Great place to start your day! Fantastic food! I loved the Juliet, which is a Benedict with Brie…read morecheese, bacon and avocado mash. Crispy hash browns on the side. I loved how crispy they were! Delicious latte too. Fun decor. Lots of tables and booths. The owner is a fabulous lady and she even waits on the customers. She gives stellar service. Spacious interior. The place is popular so get there early!

Very good food!! The…read moreservice is always good and served with a smile. It's a busy place so you know it's good!! I've been here a few times and have had the Ruben sandwich on gluten free bread and the pesto chicken sandwich. Both where top notch and I would order them again. The others with me had a range of items like fish n chips, wraps, bison burger, all very good and they were raving about it. When you are in town to see a Stratford Festival show you should pass by. Recommended!!

Stopped by this coffee shop while visiting Stratford. They had lots of drinks and pastries…read moreavailable. I got the matcha latte and a cookie. Both were pretty good. I also love how it's dog friendly inside! I'll have to bring my pup next time I'm in the area.

Whoa, the pistachio croissant. Insane. What a great space! We sipped coffees on a rainy morning.read more

I'd been to Balzac's before in Niagara on the Lake and really liked it so I was glad to see it…read moreright by our apartment rental here in Stratford. I definitely hit them up multiple times during our stay. Caramel iced latte was great and my cousin loved the spicy yuzu lemonade. The shop itself is relatively spacious and the pastries looked great, though I skipped those this trip since we were a bit to full each time we came through. Alas. Next time!

Good food, fast service, decent prices. We would definitely go here again. We especially…read moreappreciated being able to sit outside on a beautiful summer day.

Best ground coffee in Stratford, IMHO…read more And that is a potentially volatile statement - as Stratford is the birthplace of Balzac's Coffee (now in Toronto's Distillery District too - This is my Dad's go-to place as well (he loves the French Vanilla flavoured beans, ground to order at the counter. It's my favourite flavour too, but I have a soft spot for the chocolate raspberry beans too)! Owner Nancy (Hotson) is AWESOME! She's half the charm of this place - ask her anything! You'll see. She knows everything there is to know about all the products she sells - coffees, teas and cigars, for the most part. Extra tip: You can now order their coffee beans online! YAHOO!

There are plenty of worthwhile shops in Stratford (one of the only touristy towns where I've found…read morethis to be true), and Buzz Stop is a great place to drop in for some coffee and/or tobacco. I was shopping for my best friend's bachelor party. Being from the States, Cuban cigars are impossible to find here, so he was hoping to smoke some while we were in Stratford. I had called ahead and, sure enough, they had plenty. Walking in, it smelled more of coffee and I thought for a moment I was shopping for the wrong thing; perhaps I should have planned to pick up a pound of some coffee too! Nancy, the proprietor, was very friendly. Not knowing much about cigars, I didn't know what I wanted, but she was very happy to help me decide what kinds to get. She even suggested some of the inexpensive ($5 per) cigars, saying that for my money, those would probably be best. She suggested that Cubans are not necessarily better cigars, so I ended up with a mix of cigars, both in origin and price. For a dozen guys, not all of whom love cigars, this was invaluable. Next time I'm in Stratford, I will definitely drop in!

Super cute little coffee shop! Stopped in for a quick break while walking around Stratford. The…read morecoffee and scone was a perfect refresher in the late morning. Great variety of pastry. Clean restrooms. Several different seating arrangements. Would definitely come back again.

Brch & Wyn is a Stratford, well Ontario for that matter, gem! I LOVE this cozy place. The stone and…read morewood beams give it a fairytale-esque ambiance. The size is perfect for any event, both intimate and spacious. There is a good mix of smaller tables and larger ones that accommodate parties of any size. There is even a cute area in the back with living-space styled seating that offers a very homey feel. The restaurant is so clean, you literally feel like you could eat off the floor. I first visited to attend a Drag Brunch for Crystal Quartz. I've since returned for more of the same, plus a very special Valentine's Day Event that included a five-course dinner and belly-dance show. One of the things that makes this place so wonderful is the inclusion and safe space for both patrons and performers. The owner is so kind and just a wonderful human being. He will welcome you and make you feel like family, along with the rest of his amazing staff. I've never had better service or more wonderful gluten-free food! Unlike other restaurants, there is always something I can eat and it's not just a steak or salad. In fact. the five-course dinner had something for those who cannot eat gluten at every course and it felt like something special, something you can't just get anywhere. There are so many places I go and get cocktails and they either baby down the size, scrimp on the alcohol and overfill the ice. The do not do that here. The cocktails are well worth the price. Excellent mimosas at brunch too! My favourite item for brunch is the GF bfast sandwich. Absolutely delicious! You also get a choice of tots or salad, so if you're feeling more on the healthy side or hungover side, you're covered, lol. I felt like royalty at the 5-course dinner; the food was so elevated and very much fit with the Mediterranean theme of the belly dance event. The first course was bread, olives and pickled (I believe it was onion, could have been beet) and they had two different GF breads for me! Also came with walnut spread and tzatziki sauce, sooooo good! There was a brown butter carrot soup I couldn't get enough of and fried hallumi cheese with pomegranate and honey dukkah, so indulgent. The main was beef kofta on an aromatic salad, absolutely delicious! Dessert for me was ice cream with fresh fruit and choco sauce. The entire dinner was just beautiful. And they had a special love potion drink they were making with gin, but my wonderful server did tequila for me on request. The table was gorgeous with a little candle. I felt very pampered, as I always do at this spot. The price was right too, especially on Valentine's Day and for 5 courses. The belly dance event was so wonderful too! There was a male dancer who works with Crystal Q and he handed out roses during his dance. As a 50-something woman who hasn't gotten flowers in over a decade, it was a touch that made even me tear up a little. All three dancers were so talented, and the show was breathtaking. But all the events at this wonderful venue are always something special. If you see an event booked here on Insta, get your tickets! The performers won't disappoint, the staff is second to none, and the food is an experience. I can't wait to visit again and cannot recommend Brch & Wyn enough!

Great place and excellent coffee!…read more They have gluten free items as well. The entrance is from the side and it's on the lower level of the condo building. Water station! Great place that has sandwiches and desserts. Service was fast and the look is nice with the stone walls.

Super nice ladies working behind the counter and really tasty butter tarts! Definitely recommend…read morechecking it out!

While I really enjoyed watching the cats roam around, the drinks were underwhelming and quite…read moreoverpriced. My small-to-medium latte ($10.17, as shown in the photo) was nothing special, and the pricing felt more geared toward tourists than actual quality. I had assumed the charge included access to the cat room, but there's an additional fee on top. The service also wasn't particularly warm or welcoming. That said, the cats seem well cared for, and the space is clean and comfortable for them -- and at the end of the day, that's what matters most.

This is a centrally-located cafe that is perfect for before the theatre (or, at any time of day,…read moreactually). There's a front room that is the cafe, and then you can pay $4.50/30 minutes, to go into the side room and hang out with the cats. In the front room, there are 4 tables (one had a laptop playing music, so some people had to stand or sit at a counter). It's decorated cleanly, in white, with super cute cat things (of course!). The coffee is available in medium or dark roast, in a pump pot. This is why I downgraded one star: not interested in that. We actually got tea, and they use Pluck Tea from Toronto, which is an incredibly ethical brand. SO: Good. There's also food (good prices!), and cookies (we got one: so delicious). The business works to support cat rescue, and the windows are filled with donations for cats in need. I love this! While we were in town, that cat room was ALWAYS busy, so I'm really happy that this business is doing so much to promote cat rescue, and I am happy to support them. :)

Ordered burgers and poutine fries. Burger was good, fries were also good. Could use a little more…read moregravy but no complaints. Don't add salt until you try them, they add salt and just right amount. The atmosphere was very nice nestled in the trees with wood chips throughout. We will be going back!

Tired of walking around Stratford, we headed east out of town to do some antiquing in the hamlet of…read moreShakespeare. The antiques were predictable. The lunch at Brew Garden Cafe was not. The cafe is an outdoor, street-side affair, with tables on the front porch and under a pagoda in the garden area. My husband ordered a carrot soup and an English cheddar with chutney spread on a whole grain bread. I ordered a scone. The scone was fresh and light and came with sides of coddled cream, lemon curd, and homemade strawberry preserves. The carrot soup was homemade and was beautifully seasoned. The cheese sandwich was was made of thick slices of hearty bread and generous slices of cheddar. Service was cheery and prompt. Even the water arrived with lemon slices. In all, an excellent meal. The only drawback is the traffic on the street. Correction, it's not a street, it's a highway. When the semi-trailer trucks go roaring by, which is every few seconds, we just had to stop talking. They must wipe off those tables religiously, too, or they would be covered in dust from that busy highway. I'd eat there again, though, because it was the best food we ate in the Stratford area.