The Checkerboard Restaurant in Kitchener

Great little place. Great food, decent prices,old style mom,and,pop place

Good prices! Food was prepared without a lot of care but good!

Please change your hours on Google. I have come twice now within the last month and both times hours have said open till 3 but when we arrive, there s signs on the doors saying you re closed.

My favorite type of food is diner food. They are very friendly, food is homemade, inexpensive and amazing.

Place is a disgusting dump, not sure how it has so many great reviews but obviously peoples standards are extremely low. Food was nasty, waitress was rude and ignorant. Business will be bankrupt in six months If they dont change the way they operate.

Awesome restaurant amongst expensive places. I had a toasted western chucked with lots of ham. Love this place.

Very reasonable prices and decent size portions. It s run down inside but the worst is the bathrooms in the basement

It s time to clean the restaurant .. kinda gross inside .

Take me back to the 80 clean friendly great food and great prices really good coffee owners cook and serve with smiles they have been in this location since 1993 Gail G Food

Excellent! I love this place!

We had an amazing Sunday breakfast. The kids were so happy and satisfied. The food was great, the pancakes were delicious and the owner is very friendly. My daughter told me to give 1000 stars rating Food : 5/5

Amazing food excellent service the prices are still from the 90s

We often go to Checkerboard on Saturdays. Good prices, good people. A gem of Belmont

Can t say enough about how much I love this place! The atmosphere feels like home and the food is so darn good no matter what you get. I absolutely love this place and highly recommend!

Served coffee with a spoon that still had breakfast junk in the evening. They werrwaiting to replace hot water tank until closed. All day dishes washed in cold water. Restroom so gross in basement that was filthy.

Parking: Best hot roast beef in the city. Hands down. Food

Friendly and food!!!

Mary is great

Mary is the best waitress in the City great great food Food : 5/5

Hidden gem in Belmont Village! All day breakfast. Food is good, service is nice and friendly, and the prices are great.

Awsome tasty hash browns ,thick crispy bacon . And perfectly cooked eggs. And best of all only 12 dollars with 2 coffeys .

Great Food, Great Service and Great prices. My grandparents are moving to a condo near by and we decided to walk around and check out local business s. We chose The Checkerboard for lunch. It was 2:30 when we came in and sadly realized they closed at 3pm on Mondays so we didn t get to stay too long. The server was very kind and told us to take our time eating. The menu has some great choices and the prices just can t be beat. This will be our new place for family lunches and dinners for sure. Food was yummy and great value! I got the Egg, Cheese and Bacon sandwich with buttered mushrooms on the side and a tea. My mom got a BLT with fries and a coffee. Our bill came to around $24 with is amazing for a lunch for 2 with drinks and sides. The portions were also very generous. I m excited to come back with my grandparents who have fish and chips every Friday! The 1 piece fish and chips was only $9.99 on the menu! Also my daughter s favourite grilled cheese was under $4. Very excited to try lots of stuff on the menu. Parking: Free parking lot located behind the restaurant.

Exactly what you want from a diner! Small-town friendliness, comfort food, and classic well-loved 90 s vibe. The breakfast hit the spot perfectly.

Awesome owners. Great prices. Definitely worth checking out

Absolutely HORRIBLE experience. If you or your loved ones are ethnic/colored people, do not dine in that racist environment. The older woman who was a waitress refused to clean our table, give us menus or take our orders. It was my husband, myself and our two children. She served 4 other tables that came in after us. She looked right at us several times and when we walked in she told us to find somewhere to sit bc she didnt know where you would sit we sat there waiting for almost 30 min and she served everyone but us. RUDE disgusting behavior. Never again. What you do unto others shall be done to you tenfold

The place is the real deal for breakfast.

Waitress was as bland as the breakfast itself. Total greasy spoon restaurant. I have no reason to return.

My husband and I were looking for a greasy spoon and we hit the jackpot! Excellent food and service. We will definitely be going back!

For the price, you cant go wrong

Always enjoy family run restaurants!

Traditional diner. A staple in Belmont Village.

Always a great breakfast, decent prices. Small family owned business, cozy and pleasant atmosphere.

Delicious perfectly cooked excellent quality meals, marvelous friendly fun atmosphere. Breakfasts are excellent! We visited for the first time yesterday and enjoyed it so much we went again this morning. Fabulous homefries, flavorful and perfect. Our next visit will be for lunch! Cant wait. Parking: Lots of parking! Close by and free . Very convenient. Kid-friendliness: Perfect for families

Traditional family run diner in the heart of Belmont village... they make an omelet just like mom used to do...

Waited at the door for 15 minutes for seating. the waitress several times asked us to move further and further back so she can stack dirty dishes at the door. she had an attitude and when i asked about the empty booth in the back she sharply responded that it is a staff table. Once seated we waited another 10+ minutes before the waitress came to ask us what we wanted to drink. After taking our orders the waitress went to another table to sit down and held a personal conversation with another customer before giving the cook our orders. 3 families that came in after us were served ahead of us, 40 minutes in and we received our coffees only.

Took 50 minutes to receive our food. All 3 of our plates were cold. our club sandwiches bacon were rock hard, bread was soggy, fries were cold, plates were clearly sitting the majority of our waiting time. While eating our terrible food we witnessed an elder man who was seated BEFORE my family had arrived had given up waiting for his simple soup and asked to pay for his coffee which prompted the waitress to turn around, pulled the soup out of nowhere and talked him into staying to eat his soup.

I was meeting friends for breakfast. I arrived a few minutes early, sat at a booth and received my coffee. After looking around at the cleanliness of the dining room I texted my friends and suggested we meet at a different breakfast place.

Delicious food and excellent service as always.

Great place for breakfast, its like going back in time. Gives that cheers meets friends and sinfield vibe. Good food good prices. Lots of parking

Solid family run greasy spoon. We came a hungover mess and left rejuvenated, ready for another battle.

Good food.reasonable prices

Slow service, items forgotten

Funny staff.

always a good choice for Breakfast

Delicious hot fresh breakfast, I think the owners are retiring soon so get in here while you can!

Great food , great prices

I meet a friend at checkerboard every week. Food and service is always good.

Nice simple restaurant. Great food. Very reasonable prices. Laid back.

Great restaurant. Good food. Good service. Our new go to lunch spot!

Always a great breakfast for such a great price!

Awesome little greasy spoon. Prices were amazing and the service really reminded me of home. No surprises with the food and was happy to just sit and dine there.

This is a family run business. They are so sweet and ready to serve you. They have kept the prices affordable compared to many other places. I would encourage you to go and try them out for breakfast. The food is delicious.

Best place in the village for breakfast, great service too.

Fast hot, great portions Great service Food

Great prices.

The perfectgreasy spoon type diner. Friendly service, super cheap, nothing fancy.

Perfect portion, AMAZING prices, the owners are so friendly and nice, great service. Atmosphere feels homey and welcoming with a vintage vibe they were quite busy on a Tuesday morning which shows they have quite a following. Kid-friendliness: They had high chairs and there were kids there eating

When I still lived in Waterloo I came here often and it was absolutely fantastic. The cook was able and willing to cook some special requests and the staff was awesome and genuinely remembered their customers. I miss this place.

Nice little hidden gem in Belmont village. Good food and very friendly staff. Prices are affordable. Sad to hear the owners are retiring, wishing them all the best.

Nice small and quiet at the time loved it

Exactly what I was wanting from a diner experience.

Service was slow and not too kid friendly. The food was great though. The atmosphere was very calm and relaxing. Overall I give a four star rating

Slow service, average food, dirty restaurant, forgetful waitress. Waited 20 minutes before I decided to finally seat myself and grab my own menu, even longer to actually get my food. I can appreciate that this restaurant is a long time, family run business. An apparent staple in the community, but its time the owners retired and sell it to someone who can breath new life into it. Its WAY overdue for a deep clean and refresh (for Gods sake, get rid of the dusty fake plants!) and maybe use just a little less grease when cooking the breakfasts. They give a whole new meaning to the term greasy spoon!

I really love this place for breakfast. We ll be back.

Dirty staff, dirty restaurant, dirty attitudes

A friend told me I just had to try this breakfast place because the food was great. I never got that far unfortunately. My wife and I walked in, standing politely at the door for a few minutes as there was no sign to seat ourselves. The only waitress working eventually told us to seat ourselves, as if we should have know to. We sat down at one of two available tables of 2 to which we immediately both reached for napkins to wipe off the table as it was still covered with stray sugar from coffee and grease from the previous patron. We then sat there for 15 minutes without so much as a I ll be right with you from the elderly waitress who despite being overwhelmed wasn t in any hurry to take care of the guests. If you are looking for a good cheap diner experience then this place nails it. (Almost too well)

I just had much the same experience as Jeremy Street. Walked in and stood around no indication to seat yourself and no acknowledgement of my walking in after several min waiting left. What terrible not getting any service. How hard is it to say hi when someone enters and seat them?

Like a checkerboard itself, this review is pretty black and white. Like many of the more recent reviews, my party of three walked in only to wait and stand awkwardly as nobody said hello or have any indication of what we were to do. We eventually asked the server ourselves and she said it would be a wait. We didn t mind. We got a table sooner than we had thought and were off to the races .or so we thought. It took a long while before anyone came to take our order. The lady serving us did not want to be there and made it very clear. While waiting for our food to arrive we witnessed just shy of 20 people walk in and deal with the same experience we did. People left the building because they gave up waiting to be acknowledged. Add to this, every order that came out of the kitchen seemed to go to the wrong table. We predicted, that someone else would receive our order by accident. Sure enough when our order did arrive it was completely wrong, and they forgot my personal order completely! The humanity! :) So, I waited for mine and would eventually receive it. Lucky for me, I was prepared and only sipped my coffee while I waited for my food as there were no refills being offered to anyone. All in all, it was a terrible experience. I understand the odd mishap, but when the entire experience was consistently bad, it s hard to forgive. Worst of all, there was no sign of a checkerboard anywhere. :) There are much better options in the KW area. Places that are friendly, professional, and delicious. Won t be visiting again.

Had the hot roast beef sandwich.It was good.

Great little diner in Belmont Village!

There bacon is prime no cheap microwave junk

This is a local gem, operating for over 50 years with the original owners running the business. The food is good and the prices are very affordable. Stop by for a bite and try to chat with the lady serving instead of complaining about the service speed and you will get to know how lovely she is. Kindness goes a long way.

They dont seem to know how to run a diner. They are rude and slow. The food is average.

Great family restaurant

Positive: Price was good Taste was ok, nothing super special Parking was good Negative: The Covid protocol was not followed No monitor at the entrance Order was incomplete People from the restaurant with no mask walking everywhere Not recommended

Fast and friendly service. Excellent food

I met a friend there for coffee on March 15/22. Mike, the owner, was very kind, friendly and didn t push us to order anything but our coffee(which was really good with the 18% cream). The Checkerboard is very similar to Cheers where the regulars were clearly known by Mike and staff. The restaurant was clean, the staff were friendly and my friend and I have already booked a time to meet there again soon. We will try the food (which looked and smelled really good) in our next visit.

Super friendly staff and fantastic food!!

Food is cheap and tasty. Busy place, with limited seating. The one waitress was not very nice or welcoming unfortunately but maybe she was just having a bad day.

Amazing place. Great BLT sandwich. Amazing home made soup. Even better are the owners are there servicing their guests. It s the passion that goes in to the food and the wonderful service that makes this place exceed a 5 star review. Thanks guys.

Great ma and pa diner! Great service, family friendly, everyone welcome vibe!

We tried checkerboard for the first time and we will be back great breakfast hot and great service well worth the trip there see you soon

Always love coming here the family is super friendly , always great service and the food is always delicious, this place does not get enough credit!!! Do yourself a favour and go check out this gem!!!

Great breakfast here. Well cooked bacon, real potatoes for home fries but fried up crispy with delicious spices. Hands down best coffee from a breakfast restaurant.

Great food in a family style restaurant. The owners have a way that makes you feel welcome. My parents love their fish and chips and my favourite is the club sandwich. Once again the owner of the restaurant greeted us happily, and we had a great meal.

Been coming here for years, great breakfast spot

Old school awesomeness.

My mother and I have been going to this place for about 15 years. We absolutely love their food and love their personality even more. They treat you like family. Do yourself a favour and eat here at least once.

Lukewarm coffee, unpleasant service and a touch of racism. We asked the server Mike for a fresh cup of coffee because the cream had flakes in it and it looked unpleasant. This request was met with Mike yelling at my friend and I, stating that he wasnt going to get us another coffee, he had already gotten us one and that the coffee and cream were fine. He then condescendingly asking us if we had ever used cream in our coffee before. Mike continued to speak down to us, speaking to us as if we were stupid simply because of our Hispanic accents, I assume he thinks we didnt understand him because we had accents. Mike continued to berate us and yell rude things in the kitchen until we left. Go to literally ANY OTHER family restaurant for a better experience.

Absolutely love this family restaurant. One of the most cost-effective and delicious breakfast you can get in town!

Family is the Feeling, i Get when Dining there. Curtious and Warm.Cant get that from over packed over charged, large franchises . Family is Not Just were your Hungry Belly Returns to,but Also Your Heart. Yours Truly ...a solo ongoing hungry customer...

The health department missed this restaurant ....next time your in this place take a look at the walls and floor.... kitchen... and yes the bathroom.. you will certainly eat some places else.

The food was tasty and the staff were friendly, but the restaurant was overall quite dirty other than the tables/chairs (ex. dirty floors and layers of dust on wall surfaces). My boyfriend and I usually wash our hands before eating, but when he went to wash his hands first, he was so disgusted that he told me I was better off to not wash my hands than to go into the bathrooms. He said they smelled so bad and were so gross that he had to work his appetite back up. Im so disappointed at the state of the restaurant because the food was great and a good price, and the other reviews on here were really the only reason we stayed for the food to arrive.

Great spot, classic dinner. Good food, needs to be cleaned a little bit more, especially downstairs and in the back. I guess you can t expect too much considering the age of the place.

BEST Family Diner Ever! The food is homemade, freshly prepared, hot and delicious! Portions are generous! Breakfast, lunch or dinner - they have you covered!

Went for fish & chips. Was very good and service was fast

Don t sleep on the Checkerboard Restaurant. Everything is great from the food to service and even atmosphere. It s a very charming place with incredibly welcoming staff.

My breakfast was good and nice and hot.. only pitfall was the home fries, not very good and kinda greasy . Next Ill ask for no home fries.

Friendly service, the owners son was so nice. The breakfast was decent and and less than 10$.

As a general rule of thumb is (and ANY decent restaurant knows this) : judge a restaurant by its bathrooms. If they cant keep a bathroom neat and tidy, what happens with the food? When I used the bathroom (and the route down there is filthy and unkempt) I was greeted with a garbage bag over the urinal (nice touch) that had obviously been there for some time. The garbage was overflowing to the floor, the hand towel dispenser was empty but the roll was open on the counter getting wet. The bathroom was dirty. All this when (apparently) one of the owners is sitting the whole time at a messy and disorganised table : (obviously her usual perch) en route to the bathrooms. When I brought the situation to her attention she wanted to argue with me about it. Im not going to eat a restaurant which shows so little regard for their customers. I grew up in KW. Can remember when the Checkerboard was downtown and remembered when they moved to Belmont. I had hoped it had some similarities to the way it once was . What a let down.

Amazing service. Our server was incredibly friendly and was on top of everything we needed. The food was a great price and delicious. My husband an I both got brunch food and I love how the fresh the food was. 5 stars !

This place is a gem. A long standing restaurant with great food and friendly service.

Amazing family run business Highly recommend! Great people great food. Support local. Love you Mary!!!

Awesome, best diner in area

Wonderful filling and delicious breakfast. Fast and very friendly service. Lovely waiter. Would definitely be back.

Small family run restaurant with the best food ever. If you are wanting Sunday Brunch, go early or you will be waiting in a line up (but its so worth it)

Great food, great prices but even better are the owners. Nicest people youll ever meet

In my top 3 all time favourite breakfast places.

Love this place the couple Im assuming are the owners had us laughing.. it was a great experience

horrible place..dirty...but worse yet is the service...never again.

Support Local Amazing family restaurant

Breakfast was quick and delicious and the service was absolutely phenomenal ! Our server was really lovely and bubbly and made everyone feel welcome. We will definitely be back soon !

Just had our first breakfast in your establishment, and gotta say we thoroughly enjoyed it. We will be back!

Great people amazing food. Dont waste your time at Macdonalds. Go to the checkerbord and get a Bill banquet burger deluxe. Thanks my Greek friends

Good food, amazing prices, worth the stop!

Great greasy spoon place. Ive only had the breakfast items, which are available all day, which are excellently greasy. You do have to ask for things they forget sometimes (cutlery, coffee refill, etc.). But mostly friendly staff. Tips for first timers: Dont wait to be seated, just find yourself a place to sit. Take your bill to the cash register at the back to pay.

There is a waiter here who is the nicest human I ve ever encountered. Love this place and I get sad when he s not working.

Amazing little diner with fantastic prices and the friendliest staff in town. Always consistent and always happy, nothing but great things to say about Checkerboard!

Exactly what I was looking for; the smell, the staff, the griddle - a rare gem. Prices are spectacular, food is quality. Staff are friendly. Will be back and back again.

Not a very nice place Not clear at all. They wear No mask,no one in that place.

Like the old fashioned 1960s diner ... When you get to be missing old Moms cooking

Always so friendly, prices reslly good, and the food is really good. Give it a try.

Enjoyable establishment. If you like a good greasy spoon I think youll find something on the menu. Breakfast all day.

Service was slow, coffee was weak, food was cooked to liking.

Went there for lunch and both the floor staff and kitchen staff had their masks below their noses and had no Covid protocols in place. When I asked the owner (he was the floor staff) if he was double vaxed he refused to answer. Which really is an answer: No. We left.

Great little local restaurant, had a nice breakfast in the patio with my dog and service/ food couldn t have been better! Next time I m going for lunch

Great fish & chips! Its actual beer battered fish that is fried just right. Very friendly staff. On my first visit, they made me feel like a regular. Menu is easy to read as well. I will be returning plenty of times.

The place is not clean at all. We sat outside and I had to use the washroom and went inside...I should have left! I understand it is a small family business and I thought before posting this but it is really dirty and even the staff wear their masks below the nose, the guy wears a tank top to serve the tables and the ladys clothes were not clean either. Food was average.

Great place. Excellent Staff

Fast, super friendly, absolutely delicious and generous portions! 10/10 going back again!

Classic old school bacon and eggs.

Brilliant selection of breakfasts first class service,by Mike and Kristen,Highly recommended and Great value food,very good ambiance and a relaxed attitude.If I lived locally, I would be dining in frequently.Great Place.

Absolutely one of my favourite places for breakfast/brunch whether its with family or friends. The staff are some of the kindest people to serve you, especially the younger guy, whos been attentive to EVERY patron every time Ive been there, no matter how busy, and engages in nice little banter seamlessly with serving everyone. Not to mention the food itself which has been DELIGHTFUL and affordable every time as well! I plan to be a constant customer for as long as theyre open.

This place was pretty average. The food was fine, but not amazing. The service was alright, but not really anything special. The coffee was incredible, I will say. Might return here at some point but it s certainly not my favourite place in Belmont Village, not by a long shot

Good place for breakfast. Very affordable and quality food.

none of them wear masks- vaccines werent checked- my boyfriend had a hair in his food- my water was slightly sweet- my friend said his burger buns was wet- took 30 minutes for food and i got a stomach ache from the chicken tenders

Such a wonderful little gem in Belmont Village .. fabulous service and the BEST bacon and eggs Ive had for breakfast .. the coffee was absolutely delish .. the gentleman who served us not only paid attention to us in pleasant and friendly conversation but with everyone else in the restaurant ( which was full by the way ) the door was even held open for us on the way out .. 5 stars plus and I cant wait to share Checkerboard with my family and friends

You get what you pay for: old-fashioned, not the cleanest diner with greasy food, low quality napkins, packaged jams, maple syrups, butter, etc. I don t really mind the packaged items, but the overall atmosphere puts me off a bit, especially the cleanliness . I can only hope that they change their frying oil often.

One of the best greasy spoons for breakfast in KW. Cant go wrong!

VERY friendly and the service is great. Food is excellent and the prices reasonable. I stopped in for a quick meal and was welcomed warmly. I will be back.

Visited this location on Friday! This a very old style diner and is ran by a husband and wife team. And the food is very tasty and prices are very good as well. I order a clubhouse sandwich and fries and my wife ordered a veggie omelette wth rye toast and hash browns and a coffee and I had two pops and price with tips was around $30.00! Very fair!!! The dinner could use some upgrading but overall I will say I was very impressed on our first visited to The checkerboard. Thank you Bill and Mary!

Amazing place where you can get two eggs, toast and home fries for only $4. Want the feel of mom and dad s for breakfast and being welcomed like family? Check this place out.

Good food at affordable prices

Friendly Faces, Great Staff, Great Coffee and Good Food. Definitely Somewhere Id Reccomend if youre not a picky judgemental Person.

Classic all-day breakfast and other tasty choices. Good service, great food and decent prices. I will be back.

We went there when I was having a really rough day. The server was so warm and bubbly! He was sensitive and comforting. Helped me feel much better just by having a quick chat. Classic club sandwich for the win!! Super place.

Old school breakfast good $

Affordable price and reasonable price. Been there many times.

Food was average at best, I ordered a meal.with veggies, but they didnt have any..really..and no choice of substitutions just we have no veggie so. Would have made a different choice if I had known before our food arrived.

Lovely family restaurant. Very friendly, hashbrowns are delicious.

Simple food, cheap and easy!

Had Chicken Souvlaki with fried potatoes - only concern was picture showed rice, but was told it was a stock photo. tasty, filling, and place outside crowded. Got pics of updated pricing looking to return since highest price item is still under $11 before tax!

Its my favorite breakfast place. The staff are very friendly. Food is tasty & not expensive. Im glad they are reopened. I missed my 2 scrambled eggs , 2 pancakes , 2 pieces of toast, bacon and my refills of .

Amazing food great value friendly service......patio and indoor dining available

Horrible service and food was cold

Staff is the best

Loves places like this! Family run, local business thats been around for decades! Friendly faces and great prices. Great and simple breakfast items and traditional lunch and dinner options too! Highly recommend!

Good food. Quick service. Great atmosphere.

Best Breakfast Place Ever!!

Terrific server who made our visit extra special!

Good food dinner-style at a very reasonable price. The outdoor patio area is lovely (even as the weather get cooler) and will hopefully be back next year!

Their open for dine in! Awesome food fries taste amazing and overall a perfect and well priced breakfast.

From the time you walk in, to when you leave you feel so welcome. It is a nice cozy little place with character. The food was delicious, and reasonably priced. Staff are super nice, and go out of their way to make you feel welcome. Totally recommend this place.

So far one of the best breakfast we had in a long time. The place is clean and was well spaced out for Covid-19. Our server is an awesome gentleman who is very friendly and bubbly. Food is great and reasonably priced and the coffee is good. Would definitely recommend this place....

Great

If Im hungover then sure, but too greasy for my liking.

There for breakfast. I dont know why, but the bacon was AMAZING. Super friendly waiter.

Delicious food and friendly service.

Fun little restaurant, low prices and lots of options on the menu