• The Cornerstone

  • (24)
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  • White Vegetarian
Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
Take-out

Offers daily specials, vegan desserts, take-out foods. Try the mushroom pate. Sit around play board games while you eat. Live music some days. Open Mon 9:30am-9:00pm, Wed-Fri 9:30am-9:00pm, Sat-Sun 9:30am-2:00pm, Sat 2:30pm-9:00pm, Sun 2:30pm-8:00pm.


Venue map for The Cornerstone
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24 Reviews

First Review by pheonix

Bufuclay

Points +16

Vegan
16 Feb 2024

Microaggressive

If you are a racialized person, I highly suggest you find somewhere else to eat.

Always thought maybe the servers here are from small towns and lack intercultural social skills, despite having LGBTQ* flags in the window, because of the weird interactions I have had with them. (Example: accusing me of stealing when I paid upfront.) Recently while ordering the server asked me if I wanted soy or oat milk for my drink, then proceeded to serve me cow’s milk with a smile.

Updated from previous review on 2024-02-16

nora1919

Points +96

Vegan
23 Dec 2023

A great spot

Cozy and great food! Definitely would go back

Vegan.

Points +89

Vegan
12 Nov 2023

Delicious lunch and coffee

My lunch was delicious with a satisfying portion size. I also ordered a latte and it was very good. I loved the hipster atmosphere and despite it being busy at the time I went in, the waitress was very friendly. I would strongly recommend.

Pros: Tons of vegan options, Very good oat latte, Friendly staff and atmosphere

Cons: Can get busy at times

KyleBayes

Points +38

Vegan
29 Apr 2022

Best pad Thai in town.

Everything I've had there (vegan) was top notch. Beautiful inside, lots of plants. The owners rock. Good beer too.

Pros: Lots of vegan options. , 10/10 everything I've had there, Amazing owners and staff.

Cons: Not open 24/7, they need to sleep. , I'd go broke eating there EVERYDAY if I could. , I can't move in there.

talyaandmatt

Points +100

Vegan
18 Feb 2020

A Bit Disappointing

We were excited to try Cornerstone, however, the couple of times we have tried it, we left disappointed. The food is quite bland and uninspired. It does have many vegan options which is a great start, but unfortunately they lack flavour. It is also a bit dirty inside, so we prefer to dine outside even though the street side tables are quite loud. We found the service to be slow even though they weren’t busy at the times we visited.

Pros: Vegan Options Clearly Marked, Many Vegan Options

Cons: Flavourless, Slow Service, Not Very Clean

MaggieMullen-Branch

Points +42

Vegan
26 Oct 2019

Bummer

Went in and asked for the tofu scramble in the breakfast burrito instead of egg, and they said they couldn’t do that modification?? I was so dumbfounded haha, just put tofu instead of egg.

Cons: Won’t do any modifications

Vegan.

12 Nov 2023

They offered a very tasty tempeh breakfast burrito when I went in so maybe they're listening to the reviews on here?

Dancingbarefoot

Points +577

Vegan
19 Nov 2018

rueban

Update: I’ve changed my review from 4 to 2 stars. I’ve been here over 10 times and am always disappointed. The food is not that great (other than the Reuben). The food takes 40 minutes even when the place is almost empty. There is dust covering every surface and it floats through the air. I just tried the breakfast menu, ordered the tofu scramble and what I received was basically like stir fry with tiny tofu pieces in it, all I could taste was soy sauce. If you’re vegetarian you’ll probably like the food better, but as a vegan the options are just not worth it.

The Rueban is amazing. I usually get tomato on it as well. It's the only thing we like on the menu though. Wish there were more vegan options. Staff are friendly but be prepared to get comfy, the food takes a long time.

Pros: staff is friendly, building is cool and historic

Cons: food takes a long time (40+ minutes), unclean (dust everywhere), food is so so

Wattsup

Points +365

Vegan
12 Nov 2018

Busy

One of those places where you need to be relaxed and open minded. Being busy there is a good sign. Need to make sure you mention you want vegan and not vegetarian if that’s your preference. Cafe style setting.

Pros: Very friendly staff

Cons: Pricey

aliev

Points +197

Vegan
11 Aug 2018

Great sandwiches

Love the Reuben & the Club sandwiches.

Sarahhhh

Points +44

Vegan
07 May 2018

Get the breakfast burrito!!!

The breakfast burrito was absolutely delicious - filled with black beans and marinated tempeh, full of flavour, toasted perfectly with a generous serving of fresh salad and a tasty dressing. My friends were very happy with their choices too (but mine definitely topped it). Service was fast and friendly, they checked in if we needed anything else like sauces etc, atmosphere is nice, spacious, sunny outdoor seating too. A must try!

Pros: All vegetarian cafe with numerous marked vegan opt, Scrambled tofu an option instead of eggs.

thomjorke

Points +21

Vegetarian
19 Sep 2017

One of my favourite places

I was a regular here coming in every weekend for their brunch or amazing pad thai. The vibe is super cool and they offer board games for you to play with and sometimes live shows.

Pros: Location, Environment, Great food

Sarinajw

Points +55

Vegan
07 Aug 2017

Cozy cafe gets better with time

Quirky vegetarian cafe with many vegan options has improved in the last year in terms of service and speed. The Reuben and newly-veganized pad thai are our favourites!

Wondermonkee

Points +57

Vegan
25 Jun 2017

Cornerstone

Awesome tofu scramble and vegan huevoros rancheros

AlexDePater

Points +15

Vegetarian
16 Mar 2017

always satisfied... with the food

have been going here for years. always impressed with the food. so many options and they always have different specials. the only con is because its such a small place the service can be hit or miss. I have been when there are good servers and bad and this doesnt necessarily mean if its busy it's slow - I have been when its quiet and yet still takes an hour for a sandwich. as long as youre patient you will enjoy.

Lr24

Points +24

Vegan
13 Jan 2017

Quirky and tasty

The cornerstone is a quirky little place with decent food, beer and weekend brunch. The staff is fun, and the simple vegetarian food is something that everyone can enjoy. The tempeh Reuben and every changing soup are always a safe bet. Definitely a Guelph staple.

Updated from previous review on 2017-01-13

Pros: consistently delicious food, Local beer, Outdoor seating in summer

Cons: Occasionally super hot inside

Vegan.Mamma

Points +57

Vegan
06 May 2016

VEGANS BEWARE

I have mixed emotions about the Cornerstone in Guelph, food (until recently) has been good, service is awful and to be honest they never seem to want customers or care about satisfaction.

My breaking point???? I have ordered the vegan pad thai twice now... and on my third order was cautioned "its vegan yes but only 99.99%" after further conversations learned Whey is the last ingredient in the sauce they use.

Now I have a severe mistrust for this restaurant, when I asked for a manager was told 'oh they know about it'?!?!?!
Updated from previous review on Friday May 06, 2016

Pros: Patio

Cons: call food Vegan when it is not , service , attitude

dorisrumours

Points +56

Vegan
03 Aug 2013

vegan pizza night

Thoroughly enjoyed our last meal at The Cornerstone. We shared a vegan pizza, which was delicious - a little on the spicy side but we like spice so that was good. We finished with dessert - a cowboy cookie and a pistachio cake with soy milk to drink, both very tasty vegan desserts. Really couldn't ask for more...a nice meal, relaxed atmosphere, friendly service.

Pros: good selection of vegan food, relaxed atmosphere

Carley

Points +36

Vegan
08 Nov 2011

Meh

The food was good, but it wasn't like outstanding, I fully enjoyed eating it, it wasn't gross by any means, but it was just mediocre. I found the service rude, It seemed like she had bigger and better things to do than serve me, i actually would not go back because I was quite offended by this.

Pros: Good food

Cons: Bad service, Messy location, Small

bovverbhoy

Points +54

Vegan
27 Feb 2011

the "local"

If it were a pub, it'd be the local. I have no problem stopping by for a good bite to eat on a fairly regular basis. You can pretty much always expect good food (would love more vegan), a sometimes crowded seating situation, fair value and service a bit on the slower side.
I like it best in warmer months when you can sit outside and enjoy the downtown atmosphere.
The Cornerstone might not blow your socks off but it shouldn't let you down either.

Pros: good food, local beer, location

Cons: slow-ish service

Soviet Canuckistan

Points +57

Vegetarian
29 Nov 2010

Cornering the market by being the only competitor

I come to bury Cornerstone not to praise it......... *joke*

I think the Cornerstone is a GOOD restaurant but it is so far south of great or excellent it's worth considering why.

Don't get me wrong some of the staff are good, most however are sort of all caps *DUH* type servers. I'm not going to pick on anyone in particular, but there are two who I keep chiefly in mind when I say that. I always seem to have the bad luck of going when they are there too. I've never had a bait and switch like one of the other reviewers described with cheese and margarine. I have however had orders get 'forgotten' one memorable time after 20 minutes being ignored on the patio and the beer I ordered never coming, I just said screw it and left.

Most of the food is quite good, but as someone said in relation to the Club, I for one find it a bit much paying $10 for The Tempeh Rueban which wasn't all that good.

Another thing that I think keeps them from the excellent category is they don't stray from their menu, EVER, it's been the same unchanging set in stone choices for the past year and a half I've gone there. I'm not saying reinvent the whole menu every few months but it'd be nice to see a bit of switching up from time to time.

If a more competent competitor opened up I do believe they could snatch up a lot of the people like me who go there simply because there is no real alternative.

Ken4057

Points +1200

Vegan
25 Nov 2010

Utopia

Local Draft Beer & 100% Vegetarian. What could be sweeter (100% vegan maybe, but we can all dream)?

My lady friend and I came here for brunch AND dinner and drinks during our day trip to Guelph. That's how much we loved it.

For brunch we had the huevos rancheros and scrambled tofu. the scrambled tofu was mostly veggies and very little actual tofu, but I needed it to recover from the night before, so that was okay. The toast was perfection, covered with margarine, which made the dish (it's the little things that matter), and the roasted potatoes weren't too bad. The heuvos rancheros were hearty, but needed some heavy spicing. Lots of salad made it a pretty healthy first meal.

For dinner we had the tempeh reuben and 'pad thai'. I loved the 'pad thai', which was a veggie stir fry with rice noodles in a sweet, brothy soy/sesame oil sauce. Nothing remotely pad thai about it other than the noodles. I guess it's a Guelph thing. Very tasty though and generously portioned. The reuben was perfection: thick, juicy, with lots of textures and flavours. I would eat it every day if left to my own devices.

The real draw to The Cornerstone is the staff, atmosphere and clientele. The staff are friendly and with it, the building is all beautiful stonework and woodwork, and the community is student-based and artsy, but not hipstery, thank jebus. They have music on Sunday evenings.

I could live here, seriously. 7 stars out of 5.

dbowland

Points +61

Vegan
28 Feb 2008

Great to see more Vegan Food!

We really enjoyed the food and we were just happy to find another restaurant with real vegan food! And it was a nice place with good tasting food to boot! My TOP recommendation is the club sandwich. It totally rocks. The bean dip and bean burrito were good and the chili was good but a bit thick. My wife raved about the tofu chocolate cheese cake and she loves her cheesecake. One server was awesome and the other not so awesome. But we loved it and are just thankful for the place even existing.

Pros: tasty vegan fare, cool atmosphere, club sandwich

Cons: not the friendliest, not much live food

veggiewoman

Points +374

Vegan
11 Oct 2007

yummy in my tummy

Cozy, friendly, bistro atmosphere. Delicious food. Awesome tofu chocoalte cheesecake, antijitos, and black bean burger. Daily specials.
It's not just a hippie hangout, a lot of people seem to overuse that word in Guelph. It is my favourite place to eat in Guelph by far. Great place to take non-vegetarians as well.

Pros: cozy, delicious, unique food

Cons: small breakfast menu

pheonix

Points +59

Vegan
16 Jan 2006

Solid as a rock

I was recently visiting Guelph and decided to stop in at the cornerstone after hearing so much about it. While it looks like a fancy bistro outside, inside it's a small bustling place with hippies abound. The age group is university (19-25). My waitress was very helpful. At first, the menu was disenchanting and seemed small. Don't be fooled, take a good look. Mostly college fare. Gilled cheese, hummus, pizza. I had the burrito. It was huge and like most other things came with a side salad. I think from now on I'll call this burrito the "Burnin' [censored] Burrito" because I could only eat half due to spice (8/10 jalapeneos). The side salad looked good but I couldn't eat it because of this cabbage stuff. The dressing was lovely though. There was also a tomato paste paste thing on my plate. Very good stuff. The tofu (vegan) chocolate cheese cake gave me wicked cramps but was worth it for the few minutes of pure indulgence. Check out the strange bathroom arrangement. I like it.

Pros: Awesome decor, Good Value, Great service

Cons: Limited menu, Very small, Typical veggie fair




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