Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Uptown Waterloo Cheap Lunch Roundup (II)

A few new spots have opened since my last posting in February, mostly due to the Waterloo Town Square reconstruction. Hopefully a few more places will come along when the KPMG building opens, including a new LCBO (although not exactly a lunch spot per se).

Gourmet Pizza (Waterloo Town Square)

A decent pizza place, similar to Fratello. Eat in, take out. Just putting the word gourmet in the name and installing a faux brick oven (actually gas fired) doesn't make it gourmet though. Some toppings that may not be on the average pizza joint's item list but nothing terribly exotic. Slices are a decent deal for lunch, but full pizzas are much more expensive than Fratello - even after the buy one get one for $5 deal)

All About Crepes (Waterloo Town Square)

Wow. At least the waitress was friendly. Terrible value - $7-$10 for a tiny crepe. Lunch and dinner offerings were the same - crepes filled with spaghetti sauce, canned tuna, mushrooms, or plain spinach and cheese (note those aren't exactly the menu descriptions, but what I felt was served). That plus a half-hearted attempt at plating (a huge glop of sour cream topped with a single blueberry and dill) does not make for a very filling meal. Dessert crepes were a more reasonable $4-$5 but we weren't going to throw good money after bad. The place was completely full but I suspect it will thin out considerably unless the menu or the prices change.

Thai Sun (Waterloo Town Square)

Now open! See the full review.

Uptown Cafe (Marsland Centre)

A cafe that replaced the uninspired coffee shop in the basement of the Marsland Centre. A surprisingly good option for lunch - fantastic value especially for those working in the building. Daily specials include hot sandwiches and wraps with a side of pasta, chips or veggies for less than $5. The sandwiches often contain real meat - not just your normal deli slices. Burgers and hotdogs for $3 and $2 respectively. Service is very slow during the lunch rush so be warned.

7 comments:

Viktor said...

The pizza place in Waterloo Town Square seems to be run by the same family that owns Pizza Prosciutto. This may or may not affect your decision about it's tastiness, depending on what sort of pizza you like.

(Why is it that all KW's pizza places seem to be run by Yugos that like to sell thick doughy crust pizza? 8))

Anonymous said...

keep up the reviews!

disappointed about the crepes place though...was looking forwarad to trying it, but after reading multiple bad reviews, im not so sure...

Anonymous said...

I agree about the Crepe review. I love the Crepe Cafe in Toronto on Queen St and was disappointed with the lack of authenticity and taste at All About Crepes

Anonymous said...

Wondering if anyone knows what the status of Thai Sun is yet? I saw that the construction permit was set to expire near the beginning of September, but I haven't been up that way yet.

Anonymous said...

Thai Sun is now open!! Check it out - worth the wait Waterloo!

Geekwad said...

Doesn't really take exotic toppings to be "gormet" in k/w. Just fresh. Sad.

Anonymous said...

Someone mentioned Pizza Prosciutto - just few days ago my husband and I heard about this place on the radio and decided to give it a shot. We tried "chef's pick" and "belisima" - absolutely delicious! Very nice blend of toppings, right amount of cheese and super-crispy crust.

We are so glad we have found this place and if Gourmet Pizzeria is owned by the same family that runs Pizza Prosciutto, then it is definitely the place to be.