Eating around Churchill Square and Memorial University in St. John's

Visitors spend most of their time downtown, but a lot of everyday eating in St. John's happens elsewhere. Churchill Square, on Elizabeth Avenue near Memorial University, is one of those places: a compact shopping area with cafés, lunch spots and casual restaurants that serve students, office workers and people who live nearby.

It is not a destination in the way Water Street is. It is where locals go on a Tuesday, which can make it a good place to eat.

Where is Churchill Square?

Churchill Square sits on Elizabeth Avenue, a short distance from Memorial University's main campus. It is laid out as two rows of shops facing each other across a parking lot, with a larger building in the middle. A bust of Winston Churchill stands across the road. It is a short drive or bus ride from downtown, and easy to reach on foot from the university.

What kind of food will you find around Churchill Square?

The mix changes over the years, but you can expect:

• Cafés with coffee, baking and somewhere to sit with a laptop
• Lunch spots with soups, sandwiches and bowls
• Casual restaurants for an easy dinner
• Takeout and quick food, popular with students
• Grocery and specialty shops nearby

The surrounding area, along Elizabeth Avenue and the roads near the university, adds more options, including chains and local favourites.

Why eat at Churchill Square rather than downtown?

A few good reasons:

1. Parking is easier than downtown, especially in winter.
2. It is quieter, with no cruise crowds or festival weeks.
3. Prices are often lower, because many places cater to students and workers.
4. It feels local. You are eating where people who live in St. John's eat on an ordinary day.

When is Churchill Square busiest?

The rhythm follows the university and the offices nearby. Weekday lunchtimes are busy, especially during the academic year from September to April. Evenings and weekends are calmer. In summer, when many students have left, the area is quieter still.

What should students know about eating near Memorial University?

If you are new to the city as a student, a few tips:

• Look for lunch specials and soup-and-sandwich deals around campus.
• Learn the local classics at least once: fish and chips, toutons, a cooked dinner.
• Be ready for winter. On storm days, the places within walking distance matter most.
• Keep a list of reliable, affordable spots for the weeks before exams.

How does Churchill Square fit into a visit to St. John's?

For a visitor, Churchill Square is worth a stop if you are staying nearby, visiting the university or the botanical garden, or simply want a break from downtown. Combine it with a walk around the campus or nearby parks, and eat where the students do.

What is a good budget lunch near Memorial University?

The best value tends to be the simplest food: a bowl of soup with a roll, a hot sandwich, a plate of fish and chips shared between two, or a lunch special that changes daily. Cafés often have a soup-and-sandwich deal at lunch, and takeout counters near campus are used to feeding hungry students quickly.

If you are on a tight budget, eat your main meal at lunch, when specials are common, and keep dinner simple. And remember that the 15 percent HST is added at the till in Newfoundland and Labrador, so a price on the board is not quite what you pay. Plan for that before you order for a group.

How do you find the good places around Churchill Square?

Because the mix changes, the best guide is recent experience. Ask students and people who work nearby, and look at what people actually ordered and how they rated it. A small café with consistently good ratings for its soup is often worth more than any sign.

Where else outside downtown is good for food?

Churchill Square is the best-known food area outside downtown, but locals eat all over the city. A few patterns worth knowing:

• Shopping plazas along the main roads hold many of the city's Asian, Indian and Middle Eastern restaurants, often run by families who came to study or work at the university or the hospitals.
• Neighbourhood bakeries and takeout shops serve the suburbs, with fish and chips, pizza and Chinese-Canadian takeout.
• Mount Pearl and Paradise, next to St. John's, have their own restaurants and takeouts serving everyday local appetites.

A car or a taxi helps for these, since public transit is less frequent outside the core.

How can Mosey help you keep track?

Everyday neighbourhoods are where personal notes help most. Mosey lets you rate the places you actually ate at, dish by dish, follow friends to see where they go for lunch, and keep a list of reliable spots near campus or the office, so you are never deciding at five to twelve with nothing in mind.

More guides to read next:

• Brunch in St. John's: toutons, fish cakes and weekend lines
• Cod tongues in St. John's: what they are and whether you should try them
• A few hours in St. John's from a cruise ship: where and what to eat

More in the Canadian food guides and the ranked lists of places.