Brunch guide: Where to eat breakfast and lunch in Toronto's east end

Photo: Lady Marmalade

The east side has long been known as the brunch capital of Toronto with its abundance of bakeries, cafes and restaurants all looking for a stake in the city's ever-growing brunch game. On a typical weekend morning you’ll find young families with strollers in tow, hungover twenty or thirty-somethings hiding behind sunglasses, Tinder matches meeting for first dates and neighbourhood regulars spilling out along Queen Street. Depending on the hour and the place, diners will endure half-hour queues (shockingly, you can usually avoid the line around the 8 or 9 o’clock timeslots) if the spot is coveted.

It's here in the east end where brunch goes beyond the standard sunny-side-up with toast. It's here that sometimes brunch just isn’t brunch without slow-smoked beef brisket and a hand-crafted caesar speared with lobster tail. Due to the sheer number of decent brunch spots in the east end, a definitive list is virtually impossible and will undoubtedly invoke a bit of verbal sparring between tastes and opinions. All of this contributes to the ritualistic east end brunch experience. Without further ado, here are our five picks for must-hit brunch in Leslieville and Riverside.

LADY MARMALADE
 
There's a reason why Lady Marmalade has found a permanent home on all of Toronto's 'best of' lists and often yields the biggest line of hungry brunchers: It's just that good. The second outpost of the B.C. original has been a welcomed Queen East staple since its inception in 2009, and as far as menus go, Lady Marmalade has a generous selection of offerings, with just about every dish able to accommodate the herbivores, the carnivores and the gluten-free (vores). Cash only.
 
898 Queen St. E
ladymarmalade.ca

WHITE LILY DINER

Hangover cures don't get much better than White Lily Diner. The Riverside spot features an all-day menu of diner classics like a hot turkey sandwich, buttermilk pancakes and four different patty melts. If you don't know what that is, imagine a burger smashed together with a grilled-cheese and you'll get the idea. White Lily Diner bakes its own bread and ferments its own cucumbers and mustards. It also puts a selection of fresh-baked donuts on sale each morning. The decor stays true to the classic diner style. Comfortable booths line the walls while an eat-in counter and bar stools on the opposite side offers an open pass to the kitchen. 

678 Queen St. E
whitelilydiner.ca

BONJOUR BRIOCHE
 
If the unworldly aroma that permanently lingers outside of Bonjour Brioche isn’t enough to persuade you, then you may not deserve the vast array of ambrosial French pastries just inside the door. The patisserie offers exactly what you would expect – crispy baguettes, flakey croissants, fluffy omelettes, rich brioche, savory quiche du jour… the list goes on. The heated patio provides a comfortable refuge for those committed to people watching in the spring or fall and with its ideal location on Queen East, you can be certain there will be many interesting characters to entertain you. Cash only.
 
812 Queen St. E
bonjourbrioche.com

OK OK DINER

You need strong coffee, quick service and an all-day breakfast card — good thing OK OK Diner specializes in hangover cure-alls. Sit in a plush booth or hang out on a stool and make small talk with the folks behind the bar at this restored diner that absolutely nails the '50s aesthetic. Hunker down on stacks of buttermilk pancakes, a club sandwich that rivals the best in the city and huevos rancheros, an OK OK signature, made with three scrambled eggs topped with mozza and monterey jack cheese and spicy black beans, then wrapped in a tortilla, grilled and topped with guacamole, sour cream and salsa — phew! If you like to keep things easy like Sunday morning, it's hard to go wrong with the taste and value of two eggs, hash browns, toast and choice of breakfast meat for $5.99.

1128 Queen St. E
okokdiner.com

BROOKLYN TAVERN

With walls adorned in vintage family photos and personal mementos of the owners, Brooklyn Tavern feels warm and inviting despite the cool blues and greys of its long dining room. The service is a throwback (read: very friendly) and its comfort food veers from the usual brunch standards. Start with the Brooklyn Caesar, which uses Dillon's vodka or gin and replaces Clamato with an all-natural mix. From there, the pork carnitas and sunchoke-hash with fried egg and arugula salad ($12), and French toast brullee with vanilla cream and berries ($10) are a couple of the menu highlights.

1097 Queen St. E
brooklyntavern.ca

Photo: Maple Leaf Tavern

MAPLE LEAF TAVERN

Once one of Toronto's grittiest bars now has one of the city's most elevated brunch programs with the friendliest servers, attention to detail and plates that will last you til dinner. Start with spicy pickles or pickled pepperoni before moving into a handful of gorgeous mains. Highlights include salmon crudo and horseradish terrine with a soft egg and toasted bagel or grilled beef shoulder with bone marrow baked beans. Maple Leaf Tavern also does a brunch for two or four, which includes grilled bacon, sausages, corned beef has, potatoes, grilled tomatoes, eggs, biscuits and toast for $22 per person.

955 Gerrard St. E
mapleleaftavern.ca

HASTINGS SNACK BAR

If you're looking for a hearty and comforting meal scratch-made by an authentic Polish babcia, look no further than Hastings Snack Bar.Grab a stool at the counter and behold a menu of real-deal Polish staples like cabbage rolls and kielbasa that keep things focused on the old world. Traditional pierogis come stuffed with cottage cheese and potato and slathered in fried onions. Perhaps the real gem here, though, is the Polish breakfast of two eggs, parowka (Polish wieners), potato pancake and and fresh rye bread with butter — all for $8. Breakfast runs Thursday to Sunday with a solid coffee program the remainder of the week.

5 Hastings Ave.

LA CUBANA
 
With its trademark seafoam green walls, mosaic floors and old-school vibe, the stylish retro diner serves up plates of casual Cuban especiales in a bright, cheery space. The menu is succinct and well thought out with sandwiches and medianoches, Cuban plates of pork shoulder and bbq beef short rib and soups and salads. This is best paired with a hand-crafted cocktails that draws from Havana's rich history to create a list of fruity rum and gin concoctions, plus sangria, cervezas and vintage sodas and juices. 
 
1030 Gerrard St. E
lacubana.ca

Photo: Maha's

MAHA'S

In a former kitchen and bath store up on an unassuming stretch of Greenwood, Maha's has become a local brunch hot spot that has gained a city-wide following. The tiny Egyptian kitchen offers an experience more beautiful and exotic (and far less predictable) than the usual brunch fare. The Cairo Classic — a  must-try dish for first-timers — starts with foole, which is a fava bean staple of the Egyptian breakfast, and also also includes sliced boiled egg, tangy feta mashed with tomatoes, puffy whole wheat pita and a falafel patty. The pharoah’s po boy piles fried battered shrimp and tahini into a softly charred pita. Be sure to order the killer honey-cardamom latte to round things out.

226 Greenwood Ave.
mahasbrunch.com

FRANKIES

Avoid the weekend lineups and instead duck into the dining room of this local Italian eatery that features all-day brunch, fresh sandwiches and an espresso machine that turns out all manner of caffeinated drinks from lattes to cortados. Exposed brick, black-and-white tiling and a large front window is perfect to take a seat and watch the neighbourhood pass by. 

892 Queen St. E.

YAYA

A couple of sidewalk tables welcomes would-be diners into this bright brunch spot that serves up daily breakfasts, brunches and lunches from scratch. Dishes range from two-egg plates to stuffed French toast, spicy Mexican eggs and a delicious Monte Cristo — brioche stuffed with bacon, cheese, caramelized onion and dijon. If you've got a taste for lunch, you can order chicken souvlaki, an all-American burger and avocado BLT among a list of fresh-made sandwiches. They've got a $6 and under kids menu and even various purees for the neighbourhood babies — talk about family friendly. 

1186 Queen St. E
yayafarmfresh.ca