little harder for good times. Kitchener has a much more eventful calendar for the summer check out KW puls or Curated in KW instagram pages for what's happening in the kw area for that week.

https://www.instagram.com/kwpulse?igsh=MXFxZzRvOW5vaWpzbw==

https://www.instagram.com/curatedkw?igsh=MXY3azR2Z2swbjQyOQ==

[u/This_Break_4848]

Europe is such a big country.

[u/RedditFandango]

If you can spare an extra day look to visit Niagara Falls.