With the Grain

I love that the baked goods in the restaurant are made just across the street at their bakery. The freshness (partly) justifies the prices. It is a bit much though so I’d never make it a weekly place to go, just once in a while to take visitors or for a treat. Luckily, my favourite thing to get is some Earl Grey tea and a scone, which is about the same price as a scone anywhere but tastes like a million times better. Seriously, the best scones I’ve ever had (and I lived in England for a year). And the jam with the scones is pretty great too. The other items I’ve tried (bacon and eggs, bagels, and veggie chili with bread) were all good but are definitely not what I keep going back here for (Hint: Scones). The staff are nice and food comes out pretty quick. The staff give the place kind of a hipster (or at least what I think is hipster) vibe but the décor makes it cutesy, like someone’s grandmother’s house (not my grandmother obviously but like a hipster’s grandmother in a movie about hipsters). I Googled hipster and am now more unsure about what it means than before I Googled it. Scones.

Holy CRAP the prices are out of control here. As someone who lived in Guelph for many years, I used to enjoy the deliciousness of With the Grain. It used to be pretty stellar. The last time my friend (a Guelph native), boyfriend and I went, we were super disappointed. Prices are outrageous, and the food just isn’t worth it.
My friend’s veg chili had semi-​raw veg in it. The carrots were hard. The chili was average at best. I got the BATH, which I usually love. Sadly, the lettuce was slimy and wilted, which ruined the entire sandwich. My boyfriend ordered what was basically an Egg McMuffin, except he paid about three times the price.
What a shame.

This looks like every other breakfast place except it’s more expensive and very hipstery. Food was just plain, nothing exciting about it.

Yes. As everyone else has said, the food here is great. But the other aspects of the place really take away from food quality.
For one thing, it was unbelievably noisy, which I know is not the fault of the restaurant itself, but it make it very difficult to have a conversation with my friend. More importantly however, is the service. I have never felt like such a burden to a server before. I had to go up to the bakery doors to ask for more ketchup, and when I did, I found her talking to the other servers. When I asked for more ketchup, she looked annoyed that she had to stop her conversation to get it. She spent as little time at our table as possible, and I don’t think I saw her smile once.
Also of note here, the bakers and food prep people do not appear to wear hair nets. I know at every food prep place I’ve ever worked that is extremely important, especially with girls with long hair. For some reason, they don’t wear them here and it really makes me wonder what other corners are being cut.

I’ve eaten here several times in the past and it’s always been fine but the last time I was there my friend ordered the tofu scramble and it was off-​the-​chart salty. When we complained about it they tried to appease us with some raita yogurt (which should have been included in the plate but wasn’t) as if to neutralize the spiciness but that wasn’t the problem — it was simply way too salty! We asked that the meal be replaced with another but they were not offering to accommodate us and that it was our taste buds that were off! After we insisted we eventually go the meal replaced with another but felt that we had to ask too much to get it and they were obviously not happy to do it. By that time the mood was ruined to enjoy our meal.

This place is probably in the top 3 best breakfast places I’ve been to so far in North America (out of over 250). Very creative menu. I had the curry tofu scramble. Unreal. What a unique and successful dish! I also ordered a pancake to try. Delicious and wholesome. You eat here and it’s like you’re adding years to your life, everything is healthy and most of the items are (if I’m correct) local/​organic. I wish I lived in Guelph, I would be here once a week, at least. We need more/​better wholesome breakfast places in KW!

Food was outstanding.
It would have been four stars except for the noise.
Fair warning, the place can get very load. Especially when the little ones are not properly controlled by the parents. The décor is clean and bright but is all hard surfaces.

Came here with my boyfriend for brunch on a hot afternoon. I ordered the tofu scramble wrap and added the salsa to make things interesting. I also had a cup of their medium roast coffee and shared a smoothie with my boyfriend. For starters, the coffee was very nice; a smooth but rich taste that had me asking for more. When I asked the waitress to split the smoothie with my boyfriend I expected for it to be served in one glass with two straws. I was pleasantly surprised when she brought us our share in two separate glasses. As for the smoothie itself, it was nothing short of delicious made with one of my favourite brands of juice: Black River juice.
When our main meals finally arrived (there was a little bit of a wait before we were served) I wasn’t sure what to expect, as I had never had a tofu scramble wrap before. It was amazing, to be frank. The tofu and vegetables were seasoned delectably with curry powder and the salsa was refreshing. One of the reasons I gave them 4 stars instead of 5 was because I wish that all of the delicious vegetables and tofu would have stayed inside the wrap; unfortunately, the wraps themselves were a bit on the small side and the fillings were spilling out onto my plate when I tried to handle them. Even still, normally wraps do not leave me fully satisfied and I find myself still hungry for more food; this wrap left me completely satisfied and a full belly.
All in all the restaurant had a great feel, what looked like exquisite desserts and baked goods, and our waitress was friendly but not too overbearing like some tend to be. I would recommend this restaurant to all of my friends and will be returning for those baked goods!

Overview: Mediocre food with long wait for food
We were in the area and thought we’d grab a late breakfast here. So many great reviews it seemed like a no brainer. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed. We came at a good time was it was mostly empty but filled up to almost full in the time we were there. We seated ourselves and had a waiter quickly serve us. They had a very good selection of coffees, teas and other hot drinks. We asked if we could split/​start with a smoothie. We were expecting a big glass with 2 straws but they nicely brought out 2 smaller glasses. Great start.
However, it went a little downhill from here. I ordered the breakfast sandwich on an English muffin but they were out of English muffins. Kinda odd a bakery being out of bread products. Anyway, I said regular bread was fine. Then the wait started. It took close to 30min before our main dish arrived with people next to us getting food first who arrived well after us… With a place being almost empty I wouldn’t want to come at a busy time. When the meal came it was very flavourful. However, the peameal bacon was very thin and not much else too it. No veggies at all. I kinda expected maybe a tomato and or lettuce.
The main order was also just the sandwich as most of the mains did not come with a side. Luckily I did order a side of hashbrowns. For $ 8 but 3 extra for a cup of hashbrowns there are better places to get full.
Overall it was a mediocre experience with a long wait. I’d love to see them utilize their bakery for more menu options. A lot of wraps instead of bakery buns or bread. Also, including at least a small side with meals or maybe some toast at least.
Overall impression, I’d give it another try

This is a go-​to breakfast spot when I am on business in Guelph. Coffee and baked goods are the standout here, but the wraps and sandwiches are also great for breakfast.

Had a lovely breakfast here: pancakes and housemade sausage. The pancakes are offered in several flavor varieties: seasonal berry, banana walnut, banana almond, banana chocolate chip. The sausage was very well seasoned. And they have almond milk available for lattes and coffee drinks. The baked goods in the to go case looked delicious too!

The BATH sandwich was to die for! The bread was fluffy, fresh, and healthy (many visible whole grains). They atmosphere is adorable with a cottage feel with a homey dining area.
I also tried (a few) samples of the homemade peanut butter cookies and it was amazing. It was moist but not too moist, crumbly but not too crumbly, and as peanut buttery but not too peanut buttery.
The wait staff was friendly but the only problem was that when the lunch rush came in, it seemed like the staff couldn’t keep up. The line was only about 4 people but it took way too long for the staff to get a coffee or lunch order going.

Many delicious items on their creative menu including some super veggie dishes. The Smoked Trout topped with a poached egg, partnered with butternut squash and potato hash is stellar. Lots of yummy baked goods and excellent brewed iced tea. Seating can be a bit chaotic as there doesn’t seem to be an effective system so if you are with a large party you may need to be patient.

Great oatmeal pancakes. Awesome home made sausage. The smoothie was delicious too! Great service overall. My only small knock is that its a bit pricey by a thin margin. Would stop by again for sure. The atmosphere is rustic and cozy. Highly recommend!

Stopped by for an afternoon snack at this cozy place I used to go to for coffee regularly when i lived very close by. Tried the Winter Salad, a colorful blend of flavors that tastes excellent. It includes quinoa, wild rice, pumpkin seeds, cranberry, goat cheese and carrots. Light and hearty at the same time. Will be back to have it again! Friendly service too.

I love WtG! I have been going here since the day they opened. Vegan friendly, great coffee and a warm environment to enjoy good times with friends. Make sure to try the Beesting!

I came here for lunch today from out of town because of all the good reviews I read on Unilocal.Also, it has a parking lot, which saves me from embarrassing myself while trying to parallel park downtown.
Both my friend and I had today’s special: roast pork panini with Brie cheese, arugula, rosemary mustard, and cranberry sauce on flax bread. The bread was fantastic — as I expected since it’s made fresh at their bakery right across the street! The flavours in the sandwich were spot on, however my only complaint was that the pork was sliced quite thickly, making it hard to eat.
I also found the restaurant cold, both temperature wise and in regards to the service. Our waitress never even introduced herself and wasn’t particularly friendly.

I moved to Guelph in September.
During apartment hunting trips, this became our go-​to lunch stop.
Friendly, delicious and functional. So good, in fact, that WtG being walking distance to our new home really sealed the deal lease-​wise.
My fave is the smoked trout hash, but everything on the menu is proper delicious. Can’t stress enough. Lunch time? With the Grain, guys. Seriously.

Homey/​hippie/​chill vibe with creaky wood floors, painted out, distressed chairs, people catching up, some reading the newspaper, others on their laptops, and a waiter who calls people, «Friends». :) That basically sums up WtG!
Coffee is GREAT! I believe there is at least 3 different brews to choose from which is roasted locally by Planet Bean. I had the Medium and one of the Bolds (not Grainer Gold), and both were nice ‘n rich in flavour! None of that watered down stuff.
I thoroughly enjoyed the BATH (Bacon Avocado Tomato Havarti, $ 8.50) sandwich on homemade bread. Bread made all the difference! Homemade Sausage & Eggs ($ 9.50) were good too, although I found the sausage a bit overly seasoned and not sure what oil was used to fry the homefries in, but I wasn’t too fond of the taste. Again, homemade touches did make a difference: bread, sausage, seasoning on homefries, etc.
Service was unpretentious and very polite.
Parking: Small-​ish lot behind actual restaurant.
Tip: Free refills on coffee, so at $ 2.25 it’s definitely a deal!

I’ve had the BATH sandwich from here… and like other Unilocalers have attested, it is so delectable! Bacon, avocado, tomato and havarti on freshly made bread, with a spicy mayo spread. I tried to recreate the sandwich at home (made my spicy mayo with sriricha) but it wasn’t the same.
I’ve also tried the espresso brownies from here… amazing! My brother-​in-​law gets his coffee fix from here daily, wish I lived closer so I could go more often.