Balzac's Stratford — Restaurant in Stratford

When I travel to Toronto, I often make a little detour, just one night in Stratford, but it means a lot to me. Balzac is the café where I love to have breakfast, and it has become my quiet ritual: sitting with my sketchbook, drawing the corners, the angles, the little moments of people coming and going.

There’s a charming art supply shop nearby, always ready to rescue me when I’ve run out of ink or paper. But it’s Balzac that truly holds a piece of my heart. It’s my place, where bitter winter and bitter summer memories blur together for me and make life bittersweet.

Often, while I sit there, I overhear conversations about theatre plots, new poems, new novels, and plans for going to a play at the famous annual Stratford theatre festival. And I listen quietly, soaking in the magic. Where else in the world can I find such an elevated space, filled with warmth, kind faces, tasty coffee, and a simplicity that makes you enjoy my human being experience again in life?

Thank you, Balzac, for being there. I wish you many, many years of calm and continuity. You’ve been more than a café, please stay...

I have never stepped foot in a Balzacks and never will. My daughter went into the stratford location this week to apply for a job. The front line server was a doll and super excited to receive a resume. She turned to the owner “Kathy” and said “Hey Kathy, we finally have a someone applying”. My daughter had a glimpse of hope at first but then Kathy came up to the girl, grabbed the resume, turned to my daughter and said “we will not be calling you” and continued to rip the resume in front of my daughters face. I am so disgusted and embarrassed to learn that a small business owner (in Stratford) would do this to a young adult. Shame on you Kathy and you really need to learn proper etiquette and respect. She was applying for a minimum wage job where people are begging for workers and yet this is how you treat them. I hope your coffee is good cuz your...

Nice ambiance and ambitious menu. If you like fusion cuisine, this might be up your alley. The menu mixes farm food with Asian flavours, such as kimchi, pickled ginger and peanuts. The corn and bean salad (which was actually more of a radish salad) was delicious, but the steak bowl over-promised with a lack of balance, being over-flavoured with ginger and containing small protein portion compared to rice. For dessert, we chose the flourless brownie with salted caramel, and were overwhelmed by the saltiness. The brownie without the flour was tasty. The ambiance is nice and the server was excellent, usually paying close attention to us (although busy at times). Although the flavours and overall experience were promising, the restaurant goes for style over substance, making it yet another tourist trap for the...