We actually were in the area visiting and planned to go to Starbucks across the street but when we…read moreparked, I noticed Pilot Coffee Roasters so we decided to stop there instead since it's not usually within reach for us. As we walked in, I noticed the open concept and minimal decor and fell in love with it! We were greeted by both the employees working right away and I must say, the customer service was perhaps the best part of the entire experience. We were never rushed to order as they gave us plenty of time to debate the menu and when it came time to order, the gentleman was very thorough and helpful with the sizes of drinks, explaining the milk alternatives which are free of charge, order was clarified to ensure it was correct - all in all, you could feel he took his time to get things right for us. When our iced matcha beverages were handed off, he realized he didn't let us know they come Una's a default and there, he offered simple syrup or vanilla syrup of our choosing since we do prefer our matcha sweetened. After tasting, we told him two pumps wasn't sweet enough and he kindly added more syrup for us. I personally ordered the seasonal white chocolate matcha as a hot beverage which was tasty but a little too sweet - I would request for half sweet next time. I also got the sea salt chocolate chip cookie as I couldn't resist (it looked so good in the pastry display!) It turned out to be absolutely delicious - the edges being the best part. My mom said it paired well with her Americano which was made with their Heritage blend. Speaking of which, before my mom ordered her coffee, she was offered to try their brew before buying which was really helpful as it ended up being too acidic for her. The Heritage blend was much more her preference with the nutty notes. All in all, a nice place to study and/or grab a coffee and snack to go! I'd highly recommend anyone to visit if in the area.

I had an excellent flat white here today. Deep flavor without being bitter, and a great milk foam…read more Practically empty on a weekday morning. And they had a WiFi password posted.

Found this cute and quaint cafe through Yelp. It was a really nice change of pace for lunch after…read moredriving for over an hour. Ordered a cappicola panini and london fog. Both were excellent. The soft music in the background was very relaxing and transported me away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Enjoyed speaking with the sweet lady from Romania and the service overall was friendly. I would be here weekly if I worked or lived in Waterloo.

Excellent ambience , family attitude and good choice of drinks, sandwiches and desserts!read more

Super nice. Great coffee. You can get a real ceramic cup which I think it's a plus because coffee…read moretaste better out of a real cup, don't you think? It's super chill, there's cute, jazz, playing and kitchen, decor, and outdoor seating.

Matter of Taste conveniently located in Downtown area. With the help of Yelp App, we conveniently…read moredecided to come here for our Coffee fix before visiting The Museum. On a nice Sunny day, you have the option of sitting at the tables right in front of the cafe which are great for people watching. The vibe here is casual and down to earth. Coffee was good and so was the scone. A good choice when you are in the area visiting.

The ambiance is really nice here :) desserts are nice too. Nothing bad to say! Service is good!read more

Came here for a study session, food and drink were great but they blast the A/C with periods of…read moreslightly less colder air, cooling down all my hot items. Really clean, love the natural light from the windows. Would definitely come back to study again, will have to bring a sweater though.

Standard Georgia Pacific based napkin receptacle, which is par for the course for newer era…read moreStarbucks. I hope corporate will put on a blitz, and upgrade the regions hand drying stations to at least 2013 standards. Nice Oat Bars.

This was a real find! Amazing coffee, unbelievable service with a smile and great sandwiches! When…read morewe visited, the line was long, and for good reason (it moved quickly though!). They roast their own beans. Unparalleled quality can be found here.

Great variety of coffee. My favorite is the Mint smoothie coffee. Always fresh muffins and lunch…read moreitems as well. Great spot.

First time in Waterloo and this was the #1 spot that popped up in town for a sandwich, had to check…read moreit out. Excellent ham and Brie sandwich! Really cool inside, decent service, and I'm not sure if it was the owner or manager but everyone behind the counter seemed to be having a good time talking about shifts etc. Always nice to see that energy at a place. Good luck!

I always find myself here when visiting the region (Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge)…read more They make great coffee and wait times have lessened. Terrific walk up window during the pandemic

I was looking forward to coming here. In spite of Covid19 restrictions preventing me from a longer…read morestay-in experience. I used to work at a couple of the locations of Balzacs in Toronto, so I was anticipating a great cup of Coffee. Unfortunately, this location did not deliver on the quality I anticipated from Balzacs. And the response in attitude from what I picked up on of the Barista, was not impressive AT ALL. I purchased a mocha, its flavour was decent. I have nothing else to compare it to really because it was a First. I've tried mochas I've made at coffee shoppes I worked at in the past. I thought I'd give it a go. And it is not for me, at least not from Balzac's. The drink was incredibly foamy. Like 1/4 foam to 3/4 liquid. I dont know if that's the recipe at Balzacs for its mochas or if that's the industry standard for this particular drink. What I do know is I dont like paying over $6 for a light in weight, no latte art, too foamy for it's own good, 12oz mocha. I felt the weight as I went to sit down. I also ordered a Walnut and Pepper biscotti. These are absolutely amazing! I remember always eyeing them when I worked there. These biscotti are highly recommended. However are of a fair price. At 3 bucks a pop, they better be noteworthy. I sipped at the mocha. Took my biscotti and dipped it in to the thick foam, which was, as already established, A LOT! At this point, I called out to the barista who was more than 6 feet away (this is the min. Safe distance) , "is the mocha supposed to be this foamy?" Her response was, "yup". Okay, I wasn't in the arguing mood, had I been I might have told her that, "I dont believe steamed milk coffee drinks: lattes & mochas are meant to be so foamy". That "mochas are supposed to have latte art on them, that's fun, playful and creative". And that "in customer service the customer is ALWAYS right". Even when you don't feel they should be. Or even when you really don't want them to be. It's frustrating, I know; yet, that's customer service. Her tone was the thing that I am mostly complaining about though. I read it to be kinda on the snarky side. My perception, yes. It's like, by her responding with the "yup" she was not only dismissing my obviously unsatisfied with the drink question of, "is my drink supposed to be this foamy?" She was also making a statement of, "I am not going to remake it". Although I'll never know because hey, I didn't ask. Back when I worked there, the steamed milk frothed up beautifully in order for one to design latte art. No matter if it was soy or oat, or whatever. That did not happen in this case! Maybe my question or the way I said it, rubbed her the wrong way. Maybe me originally asking about what milk brand Balzacs uses (to know if it would aggravate my stomach), annoyed her. Maybe me switching to an alternative milk, pissed her off. Hey, I've been there. Maybe she was having a bad day. I dont know these things. And maybe I am being petty in writing this review. The possibilities are endless. The things this experience taught me: Request NO FOAM on all drinks that are made with steamed milk. People do have preferences and some prefer to have more foam. If I am unsatisfied with the drink ordered. Request a re-make at all times. After all I am paying for it. Reconsider spending over $6 on a first time drink experience. I will note one final thing: The reason I gave Balzacs in KW 3 stars instead of 2, is because that delivery person that came to drop off an order of whatever, while I was there, reminded me of a dear friend.

Balzac is a beautiful cafe with locally roasted beans. The ambience is both charming and rustic at…read morethe same time. The cafe is set up to accommodate social distancing. The menu items reduced significantly due to COVID. I ordered a genuine Japanese sencha green tea with soy for $2.75. Overall, the drink was average. It was nothing to write home about. Hopefully in the future there will be more options once things become normal again.

Washrooms are closed except for one stall in the ladies room. Decor is tired. Staff don't clear and…read moreclean tables often enough and floors are generally quite unclean.

When in Canada... Tim Hortons is the only coffee I drink! I love their iced vanilla cold brew and…read moregot that almost twice a day when visiting family in Ontario. This location was clean and had friendly staff as well.

This place is not wheelchair accessible. You can sit outside to eat, but you need a companion to go…read moreinside and order for you. I had a Sasqhatch sandwich and it was tasty the service was very fast in addition.

Really great food, solid music and vibe overall was nice. The London fog was amazing and the staff…read moreis really friendly