Jane Bond Cafe

Jane Bond is cool, calm, collected, has good taste in music and drinks, and doesn’t think too highly of herself. I visit her every time I go to Waterloo. We still hang out.
The typical description I use is «Jane Bond was a cool hipster bar, before hipsters knew about bars». It’s actually a vibe unlike any other bar, even in hipster centrals like San Francisco. It might be the layout, or the music, or the lighting, I seriously don’t know, but it feels very Jane Bond.
Props to the plentiful bathroom capacity.
Pro tips:
* closed on Monday nights (not that you would.)
* patio out back for the summer
* apparently the food is good (hearsay)

My roommate and I loved this place! Shocking since neither of us are even CLOSE to being vegetarians. We split the nachos I believe and I had the kale salad which was massive and very filling. Also ordered 2 pitchers of sangria and a couple drinks (it was one of those nights lol) and our server did a shot with us on the house which was a huge bonus! Haven’t been in for a while but I still remember that meal!

This is my go to place to bring my friends. The staff are super friendly, almost everything can be veganized, and the atmosphere is groovy. They have free records to take home as well! The jerk tempeh burrito vegan style is stellar. A great uptown hang out spot.

Solid vegetarian food. Got the eggplant parm sandwich and it was extremely fresh. I would have liked there to be a bit more eggplant in there, but everything else was amazing!
Also, some hella strong cocktails. Def recommend.

The service was really terrible. The waiter was exceptionally rude to me more than once. While this had been a favorite late night spot for me in the past I won’t be returning.

I am not a vegetarian and neither is my boyfriend. This is our favourite restaurant :) We have been here together probably 5 – 6 times now. Every time, we start with the Mediterranean dip. Every other time we alternate between the Lentil Cashew burger and something new. My boyfriend gets the side of soup all the time and they have all been great. And we share a pitcher of sangria every now and then :) I’ve personally been here about 10 times now. The staff is always friendly and cool.

So I’m working my way through every restaurant on «you gotta eat here» and this one doesn’t disappoint!
Mediterranean dip app was garlicky goodness.
Chickpea curry was delish.
Pulled tofu quesadillas were awesome.
But for me — the star or the show was the cocktails! Watermelon with gin and mint … Peach with. Something. I don’t know, but they were both absolutely outstanding!!!
Great friendly staff. Great food. Fun atmosphere.
Can’t wait to go again

I wish I knew about this place sooner!
Great chill atmosphere at night, perfect for hanging out or catching up with friends.
Great drink and beer selection.
Crisp Tofu Fritters were fantastic.
Definitely would want to come again!

One of my favourite places to get a drinking the city. I’ve only ordered off the late night menu– the antijitos are A+. The cocktails are not boring but not full of unknown ingredients either. Prices are totally reasonable. Staff is awesome. After 10pm on Friday and Saturdays there’s a DJ spinning background music and it gets kind of loud. Good for small groups or couples. Small patio space in the back. Retro décor and unisex bathrooms. Love Jane Bond!

Recently went to Jane Bond with a group of friends and was skeptical about the veggie menu, but in the end was pleasantly surprised. The staff was friendly enough, without being over bearing. The restaurant has a cool vibe and plays on the 60’s lounge theme. The menu has tons of great options with really decent prices. I ordered the Fat Ass Grilled Cheese with the daily soup special, and I can honestly say, it was the best grilled cheese I have ever eaten. The attention to detail is appreciated, as even their ketchup is fresh and seasoned to compliment the dish. Others at my table ordered the Coconut Curry and Burritos, and shared similar reviews of their food. The portion sizes were also great.
The only reason for my less than perfect score is the music. We happened to go in Thursday night when we were promised Hip Hop, and Funk, however the DJ was playing very strange electronica. Also, the volume was too high to carry on a conversation, which for a restaurant is important.

I love it here. Their drinks are delicious and food is super tasty. I love the cauliflower curry. The cashew burger was okay, it was tasty but a little dry and falls apart pretty easily. My SO always gets the eggplant parm– their little side of marinara that goes with the sandwich is always finished clean.
I can’t remember the names of the drinks I’ve enjoyed so far but the ones that come in a pitcher are dangerous! Can’t tell if there’s any alcohol in it ;)

One of my favourite places. Food is bursting with flavour and the beer selection is amazing. SO MANY GOOD BEERS. So many. And so much good food. Oh man.

I admit their food is great, and it’s a cool place to hang out. However, maybe this is due to some of the recent fame and attention that they’ve received but their attitude towards customers have changed! My friend and I went in, hoping to enjoy their yummy food, but once we stepped in, no one greeted us. And about 2 – 3 minutes of awkwardly standing around in this tiny restaurant, a man came to us and said: «You’re probably not going to be able to eat here, but for how many?» we replied «For two please» then we got the rudest reply I’ve ever heard, «Ehhh– Not gonna happen! Sorry“In a very demeaning tone.
Anyways, I really do hope their service improves. There is nothing cool about being pretentious to customers.

Really cool local place which truly engages the charm of uptown Waterloo… I only wish the staff inherited the same virtues. Upon arriving and taking a seat, the waiter came over for us to only assume, take our order. Instead we were greeting my snarky remarks and a demand for our id. As someone who has watched uptown grow and strive this was not my ideal impression of an establishment I had such high hopes for.

I think I’ve found a new favourite in Uptown Waterloo.
I went here with a friend of mine a week or two ago as I’m in my final year at Waterloo, and I’ve decided to be adventurous and try all those places I didn’t even know about in 1^st year. I’m now sad to discover I could have been indulging in this place for years, but alas — better late than never!
The place itself isn’t lots to look at — it’s cute, quaint, but it has character. The staff were extremely friendly and welcomed any questions about the menu. I ordered the eggplant parmesan and a water (I was driving, so I’ll have to revamp my review once I try one of their cocktails!). I’ve had eggplant parmesan before, but I’d say this is probably the best I’ve had — if not then definitely top three. Served as a sandwich, it was super flavourful and came with the marinara sauce on the side which I loved as I’m not a fan of soggy bread!
The place itself was quiet as we were there on a Tuesday night around 7pm, way before the bar crowd would get there. If you’re looking for a quiet dinner then I’d say come around that time, and stay tuned for part two once I check out their cocktail menu!

Jane Bond is my go to bar in Waterloo, hell I’m hesitant to review it for fear it will get busier but it’s such a quality place they deserve the business. Jane Bond is what I call the ‘hipster’ bar of Waterloo. What I mean by that is that it’s got the different and creative atmosphere I look for in a bar and the unique crowd to match that make life interesting. On top of this the food is actually fantastic and they feature a unique selection of beer on tap and in the bottle. The bar tenders and wait staff are always super friendly and helpful and the DJ is always dropping some great indie tracks.
If you want to get away from the douchey culture of many of the other bars in Waterloo and immerse yourself in a fun and interesting place with neat people and good food and drinks then give Jane Bond a try.

The food at Jane Bond is excellent and the attention to detail is exceptional. The mixed drinks are unique and the beer selection is great. The vibe and aesthetic make this the coolest place in Waterloo by far. Staff is always friendly and helpful! If you’re planning to go for drinks on a weekend, get there early in the night, because the tables fill up quickly and it’s not a great place for standing around with drinks.

Probably the best spot in town to be social.
Any place willing to paint its walls orange, and then offer a strobe light, a disco ball, and candles as the only light in the room will get an A+ in my books. This is especially so in KW, which is otherwise obsessed with the pubs and taverns as places to see and be seen.
Very affordable prices, great music, and no TV (yes!.)

This place is delightful. I was here on a visit to Waterloo and I wanted to bring it back home with me to Halifax. I didn’t get to try the food — but I really dug hanging out here for a glass of wine. Wine selection was pretty good, service was great and the décor and music were all kinds of my jam. I’ll definitely stop by again on my next trip.

UPDATE, FEBRUARY 2013: I was pretty disappointed with my most recent experience here. I used to love JB as evidenced below, but maybe things aren’t managed as well as they used to be.
The waitress focused solely on an 8-​top and ignored my two-​person table for over 35 minutes. It might have gone on longer but we left at that point, in favour of the sublime DVLB. The large table was disruptive, noisy and acted like high schoolers (men wearing neon bras over their clothes) and made the entire place way too loud. No one asked them to keep it down. After two rounds of drinks, we would have liked to order appetizers and more cocktails, but we were completely forgotten. Not sure when I’ll be back to JB.
OLD REVIEW, 2012: Man, I love this place. The food is fresh and lovely, from an amazing veggie menu that offers something for everyone. I love their drinks, too, especially the Sweet Jane and the Calamity Jane. The servers are friendly and not pushy, which I like, and you can have a nice drink with some snacks for a good price.