It is an annual trip to Janet Lynn's. After a matinee and some time in Stratford we head to Kitchener for dinner. Last night, we were not disappointed. Food is consistently good and imaginative. Gazpatcho with tomato sherbert was nothing short of incredible...presentation was beautiful and the flavours divine! Like the consistent food, service was attentive and engaging. Can't wait for the 2026 season at Stratford so we can make our annual stop in Kitchener! read more

Had an amazing experience the food was awesome love the home made sourdough bread made fresh daily Our server was amazing and explained about the process of them making the sourdough bread. You could buy a loaf if you call day before I had the rack of lamb. It was so good. read more

The steaks and potato pave were perfection! We could not have asked for better service. We will be back! read more

Janet Lynn's Bistro - Bistros Near Me - Kitchener, Ontario

See all

What can you say. The service is outstanding, the building is warm and inviting, and the food is mouthwatering. If you're in LW you have to try Janet Lynn's read more

I enjoyed my dinner very much. Service was great! The octopus was as good as last time I had it. The seafood feast was very satisfying to this seafood lover read more

Janet Lynn's Bistro - One of the new year specialty menu I believe, I forgot the name .. - Bistros Near Me - Kitchener, Ontario

See all

Very delicious. All the ingredients are very fresh, the sauce of the lamb chop is very distinctive and delicious, the combination of the duck breast with the toast and the sticky sauce is very compelling, and I would recommend only making the steak medium rare, because the very fresh beef with the red wine will be even more delicious. read more

See all

My favorite restaurant in Waterloo. The appetizers are great, much more than I expected. The Octopus taste fantastic, and the scallops are good, too. But the portion of the appetizers are little small. The main courses are at averages, I ordered beef and chicken. I prefer chicken. It's a good place to have dinner and chill. read more

See all

Great food Awesome service, thank you George And the ambiance was excellent. Always a great experience. read more

Janet Lynn's Bistro is our go-to place for special occasions with friends and family. Recently enjoyed yet another girlfriends' lunch outing, for birthday celebration. The food was delicious, and David was, as always the perfect server. Friendly, warm, helpful and funny. Thank you again, JLB. Five stars from JET, Waterloo 2024 read more

One of my favourite Took family for our anniversary Food is always good What I would like to see is better quality bread esp for hamburgers ie multigrain, sourdough read more

Great service and delicious food. Always love the live music that is played, and the servers are amazing. Nothing but love from the cooks to the owner ! Great job everyone ! read more

The JLB salad was supposed to be an entree size for $17 according to the waitress. When it arrived... the quantity covered the plate no larger than a thin hamburger patty! The quality was poor and did not have any of the items listed on the menu or in the photo online. No pickled veggies, no candied pecans. Just dressing on stringy lettuce with 3 thin slices of carrot. Not even enough to feed a grasshopper! To add insult to injury.... I paid for mine and my guest that had the same thing. I had to go home and eat! When I called today to complain.... I was told it wasn't entree size but appetizer size. Two complimentary salads if I go back. I won't be back. I can't justify paying big bucks for poor quality and quantity! read more

The food was delicious. Meat loaf was a favourite and the dumplings and scallops were a hit. Service was a bit confused!!!

The most delicious seafood my husband and I have tasted in a long time!!! The server was attentive, informative and so pleasant! We will definitely be back! read more

The Food was Excellent. The service was Good. The Ambiance left much to be desired. The Ambiance is now, a significant climb down from the former elegant and romantic JLB. Bare tables and chrome chairs give it the look of a roadhouse restaurant. At the very least, management should bring back linen tablecloths so that patrons can feel good about the "fine dining" prices they are paying. read more

We went to the Bestival and decided to go to Janet Lynne's. It was busy but the waiter came fairly quickly. We decided to have the pasta special which was linguine with smoked salmon. It was fantastic, I've never had pasta done like this before. The chef prepared it with a cream sauce that had carrots that were shredded into long strands which intertwined with the pasta. The sauce had chopped garlic and shallots with spinach mixed in. The generous amount of smoked salmon was laid on top which was neat so we could mix it with the pasta or just eat it in piece's. All in all it was the most delicious pasta dish I've ever had. The service was great too! I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Hidden gem with amazing food and food presentation. Excellent service in a not too fancy but professional environment.

I would definitely come back here again! We called around 7:30 on a Saturday night and we were able to reserve a table for 8:45. We came a little bit earlier and did manage to catch an earlier seating. The ambiance is really cool with an open kitchen and low lightings. Definitely a place to go to have a date or dine with family. The waitress was EXTREMELY attentive and knowledgeable of the dishes - she was awesome. I had ordered the duck confit, it was delicious - but slightly salty, but my friends lamburger had actually captured my heart. 100% would go back and order that dish. Overall, all of my friends dishes were delicious (house pasta, Thai curry shrimp) - and the portions were fairly generous. The owner was also extremely welcoming. Jane Lynn was actually the name of his late wife, and every year he hosts a customer appreciation party, where proceeds of the event goes to towards cancer research at the KW hospital. His next event is May 31st (no need to book ahead of time), so I highly recommend going out and supporting the restaurant. read more

Janet Lynn's Bistro - Duck confit with beluga lentils, Miriam sauce, and Asian veggies. Slightly salty, but duck was fairly moist. - Bistros Near Me - Kitchener, Ontario

I went to university in Waterloo in the 90s and stayed for a few years afterward to work. I am now in Long Island, NY but was back in KW to meet up w my UW friends. We selected JLB. When I lived here and JLB was in uptown Waterloo I had heard fantastic things about this place. But I had never been, so I was very excited about going. Truth be told, I came out a tad disappointed. Will start off w the good: Service was fantastic. Attentive without being overbearing, they understood we were "reunioning", and were not intrusive in any way, despite our slowness to order. Server knew the menu very well, and made great recommendations. Perhaps I am now a dumb American but I left an extra $50 bill for my che(que)(ck) and the waitress double checked my generosity. Very honest of her. Stupid new $50 designs. I have never really cared about ambiance, but the place is a little loud. The food was ok. Unfortunately, I began this review 2 months ago, so I can't remember exactly what we ordered. I do remember our general impression after leaving was that was ok, but not great. Overall, I am giving this place 3.5 stars, which is heavily influenced by the service we received. Breakdown: 5 stars for service, 3 stars for food. Ambiance, like I mentioned, I usually don't care about, but but it was loud. Fortunately Yelp doesn't do half stars, so yelp rating is 4 stars. read more

Lovely ambiance, and great food! I've been to Janet Lynn's a couple of times with clients, and it has always been a positive experience. The servers are attentive, and well aware of the items on the menu. They accommodated my client's dietary needs with no hesitation. I've tried a pizza, and a pasta dish - so fresh! Their menu is always changing based on what in season. read more

Menu is more "traditional" wise. I got the daily pasta which was gnocchi and grilled octopus and let's say I enjoyed both very much. The features steak which was a 6oz tenderloin was good. read more

Fantastic food and service - everyone was friendly and accommodating to our 2 kids as well.

Go, you will not be disappointed, I went with a large party and our sever accommodated multiple bills (for anyone who hasn't worked in the industry that IS a pain in the ass and takes up much more of your servers time- so appreciation is necessary as a lot of places won't for groups of 6 or more.) The food was phenomenal, all came out around same time, lots of options to keep everyone happy including those with dietary preferences, fairly priced. Good cocktail and wine menu. Highly recommend for all occasions: date night, business meeting or meeting a group of friends. I've never heard someone complain about this place. I had the salmon and it was perfectly cooked and paired. I'll be back read more

Ehhhhhh... I am hesitant to slam a local institution but by god the server making the drinks should know that vermouth goes in a martini. I literally watched them mix 2 oz of Sobieski (oh Jesus) with brine and zero vermouth. It was rough. Should have known I was in trouble when she asked if I wanted the martini "on the rocks or straight up." I incredulously asked for clarification and she explained that it meant "with ice or without." WITH ICE. A dirty MARTINI. With ICE. Criminy. There were zero cocktails on the drink list and I do think in 2017 it's a necessity. Let's get some whiskey sours, gimme a gimlet, whatever you wanna do. Anyway. We enjoyed half a dozen small plates and they were all quite good. The scallops were especially nice, perfectly cooked, and I'm pleased that we could wash it all down with some Veltliner, an often overlooked white. Our servers were both professional and efficient. We knew them from other places in town so obviously someone at JLB was keeping an eye out for local talent. read more

Monica, David made our dining experience very enjoyable. The food was superb. Exceptional service! We stayed longer than expected but enjoyed the wine every last bite of food. Everything was delicious and fresh from appetizers to our coffee after the main course. Thank you! read more

Everything considered, this is the finest restaurant in K-W. Also note that you can BYOW if you wish with a $25 corkage fee. Recommended! read more

Overall a good restaurant. The food quality and flavour are excellent but service could be better. Upon arrival the host staff collect your jackets which is a good first step. However the particular hostess we had seemed grumpy and unwelcoming. She took us to our table and did not say a word like enjoy your meal just walked away. Seemed unprofessional for the scale and market they are trying to attract. Our friends were running behind so we thought we would start with a drink. Our server came by and got us some sparkling water and when we went to order our drinks he said he would be right back. About 10 minutes later he was walking by and made that oops face and came by to grab our drink order which took a long time to the table. Overall our server was moody at times very short and others very pleasant. The food was excellent per usual. We enjoyed the amazing scallops which I recommend trying. At the table we had the dumplings, shrimp, and smoked salmon. All were very good but the scallops were the best. The dumplings were a little oversized but that would be our only complaint. We then waited over 40 minutes for our mains after our apps were cleared. We had an outing planned so we ended up being late. All the mains were excellent. Two of us had the lamb well worth the price and others had the salmon and artic char. All mains were excellent. Would have been worth the wait had we not had to rush out and be late for our event. We also had to skip dessert. Our sitting took 2.5 hours for apps and mains. Drinks ran dry the entire meal both water and ordered beverages. Getting server attention is difficult so I suggest being patient. I would certainly return and just hope we are lucky with our server and timing on our next visit. read more

This has been my go-to place for many years. Not a huge place but has excellent service and a alternating menu that is excellent. For the most part it is a higher end dining experience but still offers a Nice relaxed atmosphere. read more

Arguably, still the best in town. Creative and delicious food. Attentive service.

A landmark for many years in Waterloo Region. Food and Service are Ok. A bit too noisy for a restaurant in this price range.

I've become a regular at the new location because it offers the best food, wine, and service in the KW region. I've dined here many times for lunch and dinner, it never disappoints! My only suggestion is to change the menu from time to time or offer more specials. I wish there were more places like this in the area. read more

I usually only eat here at lunch and when someone else is paying. The room has the feeling of a place for business people or ladies who lunch. The food is on the pricier side, but really well-executed. The last thing I had was the Quebec ermite blue salad. I'm not sure it came together with the avocado and citrus fruit, but it was interesting. Definitely not recommended for vegetarians. Typically, the only vegetarian options are a couple of salads. They will do special orders, like risotto with just grilled vegetables. But last time they did that for me, the stock used to make the risotto was not suitable for vegetarians. Vegans need not apply. read more

Last evening was the 3rd time my husband and I have enjoyed Janet Lynn's in the past year. We think it is that good. Calamari is divine! Best I have ever had! Scallops are a must order! Love their specials. The food is delicious, the service is spectacular and we love the ambiance. read more

We had not been to the restaurant since it was on King St in Waterloo. Was sorry to hear the original owner had died. The successors are doing a great job. The duck was excellent. The creme brûlée was also great. Prices are reasonable for the high quality of the food. read more

Service: Fantastic Atmosphere: Intimate and inviting Food: Delicious and wonderful Would return? Yes My girlfriend and I were feeling like a night out so we did a quick search of bistros in the Kitchener/Waterloo area and selected this one at random. Boy did we get lucky. We were immediately greeted by friendly staff at the door who kindly took our jackets and showed us into the dining room. The place was softly lit with a cozy bar, open kitchen (which you could sit at), and an eating area with enough space for everyone to feel comfortable. We decided to pass on the extensive wine list, but if anyone is curious about what wine would go with their meal just ask; the staff would be happy to help you. I heard and saw this happening at a couple tables. The menu was incredibly varied, for being so concise, with something for everyone. If you still found yourself with nothing to order the features and specials would no doubt entice you. We settled on fried calamari to start, which came out in quick order, and it was a great introduction to our meal. The squid had a light flaky batter, just crispy enough, and while it kept a familiar texture it was not as chewy as some places. It was accompanied by a light salad and spicy aioli, which was creamy and added a nice little sizzle to the end of each bite. After a quick clearing of the table our mains were brought out; mine a half lamb rack with sofrito, potato pave and my girlfriend's roasted duck breast grouped with celery root puree and seasonal vegetables (one of the features). I had ordered my lamb medium rare and you could have taken a picture of it for a textbook. The meat melted in my mouth when I bit in and a smile came to my face when the flavour washed through. The sofrito and potato pave were great sides, adding a little spice and grounding respectively. While I did not have much I was able to sneak some duck and puree. The duck was excellent as well, not greasy or fatty, and the puree was nice and creamy, bringing a little something when paired. When our waitress came around asking about desserts we nodded excitedly. While their dessert menu is full of delicious plates we decided to go with two of the specials: a flourless chocolate cake and a layered budino. The consistency of cake was so smooth it felt like I was eating velvet fudge with a rich dark flavour. Few times I've had flourless cake but this was so far the best. The budino had a chocolate cookie crumble base with a rum custard, topped with caramel and a dollop of whipped cream. While both were excellent the cake won out for me, but then again I am a chocoholic so take that with a grain of salt. All in all it was a fantastic night: great service, excellent atmosphere, and wonderful food. This place is wonderful for a business dinner, date, having a catch up meal with a friend, or if someone is just looking for a nice meal. Thank you very much to Mr. Kevin Wong and his staff for having such a wonderful establishment. read more

See all

Great first dining experience here! It was packed when my wife and I arrived, but they kindly made room for us at a table without a reservation. We ordered the chicken breast and thai curry shrimp. The chicken had a great rub on it, a bit of crispy skin (the best part!), and the meat was nice and tender. The jus was also very tasty and flavourful. I was graciously offered one piece of shrimp because it was too good to share :-) Service was great, very attentive and personable waiter...We will certainly be returning to try more menu items and their specials sounded delicious too! read more

Janet Lynn's was pretty much my entry into fine dining as I grew up and went to university, as an incredibly classy and romantic anniversary. It's been my go to place for special occasions ever since. The menu doesn't change much but the service is just so attentive that It keeps me going back. The room is lovely and maybe a bit stuffy, but it is a welcome change from the restaurants that are closer to the universities. I did feel out of place at first because we were the youngest people there, but our waitress was so nice and helpful with everything on the menu/wine list. When the food came I did scarf it down (possibly to the chagrin and scoffing of the table next to us) but it was so delicious. The duck and chicken were so delicious as was the creme brulee for dessert. Forget Symposium for first dates, take him/her to Janet Lynn's for something romantic, memorable and elegant. read more

Your food and service is decent but I have to say that you customer service is zero. You are so bad on doing reservation you have no clue on doing business you are just a cantina serving sofisticated food. Than just rely on your seniors and soon you hopefully be out of business. read more

Great food and amazing service. The price was fare for the portion. Such a hidden gem. Everything was perfect from our drinks, apps, mains and desserts. Would definitely come back. read more

This was an amazing dining experience. The food was fantastic we tried the burger and the curry dish and both were fantastic. Talked to the owner for a little while and got the history on the building they're now in. Ordered one of their carrott cakes to go and was pleasantly surprised. Great experience especially at the price point! read more