Borealis is probably my favourite restaurant in the Cambridge area. The very often used slogan think globally act locally is taken to heart by this lovely restaurant since all food and beverages at this reataurant are supposedly sourced locally to the Waterloo Region or within Ontario. The food is consistantly great with some variation in menu items based on local avilability and the chef. The drink menu has a pretty decent selection of Ontario beers and wines that wil keep your thrist quenched. Service has never been a problem but it has never been stellar either. The interior is a converted period building of some type, I believe it was a school house at one point and evokes a great atmosphere which also features a large concreate patio out front of the restaurant. Make sure you check out the specials as there are often great drink deals on. I'd like to give this place 5 stars due to its excellent combination of food, drink and atmosphere with local touch but the price point is a little too high to keep coming back regularly so 4 stars from me, check it out! read more

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Good beer selection - tasty, locally grown/produced food - friendly staff - nice interior - and a Wednesday Date Night special! read more

Borealis Grille & Bar - American Near Me - Kitchener, Ontario

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Best restaurant in the region! Great taste, always fresh food from Ontario farms! They always have something in the menu for you. Friendly people and nice atmosphere. Also Excellent food for kids. read more

This restaurant was right across from my hotel so I decided to take a visit when it came time for dinner. The food was excellent, I didn't try anything too exotic. I had the nacho's which didn't come with any meat so I added short rib which was amazing. The beer tap menu is over 20 long, and I had the Wellington brew. It was great to compliment the short rib for digestion. The service was also excellent. I got a great vibe from the staff who genuinely cared how I was enjoying my meal (shout out to Sarah B.). I give 5 star reviews when I cannot think of anything to improve. Excellent choice when you visit Kitchener. read more

Great restaurant - was surprised to find it so busy on a Tuesday night. I came around 7:30 and the dining room was full. The service was really good. The french onion soup was one of the best I've had. Did not taste like traditional french onion soup but had a great flavour and was not excessively salty like some soups are. Also had the arugula / quinoa salad with striploin. The salad was really great with a light dressing and lots of toppings. read more

Ordered fish and chips for takeout, and when I arrived I added an order of samosas to go. The samosas came pretty quickly, and I enjoyed the atmosphere while I waited. Everything was tasty, hot, and the fish was really nice... The batter was really well done. Nice and light. I saw some great local beer on tap too... Will definitely come back for a sit down meal with a few beers. I was told that they try and source what they can from a 100 km radius, and there are pictures of the farms they buy from on the wall. Thanks for a great meal! read more

This is a good choice if you want a change from your traditional chain restaurants. Mostly Local and fresh ingredients. The food and service were both very good. Our server knew his stuff and seemed to really enjoy his job. read more

Amazing food and staff! The food was fresh and prepared perfectly. The potions were generous. The price was reasonable. They were kind and prepared for our two young children. The kid's meals were healthy and delicious. read more

So it was recommended that I try Borealis by a friend as I was in need of finding a place to host a party of 30-40 people. I went there to give it a shot as I've been wanting to try it anyway. Unfortunately I was not impressed with how I was received. The wait at the hostess table was long which I found odd for a Saturday night. Next I was taken to a table that had very little room for a big person to sit in. We asked to move to another table and it wasn't any better. There are too many tables for the room seems like they don't care to have large people eat there. I had ordered a ribeye Steak and was impressed with the sauce it was served with but the cut of steak had large sections of fat in it. I used to work for a butcher and if we ever had steaks like that they were usually sold last and at a discount due to the amount of fat in them. As for the service it seemed odd as the waitress really seemed like an order taker as the food was brought out by others. I had to ask for a steak knife as it was not delivered with the steak. I doubt if I will be returning here and I have found another location for the party. read more

I have been here a few times and have yet to be disappointed in the food. Really delicious appetizers and great craft beers. However, I did visit one time and ordered lemon with my water. The server asked me if I wanted to substitute for cucumber because they're all about the local food. I asked "do I have to? Do you not have lemons?" And she says "no, we have them" so I just said "well that's what I want please". Not rude or anything but kind of annoying. Just bring .e what I order please. read more

They lost my reservation. Luckily they had a crap table for 2. Food was good, staff need more training as well. read more

Frequent guest at Borealis for both business and with immediate and extended family. Always well presented and tasty food. Good-sized portions but not gigantic, everything always fresh and, after at least 10-12 visits, I've yet to have anything not meet our standards. The specials are usually interesting and well-prepared choices, and the tastiness of the meals is always a good notch above ordinary ... really nice. The dessert menu is the only minor let-down for me (lack of much chocolate) but they have a good selection and last weekends fruit gelato was excellent. Staff (hosts, bar, servers) is wonderful and service is quick but not rushed, though I've had one or two visits where it was unusually busy/hectic. All three eating areas (plus private room under bar) are comfortably decorated, though if crowded the upstairs can be a tiny bit loud. Several servers have made our day there, including the genuinely amazing Luigi, though the new policy of not allowing servers to have cell phones with them have prevented us from seeing pictures of his beautiful new baby girl (shame on management :-)). Recommended place to eat for really tasty and local food, excellent atmosphere and prices, and great staff. Great for family, dates, business. Four solid stars. read more

Terrible experience for our anniversary dinner! We made reservations for a Friday evening, when we showed up we were seated in the centre of the front large dining room, in a very high traffic area (families with young children all around us, waitresses constantly navigating around our table). It took a full 15(!!!) minutes before we were even acknowledged, I even heard one waitress ask another "who is taking care of them?". Someone came over and gave us some water and told us our waitress would be over soon. Now up to a full 20 minutes before our waitress came over to speak to us. We asked to be moved to a table that wasn't in such a high traffic area, so she moved us to the corner of the same room. I am Celiac (which I specified in my reservations) so I was given a gluten-free menu. I was surprised to see items such as fish and chips and panko-crusted items, I thought they must use a gluten free flour to do so. I'm glad I asked before I ordered anything though, because the waitress told me I could just pick something and they would exclude the gluten element of it. What is fish and chips without the batter, a piece of fish and fries? That is NOT a gluten-free menu! Not impressed. I submitted my concerns to Borealis a week ago via email and haven't heard back, so now I'm taking to social media (as that usually sparks some sort of response!). We will not be returning, and we are very disappointed with this experience. read more

ATTENTION: Wine by the ounce. Now, on with our regularly scheduled programming. I really loved this spot for a quiet (on a Sunday evening, that is) dinner for two with my fiance. We enjoyed the grilled taco entree (he had the fish and I had the tofu) with a glass of local niagara red wine, on tap, for $1 an ounce. Love that I can get 5 ounces (or 4 or 3, or whatever I wish) without having to commit to the typical 9 ounce serving at most places. The tacos tasted very fresh and went well with the signature sweet chili sauce (which we requested on the side). The adjacent 1889 schoolhouse is a lovely touch within a less-than -scenic strip mall location. We will definitely be back next time we're in Kitchener. read more

The restaurant caters to the hipsters interested in "eating locally." Its got a decent atmosphere, but depends heavily on its "buy locally" ideology. The food is average. I've had better burgers by far. Its okay and palatable...but for the inflated price you pay to "eat locally" its not worth it economically. Restaurants like this have their place for those who don't know what great local cuisine is, and for those hipsters that need a "special" place. If your interested in good cuisine for good prices...there are better places out there. If this location prepares their food better, it may be worth paying the higher than average price for the moral comfort of buying local food. read more

Everything is great about this place, with the exception of the food, which was okay. The layout, and design of the location is great, and the staff is extremely friendly. However I wasn't crazy over the food, there just wasn't enough flavor. I ordered the Asparagus Fusilli which I found to be extremely sour; likely caused by the tomatos. The person I was with ordered the Stuffed Chicken, which turned out to be much better. For appetizers, we ordered the Garlic Bread, I advice against this, it wasn't bad, but then again, there isn't much you can do wrong with 4 pieces of bread, toasted with cheese, probably the first thing anyone learns to cook. Instead of this, go for something else a little less common, I don't even know why it's on their menu. The food took longer than usual to come out, but nothing to be upset over. It looks like the cook is having a tough time come up with great dishes when restricted to just local ingredients. Given the limited choices in the tri-city area, this restaurant gets a bonus star, from 3 to 4. If I were in-charge, the only thing I would change is the menu. read more

Had an awesome dinner last night. Our server Luigi allowed us to have uninterrupted conversations until we were ready to order. The food: we both had meatloaf and it was delicious. Great evening, great setting,great food and great service. Would highly recommend this dinning experience to all. read more

Love that the restaurant is based on fresh local ingredients. Great atmosphere and decor, great service...my glass of water was never below half full. We ordered the goat cheese appetizer, it was really good, loved it with the beets. I ordered the smokey burger. The flavour was fantastic fries were great, but trying to eat the burger without it falling apart was impossible. My husband ordered the sirloin steak and mushrooms...he said it had great flavour but the cut of meat wasn't that great, very chewy, with gristle through the middle. Had the s'mores parfait for dessert...really, really good! I would definitely return, but will try the prime rib or a fish entre next time. read more

We had an absolutely fantastic meal with fantastic service. Would highly recommend this high-end causal dining experience. Well executed rustic/classy environment. Notes from second visit. Sweet potato fries are preferred over the regular fries. Service was exceptional as it was last time I visited. Duck wasn't anything special, probably wouldn't get it again. read more

Top notch service and food from start to finish. My fiancee and I both agree that the steak we were served (both medium) were the best we have ever had. We used a Date Night promo coupon, but would happily have paid full price for our amazing meals. Anita, our waitress was amazing and didn't make us feel pressured to add anything extra as far as the food bill went. We will definitely be going back again! read more

Borealis Grille & Bar - Try the unbelievable steak. You won't regret it! - American Near Me - Kitchener, Ontario

Never returning again. My biggest problem was the speed of service. We had a group of 5 for lunch and it felt as if I was in detention as we waited over an hour for our burgers. Once I received mine, it was more like a sloppy joe than a burger. The patty completely disintegrated when I picked it up. We all felt that the patty was very dry. read more

Nice enuf place and the theme is admirable. My experience spoiled by staff "tude" Curt, aloof, cold and non-responsive, Genxer, need I say more. Will not return. read more

I found the service at this restaurant horrible for a period of time that wasn't even busy. We waited 15 minutes for someone to come seat us and then 15 minutes for someone to come take our drink order. read more

The elk and pork tortierre was amazing and the atmosphere was nice and quiet. Highly recommend

We've been here a few times and the experiences have been mixed. The best time to go is when it's not busy and you can get a seat in the front of the restaurant by the bar. Our worst experiences have been in the upstairs room (which gets very noisy when it's full -- lovely wood floors and old-fashioned tin ceiling, but no carpet, tablecloths, or even curtains to absorb all that sound bouncing around). The use of local ingredients is an admirable ideal, but it comes at a cost, both literal and figurative. Portions are smaller than you would expect for the price. For example, $14 for a small plate of nachos served with nothing more exotic than some grated cheese and chopped tomato and jalapeño. (It was late arriving, and served by a food runner. Our waitress's comment? "Oh, I see you got your nachos. Finally.") The halibut my partner ordered looked great, and there were no complaints. It was served on a bed of vegetables. My meat loaf, which in the menu was described as "bison, grass fed beef, and pork", was mostly pork and breadcrumbs - which I did not expect or enjoy, though the taste was okay. The "buttermilk" mashed potatoes were very bland, the predominant flavour being watery potatoes. The meat loaf was served on bread, which was not mentioned on the menu (disappointing to someone who did not want a burger because of the bun, so ordered meat loaf instead). Borealis is a great idea, but not always well-executed. Their "Taste of Ontario" tends to be pricey, bland, and inconsistently served. If you like good food with a local touch, you can definitely find better in the area. read more

Service: friendly and mindful Atmosphere: upscale northern Food: wonderful. Would return? Yes. Went to the one in Guelph a while ago and decided to have a date night here. We were greeted by a kind and very perky hostess. The building was decorated like most upscale restaurants: dim lighting, specials on chalk boards etc., but the decor was accented with birch trunks and evergreen branches. This gave it a distinct Canadian feel, even if it was a bit stereotypical. Found out that their date night deal was unfortunately the previous night, but that's on us for not doing the right research. Was pleasantly surprised that they had rotating features of local brews on tap and a flight sampling of four beers. This was great because it allowed me to taste all four special features. I ordered the mushroom fusilli and my girlfriend decided on the striploin. They came out promptly and were great with every bite. The fusilli came with a pesto sauce, red onions, marinated tomatoes, and garnished with goat cheese. This was excellent with the sauce being nice and creamy, and all flavours mixing wonderfully. The steak came with a bacon cream sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, and seasonal vegetables. It was hard to get one but I was able to convince my girlfriend to share a piece with me. It was nice and tender with all the flavour you would expect from a good steak and the sauce was a great addition to a good cut of meat. After a quick look at the dessert menu we decided on the sampler platter, choosing raspberry sorbet, apple and blueberry cobbler, and the chocolate mousse. The sorbet was nice and refreshing, a great pallette cleanser; the cobbler was nice and sweet; the mousse was smooth and filled with a rich and deep taste. A great way to end a meal. All in all it was a very pleasant experience with the staff, food and decor. There are plenty of wonderful places to check out repeatedly in the KW, and this should be on the list. read more

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Fresh, local food. Fresh, local beer. Unique, locally-inspired atmosphere. This is one of those places where people trying to get a taste of the area (K/W, Guelph, Cambridge, etc.) should make top priority to eat at. Everything is local and perfectly prepared. I have yet to experience a single flaw in a meal there. The beer is also local with the option of some other domestics and imports for the uncultured and boring patrons. Do yourself a solid though and go for a sampler. The wine selection is also better than average. read more

Borealis has become a favorite for me and my wife. Everything we have ordered on multiple visits has been extremely good. My current favorite is the fried chicken tacos, which are fabulous. We travel regularly between Stratford and either Toronto or Niagara-on-the-Lake and find that Borealis is ideally located for a meal either coming or going. read more

Creative & delicious menu without the pretentiousness! Inviting dining room. Friendly waitstaff. Chef accommodates omissions & special requests (such as sauce on side). Multiple options for vegetarians. Only wish dessert had been up to par. Otherwise, a great experience! read more

Great service but only 'meh' food (we ordered the fish and chips and black bean burger)

A decent and pleasant experience. I would not encourage you go out of your way for it, but you won't be disappointed if you are hungry and in the area. They pride themselves on providing local and organic ingredients. read more

Striploin was chewy. I asked for medium rare and got medium. I wouldn't recommend the steak. However the curry was excellent.

Love the concept of this place, as local as possible. I had the fish and crab cake special which was super delicious!

If the prices were better I'd probably give them 4 stars. However, two things work against them: 1. the really hit and miss decor and atmosphere - some rooms (the bar & upstairs) are really fantastic, real homey feel and reflect the aspirations of the 'eat local' and farm to table ambitions 2. I'm not convinced on the locality of the food. The beer menu has the distance to all the local breweries and is really good. The food menu doesn't and I find that slightly odd from a place that purports to serve local and Ontario cusine. Some items on the menu cite their origins, many don't. Again, I'm not a dedicate locavore but when you advertise yourself as such then back it up. Onto the food - fish tacos were excellent. A piece of lime to squeeze on them would put them over the top. The prime rib poutine was good, only good, not great. For $15 I expect great poutine, and definately not overcooked prime rib. My wife had the tofu stack which she said was OK and the samosa appetizer which was good. One nitpicky thing - samosas don't come in wonton wrappers - called them curried wontons or something more accurate.... Again, nothing wrong with this meal but nothing great. And when we are talking 3 apps, 1 main, 1 dessert and two drinks for $110 I expect better. The beer menu is very good though and the harvest ale I had was great. read more

Went in tonight for dinner and had a very nice experience. The staff was friendly, the atmosphere warm and my dinner fresh. I had a french onion soup which had a smoky cheese on top and an arugula salad that was dressed just right and hit the spot. read more

This place comes off as your average, run of the mill restaurant, but its focus on sourcing local ingredients gives it that extra something special. I had the elk tacos, which were good. I also ordered a kombucha (a fizzy fermented drink) at our server's suggestion and really enjoyed it. read more

The bill was 70 dollars with a pitcher of beer I had the 28 day aged steak my wive the elk and bisson meatloaf. Both were good but not oh wow you have to try this . Portions were bordering on large. Service was pleasant and fast. The room the old school house part was nice. You could take any person or group here nothing to offend nothing to really impress IMO The whole thing was good but nothing to write home about. Odds are this was a one time vist. read more

Good service, burgers are flavourful and generously sized. Do not recommend the steak, a little tough for the price. Was hoping for more steak options. Good choice for eating locally. Nice atmosphere. read more

Was there once before and had a great, homemade veggie burger. Ordered it today - hard, tasteless, obviously previously frozen burger. Waiter with attitude. No thanks. read more

Friendly staff, decent food, size of meals was reasonable. Good for a work lunch, getting food was a bit slow but once it arrived, it tasted great. read more