Ottawa Foodies

I can see the charm and appeal of this little wife and husband diner. Breakfast prices are average, but the quality of the standard breakfast items is not exceptional.

I went for the combo breakfast: eggs, home fries, bacon, egg, sausage, and toast. The eggs were perfectly done to order (over medium). I thought the home fries were quite nice (as LauraN said, "more potato, less fry") although they weren't to my wife's taste at all. The ham and sausage aren't worth having, and the bacon was fine but not stellar.

I'd go back if I lived in the neighbourhood and could walk there, but if I have to drive there are plenty of superior breakfasts to be had elsewhere.

I eat this at least once or twice a month and really enjoy it. Their bacon is consistently crispy, but if you like it softer just ask and they'll do that too. By default it's crispy though and just done right. And his miss ratio on the over-easy eggs is very low (i.e. you almost never get them over-hard.)

Here it is, baby! Again, the bacon isn't this crispy unless you ask for it that way. I was so excited that I dug into it before taking the photo -- hence the scoop taken out of the ketchup pile. ;-)

Not the cheapest or biggest egg breakfast in town but quite possibly the best. Cooking this stuff isn't rocket science but it's amazing how many places screw it up. Here the quality is always good. The homefries have a bit of diced onion and the bacon is top notch (I specify "crispy" when ordering).

Wifey had the "Combination," which is identical to the "Gigantic" but without pancakes. Well, not really identical because it seems like they gave her more beans and hash browns to fill the plate. She agreed that Ralph's makes a better breakfast.

We also agreed that if we lived in Westboro (walking distance from John's) instead of where we are now (walking distance from Ralph's), then we'd probably come back for breakfast. Something without streaky bacon though. :-)

Here's my "Gigantic" meal:

Eggs - okay
Toast - okay
Hash browns - good taste but kind of dry
Beans - good but very small portion
Ham - good quality but a bit sweet
Sausage - good
Bacon - awful (so fatty that I had to leave a piece untouched, and I never do that! You can see the piece with lots of white in the photo...)
Pancakes - excellent!

Eggs, toast, bacon, and hash browns (the staples for me) weren't quite as good as my gold standard (Ralph's Diner vendor 789). Pancakes were possibly the best I've had at an Ottawa restaurant.

I LOVE breakfast at John's, best I've found in the city so far! Boyfriend and I wandered into this place one day and have become regulars - it is our fave for breakfast.

Breakfast platters come with hashbrowns AND beans AND thick-sliced toast (gotta love a place that adds the beans!).

Eggs are always cooked perfectly, (not too runny, not too hard for over easy, not too dry, not too wet for scrambled)

Bacon very good quality also cooked perfectly (crisp, but not too overdone).

Hashbrowns are real potatoes chunks, not deep-fried nuggets.

Peameal bacon breakfast platter available - 3 big slices on the platter!

Will post pic ASAP.

Stopped in here for the Weekend Breakfast. Had the standard Bacon & Eggs Breakfast. Ordered my Eggs Sunnyside, Bacon, and Brown Toast. Everything was tasty... eggs were perfectly done, bacon cooked thru and yet good and crispy.

As others have said the Hashbrown Potatoes here have to laced with drugs... they are super tasty and very very addictive... bits of onion and a hint of garlic. Crispy on the outside, smooth on the inside. You can't get much better than this.

As always the place was packed... if you go for breakfast on the weekend, expect a wait. Singles or doubles though can sometimes find a space to mosey up to at the bar. Service was good, fresh coffee was offered and refilled often. A great start to a weekend morning.

The home fries here are incredible. Vegetarians beware - I heard the home fries are deep fried first, then pan-fried in a mixture of garlic butter, onions and chicken broth.

Home fries are of the deep fried variety but come with diced green pepper and onions which add a nice touch. Endless coffee, quick service. Not a bad spot for a late night breakfast after you've hit the town.

Went for Saturday morning breakfast for three people. Places was packed and sat near front door (cold!~ but oh well). The servers are very good, we noticed that when we had the dinner as well. Coffee refills come very quickly. We normally eat at chances r , but find it's a getting a bit pricey. The breakfast special I had, scrambled, sausage, white toast, hashbrowns. The eggs were good, the rest tasted deep fried, the sausage tasted deep fried, (even bacon from other person) The toast was undercooked(almost like bread with faint cooked lines on it)very odd for them to let it leave the kitchen like that~and stone cold. (all three servings of toast were like that, even the kid's who came out five minutes before our breakfast). The hasbrowns are the typical deep fried .5", curious thing is that the review below lists garlic and onions, and we had zero. Overall we'd go back for dinner but not for breaky.

Weekend Breakfast – Served 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM

We arrived about Noon after weekend errands. There were a fair number of people seated, including families. We were immediately greeted, seated and served coffee (tea or coffee is included with the Breakfast Specials). "The Man" and I both ordered the PJ Quigley’s Special – 2 farm fresh eggs, bacon, ham or sausage, baked beans or homefries, and 2 slices of toast. Eggs were done exactly as ordered, and the bacon was nice and crispy (how we both like it). Homefries were more like a mini french fry, lightly cooked on the outside (not crunchy like some places) and soft potatoe on the inside, garlic & onions were not over-powering. We cleaned our plates, but only got half-way thru the order of toast (2 slices each). Coffee refills were generously offered.

A nice relaxing experience, and perhaps due to the time not crazy crowded, we'll be back!

I had the "Hungry Man" breakfast. Quite satisfying but nothing too spectacular. The scrambled eggs were very dry (but lightly seasoned), the bacon was fatty (but nice and smokey), and the sausages were better than average.

Service was really nice in a friendly, informal way.

Was so excited today as my financee and I were taking my daughter to a restaurant we both loved and talked about so much-Baker Street Cafe. Well, I guess I should`t have as things did not go so well and basically I was made to feel like the bad guy for complaining. The first disappointment was that there were no more cinninamon buns, oh well we could live with that as I did not need the calories anyway. We waited and waited and noticed that others that came in after us were now served. When I called the server over, she hastly told me that ours was in the cue and would be up soon. I would also like to add that while I was waiting , our server was over folding napkins for a very long time. As you can imagine, when the food did come it was yes, at no surprise dirt cold. As I assumed that this would happen, I checked my food before she left my table and asked her to take not only mine but all three of our`s back. With an attitude she did so and brought back what was probably the same plates with hot potatoes and not nuch more hot. We sucked it up and ate the food expecting the server to appologise. Ooops, wrong idea on our behalf. All we received was mor attitude, plates rushed away and a very cold treatment. Well, you imagine the rest of the story. I paid, no tip and proceeded to tell the server that her customer skills were lacking. She then proceeded to tell me that it was not their fault and the food was OK. Her father was the cook and owner and did all they could. I told her that other places would have taken something off the bill as a gesture of good will and welcome me back. Aparently they did not have a microwave to heat up the food, so they must have tried other magical things.We have so enjoyed our other times at this restaurant,but it certainlt has left a bad taste in our mouth.

A very standard "big breakfast" here. The eggs were nicely done. Toast was fine. Bacon was so-so. Potatoes were not good at all -- overdone, dry, and without flavour (ketchup is mandatory). They were also kind enough to give me the over-fried crumbs of potato from the bottom of the fryer basket (bleh). Jam packets were served in a separate bowl rather than thrown on top of the food like some other places do.

Pancakes were excellent. Fluffy and tasty -- possibly from a mix but good in spite (because?) of it.

A nice assortment of fresh fruit is an admirable part of this meal. Not the ripest most flavourful fruit I've ever had but they still deserve credit for bothering.

Coffee is not included and costs an extra $1.75, making the total charge about $10. This is a huge meal and could very well be the only thing you need to eat all day. They do have less gluttonous options on the menu!

I do understand the "theory" behind such an action, I just think its a little old school. :)

My main point was, was that they could probably offer a special between the original and the hearty. I found that having all of this information to process first thing in the morning (no special for my appetite, ordering sides to buff out my breakfast, 2 dollars more after x oclock) is a little overwhelming. Of course ymmv.

Like I said, thank goodness their coffee is good. A definite draw for me in the morning.

Just a note to explain why restaurants charge more for breakfast after a certain time. It's because you're taking up a seat that *could* be filled with someone ordering a fully priced non-breakfast meal. So it makes sense but of course doesn't make it less annoying -- especially if you're there 10 minutes after the switchover time! ;-)

Went for b&e breakfast this morning at this location. Typical strip mall restaurant decor and service. And while they do serve breakfast all day, I do think it a titch arrogant to charge $2. more for the same food after a certain time.

Their lunch and dinner menu's are surprisingly extensive, but if you are of a mind for something other than the standard choices for breakfast, go elsewhere.

I was feeling somewhere between their "Original Breakfast" @ $3.99 and their "Hearty Breakfast" @ $6.99. They offer nothing in between, so I checked out their sides. And just about snorted coffee out of my nose. For 3 pieces of bacon it is an additional 3 bucks! For 5 or so pieces of potato, 2 bucks! Now I know why they charge $3.99 for the Original.

All in all there was nothing wrong with the food, just the portion size. 2 small eggs, 2.5 slices bacon, 5 little pieces potato and a slice of toast.

I must mention too that their coffee is very good.

My wife and I used to go here a lot when we lived in that area. Great service and a dependable no-nonsense breakfast.

This is a great little greasy spoon tucked away in a strip mall on Merivale. Style-wise it is reminiscent of a 60's diner and the clientele tend to be on the older side - which gives the place a special old-school charm. The lady at the cash gives me a funny look everytime I step in, almost like I've discovered their secret breakfast paradise and I'm intruding upon it.

Your typical 'breakfast special' can be had for < $4 taxes-in, including tea or coffee. Service is lightning fast and very friendly.

Great breakfast spot. Eggs cooked perfectly to order and home fries of the pan-fried variety. Price is above average at ~$6.50 but the quick and friendly service makes up for it.

Retro 50's style diner on Beechwood. Seating is limited inside, and I agree with the comment of the small booths. The good thing is the service is quick and the breakfast special is quite inexpensive(~$4).

Small 'hole in the wall' greasy spoon restaurant tucked away on Tremblay Rd, near the VIA Station.

Breakfast (all day?) is super cheap ringing in at ~$3.50 for your standard special (2 eggs, meat, potatoes, toast). Breakfast purists - they serve real potatoes fried in a cast-iron pan, not the deep fried variety. Other hearty choices include rib steak/eggs and corned beef hash.

For all you early birds out there - they open at 5AM!

* image taken from www.breakfastblogger.com

Just my choice for best greasy spoon bacon and egg in the region.

This restaurant is textbook greasy spoon. Small dingy diner on Dalhousie with a very cheap satisfying breakfast and friendly service.

There's certainly an interesting crowd of people here late at night, those who have been will know what I mean :)

Not to be confused with Mello's Coffee Shop on Merivale.

I had French toast with fresh fruit and baked beans for a late breakfast. Presentation was much better than I would expect at a diner, with nice dishes and a good dusting of cinnamon. It was well cooked, not too soggy in the middle which can be a problem sometimes, and very good. The beans were not as thick as I'm used to, but still good nonetheless.

For sure you can't go wrong for the price. I always upgrade to a custom coffee beverage(espresso, cappuccino or latte) as the coffee is a little maxwell house for my liking.

Farm-fresh eggs!

For the basic, cheap breakfast special, this place is hard to beat.

Each time we drove by this place on Richmond Rd, I'd say to my wife, "We really should try the breakfast there." Well, we finally went and I'm happy to have that urge out of my system.

I went for the Lumberjack Special: eggs, all meats, homefries, toast, and pancakes. The eggs were done just fine, but the meats were all kind of inferior. The homefries seemed especially bad, with too much seasoning and big chunks of undercooked sharp white onion. The pancakes were good but tiny (albeit slightly larger than they appear in this photo -- maybe 4 inches across).

Coffee was charged for on top of the meal, but it was pretty good coffee and they leave the thermal carafe at the table for you. Thumbs up for that little detail!

On a rainy Saturday morning, my partner and I ventured out for a delicious brunch, our mouths watering for a classic Mayflower breakfast. Upon arrival, it was packed solid, and we just were not in the mood to be crammed into one of their tiny two-person tables...So we hit the road!

Walking down Bank street we were inspired by the fresh, renovated look of the Atomic Rooster and their billboard out front advertising a three egg breakfast for a very decent price. Exchanging glances of "Why not give it a try?", we went in.

Not wanting to ruin the ending of this post, but brunch was delicious!

The lovely servers kept our cups filled with freshly brewed caffeine-laden coffee, while ensuring our meals were brought out hot, made to order, and beautifully presented.

Even though we both got the simple two egg breakfast with toast and house salad and homefries, everything was great - Eggs perfectly prepared as requested, toast toasted to perfection,and homefries tossed with sauteed onions. The kicker - combined check for two people: $11. Splendid.

The plates coming out of the kitchen for the other hungry patrons also looked superb,enough so to entice me back to give those a try.

So, with friendly service, relaxing ambiance, and fresh, delicious food, I will definitely return to the Atomic Rooster another Saturday morning for my first meal of the day.

Stopped here for breakfast sunday morning. Restaurants located in hotels usually have a good breakfast since they have to serve breakfast seven days a week.

The breakfasts here have cutesy sports themed names i.e. The Hat Trick etc.

For some reason I thought that I was hungry enough for the "Two On Two".

Two eggs, two pancakes, toast, bacon and sausage.
Pancakes were good, but probably from a mix. Eggs were a little undercooked for my taste...I think eggs done "over" should have a bit of colour on the top, these didn't. Bacon was cooked perfectly, sausages were okay. Potatoes were deep fried but dressed up with a little fried onion...better than bad hash browns, but not as nice as really good ones.

Service was speedy and coffee was decent (if I don't have to put more than 2 creamers in it then it's pretty good). All in all, good service...and a decent breakfast, but I've had better.

Oh..and me vs. the Two On Two? It won, I couldn't finish it all.

I tried this place for the first time this weekend. There are 4 or 5 diners within easy walking distance of my house so I'd never tried this one before.

I chose the 2 egg breakfast with meat and 2 sides.
The choices:
Meat: bacon, sausage, ham or bologna
Sides: homefries, beans, salad or tomatoes.

I went with homefries and beans. The eggs were nicely cooked, the portion of bacon was fairly generous, 4 or 5 slices. The homefries could have been fried a little more, but they were actual potatoes that had been fried, not frozen things dumped into a fryer. The beans were the big surprise...they were really good. I don't usually order beans with my breakfast...I've had too many crunchy or mushy and tasteless ones. They were a little sweet for my taste, but my french-canadian stepdad would have approved.

went in on a sunday afternoon and it was a short wait and was a little bit busy. Was given coffee and promptly and ordered food after 5 minutes. We ordered the specials and combo from the menu. After 45 minutes of waiting, they told us that the poached egg for the benedict would take a while. After an hour of waiting for our food, we got upset as they started serving people that had come in 15 minutes after us. We left after they served the table of 6 poached eggs that had come in 30 minutes after us. This was very rude and they did not apologize but only stated that it takes a long time to poach an egg. It does not take an hour and 15 minutes of waiting to poach an egg. Service was horrible and the food did not look apetizing. The washrooms were dirty. Would not recommend this place to anybody. We are respectable and were well dressed, either the waitress or staff were racist or incompetent. I do not know why they provided such terrible service. If you want to wait an hour and 15 minutes or more to get breakfast...this would be the place. We are never going back.

We are the owners and operators of Jean Albert's Restaurant, and we would like to introduce to Canada our $1.00 Menu Breakfast. Everything on the $1.00 Menu is $1.00 each!!!!

You wouldn't think a pizza joint would have a good breakfast, but you would be wrong - these guys are probably the most unknown breakfast joint in town, and it's good, really good.

Fast - BIG PORTIONS - diner coffee as expected, but they keep fillin it, so thats good-many dishes include lotsa cheese surprise surprise, it is a pizza place.

I had the Farmers choice, which makes any big breakfast look measly next to this monster!!
3 eggs with 2 pancakes or Pain Doré with 3 strips of bacon and 3 sausage,i think you can get ham if you want, plus homefries and toast. It's a hangover special for sure!

My girlfriend had the chicken broccoli and swiss omelette, also massive, 3 eggs, toast and homfries or tomates, she loved it.

Open 7 days a week at 7 a.m. definitely reccomend this place, friendly, lotsa seating, wicked food, its got it all.

I wasn't too hungry. So, I ordered the Classics egg favourites which includes 2 sunny side eggs, hash browns, 3 buttermilk pancakes and sausage (or bacon). I think it is a good deal for $6.89.

As a previous reviewer mentioned - the home fries are of the deep fried variety which is a shame. Although the BEST part of the breakfast here is the sausage - they give you a full sized bratwurst instead of 3 little breakfast links! Breakfast is reasonably priced and if you look like a student (not sure if everyone on this site could pull this off!) then they have a student breakfast special which is $1.99!

My only complaint is service here can be quite spotty as the restaurant is usually packed. On some occasions I've came in and sat down, and haven't received acknowledgment of even being there - which is almost unforgivable in the restaurant 'biz.

All in all - great value on some items. Just try and pick a quiet morning!

Went there during weekday, lots of cars in parking lot but still tables available. The service was quick and good timing on coffee refills. The 1.99 student breaky (plus a $1 coffee) was given to me, even though I'm obviously not a student. The scrambled eggs were the type where they must lay them thin/flat on grill and let cook quickly then cut in to strips or whatever, and they had an old dirty grill taste to them. What seems to be the standard deep fried hashbrowns (GOD WHERE ARE THE GOOD HASBROWNS ANYMORE< LIKE Chances R used to make with real potatoes?), the toast was great. The standard bacon everone seems to be serving at all the restaurants that tastes like precooked, hard to eat Bacon.

Bagel and cream cheese was good, with two balls of cream cheese on the plate that you could spread yourself. Good sized balls of cream cheese.

Ha.. we almost went there for brekky the Sunday before you but bailed at the last minute because their parking lot was so full. I've been once before and remember it being a decent place inside but the food was unmemorable.

Saturday morning wasnt very busy, and I had Bacon & Eggs with Fresh Fruit. The bacon was good, the eggs were way underdone & really had no flavour, and where were the homefries?

I'm an avid breakfast hunter, and I have to say Lieutenants Pump has the best breakfast I've tried in Ottawa.

I usually order 2 over-easy, ham and salad instead of potatoes.

The ham is lean. The eggs are fried to perfection without any "debris" from other foods stuck in them. The salad is delicious with fresh mixed greens, and plentiful. You get at least 2 servings of fresh fruit on your plate, including melon, pineapple and strawberries.

Presentation is beautiful with a chocolate for dessert, and all you can drink rich coffee. All for $4.50.

Highly recommended to those of you who love a "healthy" pub breakfast.

What happened to the Grillman?

Having a busy day yesterday we decided to do quick and basic for breakfast this morning. Broadways was full so we headed for the Grillman, having not been there for a while.

First disappointment was how tired the restaurant interior now looks. Dusty cobwebs in the pot lights, chipped formica everywhere, peeling seats. But since they do a good breakfast I was willing to overlook these things.

Coffee (which was good) was prompt and the service was great up until the cheque, which required me to eventually get up and put my coat on…nothing…walking over to waiter on the phone and making eye contact….nothing, and finally having to actually ask him for it. At that point he made his way over to our section and after giving some folks menus and taking someone else’s order he managed to give it up. I should note here that when we arrived the restaurant was not busy, nor was there any threat of that happening anytime soon; but by the time we left it looked like the after-church-crowd was arriving so we missed the heavy time.

As for the food. Its pretty hard to screw up breakfast but it can be done. It arrived with breathtaking quickness for sure, but this was after staring at the menu that was vaguely reminiscent of Cora’s except their prices were higher.

I’m not too sure what you can do to bagel-yoghurt-cantaloupe-and coffee to warrant a $10.50 price tag but I wasn’t about to find out. So I settled for their basic bacon-eggs-potatoes-beans-toast. Tasty enough and not bad value considering the bacon was of the see-thru commercial cut variety and the nondescript beans could have been missing and I wouldn’t have noticed. Why do they bother? What we both received was a thick gelatinous goop with few beans in it. The potatoes were your basic garden variety and I’m not too sure what level of acquaintance their toaster has with bread, but it was a short relationship with mine. Barely toasted and then the jam/pb/marmalade pkgs were heaped on top. Yum. Why do restaurants do this? At the very least they could put them on the side.

For $4. more my partner ordered the Hearty version of my breakfast. Barely justified, the extras included 2 sausages and one and a half pieces of sliced packaged sandwich ham thrown onto the griddle to heat up. They may want to rethink this one.

While standing waiting for said waiter to get off the phone (see above), I was able to notice an unused salad bar standing in the middle of the floor. I recall bringing friends to the Grillman for breakfast/brunch and the salad bar was always an option. Today it just looked like an old forgotten relic, all covered up with plastic, waiting, perhaps, for dinner?

All in all, I wont be back for breakfast. There is far too much competition out there for my breakfast dollar these days and if you cant do it right I will vote with my feet.

I had the western omelette here and was fairly pleased with it. Sure, it takes and Englishman to properly mess up breakfast, but this was pretty good. The fillings for the omelette were plentiful and the onion was cooked nicely. The potatos it came with were larger slices, lightly fried and dusted with paprika. My only complaint would be in the selection of jams, which were low end and very jelly-like.

Bacon is usually very crispy. Overall a dependable breakfast. Nothing really out of the ordinary for this sort of meal, but certainly won't disappoint.

New User 1144, I have to ask. Did you point out any of your concerns to the waitstaff? It sounds like most of them would have been addressed quite readily.

Underdone eggs would likely be replaced. Unless it's a Montreal-style deli, not having rye bread on hand doesn't seem too surprising. It seems quite accommodating of them to offer a bagel or english muffin when the toast selection was not what you wanted. Since they gave you special treatment in this sense, it's really no surprise that the butter slipped through the cracks. I'm sure if you'd asked for some they would have obliged!

The twice-baked bacon isn't really excusable (and certainly couldn't be fixed). But I'm guessing many higher end restaurants that serve breakfast or brunch have a different set of staff, standards, and (hopefully) prices for those meals compared with dinner. Anyway, Mediterranean cultures are not really known for their bacon and eggs breakfasts! I don't think I'd want Kalamari from a North American pancake house either... ;-)

Hmmm... I'm surprised by your experience. We went for breakfast a week ago and were quite pleased. Nothing mind-blowing, but reasonable prices, a great patio that's so large you're practically guaranteed a seat, a plethora of choices ranging from standard breakfast fare to more creative items, and pleasant and efficient service.

I had a 3-egg veggie omelet with a large helping of breakfast potatoes and 2 slices of buttered toast. My husband had the traditional breakfast and found the bacon to be on par with most other places in the city. His eggs were also poached to medium as requested. As a side note, all breakfast entrees come with a "starter" fresh fruit plate, which I thought was a nice touch -- the fruit took the edge off while we waited for our orders, and the fruit didn't get warm as it often does when served on the same plate as a hot breakfast.

We won't be rushing back, but we will make it a regular stop as its only 2 blocks off the bike path at Dow's lake so a great stop after a morning bike ride -- just park your bike right outside the patio.

In the spirit of objective reporting, please do comment on your "VERY enjoyable" dinner at Trella -- we've been curious about the dinner menu so would love to hear your experience!

So Trella is right across the street from our house, and I have been there for a VERY enjoyable dinner. We figured that we would check it out for a Sunday breakfast. BIG mistake.
I must admit that I am quite particular about my orders, I had worked in the service industry for many years, and I know that it is not THAT difficult to get orders right.
At Trella, I had ordered your basic 2 eggs (over medium) with bacon and toast - nothing spectacular. What I received was not what I expected for this place. My eggs were runny, REALLY runny. I poked the yoke and it bled all over my plate. I order OM for a reason. I traded eggs with my boyfriend who had the bagel sandwich and therefore had cooked eggs. When ordering, I had requested rye bread and was unfortunately told that my options were white or brown, I was then offered a bagel or an english muffin (which I chose) as a substitute. My english muffin arrived with no butter, yum. My bacon was twice baked. Most restaurants (except real breakfast places) bake their bacon prior to opening, so all they have to do is warm it. This makes for shite bacon, which Trella served.
For this place - "upscale", I was severely disappointed in their breakfast offerings and unfortunately will not return for this meal EVER.

Sorry - I just can't get down with the fried mashed potatoes instead of homefries. I've tried to like this place, but there's much better value and food out there as far as breakfasts are concerned. The 24-hour breakfast special used to be ~$4 and it's probably twice that these days.

This restaurants thrives on it's reputation and location (OK the poutine is good, I'll give them that)

This is what I got one day after ordering a Big Breakfast. Hadnt had one in years...now I know why.