General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours

[tomh009]

There's a liquor license application for La Lola Catering posted below the Benton and Charles garage, specifically for 26 Benton. It looks like there's work going on in the old crepe cafe as well, but I think that's a separate address?

I'm quite sure it's the same: I think the crepe cafe is going to have Spanish food, maybe tapas if I recall correctly.

[taylortbb]

There's a liquor license application for La Lola Catering posted below the Benton and Charles garage, specifically for 26 Benton. It looks like there's work going on in the old crepe cafe as well, but I think that's a separate address?

I'm quite sure it's the same: I think the crepe cafe is going to have Spanish food, maybe tapas if I recall correctly.

This is big news. La Lola currently operates a restaurant in Preston, and it's very highly regarded. I've heard from several people I trust on food (including a recent Spanish immigrant) that they're one of the best restaurants in the region, but I haven't made it down to Preston yet to go myself. I heard a rumour they'd be moving up to Kitchener, but not specifically where. For anyone curious, https://www.lalolacatering.com/ . Very excited for them to be coming to DTK.

[panamaniac]

So, I'm thinking that both spaces will be taken by La Lola - maybe a shop/catering op on one side, with the tapas bar in the corner space.

That reminds me - is there any visible progress on the old Oktoberfest HQ across the street?   I am so glad that bit of kitsch is gone.

[tomh009]

I'm quite sure it's the same: I think the crepe cafe is going to have Spanish food, maybe tapas if I recall correctly.

This is big news. La Lola currently operates a restaurant in Preston, and it's very highly regarded. I've heard from several people I trust on food (including a recent Spanish immigrant) that they're one of the best restaurants in the region, but I haven't made it down to Preston yet to go myself. I heard a rumour they'd be moving up to Kitchener, but not specifically where. For anyone curious, https://www.lalolacatering.com/ . Very excited for them to be coming to DTK.

I found my original post in the food and nightlife thread:

The former crêperie at Charles and Benton (in the parking garage building) will have a new tenant! Signs are up for an LLBO application for Casa Toro, including indoor and outdoor service. Hopefully this will be more successful in the space, especially as the DTK population has increased significantly since the crêperie closed.

[SF22]

This is big news. La Lola currently operates a restaurant in Preston, and it's very highly regarded. I've heard from several people I trust on food (including a recent Spanish immigrant) that they're one of the best restaurants in the region, but I haven't made it down to Preston yet to go myself. I heard a rumour they'd be moving up to Kitchener, but not specifically where. For anyone curious, https://www.lalolacatering.com/ . Very excited for them to be coming to DTK.

I found my original post in the food and nightlife thread:

The former crêperie at Charles and Benton (in the parking garage building) will have a new tenant! Signs are up for an LLBO application for Casa Toro, including indoor and outdoor service. Hopefully this will be more successful in the space, especially as the DTK population has increased significantly since the crêperie closed.

I believe that Aura from Aura-La posted something a couple weeks ago about trying really good tacos from the new place going in at Benton/Charles, so that must be Casa Toro. Hopefully they don't get drowned out by Don Julio's opening up a few blocks away.

[taylortbb]

Apparently both units in the parking garage got leased at the same time. One will be La Lola, relocating from Preston, and one will be the new Casa Toro.

[Rainrider22]

great news

[jeremyroman]

Andrew Coppolino's recent article mentions both of these:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener...-1.6906754

[tomh009]

That reminds me - is there any visible progress on the old Oktoberfest HQ across the street?   I am so glad that bit of kitsch is gone.

Some. They have put in the aluminium studs for the exterior cladding but the actual cladding is still AWOL, and there is no progress yet on restoring the original facade.

   

   

[ac3r]

It feels like the only time I ever see anyone on that job site, they're smoking a cigarette and standing around or something. Boggles my mind how slow some developers choose to operate on this continent. This developer has been paying countless contractors, renting portable toilets and fencing, security (cameras or on site...not sure) and so much more for 2 years straight. This could have been done in like 2-4 months tops anywhere else.

Btw I liked the kitsch of this building... Downtown Kitchener looks like any irrelevant generic mid-sized city in North America now, literally a real life version of that meme about an "up-and-coming mid-sized city" where there's a new hipster restaurant, a place to get IPAs on every city block and everyone is in tech or finance. So much culture! The Oktoberfest office building sure looked silly but it is still part of the history of this region, made new comers look up and go "huh?" and did serve a purpose as a sort of workspace for the festival organizers and a tourist info place/shop. Now I guaranteed it'll be a restaurant and/or bar (with a patio, naturally, so you can inhale car exhaust and hear the LRT screech by) and maybe some sort of office space upstairs that will sit vacant for 2 years until the rent drops enough for someone to move in something like an immigration lawyer.

[SF22]

It feels like the only time I ever see anyone on that job site, they're smoking a cigarette and standing around or something. Boggles my mind how slow some developers choose to operate on this continent. This developer has been paying countless contractors, renting portable toilets and fencing, security (cameras or on site...not sure) and so much more for 2 years straight. This could have been done in like 2-4 months tops anywhere else.

Btw I liked the kitsch of this building... Downtown Kitchener looks like any irrelevant generic mid-sized city in North America now, literally a real life version of that meme about an "up-and-coming mid-sized city" where there's a new hipster restaurant, a place to get IPAs on every city block and everyone is in tech or finance. So much culture! The Oktoberfest office building sure looked silly but it is still part of the history of this region, made new comers look up and go "huh?" and did serve a purpose as a sort of workspace for the festival organizers and a tourist info place/shop. Now I guaranteed it'll be a restaurant and/or bar (with a patio, naturally, so you can inhale car exhaust and hear the LRT screech by) and maybe some sort of office space upstairs that will sit vacant for 2 years until the rent drops enough for someone to move in something like an immigration lawyer.

I don't really see the problem with having lots of restaurants if they get used and people enjoy them? When I was a kid in this city, literally all we had was chicken or burger chain restaurants and like, Golf's and the Charcoal. We have come SO far in having food options, and not everything will stick, but we've gotten some absolute bangers in the past 10-15 years that are a part of the city fabric now.

I'd rather live in an up-and-coming city filled with tech workers and all the businesses they patronize and support, than a city on the decline where people are leaving in droves and restaurants are closing their doors forever.

[ac3r]

The problem, though, is that if your downtown renaissance only consists of new restaurants opening and closing then that renaissance isn't going to last very long. Diversity is key to bringing life back to a neglected space and you need more than extremely unaffordable condos, restaurants and weed stores. I think we've been doing a great job here but it's 2023 now...I'd love to see some new businesses and more importantly cultural and civic spaces take a chance at opening downtown. It's still a place that turns into a ghost down after working hours. Unfortunately with the state of the economy after the pandemic, that's going to be hard since everyone is broke and the general outlook on things is quite bearish.

[SF22]

The problem, though, is that if your downtown renaissance only consists of new restaurants opening and closing then that renaissance isn't going to last very long. Diversity is key to bringing life back to a neglected space and you need more than extremely unaffordable condos, restaurants and weed stores. I think we've been doing a great job here but it's 2023 now...I'd love to see some new businesses and more importantly cultural and civic spaces take a chance at opening downtown. It's still a place that turns into a ghost down after working hours. Unfortunately with the state of the economy after the pandemic, that's going to be hard since everyone is broke and the general outlook on things is quite bearish.

But those things will take time. It's easiest to pop up a little restaurant, more than anything else - downtown Kitchener likely doesn't have enough residents quite yet for larger box stores to gamble on opening new locations there, but I expect we'll eventually see a few move in, as more towers go up and there are more people downtown after-hours. I agree that need to take the pandemic into consideration - nearly every company was looking at how to pull back on expenditures between 2020-2022, and very few were actively expanding into new locations. We've only had about 2 full years of non-COVID LRT operation, and we know that there's thousands of housing units downtown on the way. We've seen the Gaukel Block officially turn from a closed street to a pedestrian-only street in the last couple of years, and the city is actively taking input on what amenities residents want to see in the core. That has to mean that some civic space change is coming. It's slower than we want, sure, but the city and its residents are only able to create so much change - the rest is in the hands of businesses who are/are not ready to invest in downtown.

Interestingly, I would anecdotally argue that the downtown restaurants are more likely to be open after working hours than during lunch. A lot of places that used to have lunch service pre-pandemic have cut back on it, and I was a little frustrated to see that the upcoming Don Julio Tacos will be running their hours 4:30pm-midnight/1am.

[dtkvictim]

I don't really see the problem with having lots of restaurants if they get used and people enjoy them? When I was a kid in this city, literally all we had was chicken or burger chain restaurants and like, Golf's and the Charcoal. We have come SO far in having food options, and not everything will stick, but we've gotten some absolute bangers in the past 10-15 years that are a part of the city fabric now.

I'd rather live in an up-and-coming city filled with tech workers and all the businesses they patronize and support, than a city on the decline where people are leaving in droves and restaurants are closing their doors forever.

But does the choice have to be between economic prosperity vs being a unique, distinct place? I mean, I don't think the generic up-and-coming city meme businesses are a bad thing (they show up everywhere because people enjoy them I guess), but some local identity and a reason for people to visit would be nice too.

But those things will take time. It's easiest to pop up a little restaurant, more than anything else - downtown Kitchener likely doesn't have enough residents quite yet for larger box stores to gamble on opening new locations there, but I expect we'll eventually see a few move in, as more towers go up and there are more people downtown after-hours. I agree that need to take the pandemic into consideration - nearly every company was looking at how to pull back on expenditures between 2020-2022, and very few were actively expanding into new locations. We've only had about 2 full years of non-COVID LRT operation, and we know that there's thousands of housing units downtown on the way. We've seen the Gaukel Block officially turn from a closed street to a pedestrian-only street in the last couple of years, and the city is actively taking input on what amenities residents want to see in the core. That has to mean that some civic space change is coming. It's slower than we want, sure, but the city and its residents are only able to create so much change - the rest is in the hands of businesses who are/are not ready to invest in downtown.

Interestingly, I would anecdotally argue that the downtown restaurants are more likely to be open after working hours than during lunch. A lot of places that used to have lunch service pre-pandemic have cut back on it, and I was a little frustrated to see that the upcoming Don Julio Tacos will be running their hours 4:30pm-midnight/1am.

Definitely not my experience regarding food hours, but looking through Google maps it seems you're more right than I thought. I guess I just don't patronize the places you're describing. Yet downtown seems to be much busier doing workdays, and honestly is a bit of a ghost town at night considering the number of people who live here. This weekend I was looking for some late night food with friends and the options felt limited, and they commented on how depressing and dead downtown was. I don't go uptown terribly often, so my view isn't as nuanced I'm sure, but every time I'm there I'm shocked at the number of people out and about. It feels like on any given evening there are 10x as many people on the uptown streets vs downtown (20x if you discount the homeless), and the overall vibe is so much more positive and lively.

[tomh009]

Definitely not my experience regarding food hours, but looking through Google maps it seems you're more right than I thought. I guess I just don't patronize the places you're describing. Yet downtown seems to be much busier doing workdays, and honestly is a bit of a ghost town at night considering the number of people who live here. This weekend I was looking for some late night food with friends and the options felt limited, and they commented on how depressing and dead downtown was. I don't go uptown terribly often, so my view isn't as nuanced I'm sure, but every time I'm there I'm shocked at the number of people out and about. It feels like on any given evening there are 10x as many people on the uptown streets vs downtown (20x if you discount the homeless), and the overall vibe is so much more positive and lively.

There are many more people in DTK in the evenings now (not late-late, we definitely don't have a nightlife kind of downtown) since COVID, the new buildings and the DTK patio program. More restaurants (and bars) are opening, and still more people are moving downtown, so I don't know that it'll be dead, at least not at 7 or 8 PM. If the target time is midnight, though, this is not your town.

As for Waterloo, I was chatting with a Waterloo resident at the Waterloo Jazz festival a few weeks back, and he was insistent that there is a much better selection of restaurants in downtown Kitchener (barring "fine dining", as he said) than in Waterloo. The grass is greener on the other side of the fence?