Princess Cafe

Few cafes double as a way to plan your evening. Princess Cafe, on King Street North in Uptown Waterloo, sells a Dinner and a Movie Pass — a panini, a side, a tea or coffee, and a ticket to Princess Cinemas — that folds a meal and a film into a single twenty-six-dollar decision. That is the clearest expression of what the cafe is: an independent, family-run operation that wants to be part of the outing rather than a stop on the way to it.

The menu is compact, but it has personality, and the paninis carry it. The Yamwich is the house signature — roasted sweet potato, spinach, red onion, basil pesto, and brie, pressed warm — and it is a fair test of whether the kitchen's vegetable-forward instinct lands. The Big Marc goes the other way: grilled halloumi, pickles, iceberg, onions, and a special sauce on a sesame seed bun, closer to a playful cafe burger than a pressed sandwich. The Bee's Cheese turns grilled cheese into something memorable, built from havarti, goat cheese, toasted walnut, honey, and rosemary butter. Around them sit the Curried Tuna Melt, the Godfather with its Genoa salami and feta, and a California Veggie stacked with avocado and roasted red pepper. The Beef leans on horseradish mayo and cheddar; the Greek Chicken on bruschetta and feta — small variations that keep a regular from running out of orders.