The Stomping Grounds Bistro and Café located in the heritage Cotton Mills building built in 1873 is a warm, welcoming space. Whether you’re looking to enjoy an excellent cup of coffee, a couple drinks with friends, or a quality meal, they have something for every occasion.
Owner Phil Gilmour opened Stomping Grounds 7 years ago. ‘Stomping grounds’ is an expression meaning a place of familiarity. They offer lunch as well as a bistro style menu for dinner, with a focus on bringing customers fine dining quality with a casual atmosphere.
“I want that quality and all the details that go with it but we’re much more casual,” explained Gilmour, who grew up in Sault St. Marie and spent several years in Thunder Bay after attending school at Lakehead University, “I used to be a professional hockey referee, so I travelled through North America for about ten years. A lot of our menu is based on my experiences on the road.”
Stomping Grounds tries to be farm-to-table as much as possible in the summer months, and does their best to support local year-round, carrying craft beer from Rurban Brewery and wines sourced mostly from Ontario wineries.
Located next to the beautiful St. Lawrence River with close proximity to recreational trails, the café gets a lot of traffic from cyclists and tourists in the summer. In the spring and summer months they incorporate healthy, light lunch options into their menu for active customers stopping in for a bite to eat.
“We’re pretty proud to be part of the Cornwall Tourism scene. We do get a lot of out-of-town traffic and being a part of the community is pretty important to us,” Gilmour said, “I’m a huge advocate of Cornwall.”
