by Andrew Coppolino | October 2024
The range of late-night snacks in Waterloo Region runs the gamut from a loaded clamshell-container of poutine or crispy, spicy chaat masala to a mountain of nachos with three cheeses. How about pizza with hot peppers (or pineapple?), tater tots, and anything deep fried and slathered in a sauce? Yum!
In many cases, restaurant kitchens close earlier than the last call for beverages, but there are several places in Waterloo Region that boast late-night menus that include everything from classic pub fare to Bombay street food.
Whether you need to refuel after a night on the town or you just have a case of the munchies, here are a few suggestions of where to go to find a late night bite – and a beverage to go with it!
Late Night Bites
The Black Badger | Cambridge
An authentic British pub, according to their website, but also one whose regular menu can venture into inventive tavern-takes on dishes from around the world. The Badger is open until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The late-night menu kicks into gear at 10 p.m. and shuts down at midnight.
Loloan Lobby Bar | Waterloo
Grab a seat at the truly beautiful and wonderfully appointed U-shaped bar and get a lobby-bar experience inside one of the province’s top southeast Asian restaurants. The kitchen closes earlier in the evening, but the bar is open until 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Hop House | Waterloo
Open until 2 a.m. most nights and of course weekends, Hop House is sister restaurant to White Rabbit (with their fabulous cocktail bar), right next door. The ‘hop’ in the name makes sense given that they have more than 60 beers to choose from! The late-night menu runs from 11 p.m. to 12 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Their “Tater Kegs” – stuffed with bacon and cheddar and served with queso cheese – are three times the size of a regular tater tot and are one of about a dozen items for late night munching.
Morty’s Pub | Waterloo
The kitchen is open until 1 a.m., Thursday to Saturday (Thursday night is the wing special) at this landmark sports bar, neighbourhood local and university watering hole that welcomes everyone. Morty’s is known for its wings: they’re delivered fresh two to three times a week, and the kitchen seasons and flours them twice before cranking out about 1,600 lbs. of the flats and drumettes!
Royal Paan | Waterloo
Located around the corner from Morty’s on University Avenue – and open 24 hours. Check out their street-food bar for momos, masala fries or Bombay vada pav potato dumplings. A good venue for vegetarians. The Kitchener location on Wilson Avenue closes at 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The Saginaw Parkway location in Cambridge is open until 12 a.m. Friday and Saturday.,
Ethel’s Lounge | Waterloo
A few blocks away from Morty’s and Royal Paan Waterloo is another super popular watering hole for students and neighbourhood locals. Ethel’s Lounge is chock full of local entertainment memorabilia and tchotchke. The classic pub is generally open late with last call for the kitchen at around 1 a.m. Thursday to Saturday. Everything is scratch-made, including pulled pork, homemade beans and a hefty and mighty satisfyin’ home-style meatloaf. Currently, ribs roll out of the smoker at 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
Pierogi House | Locations in Kitchener and Waterloo
Possibly perfect pierogies for delivery – until 2 a.m. Thursday to Saturday at their Waterloo location. You’ll find about a dozen pierogies (with some featured as a limited time offering). For Oktoberfest, perhaps a late-night order of hand-breaded Polish-style schnitzel pierogi topped with sautéed onions?
Sweet Lou’s Cookies | Waterloo
Sometimes late-night cravings head down the sweet avenue. For take-away or delivery, there’s Sweet Lou’s Cookies, open until 1 a.m. for shakes, sundaes, and ice cream sandwiches. The cookies are baked fresh right up to closing time and are rarely sold out. “Sweet Lou from the Sault,” as he calls himself, said he wanted a better cookie, and he followed through, any time of day.
Raja Chettinad Fine Indian Cuisine | Kitchener
The Belmont Village restaurant is open until 3 a.m. The kitchen closes at about 2:45 a.m., but that gives you plenty of time to get a late-night bite – possibly a few idli. There are nine fermented rice-and-lentil cakes prepared with a range of ingredients from sambar and chutney to lamb with red onion, red pepper, curry leaves and black pepper.
Jayalakshmi South Indian Cuisine | Kitchener
A very wide range of south Indian dosas – there’s more than two dozen of the crisp, crepe-like stuffed “tubes” – to munch late at night, as well as idli cakes, uthappam pancakes and biryani. Open until midnight Friday and Saturday.
Grand Surf Lounge | Kitchener
It may not open until later in the evening, but Surf’s up until 1 a.m. Friday and 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday (yes, Sunday). The vibe is amazing, the music heady and eclectic and the cocktails simply superb in their both their flavour and inventiveness. Try the guac and the stacked tostadas. Kitchen closes at 11 p.m.
Sister restaurant around the corner, Grand Trunk Saloon, now on King Street, is open Friday and Saturday until 2 a.m. with the kitchen closing before that. Check out their new wood-fired pizzas, sweet potato hummus or fried Brussels sprouts. Of course, the fried chicken (or seitan) is legendary.
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Writer Andrew Coppolino was the food columnist for CBC-KW Radio (2013-2024) and Metroland newspapers. The author of Farm to Table (Swan Parade Press) and co-author of Cooking with Shakespeare (Greenwood Press), he was the 2022 Joseph Hoare Gastronomic Writer-in-Residence at the Stratford Chefs School. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @andrewcoppolino.