After a brief hiatus, your favourite food reviewers are back! This month we have an absolute treat, a cornerstone of the vibrant Uptown scene, a poster child for sustainable restaurant practices, an icon, Jane Bond. Tucked away at 5 Princess Street West, this retro haunt has been proudly serving the Waterloo community since 1995 offering great eats and great vibes that are sure to shake up any trip to Uptown, let alone your martini.
Entering the scene, we were greeted by an amazing ambiance: hang out vibes, groovy decor, welcoming staff and patrons. The best way we can describe this style is to paint you a picture when you walk in: you step inside a hidden gem that resembles an elevated underground Toronto elevated dive bar. There are colourful lights that give a beautiful intimate hue, and seating that provide opportunities for deep conversations about your past experiences, exes, and trauma. That’s right, Jane is a home for people to feel comfortable, lively and fabulous while drinking their favourite beverage.
Starting with drinks, Andrew went with his go-to at Jane, a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon. A great beer to begin with, not to mention the fact that Jane always serves it at the perfect, ice-cold temperature. Lizzie, on the other hand, sprung for the Red Sangria, hoping to bring a little summer magic to the frozen snow heap that is Waterloo currently. It did not disappoint. A flavourful mix of red wine, cassis and multiple juices and brandies, it was amazing and summery down to the very last sip, although sadly it did not bring summer weather with it :(.
Then, it was on to the food, which marked a first for this review. After 16 editions over the span of three years, Jane Bond has become the first vegetarian – and almost entirely vegan upon request – restaurant that your dear reviewers have spotlit in The Cord. It was, to put it frankly, about damn time!
Food started in earnest with an appetizer: Spinach Dip. Spin dip has been a staple of this column since the very beginning, and thus Jane enters into stiff competition, especially with Wilf’s undisputable reputation in the Laurier community. Although Wilfs’ remains the head honcho of the KW spin dip rankings, this one was still solid. Light, flavourful, and accompanied by warm naan and chips, it’s the perfect shareable appetizer to get started with, just as always.
From there, Andrew sprung the quesadilla, and was quite happy with the results. Using chipotle black beans as the protein and loaded up with all the quesadilla staples – cheese, onions, bell peppers and tomatoes – it got the job done. Savoury and flavourful, capturing that classic quesadilla taste, it stacked up well compared to Andrew’s beloved Taco Bell quesadilla.
Lizzie, on the other hand, went for the antojitos, and sadly was not the biggest fan. Although it had all the makings of the classic dish, the flavours didn’t melt well and left Lizzie with a bad taste in her mouth, literally. The addition of the Kalamata Olives was interesting and different; however, the dish as a whole simply couldn’t deliver the taste quality that was expected from antojitos.
Funnily enough, however, the food and drinks are only half of Jane Bond’s appeal; the other half happens at night. Jane Bond is frankly one of the most exciting and fun places to go at night in Waterloo. A truly welcoming place comes to life with amazing DJs playing music. We guarantee you will never hear anywhere else on King Street, a multitude of themed nights and live music nights, and so much more. A personal favourite spot for your duo on the weekend. This place plays great house mixes, modern and classic pop, and just about anything that fits the atmosphere of the night. Yes, we can attest that Jane Bond curates its audience and does a bang-up job that never leaves a person feeling disappointed.
With its commitment to sustainable, vegetarian food options, alongside its genuine commitment to community connectedness and a welcoming nature, Jane Bond is a pillar of the Uptown community, and one of our favourite spots to go to Waterloo.
Whether you go dancing, eating or sharing some drinks with friends (or meet someone new!) It doesn’t matter; Jane is always unique, always entertaining, and always fun. And if you do end up going, tell them LizzDrew sent you!
Here’s our ratings: Ambiance: 10 out of 10 – Drinks: 9 out of 10 – Food: 7.5 out of 10 – Affordability: 6 out of 10
Contributed Photo/Sheryl Madakkai
