The Cornerstone — Restaurant in Guelph

The Cornerstone has been much praised by those looking for those vegetarian/vegan spots for a bite to eat (to which there’s quite a few sprinkled around Guelph) and even my Partner and Daughter always had lovely things to say from their visits but I personally had never ventured in myself though I’d certainly walked and flown by many times often admiring the exterior and the intriguing name “THE CORNERSTONE” certainly wouldn’t be out of place for the title of some mysterious series provided by a popular VOD streaming service. I like it , I like it a lot.

On quite an uneventful day on the suggestion of my other half we popped in for some lunch and shelter from the chilly autumn winds and I’m glad I agreed because it certainly switched things up a notch at least for my taste buds. Thanks to her recommendation my first munching encounter of the hungry kind was with their Tempeh Reuben Sandwich with a side of curried potatoes and oh my goodness I may of just found my ideal combo for the next visit because I was channelling my inner Guy Fieri being in flavour town while chowing down, loved it.

It’s a very cosy and busy establishment, the staff are friendly, attentive and the atmosphere is just ideal for those looking to lounge and have a meetup with others with all that exposed stonewall interior adding to the charm with events and reading material around to browse and take note of if you wish. Altogether it just gives off a positive vibe throughout.

The wait for food was not relatively long at all for what seemed a busy typical lunch hour downtown with expected water refills and later coffee and hot chocolate(you know how I do) and good conversation to pass the time certainly helps if you have it. If I was alone this would be prime time to do some writing or reading and whip out the notepad or notebook.

The menu is just packed with so many vegetarian and actual vegan meal options I was impressed as there’s plenty to try. The pinto bean mushroom and curried chickpea walnut burger would be something I seek to try next. While I’m not exclusively vegan or vegetarian these are the type of places that keep me back on the path of enjoying tasty fun foods.

Being that the restaurant is just opposite the tail end of the Guelph Central Go Station if you’ve just arrived in the city via bus/train or even about to depart it’s certainly worth giving the place a visit and dine-in if it’s not too busy and you have the time to do so.

Admittedly I’m not likely to drop-in that much any time soon but thanks to the positive experience I certainly feel comfortable enough to do so on a whim and will very likely have some food delivered.

Hope to eat...

A 'cozy', open floor plan, eatery (and patio), well known for breakfast / brunch on weekends, and being a staple of Downtown Guelph. *Vegan /vegetarian plates are available and gluten-free arrangements can be discussed. The Cornerstone also does a variety of coffees and teas and powerballs and treats, in case you are in need of a recharge or a quick nibble. The Cornerstone hosts open mike nights, and has games and books for people who are interested in setting up camp at a table and staying for a while. Most recently we visited on a Sunday evening around 6. The ambiance was largely generated through dim/low lighting. There were lit strings of lights strewn over the dining area and some kind of unsettling, indiscernable, arrhythmic, urban? music playing. The atmosphere is laid-back, or casual and the service we've received is usually somewhere between mediocre and just ok. Because of the design of the restaurant diners are sitting in the kitchen. When the food processor, or some other loud, disruptive or electric tool is running, the noise fills the space, as does talking, and all of it competes with whatever 'music' is playing. On days when it is busy, tables and people are in close quarters (often too close?). The din can rise to incessant and between this and the proximity of other people and wait staff, constant shifting is required to avoid being bumped or disrupted, rendering a discussion or a quiet meal with friends, practically impossible. There are people who love the drafty window seats, the eclectic furniture and the way that the interior style choices might be reminiscent of a 'home' feeling. At the Cornerstone, all of these elements contribute to the...

My girlfriend has wanted me to go to this café to get work done for some time. While the drinks and the food were good, the Cornerstone is not actually a "chill café" (at least not until 2 pm).

When we entered we asked to sit at a table, and we were told they would be splitting the table into 2 to save space. We were happy to take half the table, but then we were sat at the connected table anyways. To be helpful, we separated the table ourselves.

We ordered and ate some food and then pulled out some work we needed to get done. After a short time, we were informed that there is actually "a no laptops policy until 2 pm as of a couple of days ago", even though there is nothing posted about this no laptops policy. Also when she came over there were at least 4 empty tables, and at least 3 larger tables with people working at them on tablets, and all of them had been sitting longer than we had. I have no idea why she decided to embarrass us instead of/before them.

To be clear, she said we could stay because we weren't taking up too much space, but the vibe was obviously over so we high tailed it out of there. In total we were there less...