I have lived in the area for 12 years now and used to drop in here once in a while but took a 4yr break since getting sick 2x from eating here. a friend suggested he wanted to go for lunch I told him the place isn't clean he said don't worry your imagining things , we'll sure enough when we got there this place was filthy , all the surfaces, floors windows kitchen equipment , you could see they weren't cleaned in months yes months . I ordered only a coffee and a pce of cake to be safe no way I would order from the kitchen to risky. here's a simple test. if you see the windows coolers bathrooms furniture all dirty don't expect the kitchen to magically be spotless. this place desperately needs a Reno it's to late now for a simple cleaning it's dirt on dirt read more

Food here is fantastic! Came here for lunch during a work conference both days during lunch and it was great. Pros: - Lots of different options on the menu for lunch and everything is very reasonably priced. - The order you place is brought to you so you do not have to wait in line, great bonus and love this feature - All food is made fresh and is not very greasy Cons: - Parking: It may be a little difficult to get parking during busy lunch times, the lot is small. Food to get: - Potato Bacon Soup: the potato bacon soup was creamy and good! - Chipotle Chicken Sandwich with Bacon: sandwich was very fresh and Bacon was crispy - Rice Box with Glazed Smoked Applewood Salmon: made fresh and hot. The toppings on it are so good. It tastes like a healthy bowl with a great dressing on top. - Mandarin Orange Soda: very refreshing and yummy! Wish this was closer to me but next time I see a location I'm coming in for lunch! Please open more locations in Toronto! read more

Williams Fresh Cafe - Rice Box with Glazed Smoked Applewood Salmon (Black beans, corn , feta cheese , avocado with brown rice ) and Mandarin Orange Soda - Cafes Near Me - Guelph, Ontario

See all

I have had good experiences at Williams Coffee Pub. Good coffee, great snacks and good food. Free internet is a total plus, but what I really like the most is the staff doesn't hassle you if your just sitting have a cup of joe and surfing. I have sat in a Williams for hours enjoying the atmosphere. Some stores have wireless printers A+++ read more

Williams Fresh Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Guelph, Ontario

I have been ordering from Williams for a long time but this was my first time buying from this location. I am sick with the cold so i was craving the roasted pepper soup. i ordered off of uber eats and waited for my order for a good 30 mins, which i was fine with as i really wanted this soup. Upon opening the bag i was surprised to find the soup tipped over but, not much was spilt. Then, i saw they gave me the wrong soup. no one called me to ask if i wanted the butternut squash soup, which i didn't even know what a thing there. I called them to ask what soup they gave me and was greeted by a rude female employee. Annoyed, i hung up. after a bit of deciding if i wanted to eat it or not, i realized the soup may have nuts in it, which i'm allergic to, so i called the restaurant and spoke to a really nice male employee who apologized for no calls and was asking the chef (im guessing?) what was in the soup. i heard him say HE DOESN'T KNOW?. so the one on the phone with me took it upon himself to ask around more and then look at the ingredients. he assured me no nuts were in it. Overall, a good soup, just not the one i wanted. Only gave an extra star bc of the male employee who was very nice. read more

I am a little bit disappointed with Williams Cafe. It is a very nice eatery, especially considering all of the renovations they are in the middle of, but what I am most concerned about is the taste of the food. Sure, if you want to visit and sit down to read a book or browse on your computer, this place is worth 4 stars (the coffee isn't so great...hahaha). However, if you are looking to visit for breakfast or lunch you may be a bit disappointed with the food, as I was. First off was the Classic Breakfast. It appeared to look okay and to be honest, overall it was half decent. Lots of potatoes, 2 big slices of bread, sausages and scrambled egg. The problem was not the sausage which was of higher quality than most places- It was not too oily and it was seasoned well. It was not the bread, neither the potatoes. If you are an egg lover, this is where the problem lays! The eggs seemed synthetic in both taste and texture. It almost felt like chewing on pieces of styrofoam so as you can imagine it was a bit of an unpleasant experience. Second, the Wasabi Albacore Tuna Melt. It definitely had tuna in it and it was definitely a melt, but wasabi?! I did not taste it one bit! This should simply be called "Avocado Tuna Melt". I know that the wasabi is in the mayo, which I tasted by itself, but it is far too subtle of a taste to be naming a sandwich after it. I was not expecting the full kick of the wasabi in my nostrils, but I was at least expecting a wasabi taste as the name of the sandwich would imply! As for the coffee, I am not really a fan of it, but if need be, I could drink it. It has no body and tasted even slightly like vinegar. I have had worse, but there is definitely better coffee in Guelph. I would say 3.25/5 because its nice to have a sit down place like this for breakfast. It just lacks a little bit in quality. read more

Williams Fresh Cafe - Classic Breakfast - Cafes Near Me - Guelph, Ontario

See all

We got a tip that Williams had free wifi (which was becoming increasingly important to us, at this point). Rolled in with the laptops, entered the line, saw tasty-looking baked goods (which HG is not into, but I am), as well as a few savory breakfast items, and was pleased. The girl at the counter asks for the order -- I ask for a breakfast platter (eggs, bacon, toast) and coffee; HG orders similarly. Counter girl asks me what do I want in my coffee? *Scrreeeeeeech* (sound of needle dragged off vinyl record) What? I'm used to fixing my coffee myself, thanks... but that's not the way one does it in Canada, apparently. So I had to guess how many creams I wanted them to add. Counter girl offers a solitary napkin and a number placard, then spills coffee on the napkin and takes it back. HG and I sit, set up laptops, and wait for breakfast to arrive. Coffee is decent; I am pleased. But there isn't enough cream in it. I go back and ask for more cream; counter girl eyeballs me like I just farted on her party dress, ponies up another couple of tiny cream packets (which say '18% dairy creamer', not 'cream' or 'half-and-half'). Breakfast wanders past, then finds us; we have no napkins or silverware. We ask, politely, for some. Scrambled eggs, which I thought were impossible to screw up, are *shiny* -- smooth and glassy, and texturally offensive, like eating egg-flavored plastic. I need water to wash them down -- no self-service water station, but no real waiter service, either -- worst of both worlds. I go grab the nearest breakfast-delivery unit; he courteously offers to get me some water, and does so. Weird, weird, weird. Uncomfortable experience. And what the heck is a "coffee pub", anyway? (I mean, I envisioned Irish coffee for breakfast, which I kind of liked the idea of...) Wifi is free, but SLOW. read more

If you're looking for a quick bite to eat, this probably isn't the place to go. Their take-out service is excruciatingly slow. Eat-in service is okay. I'm not too big of a fan of their sweets because I find them too sweet and too commercial. However, I'm more of a savoury person. Their sandwiches are OKAY...and their soups are meh. I am a fan of their salads though. Overall, I just find this at par with something main stream like Panera. If you're truly looking for a cafe style place, try and hit up all the other small non-mainstream cafes in Guelph. If you're here to just study for your finals... a) It's super loud...I never had any idea how people actually concentrated in this environment b) The wifi is super dodgy...so good luck getting any papers or online quizzes done c) You'll probably spend a good few circles around the restaurant finding a plug for your laptop read more

I've been here three times in an attempt to have lunch and it's been so packed that there hasn't been any available tables. Clearly this means people enjoy it, but I was disappointed with how many people weren't eating but just sitting at tables on their laptops. Hope to re-write this review once experiencing the actual food and drink. read more

The idea of an egg sandwich with bacon in familiar with. Bacon and syrup however was new. And now that I know about it, you can rest assured it will be added to my culinary likes. The hot chocolate was great and very generous in size. The place had good seating and nice people. read more

Classic Hotel Breakfast: Today the lineup for McDonald's was crazy long so I decided to try Williams Fresh Cafe. It's been over a year since I've been here and wow they really improved the decor. It has undergone a complete makeover and looks great! In the past, the servers are full of energy and happy to serve me. Today the woman looked like she had a rough night as she didn't smile once. I ordered a Cappuccino and the Classic Breakfast that includes Scrambled eggs, bacon, multigrain toast, roasted Yukon potatoes. If you've ever been to a hotel this is pretty much the classic breakfast. The eggs were clearly frozen pucks, heated in the microwave with no flavour. The two strips of bacon were fine, the toast was tasty and the roasted potatoes were typical frozen spiced potatoes. I've had great food here in the past but it seems the Classic Breakfast should be reserved for the neighbourhood hotel guests. read more

If you are looking for friendly, knowledgable employees, quick service or delicious food, you will not find any of that at this location. The staff are not trained, do not know anything about the food/drinks they are serving and are usually very moody. They make you feel like you are not worth their time. The food and drinks will take at least 20 minutes if not longer to arrive (even if it is a to go order). They have forgotten my order every time I have been in, and I had to ask.... When it arrives the drink or food is always incorrect. I have stopped going to this Williams after being disappointed every time . read more

Good for coffee so of time seating can be a problem. WIFI is a little slow. There lunch, breakfast and deserts are all good. I like there system if giving you a number and bring your food when ready. Keeps the counter area less cluttered when busy. read more

Food takes forever to come. I am willing to wait a good half hour or more for a meal. If i order a friggin panini with a vegetable and deli meat I don't expect it would take this long. The counter girl was flirting with a party of three college boys who were in line before me. When We were sitting at the bar waiting for the takeout she gave the boys free brownies because they had a long wait and didn't even bat an eyelash when she told me right after that they were out of the soup order i wanted and instead served me the coldest, saltiest bowl of french onion soup i have ever had in my life. Just wow read more

Nice atmosphere, decent food and beverages but service is glacially slow. If you have hours to kill and a charming companion, it might be okay, but if you have anything left on your daily todo list, give it a pass. Eating in and takeout are both similarly lengthy waits in my experience. read more

Love this place! Coffee and food is excellent! I find it is a bit overpriced but worth it for the quality!

Great food and great facility. The only problem is it takes forever to get your food. I have ordered a soup and it has taken 30 minutes but it just has to be poured into the bowl. They do each order one after the other but if they took care of the easier meals that don't have to be prepared it would move along a lot faster. read more

Used to be my favorite lunch stop in Guelph but today they forgot to process my order. Second time this has happened . The waitress offered me a refund. The mAnager took 15 minutes to process the refund and told me that was my bill. After I showed her the real sum on the original bill, she took the remaining cash out of the till. She was rude and indignant that I dared disturb her after we waited for our meal for over 35 minutes. The service here is disgusting I won't be returning. read more

The overpriced dessert looked like it had a bit taken out of it, it was stale and not anything close to the crème brûlée it was advertised as. The server then spilt my apple cider and there was no apology. I wouldn't go back. read more

This place was great when i used study here in the summer time. It took a while for the food to be made (20mins approx.), but every time it was fresh and delicious. Right now seems like there is a consistent amount of traffic coming in, and the quality of food went down hill. I've placed an order for a daily soup and panini sandwich with fries, and it took under 5 mins for the waitress to bring it out. The soup was cold, the fries were mushy and sandwich did not taste fresh. Disappointing as I used to be my top choice for lunch/coffee in Guelph. As for the free Wifi, there is always seems to be a connection issues which often requires to ask one of the employees to reset the router. read more

I'd like to say that William is a lovely man and a pleasure to talk to. Our conversation was pleasant, and only went downhill once I released the fart I'd been holding in all afternoon, and in a panic told him he looked like he'd be a viper in bed. I tried to hurriedly to get him out of there before the stench could reach his nostrils but alas my efforts were fruitless. I saw his schnoz crinkle in disgust and soon after almost instantaneously the vomit spewed from his lips at what seemed like a speed of 170 km/hour. My chance with William was sadly ruined after this unfortunate event. read more

There is one more thing I wanted to mention about Williams Fresh Cafe. It is about the cutlery. I am just letting you know that there is a person there that should not be employed there at all. When I was working there I tried to train him on the dishwasher position. See you are suppose to put the cutlery in the dishwasher twice. He puts it in only once. I am talking about the handicap person. So if I were you don't eat at Williams Fresh Cafe. That is the truth. read more

New management solely committed to the "branding" and corporitization of this local cafe are forgetting that the restaurant's primary reason for existence is to serve its customers. The transition has foisted on loyal customers poor management, renovations during serving times, ill trained new staff, an arbitrary rise in all food prices, poor access to wifi, a weak points reward program and a glaringly obvious lack of up to date menu items suitable for specific dietary needs and earned this cafe a one star. I have been a loyal customer for over 15 years and seen the demise happen in just a few short weeks. Management needs to take a closer look at what motivates a Guelph diner to hand over his or her money in exchange for food and service. They might find we are a different breed where corporitization will be more damaging than helpful. Change for the better is always welcome but that isn't what is happening at this establishment and hiding behind "transition phase" is an irresponsible position with its customers. Guelph has quite a long list of restaurants that have gone under or struggled to survive...depending on how it proceeds it could be the next casualty. read more