The Corner Stone

mediocre food, appalling service

Notice how many reviewers remark that service is 'casual' or less charitably, 'slow'. The service here is appalling. You'll be ignored for long periods of time especially if you don't fit their carefully cultivated alternative image. The salads are limp and overdressed. The so called world famous antijitos are pretty average. Coffee is expensive and it will take forever to get a refill. The only thing good here is the draft beer - a nice selection. I guess there are enough people in Guelph that like the eco-image and are willing to ignore the food and service. Otherwise I have no idea how it can stay in business.

Great place to eat if you have time. Food is 4, service is 2. Maybe the small kitchen? Still, relaxed place with flavour

cosy atmosphere, relaxed good food

food is great, relaxed can just drop in for coffee or snack, read paper, check emails or have a meal with friends. Love the place

very good, but pricey

My gf really wanted to try this place. Service was slow, but steady. Food was really good, but fairly pricey, but still worth it, I didn't feel ripped off. The atmosphere was cool. Would def. go back. Can't remember everything we had, but I do remember it was all good !

Good food. New menus would be nice. They burnt our pizza, but were honest and told us. New one was delicious. They gave us free cake. We shoulda ordered beer. I hear it's cheap. Turn up the heat.

I love this place. It sets the standard for vegetarian food. Always fresh food, served by attentive but not fussy staff. Great atmosphere. Highly recommend this place to anyone. One of my favourite places to eat in Guelph. A real gem.

New menu is delicious!

I am a HUGE fan of the cornerstone and use to go there on a weekly basis. I just got back into town and tried the new menu with some friends and it was fantastic. They still have some of the old goodies like antijitos and the bean dip, but the entrees have changed a lot. The new burger is not as dry as the old black bean one and is filled with chickpeas and walnuts :) The curry is a bit spicy but it's delicious. The African peanut stew was outstanding but it would be better without the rice. I did not try the new burrito but it looks fresh with avocados in it. The service isn't perfect but they are friendly and honest people. Our server gave us an honest review of the new menu, recommending which items to try out. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT VEGAN/VEGETARIAN go try the cornerstone!

food is great

i really really like the cornerstone, however, i've been a little disappointed recently by the service, for the most part its pretty good. slow when its busy and fast when its slow but thats understandable. i'm a little dismayed by the fact that i'm a regular and they never seem to acknowledge the fact, it makes me feel a little awkward. and there has been one server that i've had a few times who appears to be high on something other than life. the food is always amazing and reasonably priced. so for that reason i will keep coming back.

ambiance rocks

I love the cornerstone! The servers are not smarmy, they're sincere, the food is modest, and so are the prices. Little known secret: they have pretty much the cheapest beer in town. I go regularly.

The cheesecake was just average. I thought...

The cheesecake was just average. I thought because it was a cafe it would be much better. The service was very slow, make sure you have a lot of time available if you want to visit.

As usual the antijitos are phenomenal. The new...

As usual the antijitos are phenomenal. The new menu items seem really delicious. Try the veggy Chickpea burger! YUM ! The enchillada was very big and absolutely delicious. Tofu cheesecake is a must, even if you're full, you wont regret it. Service is laid back and very friendly, but if they're very busy, expect a longer wait.

We came pretty late, but it was still quite busy...

We came pretty late, but it was still quite busy. The atmosphere was really laid back and some of the servers were pretty hot to be honest. Of course, we got stuck with the male server who I think was French Canadian. He was nice but I don't think understanding English was his strong suit. We ordered four dishes to split among us, and we actually ordered some pasta dish instead of the soba noodles, but we decided not to bother getting it corrected because it took a LONG time for our food to come out. Service was mediocre but it wasn't that big a deal since we just came to hang out and talk. If you have a lot of time to spend in the restaurant, it's actually pretty nice because you aren't being constantly heckled by the servers. Food itself was pretty awesome, I'm not a vegetarian but I loved the curry and the antijitos were amazing - we wanted to get another plate but didn't have another hour to spare.

great food, great service, very reasonably...

great food, great service, very reasonably priced...overall highly recommended

Well, we just went in for coffee, but i got the...

Well, we just went in for coffee, but i got the picture. It was a morning after a night out, and we were "greeted" by our server. He literally threw 4 menus on the table and left for a while. He returned 15 mins later (we were one of two tables there) and we just asked for coffee to go.... He returns with our coffees after another 15 mins (seriously, how f*ing long does it take?) and tells us that they're "essentially $2.00 each". So I left "essentially" the right amount and got the hell out of there for some real breakfast at Angel's.

The food and the service is usually quite good...

The food and the service is usually quite good but I find that the kitchen seems to have no clue that their voices carry throughout the restaurant. I have been to The Cornerstone several times and while I appreciate the staff having a good time this time I felt quite embarrassed. With an open kitchen, conversations of a sexual nature should not be overheard by the entire restaurant. I am not generally uptight but this was too much.

Very friendly service, but a bit slow with the...

Very friendly service, but a bit slow with the coffee refills. The Mexican scrambled eggs are delicious (migas). My wife had the scrambled tofu and said it was the best she's had, lots of vegetables in it.

Great service, things have got a lot better with...

Great service, things have got a lot better with new wait staff. Food was great as well, my fave spot for lunch =)

I had the wrap as im vegan, and my mom had the...

I had the wrap as im vegan, and my mom had the grilled cheese. AMAAAAZZING!..... I'm sooo excited to try more dishes there. I only talked to one waitress and we were afraid of her being snobby since the review warn everyone of that, but she was SOOO nice, and didn't interfere us often, only once after we started to eat and then to ask if we wanted her to prepare dessert if we wanted any. I LOVE CORNERSTONE!

I've been to the Cornerstone before for breakfast...

I've been to the Cornerstone before for breakfast during the weekend and was fairly disappointed. The place was fairly busy, so the service was slow and the omelet was overcooked and soggy. HOWEVER... I decided to give it an other go this morning and was amazed at the difference!!! It was the best omelet Ive ever had. The coffee is organic and wonderful. I strongly recommend going during the week to avoid the busy weekend crowd.

Delicious!! This is the perfect place to head for...

Delicious!! This is the perfect place to head for breakfast. I live out of town and I schedule trips to Guelph around breakfast time. It's a cozy place with friendly staff. Great atmosphere.