A traditional Irish breakfast in Toronto is not as hard to come by as it may seem. While the city's best known brunch spots continue to offer up arugula eggs benny and buttermilk waffles, and many faux-Irish pubs share a common owner and thus breakfast fare — the Pour House, Brazen Head, and Pogue Mahone, for example — there are several others that offer their own takes on potato farl, rashers, eggs, grilled tomatoes, and homemade Irish soda crackers.

Here are five worth checking out.

1. Tara Inn
This is the type of place where the waitress calls you "luv" and the carpets look like they could tell decades of stories. That is to say — awesome, awesome. A typical sloppy, fried Irish breakfast looks like it fits in a place like this, which is why it's such a hit on weekends (the only time when the breakfast is served). Black pudding, rashers, bangers, egg, soda crackers, and more, all for around $10.

2. Ceili Cottage
It doesn't look pretty on the plate, but looks, as they say, should never deter you from a fantastic, gluttonous meal. Ceili Cottage offers its full Irish breakfast each weekend (served until pretty late), complete with white and/or black pudding, banger, rashers, beans, potato farl, and the rest. All of which seems to interweave into a brownish, delicious mess. $15.

3. Irish Embassy
What sort of an embassy would this be if it didn't fill you up with lots of stuff that feels good but probably isn't great for you? Irish Embassy does its take on the Irish breakfast with eggs, bangers, bacon, black pudding, a grilled tomato, home fries, and toast for about $13. Of course, it all tastes better with an Irish coffee on the side.

4. The Roy
While the grilled tomato may be seen as superfluous to some, it is front and centre on The Roy's traditional Irish breakfast plate. The Leslieville Pub makes its breakfast with eggs, banger, peameal bacon, home fries, beans, and toast (plus the tomato of course), served Saturday and Sunday for $11. And for a taste of something Irish without the full plate, The Roy also offers an "Irish" BLT made with peameal and Dubliner cheddar.

5. Fynn's of Temple Bar
The place where the King West crowd unwinds to Celtic music after hours also offers stress-relief in the form of Irish sausage and potato cakes. Its Irish breakfast includes the aforementioned sausage and cakes, as well as eggs, bacon, beans, toast, and a grilled tomato ($11). Offered for weekend brunch, when very un-Irish mimosas and caesars are on special.

Photo by Jen Chan in the blogTO Flickr pool