#BestofWR 2015 Winners!

5,217 of you voted, and after multiple re-counts, Supreme Court challenges, and no small amount of gerrymandering, the results are in. Here are your favourite spaces, places, and people. Congratulations!

Don’t like what you see? Weigh in with #BestofWR.

And, thanks to you fine folks who voted, and who submitted #BestofWR nominations. This place would not be the same without you—see you next year! (Can’t get enough #BestofWR? Check out last year’s winners here.)

To jump to a section, click on the relevant link.

Food and Drink
Live, Work and Play
Notable Folks and Groups
Shopping and Business

Food and Drink

Best Sandwich:

1. Vincenzo’s
2. Princess Café
3. The Yeti

Best grilled cheese:

1. Cheeses Murphy
2. Jane Bond
3. Fo’ Cheezy

Best frozen treat:

1. R’Chyees
2. Marble Slab
3. Ambrosia Pastry

Best bakery:

1. City Café
2. Honey Bakeshop
3. Ambrosia Pastry

Best coffee shop:

1. DVLB
2. Matter of Taste
3. Café Pyrus

Best candy shop:

1. Sugar Mountain
2. Candy, Candy, Candy
3. Bo Dees

Best pizza:

1. Famoso
2. City Café
3. Breadheads

Best Chinese food:

1. Cameron’s
2. Lai Lai
3. Crystal Palace

Best Thai food (and a first-place Thai!):

1. Northern Thai & My Thai
2. Thai Sun

Best Shawarma:

1. Shawerma Plus
2. Mozy’s
3. Ace Shawarma

Best beer selection:

1. Beer Town
2. The Bent Elbow
3. Jane Bond

Best cheap drink:

1. Ethel’s
2. Phil’s
3. Jack Burger

Best new restaurant:

1. Abe Erb
2. White Rabbit
3. Proof
4. TWH Social

Best wine list:

1. Gilt
2. Sole
3. Proof
4. MPC Public

Best Mexican food:

1. Holy Guacamole
2. Taco Farm
3. La Guanaquita

Best vegetarian:

1. Jane Bond
2. Café Pyrus
3. Empress of India

Best pulled pork:

1. Lancaster Smokehouse
2. Ethel’s
3. Hogtails

Best family restaurant:

1. Jack’s
2. Taco Farm
3. Fireside
4. Empress of India

Best tea shop:

1. David’s Tea
2. All Things Tea
3. X Tea

Best burger:

1. The Works
2. Frat Burger
3. Harmony Lunch

Best breakfast:

1. Mel’s
2. The Yeti
3. Angie’s

Best patio:

1. Boathouse
2. Huether Hotel
3. Ethel’s

Best cheap eats:

1. Ethel’s
2. Queen Street Commons
3. Homestyle Diner

Best food truck:

1. West of Seoul
2. Ish n’ Chips
3. The Schmuck Truck

Best local beer:

1. King Street Saison (Block 3)
2. Waterloo Dark (Waterloo Brewing Co.)
3. SPA (Wellington)

Best local brewery:

1. Block 3
2. Abe Erb
3. Innocente

Best cookie:

1. Honey Bakeshop
2. Sabletine

Best donut:

1. City Café
2. Debrodnik’s
3. Jimmy’s Minis

Best cocktail:

1. Jane Bond
2. White Rabbit
3. Proof

Live, Work and Play

Best party of the year:

1. Oktoberfest
2. Summer Lights Festival
3. Steel Rails

Best place for a second date (a seven vote difference, between first and third!):

1. Apollo Cinema
2. Princess Cinema
3. Jane Bond

Best place to meet people:

1. DVLB
2. Ethel’s
3. Kitchener Waterloo Little Theatre

Best LGBTQ bar:

1. The Order
2. Jane Bond

Best community event:

1. Summer Lights Festival
2. Multicultural Festival
3. Oktoberfest

Best place to dance:

1. Starlight
2. King Street during festivals
3. The Order

Best live music:

1. Boathouse
2. Starlight
3. Maxwell’s

Best arts event:

1. Night\Shift
2. Summer Lights Festival
3. The Brush Off

Best gallery or museum:

1. THEMUSEUM
2. Waterloo Region Museum
3. KWAG

Best theatre company:

1. Kitchener Waterloo Little Theatre
2. Registry Theatre

Best karaoke:

1. Chainsaw (unanimous)

Best trivia night:

1. Princess Café
2. Nerd Nite
3. The Bomber

Best weekend fun:

1. Kitchener Farmer’s Market
2. Tri-City Roller Derby
3. Summer Lights Festival

Best gym/fitness:

1. Limitless
2. Movati
3. Depth Training

Best yoga:

1. Queen Street Yoga
2. Moksha
3. Bikram Yoga

Best sports venue:

1. The Aud
2. Waterloo Recreation Complex
3. Tri-City Roller Derby

Best place of worship/spirituality:

1. Creekside Church
2. Matthew’s Lutheran
3. Temple Shalom

Best bike trail:

1. Iron Horse
2. Breslau Trail

Best place to read:

1. Victoria Park
2. Waterloo Park

Best public space:

1. Victoria Park
2. Waterloo Park
3. Carl Zehr Square

Best park:

1. Victoria Park
2. Waterloo Park
3. Kiwanis Park

Best building:

1. The Tannery
2. Perimeter Institute
3. CIGI

Best space to work:

1. Kitchener Public Library
2. The Tannery
3. Velocity

Best place for meditation:

1. Victoria Park
2. Waterloo Park
3. Top of Chicopee

Best housing or condo community:

1. Bread and Roses
2. Barrel Yards
3. 100 Victoria

Best grade school:

1. Westmount
2. Elizabeth Ziegler

Best secondary school:

1. KCI
2. Forest Heights
3. Rockway Mennonite Collegiate

Best post-secondary school:

1. UW
2. Laurier
3. Conestoga College

Best community centre:

1. Downtown Community Centre
2. The Family Centre

Best festhallen:

1. Concordia
2. Schwaben
3. Alpine

Best view or vista:

1. McLennan Park
2. Kitchener City Hall Balcony
3. Homer Watson Park

Notable Folks and Groups

Best local author/writer:

1. Carrie Snyder
2. Erin Bow
3. Tasneem Jamal

Best local musician/band:

1. Alysha Brilla
2. Safe as Houses
3. Dan Howler

Best local artist:

1. Jennifer Gough
2. Janice Lee
3. Jon Johnson

Best bus driver:

1. Guy with giant beard
2. Joe
3. Donna

Best mover and shaker:

1. Fauzia Mazhar
2. Melissa Durrell
3. Charlene LeDuc

Best local blog or blogger:

1. Waterloo Honk
2. Red Leather Booth
3. AQ’s Blog and Grill

Best city councillor:

1. Diane Freeman
2. Sarah Marsh
3. Melissa Durrell

Best local politician:

1. Catherine Fife
2. Berry Vrbanovic
3. Melissa Durrell

Best sports team/organization:

1. Kitchener Rangers
2. Tri-City Roller Derby
3. KW United

Best social profit:

1. The Working Centre
2. Facile Waterloo Region
3. Mennonite Coalition for Refugee Support

Best inspiration group:

1. KW Humane Society
2. Neruda Arts
3. ACCKWA

Best local reporter:

1. Amanda Grant
2. Allison Leonard & Terry Pender (tie)

Best employer:

1. Bill McTavish
2. Melissa Durrell
3. Tim Sloss

Best front desk:

1. Julia Heyens (The Working Centre)
2. Rita Mabermehl (Insight Eyecare)
3. Penny Harvey (KWCF)

Best non-TCE publication:

1. Kitchener Post
2. Alternatives Journal
3. High Brau

Best development project:

1. The ION
2. Barrel Yards

Best local ad campaign:

1. Live Local KW
2. Insight Eyecare

Best designer:

1. Jon Johnson (unanimous)

Best server:

1. Caroline Wesley (Jane Bond)
2. Renee Lees (Jane Bond)
3. Kristyn Hanbidge (Proof)

Best radio station:

1. CBC KW
2. 570 News
3. CKWR

Best craftsperson or maker:

1. Jon Johnson
2. Alistair MacLellan
3. Agnes Niewiadomski

Best social media account:

1. @peopleofkw
2. @theCommunityEd
3. @bear4mayor

Best high-school teacher:

1. Tom O’Connor
2. Jason Vander Meulen

Best post-secondary professional:

1. Shannon Dea (UW)
2. Aimee Morrison (UW)

Best new musician or band:

1. Dan Howler
2. Paradox
3. Acquaintance

Best photographer:

1. Matt Smith
2. Hilary Hould Camilleri
3. Chris Kufske

Best beard:

1. DJ Charles
2. Jon Johnson
3. Bryn Ossington

Best music instructor:

1. Charlena Russell
2. Dave Mansell
3. Amanda Kind

Shopping and Business

Best butcher:

1. Bauer butcher
2. Brady’s
3. Charles Quality Meats

Best grocery store:

1. Vincenzo’s
2. Central Fresh
3. Dutchie’s

Best hardware store:

1. Home Hardware (Park Street)
2. Home Hardware (Uptown)

Best bike shop:

1. King Street Cycles
2. Black Arrow
3. Recycle Cycles

Best record store (by five votes!):

1. Orange Monkey
2. Encore Records

Best art store:

1. Curry’s
2. The Art Store
3. State of the Art

Best place to buy a sexy gift:

1. The Stag Shop
2. The Love Shop

Best consignment store:

1. Styl Frugal
2. Carousel
3. Lustre & Oak

Best tattoo parlour:

1. Tora Tattoo
2. Berlin Tattoo
3. Way Cool

Best hair salon:

1. Brown Salon
2. Element
3. Oiseau

Best car dealership:

1. Grand River BMW
2. Kitchener Nissan
3. Bustard Chrysler

Best autobody/mechanic:

1. Gary’s Automotive
2. Hillcrest Services
3. Glenco Automotive

Best bookstore:

1. Words Worth Books
2. Second Look Books
3. Old Goat

Best company/organization to work at:

1. Insight Eyecare
2. Durrell Communications

Best insurance:

1. Erb & Erb
2. The Cooperators
3. Josslin Insurance

Best legal firm:

1. Gowlings
2. Kay Law

Best splurge:

1. Bhima’s
2. Red House
3. Gilt

Best local product:

1. Block 3 beer
2. Cocoon Apothecary natural skincare products
3. MB Publishing House notebooks

Best wedding shop or service:

1. Living Fresh Flowers
2. Charmed Flowers
3. Valentina Bridal

Best start-up:

1. Vidyard
2. Videostream
3. Grocera

Best web development:

1. Him & Her
2. 10am Creative
3. Ultimate Vision Web & IT

Best doctor/practice:

1. The Boardwalk Medical Centre
2. Northfield Medical
3. Tim Sloss

Best dentist/practice:

1. Toothworks
2. Parker at Laurelwood
3. Twin City Dental

Best eyecare:

1. Insight Eyecare
2. 20/20 Vision
3. University Vision