Thousands of you nominated, thousands of you voted and a handful of you argued (yes, we saw the reddit comments). Here are your favourite things about Waterloo Region. Congratulations to all the winners. See you around the region.
(Hot tip, for those looking for a particular category: press CTRL-F (⌘-F for those using Macintosh computers, and then type said category. Yes, it’s that easy.)
Best sandwich: Vincenzo’s
Best grilled cheese: Cheeses Murphy
Best ice cream: R’ychees
Best bakery: City café
Best café: Dvlb
Best pizza: Famoso
Best Chinese: Cameron’s
Best Thai: Northern Thai
Best Shawarma: Shawerma Plus
Best beer selection: The Bent Elbow
Best cheap drink: Ethel’s
Best wine list: MPC Public
Best sweet treat: Ambrosia
Best Central/South American: Taco Farm
Best vegetarian: Jane Bond
Best pulled pork: The Lancaster Smokehouse
Best Indian: Masala Bay
Best family restaurant: Arabesque
Best burger: The Works
Best breakfast: The Yeti Cafe
Best patio: Boathouse
Best cheap eats: Queen Street Commons
Best cocktail: Jane Bond
Best food truck: West of Seoul
Best local beer: Block 3 King Street Saison
Best local brewery: Block 3
Best new café: Smile Tiger
Best party: All the porch parties
Best arts event: Night\Shift
Best place for a second date: Apollo Cinema
Best place to meet people: Kitchener Market
Best LGBTQ+ bar: Jane Bond
Best community event: All the porch parties
Best place to dance: Starlight
Best live music: Starlight
Best gallery or museum: THEMUSEUM
Best theatre company: Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre
Best open mic: The Boathouse
Best theatre venue: Centre in the Square
Best karaoke: Chainsaw
Best trivia night: Princess Café
Best yoga: Queen Street Yoga
Best bike trail: Iron Horse
Best place to read: KPL
Best public space: Victoria Park
Best building: KPL
Best place to work with others: KPL
Best view: Grand River, downtown Galt
Best place to walk a dog: Along the Grand River
Best ION detour: EVERYTHING around Duke Street
Best local author/writer: Carrie Snyder
Best local musician/band: Alysha Brilla
Best new musican/band: Bjorn Borg Collective
Best local visual artist: Jon Johnson
Best artist (performance): Janice Jo Lee
Best mover and shaker: Fauzia Mazhar
Best activist group: TriTAG
Best local blog/blogger: The Waterloser
Best city councillor: Diane Freeman
Best local politician: Catherine Fife
Best social profit: The Working Centre
Best local reporter: Terry Pender
Best non-TCE publication: WR Record
Best local designer: Jon Johnson / BRFC
Best server: Caroline Wesley
Best street performer: Shamarie, the bucket drummer
Best local radio: CBC KW
Best craftsperson/maker: The Descendants brewers
Best social media account: Catherine Fife
Best person over 75: Mary Johnston (unanimous)
Best person under 25: Carly Pettinger
Best photographer: Matt Smith
Best music instructor: The School of Rock team
Best filmmaker: Taylor Jackson
Best butcher: Vincenzo’s
Best art store: Open Sesame
Best place to buy a sexy gift: Envie Intimates
Best bike shop: Berlin bicycle café
Best outdoor store: Adventure Guide (unanimous)
Best consignment store: StylFrugal (unanimous)
Best record/CD/music shop: Orange Monkey
Best tattoo parlour: Berlin Tattoo
Best boutique: Open Sesame
Best hair salon: Brown Salon
Best book store: Words Worth Books
Best splurge: Bhima’s Wharung
Best local product: Miller Bookbinding
Best startup: Miller Bookbinding
Best eyecare: Insight eyecare (unanimous)
Best doctor: Kitchener Downtown Community Health Centre
Best dentist: Dr. Karen J. Lee (unanimous)
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