Best of Toronto
The Best All Day Breakfast in Toronto
The best all day breakfast in Toronto is a scramble. Making a solid breakfast strikes me as an easy (and fun!) task. It can't be too difficult to make breakfast spectacular, because it's so basic and inherently beautiful: Bread, bacon and eggs! (Or your choice of a vegetarian alternative!) It's so pure and... historical.
Yet, so many places can't properly prepare an egg and seriously skimp on bacon (and don't even get me started on frozen home fries because it's an entirely offensive subject all together). Furthermore, I'm going to need refillable coffee on the double. Here are places that take pride in refilling coffee, preparing an egg and portioning out bacon (or alternatives).
The 12 best all day breakfast restaurants in Toronto. (Or, at least, excellent all day breakfast restaurants)
Photos by Alyssa Bistonath
BOOM Breakfast and Co.
Boom Breakfast is steady as a rock. There are never any surprises and never any disappointments. They have funny names for their breakfasts, like “Three Some” and “Chocolate Monkey French toast” but my favourite is the “2 Egg Breakfast.” It comes cheap with free coffee on weekday mornings, which always makes me feel thankful that I’m sitting in a breakfast (exclusively breakfast) place on a weekday morning. More »
Le Petit Dejeuner
This place is fantastic if only for the startling early-nineties vibe. I mean, holy cow! The Stone Roses, Nirvana, and what we thought might be The Sneaker Pimps! There’s also something about the lovely wait staff that reminds me of 1994, although I can’t exactly put my finger on it. Dim lighting and nothing but booths are also totally comfortable, and breakfast comes with potato rosti instead of home fries, which, you know, is really nice for a change. More »
The Lakeview
Like all those popular bands from 2003, most of their breakfast options are preceded by the word “the” (The Standard, The Massive, The Turbo). They will not charge you extra for peameal bacon, but they will charge you two dollars for half a grapefruit. There is killer music playing, none of it from 2003. More »
Future Bakery
Future is a great place for students, or for former-students who want to get nostalgic from time to time. Something about going there for breakfast makes me feel like I’m living life to the fullest…. It’s the bustling atmosphere, perhaps. It’s always busy, even into the wee hours. Their bacon and eggs are cheap and quick (and well portioned), and rumour has it you can swing a discount if you’re still in school. More »
Lady Marmalade
On the weekends, you have to stand in line for about forty-five minutes. Furthermore, you have to stand in line outside by the window, which means you can watch people eating poached eggs (of which they serve many variations) and this amazing looking yogurt and granola with half a bagel. There are no fried eggs here, but you can get eggs benedict with Brie and avocado, which makes up for just about anything. And oh my, they also offer a “Good Morning Poutine,” which no one should get too excited about because some mornings, without warning, it’s unavailable! More »
Sadie's Diner
I’m not saying it’s right, but I had this notion that vegetarian restaurants are always spic and span. Sadie’s liberated me from that particular prejudice, because the tables were sticky and the bright vinyl booths were ripped up. It’s a greasy diner without meat grease, which I find uniquely charming! Veggie bacon and veggie breakfast sausage make appearances, as does the “tofu scramble.” Coffee is served in GIANT mugs and snappy indie tunes abound. More »
Edward Levesque's Kitchen
One of the best things about this place is that they advertise “an espresso and a puppy” for unattended children, and that’s funny, right? Despite often-mixed reviews on the food and/or service, folks continue to line up out the door for E. Levesque’s weekend brunch of French toast, waffles and latkes and all day breakfasts throughout the week (when open). More »
Easy Breakfast
There are posters of Jack Nicholson on the walls and tons of rough looking, leather-clad customers - Everything I ever wanted in a breakfast place. Also, I really appreciate the home fries in this establishment. They actually look like they are made in a heavy skillet over an open fire from last night’s leftover potatoes, satisfying the very definition of “home fries.” Serious home fries are more rare than you might imagine, but I guess serious business follows Nicholson wherever he goes. More »
Karine's
It’s located in the Village by the Grange food court, which means it’s really close to OCAD and many of the customers are presumably students of that institution. They probably appreciate the artsy menu done in wacky handwriting and the colourful (pink!) decor. They also appear to appreciate the cheap (in price, not in quality) all-day breakfast that come in take-away containers, because everyone orders with an excited grin. There are plenty of vegan options here (they make a popular soy smoothie, for example) but they want you to know that they do serve bacon. More »
Gayley's Cafe
This quiet, sunny, beer-serving breakfast place is apparently the place to go when you’re hung over and want to wait in line for an hour, but on a weekday morning it’s perfectly calm. Straight-up bacon and eggs is reasonably priced and the service is mighty appeasing! Our waiter answered all my requests with a “sure thing” and a prompt delivery. More »
Discussion
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And the french toast with butter and syrup is comfort food at it's best.
It's not much to look at being in a convenience store and all, but the service is wonderful, the staff is friendly, the food is cheap, and there is always, ALWAYS, a place to sit. It is a greasy spoon and far far away from being deemed anything near classy.
Plus, you can grocery shop while you eat (at some tables).
Almost as good as that: getting a 4-glass beer sampling platter, because that's the only thing better than coffee with eggs.
I quite enjoy the Tulip's all day breakfast....and cheap.
I quite enjoy the Tulip's all day breakfast....and cheap.
boom is absolutely horrible and should never been seen on any list for best of breakfast/brunch.
The whole chain thing can get hazy at times. You'll often find chains of 3 or 4 or more on these lists, but larger chains that are more centralized in the GTA are left out. (Hy's Steakhouse for example is based out of Calgary and only has a single Toronto location, but still snagged #4 on the steakhouse list)
Sunset is interesting in that while the food remains fairly generic across the chain, the original Beaches location stands out among the pack in terms of quality. It's essentially a separate entity, as often happens with the original store in small chains.
Best all day breakfast != best breakfast
I agree - Vesta is pretty great. And I know it's a chain, but I LOVE Cora's!
Emily? Help.
What I am trying to say, what is keeping someone say the same people that are shamelessly plugging their restaurant in every review of another restaurant that serves something remotely like their menu, from voting more than once for their restaurant??
I have noticed certain establishments in particular seem to get plugged on this site almost everyday (one, now two but with a connection).
I will take all further reviews with a grain of salt. If these reviews are just back scratching for a free meal than I may as well listen to what that Marty guy has to say.
As with all criticism, I expect this to be deleted. If only I knew someone at blgoto.
http://www.flosdiner.ca/
Eww.
I couldn't believe it wasn't butter.
Future's breakfast is AWFUL.
AUNTIES AND UNCLES schools all of yer bests.
I still miss The Bagel.
For those of you who think this is the "worst list", please do us all a favour and suggest places you feel should have been included on the list.
I did bring it to his attention because stuff like this disturbs me, when it came time to pay my bill I expressed my feelings in what I consider a civil manner and you know what he did? instead of giving my change back he dropped it angrily in the tip jar
I was flabbergasted and will never go there again and for the record I am an excellent tipper but don't appreciate it being grabbed from me
http://www.stevesrestaurant.ca/
If you're a west-ender, this is widely-known to be the taj mahal of all-day breakfasts.
I reco the breakfast special with: Scrambled / Sausage / [Milk] Shake. It also includes amazing homefries, 2 toasts with plenty of butter (and jam, if you're into that kind of thing), and unlimited coffee.
Hardcore diner since the 70s.
Future Bakery? A place with "breakfast" in the title? Gimme a break. You may as well list "Denny's"....
Frig FORGOT about the Bloor-Jane Restaurant
Used to go there many years ago. Friend lived near there:)
Great place. And wonder, are they still using the SAME old Cash Register a la punch punch?........This place should soooo be on the list for sure!
I've never actually been there, but I hear Bonjour Brioche is pretty good. Don't know if it's all day breakfast though...
I think Michelle is referring to the Maggie on College, which IMHO used that have stella breakfasts until ownership changed. I recently went to Karine's and it's just like the old Maggies (and for good reason).
I'm not sure who owns the resto on Charles St.
Where is AUntie/Unlces, Tulip, Daybreak, Bonjour Brioche or lady marmalade on Queen East.
Futures is just meh.
def needs to be on the list.
Lucky 9-to-5er, wanna trade?
Although it's a good sign for quality, I loathe lining up for breakfast. It's February, in f'ing Canada. Screw lining up, I'm not lining up outside sorry. I'd rather buy a carton of eggs at a convenience store and go back home than line up.
...sorry Blog TO - Boom sucks!
... I only say this because it really is absolutely the best breakfast place in Toronto and I don't want everyone to know about it...
So, yeah, it sucks, stay away! I think it's haunted too...
Lady Marmalade was not bad either.
Boom is just no.
Best bang for your buck, with a decent sized meal, plus some really good coffee at unexpected hours, make it Fran's.