Visit Stratford

Anyone living in Southern Ontario can consider themselves very lucky to live in such a fantastic area for taking fun day trips, and memorable weekend getaways with ease. There are so many great small cities, and communities to check out that provides you with a quick escape from the ‘every day’.

Stratford is one such community. Centrally located in Southern Ontario, Stratford is the largest community within Perth County, only a 2 -3 hour drive from most areas in the southwestern regions of the province. We are very fortunate that we live within a very short drive to Stratford, making it an excellent place for frequent visits for Roguetrippers.

Check out our article on Perth County Roadtrips.

The Stratford Festival

Like many visitors, a trip to Stratford almost always includes enjoying one of the world-class theatre productions at the famed Stratford Festival, before covid-19. We have seen many shows over the years, and it makes for a great excuse to check out more of what Stratford has to offer. This town is full of history and charm. There are many gorgeous buildings, beautiful scenery, spectacular gardens, and a serene river walk. You can enjoy the great shopping, fantastic breweries and distilleries, decadent bakeries, and the many fantastic dining options that make Stratford, Ontario a popular tourist destination for a weekend getaway.

Gastro-Tourism in Stratford, Ontario

Stratford has become an excellent foodie hub, drawing in visitors from all over. There are so many great places to enjoy a delicious meal – from gourmet restaurants, gastro pubs, burger joints, and diners. One of our favourite things to do when we visit Stratford is to try a different restaurant whenever we are there. On one visit, we checked out Madelyn’s Diner, a cute little retro 50’s style eatery with excellent elevated diner food. The décor is very cool and mid-century modern, and the food is fantastic, made with fresh local ingredients, beautiful, and delicious. This diner is a real family-owned and operated business that truly believes in the community. They source from the local farmers and producers – so they can “feed the world with good food, good service, and good fun.” Madelyn’s Diner is considered one of the best places to eat in Stratford, Ontario.

Madelyn’s Diner: The Best Little Diner In Stratford

The Butter Tarts

Upon entering Madelyn’s Diner, you will see a large display case full of butter tarts and trays and trays of freshly baked butter tarts lining the counter in the kitchen to cool, with the sweet aroma wafting through the air. They make a variety of unique flavours in-house, including (but not limited to) raisin, pecan, maple bacon, coconut, and seasonal flavours like rhubarb.

Appearance

The butter tarts at Madelyn’s diner have a very rustic, hand-made appearance with a cute floret-style crust. It is definitely a house-made butter tart, and while each tart looks similar to the others, there are variations which show they are hand-made with care.

Crust’

The flavour of the pastry is delicious, with a mix of a sweet and salty taste. The crust is very light, thin, and flaky. It is strong enough to hold the filling in nicely without crumbling. Some of our tarts were a little overbaked for our liking, but I prefer imperfectly made-by-hand tarts.

Filling

The filling of the butter tarts at Madelyn’s diner is more of a gelatinous texture. It has the smooth consistency of a creamy, buttery pudding. It is very sweet and decadent, with a rich buttery flavour. The raisins in the tart were plump, juicy, and plentiful. Were there more raisins than I would have liked? Yes, but it is not so many that I didn’t still enjoy the tart. It is the perfect amount for those who love raisins.

Crust-to-Filling Ratio

There is a decent ratio between the filling and crust on the butter tarts at Madelyn’s Diner. While the filling only goes about ¾ of the way up the tart shell, the crust is not too thick, so there is a better balance. With each bite, you get a great combo of the flavours of both.

Overall experience

The butter tarts from Madelyn’s Diner are a delightful tart and enjoyable dessert experience. The flavours options for the pastries are great, and the salty-tasting crust is a nice balance for the sweet filling. These are excellent tarts to eat on the go. The crust will not crumble, and the filling does not ooze out all over.

With “Over 300,000 + sold”, these butter tarts are very popular with locals and visitors to Stratford alike. The maple bacon tart sells out quickly, and they were sold out of coconut as well when we visited. These are highly sought-after butter tarts for butter-tart tourists. They are often voted the Best Butter Tarts in Ontario by many butter tart lovers. The next time you are planning a weekend getaway to the Stratford, Ontario, area, be sure to call Madelyn’s Diner and order some butter tarts for pick-up. Your sweet tooth will thank you.

If you love a good Butter tart, you will want to listen to this Podcast. 

*note: All butter tart reviews are our opinions only, based on our experiences and personal preferences. Your experiences and opinions may vary.