PRINCESS CAFÉ 46 KING ST N., WATERLOO 519-886-0227 WWW.PRINCESSCAFE.CA

Hours

Daily: 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Cheese sandwiches available from a takeout window Friday and Saturday, from midnight to 3 a.m. Look for the pilot 8 a.m. Thursday to Sunday breakfast program to begin soon.

Wheelchair accessibility

Fully accessible. Level ground into café and wheelchair accessible washroom in main lobby.

Atmosphere

Busy and crowded, but not too loud. The crowd ranges from students pecking away on laptops to greybeards, to folks dropping by for a bite before catching a show at the (unaffiliated) Princess Cinema. A great movie and dinner deal is also available, as is a recently opened and soon-to-be-licensed annex room and outdoor summer seating.

Cuisine

Comfort food: simple homemade soups, and interesting panini and grilled cheese sandwiches, salads made to order.

Drinks

A very good selection of craft beers with new choices rotated in frequently. Sodas and fair-trade coffee are also available.

Service

Friendly, cheerful and helpful even when the restaurant is at full stretch.

The bill

$47 (including tax but not tip) for one each panini and grilled sandwich combo (with a side salad and soup of the day respectively), a large beer, a soda and two desserts.

In a nutshell

Perhaps the best uptown Waterloo café, serving good food and an eclectic selection of beer with cheerful efficiency.