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Good ’Hood: Uptown Waterloo

Touted as the “2007 World’s Top Intelligent Community” by the Intelligent Communities Forum (intelligentcommunity.org), Waterloo has, at 150-years-old, become a strange hybrid of thinks and drinkers, as well as history and technology hub—scores of tech and software firms are here, including RIM and Google Waterloo. This merry mix is reflected in both the businesses and the locals on the street, and the juxtaposition of old and new is pretty much everywhere you look.

Lotus Tea House

79 Regina St. N., Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario
519-880-1638

For those who prefer Buddhism over beer, opt for the creamy, dreamy almond tea at Lotus. Simple wicker décor, pan flute music and with Nag Champa incense wafting down from the meditation centre upstairs, the tearoom is an ancient yet contemporary addition to the area.
http://www.fgs.ca/lotusteahouse.htm

Huether Hotel

59 King St. N., Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario
519-886-3350

Head to the Huether for frothy glasses of local Lion brewery. The infamous student watering hole has pool tables, a massive patio and—in keeping with demand from newly arrived residents—a swanky new coffee pub.
http://www.huetherhotel.com

Hannah’s Bella Bistro

4 King St. N., Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario
519-746-3504

One of the many fine dining establishments on King Street, you’ll find this stylish enclave inside the 1890 Waterloo Hotel (restored into a deluxe Victorian-style inn). Hannah’s promises artisan fare with international flare. For $24, you can savour a delicious Guinness-soaked chicken breast, roasted in thyme grown by the local “herb man.”
http://www.hannahsbellabistro.com

Ethel’s Lounge

114 King St. N., Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario
519-725-2361

The ultimate retrofit, Ethel’s is housed in a former KFC, one of the first in Canada (circa 1961); the Ethel’s sign, snagged from a defunct bar in Detroit, just happed to fit perfectly atop the KFC pole. The frayed bar and patio is a great spot to hang back or dig into roadhouse eats—Southern Pulled Pork is a favourite.
http://www.ethelslounge.ca

Princess Cinema; Princess Twin

6 Princess St. W., Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario
519-885-2950

The original Princess Cinema, an art-house movie theatre that’s screened the *Rocky Horror Picture Show* every year since 1985, recently expanded with the Princess Twin movie house to do battle against more mainstream film fare with the big boys at the Galaxy multiplex.
http://www.princesscinemas.com

Orange Monkey Music

5 Princess St. W., Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario
519-886-0939

DJ Charless, holed up in his vinyl fortress, has peddled nostalgia for some 14 years from Orange Monkey Music, an attic above the ultimate cool-kid hangout, the Jane Bond.

Delirium

23 King St. N., Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario
519-886-8480

Sisters Annissa and Lydia have injected a little of Toronto’s Queen Street West with Delirium clothing. “We’re Goth punk-rockabilly,” says Annissa, in front of a ‘50s-style dress paired with a black skull purse.
http://www.deliriumclothing.com

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

31 Caroline St. N., Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario
519-569-7600

This modern building is not only one of the world’s leading research centres, but also hosts a remarkable public outreach program featuring live jazz, contemporary art talks and futuristic lectures on physics and the cosmos.
http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca

Starlight Club

47 King St. N. , Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario
519-885-4947

Heads bob and booties shake as DJ Charless spins vinyl like it’s 1979. A little Stevie Wonder, a tease of Parliament—old tunes cut with a modern beat: an appropriate soundtrack for today’s Uptown Waterloo.
http://www.janebond.ca