*4.5* stars This…read morerestaurant has a very unique taste and dishes that aren't really seen anywhere else in the KW region (not that I'm aware of at least!) I saw it on Ubereats and saw there was a BOGO going on so I ordered it. I was pleasantly surprised at the complexity and variety of dishes they had! If you crave Asian food, I definitely recommend this place. This place seems to primarily be for hotpot, but I can understand with covid it's harder to see that side right now. Nonetheless, they have many options outside their hotpot as well. I got the seafood with vermecilli noodles for my partner and a Mala spice with fish noodles for myself. The beef pho was a BOGO option so I got them for tomorrow's meal. (the BOGO list was quite limited). They were delicious and I found the portion sizing to be quite nice! The soup was very very flavorful and hits the spot. Again something that I haven't found in the KW area at all until now and would crave (since it can be found commonly back home in Toronto) Packaging, wait time and everything was fine. Why it's not a perfect score is because of its price point. It's a lot pricier than some other places. Their primary feature is hotpot and noodles. The hotpot options seemed fairly nice but there's also a few other hotpot places just around the corner too. With the noodles, you can get the same large portion (but different noodle type, same richness in broth though) for half the price that they set it at here. I personally see this place as somewhere I'd get ever so often, or special occasions only. For student prices, I'd probably look to go elsewhere. However, you can't deny how good their broth is, so it's not a big enough deal to knock off a star completely.

Formerly Waterloo Star. Great value. Clean. With purchase of an entree, you get free self serve…read morefountain drinks, rice, pickled daikon, bean spouts and cabbage salad. Scan the QR code on the table to see the menu and order. Food brought out promptly. For what you pay, it is a good deal.

Decent food, good deal for students with unlimited rice and side dishes. Pork hock was made with a…read morelittle too much vinegar and portion sizes could be bigger for the price.

It was a snowy night on our way back to Toronto, and my girlfriend was craving Indian food, so we…read moredecided to stop in Waterloo for dinner. When we walked in, the restaurant wasn't very busy, but the space felt uncomfortably cold. My partner was also put off by the number of fly traps hanging throughout the dining area--it immediately gave the place an unwelcoming, unhygienic feel. We ordered sweet chilli paneer and ginger beef. While the knitted pouches holding the cutlery were meant to be cute, they were clearly not clean--there were visible sauce stains on them, which was pretty gross. The plates had similar discoloration from leftover residue, and the water tasted unfiltered and unpleasant, so we barely drank it out of concern. As for the food, it was mediocre at best. The ginger beef was essentially stir-fried beef in a chilli sauce dominated by garlic, ginger, chilli, and MSG. It had a bit of wok hei, but it completely lacked the sweet, balanced profile that good ginger beef should have. Compared to versions I've had elsewhere (like at Federick's), this was extremely underwhelming. My partner didn't enjoy her paneer either--it was spicy, but otherwise flat and one-dimensional. Overall, the dishes tasted oddly watery, bland, and garlicky despite the heat. The dessert was fine, though the portion was small. I could tell the gulab jamun was microwaved but it tasted fine. The price was reasonable--our bill came to just under $50 CAD. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this place unless they address the serious hygiene issues and make major improvements to their recipes.

I heard about this Hakka Nation location in Waterloo through Instagram. This eatery's account…read morefollowed mine. I have flagged coming here ever since. I find that whatever businesses that are trendy to university students in Waterloo tends to come over to the greater Toronto area in due time. It's nice that Waterloo has a Hakka restaurant. I came here after doing a lot of damage at a liquidation place in Wellesley. I needed a late lunch and finally got to check it out yesterday. Hakka Nation is located in a plaza with a ton of diverse food varieties. This plaza is next door to the University of Waterloo. I had no problem finding a parking spot fairly close to the eatery. I parked and walked in. I got here at 4 pm on a Saturday. It was packed. It was a good sign. A man behind the counter immediately greeted me. I asked if there was room for me. He nodded and got his female colleague to seat me at a clean, available table. What I instantly noticed was that this place does not have air conditioning. Instead, three oscillating fans were on full blast. i sat near one, so I felt cool. You scan a QR code on the table to bring up the menu. I got a large bottle of cold water to start, which was refreshing and much needed! I ordered the following items: - Chilli chicken with gravy - Diet Pepsi I asked whether the chilli chicken with gravy came with steamed rice. It did. My can of pop came out first. It was cold. I loved it. My chilli chicken with gravy arrived with a generous amount of rice. I was so happy because I was hungry. This chilli chicken had green bell peppers. I normally don't care for a ton of veggies in chilli chicken, but they weren't offensive. I will say that the combination of eating a spicy dish with hot temperature-wise chicken is deadly! The spice level was excellent with the generous minced garlic. The gravy was excellent with the steamed rice. The chicken morsels were tender, juicy, and yummy. So good! I love the chilli chicken with rice at Wok of Asia. This place has my heart with this version. It was nice when everyone left and I was the only customer left at 5 pm. It embraced it. I went up to the counter to pay for my meal. I used a credit card. I tipped and tapped. Done! I let the man know how much I loved my meal. He was happy to hear it. I used the washroom before I left. There's one washroom for women, one for men, and one gender-neutral one. i used the women's washroom. It was impeccably clean. What a fantastic Hakka joint in Waterloo! I'm so envious that students can eat well here without breaking the bank. My meal with a Diet Pepsi was well under $20 after taxes. I look forward to returning to try more items on the menu. (247)

Pho Anh Vu - Waterloo is a great location to get some Vietnamese food. The portions are great,…read morelocation perfect, and they definitely have a better use of this big space than previous tenants! They even have the Banh Mi store to the side of the building to serve those customers separately. They are Cash/Debit only (no discount). We were here as a party of 3 and paid around 100$ for a lot of food plus leftovers. Very worth it, all in all. Food came out quickly within about 10-15 min or ordering while the special item took about the time they indicated. Ordering is all managed by website (QR Code), but you can get staff to take orders manually if needed. Paying is at the front, they don't push you out when you are done. Tea is free and they will refill if called. All takeout containers and free to be used as well if you have leftovers. Floor staff is a bit passive, only really bringing the dishes and managing cleaning/refills, and the cashier is at the front (semi self-served). We had the: - 37. CƠM GÀ NƯỚNG, SƯỜN NƯỚNG (grilled pork and chicken broken rice), the chicken was juicy and tender and the rice super soft and fluffy, the sauce was perfectly seasoned - 48 BÚN THỊT NƯỚNG, CHẢ GIÒ (grilled pork chop with spring rolls and rice noodles), the noodles were the perfect texture, the meat was juicy and tender, also perfectly seasoned - S4 BÚN BÒ HUẾ ĐẶC BIỆT (spicy Hue Style Beef Special noodle soup) (only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday), they had many options on the website to remove certain portions of the meal like no blood, no cake, etc. very flexible and customizable - 10 CÁNH GÀ CHIÊN NƯỚC MẮM VỚI XÔI (takes an extra 20 minutes) (fish sauce fried chicken wings with sticky rice), this was a hidden gem, its super crispy wind/drumettes, great classic Vietnamese grill flavoring (garlic, salt), it takes some additional time as it is freshly fried It was a great meal and will be back to try the rest of the menu, especially in the summer for their cold drinks!

Great food, good service! I recommend this place I like…read moretheir vermicelli: the meat portion is heaping!

鸡肉炒面…read more 火候控制出色，不管是菜还是肉都是糊与不糊之间，慢一点就糊锅了。 鸡肉顺丝切片，处理时使用了蛋清，生粉水，油，非常标准。 用于改善口感的配菜有：卷心菜，洋葱，西蓝花，芽菜，菜椒。 下午3点到5点的炒面师傅，做的棒。建议其他的师傅不要省略SOP哦。 唯一的缺点是油太多了，不知道是不是追求成品率的代价呢？

I tried the chefs recommendation and I expected it to be spicy but sadly it was just red in colour…read more The noodles had good texture and the bowl was a good deal for the amount you pay but I just wish there was some spice and more flavour. Otherwise, we also got the dry chili oil noodles and those were had a good flavour and I loved the texture of the noodles. The ambiance of the restaurant was nice and we got seated quick and our food came out in a good time.

Tried pumpkin spice latte and coconut banana cream pie milkshake…read more Both of them were delicious. Pumpkin spice latte was less sweet compared to Starbucks but relatively good. Nice setting for dine in but it was busy when I went. It can crowded really fast during busy time. Friendly staff! Free parking is available but parking can get filled up pretty fast.

I returned to Williams, located in the University Plaza, to soak in the nostalgia from my recent…read moreWaterloo trip. Despite the plaza having many changes with more cool new restaurants, Williams is still here, and most things have stayed the same despite the years since I've been--lots of room to study. Also, I think this is probably the perfect "coffee date" for any University student as it's so close to campus. I ordered a simple iced coffee that day, but my friends and I remember that their waffles are pretty good, (though I haven't tried recently to confirm).

Malatang restaurant in the university plaza. You get to customize and choose your own ingredients,…read moresoup, spice level, etc. They have a wide variety of different ingredients you can choose from. I liked how the soup came out very hot. You also pay depending on the weight of your bowl, which the price could eventually add up. The restaurant and display was also pretty clean which I appreciated.

Magical little vegan girl powered bar/restaurant in Waterloo…read more There is street parking around. Cool environment on a hot day. Sunlight from the windows coming during the day. Staff is very friendly and helpful. I went for lunch, but there are djs the evening. Loads of vegan options. I ordered a Caesar salad and chick'n burrito (which was grilled). Both good. My standout was the cocktail I ordered: abracadabra. Rum, matcha, lime juice... refreshing, well balanced. I ordered two! I'll be back for sure.

Great spot, hidden on the back alley by the princess cinema and a really cool vintage shop. The…read morecocktails were killers.

Seoul Soul still takes the crown for the best Korean fried chicken in southern Ontario (imo). Was…read moreback again in town visiting family and this place is still busy, still popular, and still the same price! They still do 10% cash discount and we got the large Korean boneless fried chicken, half house crispy and spicy chicken and half honey garlic. They still pack the container till bursting and include potatoes and radish pickles side dishes for takeout. The chicken reheats very well in the air fryer, eat it fresh, next day, no worries. Will update again when I'm back again! Still the spot to drop by everytime I'm in town.

Went for a lunch there recently. It's in the middle of the university area so there is plenty of…read moredifferent places to chose from. We went because we've been watching a Korean food show and had the desire to try it. Service was fast and friendly, we went with the pork thingy with cheese around the edge (we honestly thought it was rice until it arrived!) It could well have fed 3 of us as there was so much food. We throughly enjoyed it, including the three little side dishes you get. (Including the rice). Some people say there's too much oil, I can see why, but to me that's part of the dish and culture. If it's not for you don't go back, but we certainly will.

Amazing quality, great finds, delicious pastries, and the cheeses wow! I bus 2 hr there then uber…read moreback home and it's worth it every time.

Love getting the sandwiches here! They have such a variety of meats, breads, sandwiches toppings,…read moreand spreads to choose from. Sometimes it depends on who makes the sandwich for you but usually the workers load the sandwich pretty well with your choice of toppings. The store itself is pretty nice and has a lot of fresh ingredients. The prices are a little high but I would say it's because it's a higher end grocery store. Definitely a place you would come to get a couple of things, not your typical weekly groceries.