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Symposium Cafe
Categories: Restaurants Breakfast & Brunch Food Desserts Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts
4 King Street NWaterloo, ON N2J 2W7
(519) 746-3550
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 8 am - 12 am
Fri-Sat 8 am - 1 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Dessert
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Dogs Allowed:
- No
11 reviews for Symposium Cafe
11 reviews in English
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Review from Carrie W.
Waterloo, ON
This cafe is a great place to go at any time of the day, from their all day breakfast to late night drinks. They are known for their desserts and drinks but have some very tasty food too. They have large comfy chairs, bright natural lighting and beautiful decor. Perfect date place!! :-)
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Review from Krystina R.
Liberty Village, Toronto, ON
2/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
Good for meet ups - very large menu with something for everyone. Known for their desserts.
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Review from Ceci Z.
5/17/2011 1 photo
Symposium is my favorite cafe in the Waterloo area. The ambiance is classy and relaxed. I've only had drinks and desserts, they are pretty pricey and very, very sweet. The servings are big, so I recommend sharing with friends, also lessens the guilt too ;)
Their cake display is very attractive and tempting. I've had the triple chocolate and it tastes amazing. -
Review from milly l.
Richmond Hill, ON
12/15/2010 2 photos
I've been there a few times and I love it. I really like their relaxed atmosphere. For their entrees, I've ordered their steak and also tried some of my friend's dishes, which were all pretty decent. Not the best, but not horrible. I also went there on a Saturday where they have appetizer specials, $15 for the appetizer of the night or choose two appetizers from a list. My friends and I ordered one with smoked salmon and pita, and one with shrimp and bruschetta. They were amazing! The portions were just right and they were loaded with ingredients.
My friends have ordered their all day breakfasts and said that they taste really good, especially their toasts. However one of my friend thinks their orange juice was not worth its price.
I don't think one can go to Symposium and walk out without having a slice of their cake. My all time favourite is their mocha crunch! Someone once told me it tastes like ferrero rocher chocolates. They have all kinds of cakes, suitable for cake lovers! Pairing a slice of their cake with a cup of their hot beverages is just heavenly. -
Review from Tereza M.
1/24/2011
Symposium has a huge menu, so there is something for everyone there. The food is mediocre though, so people usually go for the selection and ambiance. The cake on the other hand is really good - and there is a big selection of it too.
They've got daily specials which are decent. My favourite ones are Sangria Saturdays (pitcher of Sangria for 10.99) and 2 for 1 cake on Sundays. I find their cake at almost 9 dollars a pop too expensive otherwise but it's well worth the $4.50.
Service is hit and miss. Usually it's pretty good and I've never had a problem with any of the waiters. But when it's bad, it's TERRIBLE. There is this one manager especially, who on a busy night, is less than polite to customers. When it's busy and he's there, I leave the restaurant immediately. Also, on busy nights, food is a bit slow to come out.
Over the past 5 years, I've probably been here 20-30 times, especially with larger groups because of their wide selection. -
Review from Tracy B.
Toronto, ON
2/8/2009 1 photo
Such a fun place to go and catch up with an old friend for a few hours. It has all day breakfast and endless kinds of lattes :) You're always in a comfortable seat because that's all they have. The service is great and its a cool atmosphere. The decor is kind of cheesy with prints like School of Athen's and fake marble, but you get over it quickly.
Try the Belgian waffles!! -
Review from Carol M.
1/20/2010
My husband goes to the Symposium Cafe often, as it is a favorite among his friends, so I decided to accompany him there one evening to check it out. When you walk in, you are greeted by the traditional overstuffed chairs that make for a good place to stay a while and chat. The murals, which depict scenes from Ancient Greece, suggest that this is the place to go for a deep conversation, and its location near the University of Waterloo and Wilfred Laurier University means that it is a hotspot for thirsty scholars.
While the Symposium is a great place to go for coffee and a dessert, of which they offer a wide variety, it is also a great place to go to get great food, relatively inexpensively. I opted for salmon, which came in an herbed cream sauce with asparagus and mashed potatoes. While the cream sauce didn't particularly thrill me, the salmon and asparagus were perfect. My husband had the barbeque chicken pizza, which I tried. I'm not certain whether they make their own barbeque sauce or purchase it, but it was quite literally the best barbeque sauce I've ever tasted. The cheese that came on the pizza (a goat cheese, I believe) was also unique and melded well with the other flavors. Overall, the food was much better than I expected.
It can be difficult to find parking nearby, so I recommend taking change for a garage or parking meters. -
Review from Walter M.
1/16/2012
Nice atmosphere.... but that's where it ends.The management of this place is so bad that it's almost like it's run by jr.high kids. They didn't have most of the appetizers and the chicken tenders I had didn't even taste like chicken. We had plenty of problems with the employees as well. The desserts/fruit milkshakes weren't bad, but I wouldn't say it was worth all the trouble they put us through.(seating/ordering issues)
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Review from Bas G.
Waterloo, ON
2/16/2009
Symposium is a great place to slouch, relax, have a decent coffee or, preferrably, fresh squized juice mixes.
Service takes it's time, but is friendly.
The star attraction tho, is without a doubt the wide assortment of very very delicious cakes and deserts.
Skip dinner, and go for the sweet tooth right away. -
Review from William Z.
Waterloo, ON
4/22/2011
My friends and I went for Wednesday martini night. It was a BLAST. The waiter was friendly and the place was quiet. I don't know much about their food but it's on my list of place to try.
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Review from Richard S.
3/28/2010
Aimed squarely at the college crowd, which means good (not great) food and friendly ambiance at affordable prices. There's nothing bad about the place but you can feel the invisible hand of cost control. Best for coffee and desserts as others have said. I'm still looking for the perfect breakfast place in the Waterloo / Kitchener area, which for me would consist of Eggs Benedict with real Hollandaise served with English Breakfast tea (fresh brewed, not from teabags). Do I have to drive all the way to Toronto for this?
