- Alex Fleck
Good Eats in Kitchener/Waterloo
The reality of eating out, ordering in, and buying your own groceries has changed a lot in the last year. Whether it is safe or comfortable for you to leave home or not, we wanted to provide some options for treating yourself on a relatively small budget. This applies most to those currently living in KW, but there’s a little bit here for others as well. All of these places, if not personal recommendations, came highly recommended from colleagues and friends.
Cheap(er) Eats
Instant Ramen Hack
Watch the video link below for how to make this work at home, but I’m breaking down the ingredients and where to buy ingredients in the area: Weird but Delicious Japanese Instant Ramen Hack - YouTube.
Image credit: Amazon.ca
What You Need:
Sapporo Ichiban Miso Flavor Instant Ramen (other ramen brands might work, but like the original hack, I like this best)
A teaspoon/clove of garlic (translate quantities for differences between fresh, powder, from a jar, etc.)
One raw egg/egg substitute
One tablespoon Japanese mayo/substitute
Other veggies or things you like in ramen
Where to buy:
TNT - https://www.tntsupermarket.com/
No miso ichiban specifically here on the website, but with locations around KW it offers substitutes, and since ichiban brand is pretty common, possible future stock.
Amazon - Sapporo Ichiban Instant Bag Miso Ramen Noodles ($2.31(ish) on sale/package seems expensive? But it’s in stock, and you can order from where you sit right now). And $3.50 CAD (with an estimate of other costs divided) for lunch isn’t bad.
New City Supermarket - https://goo.gl/maps/iV39q7TM3RHH7awz7 I’ve seen it here, but I cannot recall the price, and it seems to sell out fairly often. Proceed with caution.
Waterloo Central Supermarket - Waterloo Central Supermarket, Ontario, Canada This is for folks living close to the school, as it might be the closest option (unconfirmed stock).
Givral Deli Banh Mi
Vietnamese deli sandwiches from downtown Kitchener.
“Assorted” Bahn Mi Sandwich (with my thumb)
https://goo.gl/maps/swv3bTtuZRn8KJwK6
Close to the LRT (Light Rail Transit) line at Frederick station.
Menu (if ordering ahead by phone, you can use the numbers to order):
Givral Deli - Menu
Prices: $4.00 - $4.75 (sandwiches)
Unavailable on food delivery services (as far as I can tell).
Vincenzo’s
Also on LRT transit, Vincenzo’s, a grocery store near Uptown Waterloo (Allen and King) has salad, sandwiches, and pizza for reasonable prices (under $8).
Pizza: Pizza Flyer- 2020- April.pdf (vincenzosonline.com)
Salad: Salad Flyer- 2019- JULY pdf version.pdf (vincenzosonline.com)
Sandwiches: Sandwich Flyer- 2020- April.pdf (vincenzosonline.com)
And if there are groceries you want, they appear to offer a courier delivery service: Shop Online - Vincenzo's (vincenzosonline.com)
A Little More Expensive
Golden Dynasty
Near Victoria and West Street (https://goo.gl/maps/nzi2jFC288mLKPBy6) for delivery or pickup through doordash, they offer all day homemade (not pre-frozen) dim sum (best for a bigger group): Golden Dynasty in Kitchener - Delivery Menu
Image Credit - Golden Dynasty website
Shinwa
Located in University plaza right beside campus (University and Philip/University and Ring Road), Shinwa Asian Cuisine offers Hakka (West Chinese) food, with an extensive Vegetarian menu: Shinwa Asian cuisine - Delivery Menu - DoorDash.
Image credit - Shinwa website
Song’s Lamian
Another location practically on campus and offering Chinese cuisine, you can check out their menu and order online here: Song's Lamian | Chinese cuisine.
"Traditional Beef Noodle"传统牛肉拉面 - Image credit - Song’s Lamian website
Union Burger
Located downtown Kitchener, near Communitech (and the Critical Media Lab), and on the LRT line (Central Station), Union Burger offers a quality fast food burger and fries/onion rings experience: Kitchener - Union Burger (ubburger.com). I’m a fan of the mushroom/swiss burger. You can order through skip the dishes.
Image Credit - Union Burger website
LRT Line Map
Since I’ve been discussing public transit in relation to the LRT transit line (which along with GRT buses is included in graduate student tuition for Fall/Winter terms), here it is:
Image Credit - grt.ca
Hopefully, if you find yourself either in Kitchener or Waterloo and need something delicious and relatively inexpensive to eat, these recommendations (graciously borrowed from colleagues and friends) will help you out. Leave your own recommendations in the comments and let us know what you've tried!