Elizabeth is a 38-seat Stratford bistro from Brian Clarke and Sarah Sylvester, built around seasonal small plates, classic cocktails, and a family-name story. The current menu moves from Crispy Devilled Eggs and Salt-Roasted Beets to Grilled Octopus, escargot, duck tagliatelle, and online reservations for a planned downtown dinner.

Bluebird is Aaron and Bronwyn Linley's downtown Stratford neighbourhood bistro, built around French technique, Southwestern Ontario ingredients, and a restless streak that can put tamari-dashi beside Great Lakes pickerel or dan dan sauce beside slow-cooked pork jowl. The room works in several gears—bar snacks, shared plates, a full dinner, or lunch—while the current menu keeps the Linleys' homecoming story connected to what arrives at the table.

Braai House brings South African braai into an upstairs Stratford dining room built around visible fire: wood grill, pizza oven, Chef's Bar, biltong, bobotie, boerewors, Cape Malay curry and after-7:30 pizzas.

The Common is a downtown Stratford restaurant from chef-owner Tim Otsuki and Cassandre Frost, pairing a compact global-comfort menu with local-seasonal ingredients, lunch/dinner service, and a hidden garden patio. Go for Khao Soi Gai, Black Cod, the DAMN burger, Pakora, and a planned reservation rhythm.

Pizza Bistro is a downtown Stratford comeback story: a Greek-Mediterranean pizzeria shaped by a Greece chapter, current sourdough pizzas, small plates, and all-week takeout deals. The strongest read is the menu breadth, not a chef biography.

Polished Stratford hotel dining built around Perth County sourcing, pre-theatre prix fixe, tasting menu, wine, caviar, and current chef Nick Benninger.

The Starlight is a downtown Stratford restaurant and bar where Megan Jones and Tim Pritchard's motel-lounge idea brings dinner, Sunday brunch, late-night food, cocktails, and recurring live music into one full-service room.

The Prune has occupied a singular place in Stratford dining since 1977, pairing a long local history with seasonal Canadian cooking under co-head chefs Randi Rudner and Mike Booth. The current dinner menu moves from salt cod croquettes and Crying Tiger grass-fed beef tartare to duck confit, while a separate plant-based menu and a six-course evening tasting give the room more range than its special-occasion polish first suggests.

Downtown Stratford’s weekday takeout institution for house-made sandwiches, salads, baked goods, daily specials, and Market Square lunch runs.

Brch & Wyn is a Stratford cafe by day and Wyn Bar by night inside the Bradshaw Lofts, built around Jonny Kirwin's coffee-and-wine program. The strongest path runs through direct-trade coffee, sourdough panini, Sunday brunch, and a Wyn menu led by Mushroom Scallion Pancake, Papa K Flatbread and wine-bar plates.

Mercer Kitchen & Beer Hall is a downtown Stratford hotel restaurant where izakaya-inspired cooking meets an Ontario craft beer program. The menu moves from karaage chicken, coconut curry soup and steam-bun pierogies to seafood khao soi, brunch Benedicts and a daily happy-hour drinks window.

Romeo’s Corner Cafe is a Stratford breakfast-and-lunch cafe built around Benedicts, burgers, sandwiches, pancakes, skillets, and family-friendly daytime choices.

Downtown Stratford Italian fixture for thin-crust pizza, house-made pasta, Festival-adjacent meals, and Friday/late-night value windows.

A Stratford diner for all-day breakfast, big-value comfort plates, fish and chips, classic sandwiches, kids meals, and first-come daytime service.

Jobsite Brewing Company is a Stratford brewery taproom built around house beer, wood-fired pizza, a construction-origin story, Wednesday pizza value, open-mic programming, and a Workshop space that keeps the old lumber-yard setting visible.

Stratford Thai Cuisine is a downtown Stratford Thai kitchen with a chef-owner backstory, a deep noodle-and-curry core, seafood specials like Mango Salmon, and a practical weekday lunch-special hook for dine-in, takeout, and delivery.

Downtown Stratford breakfast fixture with cookie-sheet portions, French-toast Benedicts, and a smoked-meat thread running through brunch and lunch.

Mone-Thai is a family-owned Thai restaurant in downtown Stratford, open since April 2012, with curries, noodles, pho, Tamarind Fish, Thai Style Pad Thai, house sauces, and a full Dancing Lion bubble tea lineup.

Family-owned Stratford standby for Greek-Canadian comfort plates, breakfast/lunch service, and early dinners built around souvlaki, moussaka, fish and chips, burgers, and family logistics.

Bentley’s is a downtown Stratford pub-and-inn fixture where British pub staples, Chef Pascal menu cues, daily features, and the 1984 move into 99 Ontario Street all work together.

Raja is a downtown Stratford Indian and Thai restaurant beside the Avon Theatre, built around butter chicken, tandoori dishes, curry-and-naan comfort, direct online ordering, and a community-rooted story tied to Zafar Quazi.

Lovage is a small downtown Stratford bistro and wine bar where chef-owner Jamie Crosby folds a frequently changing European menu into an exposed-brick room with an open kitchen, bar seating and a rear patio. Pork Schnitzel, Pan Bagnat and Mussel & Carrot Escabeche show the kitchen at its most specific, while lunch, dinner and online reservations make the room useful for both a focused daytime meal and a longer evening over wine.

The Parlour Inn Restaurant is a heritage Stratford dining room for theatre-day meals, familiar full-service cooking, daily happy hour, and a patio-backed downtown visit.

Casa 1881 gives The Windsor Hotel a modern Italian dining room with a companion aperitivo bar, moving from Weekend a Casa brunch through dinner and Friday-Saturday late-evening service. Chef de Cuisine Lawrence Sayas centers the menu on pastas, antipasti, DOP cheeses and tomatoes, seafood, and seasonal Ontario ingredients, while recurring programs make it easy to plan a visit around Stratford's theatre schedule.

Fellini's is a family-owned Stratford Italian restaurant built around house-made comfort food: pasta, calzone, stone-oven pizza, classic entrees and scratch desserts. The strongest order is menu-led: Penne Marcello, Nonna's Meaty Lasagna, bruschetta, calzone and tiramisu.