What's for lunch? Unexpected places to eat in and around the region: Andrew Coppolino

Upscale casual or fast food, traditional restaurants are the norm across any community, and we know them well.

But as a food scene evolves and specializes, non-traditional dining venues appear in different forms and in unexpected places.

These food outlets can be broken down into a few loosely-defined categories, as outlined below. 

Breweries and distilleries

A number of craft breweries and distilleries are expanding their reach from beverage to food. That makes good business sense, and it's good for customers looking for new food experiences.

Willibald Farm Distillery in Ayr sources ingredients on their property to create a "farm to table" restaurant serving about two dozen items, a few days a week. The functional distillery setting is unique and the cocktails are interesting.

In St. Jacobs, Block Three Brewing has a dynamic tap room which hosts guest food operators for events. I recently enjoyed a pint, munched on a Fo'Cheezy grilled cheese sandwich and listened to local folk-rock band Safe as Houses.

Down the street, the brewery has just opened Village Biergarten, a new tap room and patio. They've partnered with Mekong Brasserie for southeast Asian street food.

Also, check out Four Fathers Brewing Co. in Cambridge and the Bierhalle at Descendants Beer and Beverage Co. in Kitchener for on-site food and beer pairings in a brewery setting.

Travel on Highway 6 in Flamborough and you'll turn east to West Avenue Cider House for cheese boards and seasonal fare that pairs with the ancient apple-based drink. It's open daily after May 17. Sit near an orchard and enjoy.

Grocery and retail stores

This category is probably the most robust in terms of non-traditional food experiences. There are several small neighbourhood and urban grocery stores that have a hot table or small restaurant inside.

The trend runs the gamut from the hugely popular Vincenzo's tavola calda and pop-up kitchen to small Latin-American grocery stores.

J & P Grocery has a café and a lunch counter in their downtown Kitchener location for weekday lunches such as coconut chickpea and roasted sweet potato stew.

America Latina Grocery & Eatery on Victoria Street has racks and coolers of Central American foods and seating for about 20 to enjoy home-made tamales, pupusas and tacos.

Mi Tienda Latina near the bus terminal on Charles Street Kitchener has a single communal table and a few chairs. Their Salvadoran speciality, sopa de cola de buey beef soup, is delicious.

Rincon Latino Mini Mart is on Victoria Street at Strange: it has just moved to the location, but look for it to serve Latin American breakfasts on weekends.

Bricks and Mortar General Store in Cambridge has take-away selections amid their food provisions, but there are a few seats for having a soup and sandwich lunch.

Ambrosia Corner Bakery in Central Frederick neighbourhood in Kitchener features their own pastries and other locally made foods but also a summer schedule of pop-up appearances by local food trucks.

Grocery store Torreense at Stirling and Mill in Kitchener serves sandwiches along with a host of Portuguese food products.

Culinary schools

Cooking schools are an important component of a strong culinary environment, and train cooks for jobs in a community.

They feed the general population as well, as a sort of testing ground for real-world restaurant experience for graduates. They are good options — usually providing very good value — for a meal.

Liaison College Kitchener periodically offers Chef's Table dinners and Friday Lunches at their facility, when available.

Conestoga College's Bloom Restaurant at the new Waterloo campus has stepped up its game significantly in the last year, hiring a number of notable area chefs as instructors and supervisors in the kitchen and front-of-house.

Open to the public, the upscale casual restaurant with Nordic-inspired décor is a training ground for cooks learning the trade. It represents excellent value for two- and three-course prix fix menus.

The Stratford Chefs School runs a dinner series from October to March in its beautiful new dining room and kitchen in downtown Stratford.

In Guelph, Natalina's Kitchen offers interactive dining events from September to April.

And an interesting note: visit the University of Guelph's Creelman Hall Marketplace for innovation and healthy local foods that will likely put your university dining hall experiences well into perspective. They're closed for the summer, but check them out in the fall.

Commercial kitchens

Chef on Call has an app and focuses on delivery, but there is a wide range of delicious dishes to enjoy in their spacious dining room — and they are open very late too.

Thompson Tran's overarching business and commercial "ghost" kitchen Wooden Boat Food Company is on Hurst Avenue in Kitchener — they also operate Mekong Brasserie. It's a take-away joint but they also have special dinners and events and have some picnic-bench seating and bike racks for travellers along the Iron Horse Trail this spring.

By reservation, check out "The Kitchen" at B Hospitality adjacent to LOT 42 for dinner events and chef's table dinners. It's a beautiful "in-kitchen" space.

Farms

Oakridge Acres in Ayr and Vibrant Farms in Baden both have food and dining events, and look for a new entrant in the field — literally: Two Calves Standing farm has started up in Baden.

Owner-operator Bryan Izzard runs kids' cooking camps and was behind Art Bar at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery years ago. Field-to-fork dinners will be taking place this summer.

Restaurants in these iterations reveal both a robust food economy but also one where businesses are diversifying to ensure sustainability and offer unique experiences to customers.