Eating dinner and finding a good restaurant while travelling can be a challenge, but thankfully the internet and sites with reviews like Trip Advisor, take away some of the guesswork. If you’re old school, like Cathryn and I, you talk to real people who live in the area and ask them for recommendations or advice.
This type of interpersonal communication paid off for us while dining at the Part II Bistro in Downtown Goderich. We asked our waiter, who was local, to recommend something in the area that was a good place for breakfast. He suggested West Street Willy’s, that was only a hop, skip and a jump away, just off the town square. We’d read great dinner reviews for the restaurant but it was closed that night.
Taking the advice we’d received, we stopped for breakfast at Willy’s before heading further north. The patio out front looked inviting but the weather was a tad cool that morning, and it was that time of season for those pesky bees.
The interior décor was nothing fancy, kind of a cross between small town diner and a cozy dining room in a country home. The breakfast menu was daunting – two pages full of creative dishes – everything from peanut butter, bananas and bacon on French Toast, to Eggs Benny and something called Pete’s Big Mess. The latter caught my eye first, but I opted for the Morning After Poutine. My mess contained crispy home fries, bacon, sausage, peameal, onions, tomatoes, cheese curds, chipotle and hollandaise, topped with two eggs the way you like them.
More concerned about her cholesterol, Cathryn ordered the West Street Benny – grilled, marinated portabella mushrooms and spinach, topped with the usual Benny goodies. Hers was $13 and mine was $15, both large portions and filling. Service was excellent and our waitress was friendlier than your local Avon lady. My only complaint is that we couldn’t stay for dinner.
If your not satisfied with our recommendation of this restaurant, perhaps you’ll take the advice from the TV show, You’ve Gotta Eat Here, who featured Willy’s about three years ago.
Cathryn and I both loved West Street Willy’s Eatery and give it a 10 out of 10.
I’m sure it’s no surprise to anyone that dining out anywhere these days (during the pandemic) is a challenge. Obstacles include finding a restaurant that is open for business and one that has a deck or patio, if you hope to eat there and not have to take your meal home with you. In considering our limited options, weather also has to be taken into account.
The tables around us quickly filled up and I noticed new arrivals disappeared around the corner of the building. I asked our server if they had another patio in the alley but she said the overflow was using picnic tables in the parkette next door. It’s a great idea that shows how inventive our city’s eateries can be in trying times.
Life Written and Reviewed 