The Spoke and Rim Tavern

I love this place and will greatly miss it when I graduate in less than 3 months. There is a café section at the very front, a kitchen towards the back, as well as a bar. What more can you ask for? My all-​time favourite food here is the veggie bagelwich on mushroom and swiss bagel with spinach and feta cream cheese. SO FREAKING GOOD. The fat and calories are so worth it. Their daily soups are delicious and filling as well. If you’ve never tried a bagelwich from here before, you are missing out so hard. And if you’ve never tried one before and go to Western, shame on you. My fave from the kitchen at the back is the chicken Caesar wrap with fries. They have Cajun seasoning so you can sprinkle as much as you want on them. Depending on the lineup, service time is pretty reasonable. Their food isn’t the healthiest, but it will definitely fill you up and satisfy your hunger.

I’d say UWO is extremely lucky to have a restaurant/​café like this. This definitely does not seem like a place a SCHOOL would have… jealous! This is the hotspot of all students and it’s easy to see why– there’s a nice café at the front for a quick coffee/​snack, there’s a big bar at the back for those nights after a hard exam (I feel ya) and there’s a huge dining area.
Never have tried the café but the dining area is lovely. You must first make an order from the cashier and then you can get it to go or you can take it to the dining room. The dining area is more of a nice restaurant and it doesn’t feel like a plain ol’ café in the student lounge. Nice & clean wooden décor gives it a classic bar type of feel. If you move towards the front of the dining area, there are larger tables that can fit big groups and singular bar-​type seats for lonesome dining (it’s probably required you have some alone time during your university years to get over the fact that you’re being forced into adulthood without much of a say). I also found it extremely cool how there’s a tiny stage at the front with tables facing it for open mic nights or anyone that would want to go up and say something.
The thing that made it lose stars is the fact that the food doesn’t seem too great– I had the key west salad, which was really good EXCEPT IT WAS DROWNED IN DRESSING. Imagine mandarin oranges + goat cheese + more spectacular combinations all screaming for help because there’s just way too much dressing. not so good after all. The poutine was way too salty. the fries were ok on their own, the cheese curds were ok on their own and the gravy was ok on their own. but together, man the sodium levels went through the roof.
Anyway, I think it’s a great place to gather the UWO community + students and if I went to this school, I’d definitely be there all the time!

Very decent student bar/​resto/​café on the UWO campus. I can only speak of the café and bar since I’ve never actually eaten there, but what I’ve experienced has always been consistently great in terms of service and value.
Coffee here is pretty decent if you like plain ol’ coffee. If you’re into Americanos or lattes, you might have to venture elsewhere unless you don’t mind the flavour of their giant machine-​generated espressos. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it does provide consistency but I’m not a big fan of the espresso itself. Kinda flat — but that may be the bean and not the machine that makes it.
Atmosphere-​wise, I always wind up here in the early evenings when it’s relatively empty (because who likes people?) and it’s a great place to get some work done. The music is good. The bagels are cheap and hit the spot.
Makes me wish I had a bar like this in my undergrad.

Every Western student knows this place or at least has heard of it. It’s a definite must experience for every student (and everyone — good food is meant to be shared!).
As soon as you walk in, you’re faced with the café where you’ll find lighter foods like cookies, brownies, bagelwiches, froyo, great coffee, and their irresistible bagels and cream cheese varieties, etc.
Move further in and you’ll find the main kitchen that serves heavier food — burgers, wraps, burritos, nachos, and fries, etc.
There’s also a full bar at the back — for studying, relaxing, catching up, and having fun.
I’ve tried quite a few things on their menu including their famous CLTs (chicken, lettuce, tomatoes — they’re famous for a reason — truly delicious), the burritos — super stuffed and packed with flavour, their deep fried pickles (unfortunately, I dont see them anymore on their menu), their fries, nachos, bagels, and coffee.
The Spoke also has monthly specials served at the café or the main kitchen so look out for the posters. I’ve had a veggie burger and butter chicken tacos in the past — but they’re only there for a month so get them when you see them!
The Spoke has quality food and the atmosphere is very relaxed. They have weekly events events like Monday Open Mic, Tuesday karaōke, Wednesdays with Rick McGhie, Thursday coffee houses, and wired Fridays with the campus radio station — CHRW. They also host special events fom time to time. So no matter when you go, it’s always going to be a good time.