Best breakfast in town [General]

2008 Oct 28
Hello again! I used to be a big fan of going out for an early breakfast in Moscow (crepes with salted salmon and caviar, mmm), but stopped that experience while being in Ottawa. Now I'm anxious to fix that. What is your favorite breakfast in town? Where / how early are they open? What's included / $$? Thanks in advance.
PS It could be nice to have a "breakfast" tag.
PSS I've just recalled that my best breakfast in Canada was in Panache - Auberge St-Antoine in Quebec city, freshly squeezed juice, egg benedict, toast with prosciutto, home-made duck sausage... not to mention perfect expresso. Don't remember the price but it was higher than average for sure.

2008 Oct 28
My favourite place is Maxwells and definitely their eggs benedict. Coras is also a good spot to try but their quantities are huge.

2008 Oct 28
Moscovite - On the technical side of things, I agree a BREAKFAST Tag would be a nice addition... I didn't even realize there wasn't one until you mentioned it.

As it stands now there are entries on the site for various Breakfast Foods, if you type their names into the SEARCH Box you can get a list of VENDORS for each of them, they are:

Bacon and Eggs Breakfast
Eggs Benedict
Fried Eggs
Scrambled Eggs
Crepes
Sunday Brunch Buffet
Weekend Brunch

You'll find most of these have rather extensive lists. And there is some overlap, for example a place might be noted for both their Bacon & Eggs Breakfast as well as their Eggs Benedict. Happy surfing.

As Pasta Lover said Cora's Cora's is a good spot for breakfast because it has a lot of choice, big servings and fresh fruit all year round. I like their Eggs Benedict... infact Eggs Benedict is my favourite breakfast dish. IMO the best ones are to be enjoyed at the large downtown hotels (like the Westin), and part of that is because not only is the food good, but breakfast service overall is so wonderful... white linen service for breaky is just so nice, expensive but nice. One of the things I really really love in life.

2008 Oct 28
Home made waffles at Athens Grill

Or Cora's, any location

2008 Oct 28
I know this suggestion only applies to weekend brunch, but I'm a big fan of the eggs benedict and blueberry pancakes at Stoneface Dolly's. Unfortunately, the lineup out the door can be horrendous.

2008 Oct 28
My votes go to: the Manx, Elgin St Diner, Chez Lucien (weekend brunch), Benny's Bistro, Domus (brunch, expensive)

2008 Oct 29
I like John's on Wellington Street , and Ada's Diner on Bank Street :)
Both are open early and offer breakfast into the afternoon (6am- 2pm or so, I think? They are both basically only breakfast/lunch places and close before dinner most days) and are small, really homey type places with servers who recognize you after you've been back a few times, and regulars that YOU recognize after you've been back a few times. Ada's has homemade waffles, but only on weekends. John's has great chocolate-malt milkshakes which I could never resist having with breakfast. Both have breakfasts featuring peameal bacon - my favourite!

Oh - note John's is cash only - no debit.

2008 Oct 29
I agree that Cora's is great... if you focus on the food only. However, the ambiance leaves a lot to be desired, as does the frequent long line ups, the poor service, and the feeling of being "rushed".

I really love breakfasts at a little Italian place on Queen Street, next to the strip joint. (The name escapes me now! But I promise to post it when I remember!) Sadly, they are now only open on weekdays. They excel in omelettes, have amazing home-made sausage, is small enough that the service is wonderful, and isn't so well-known that it's crowded / noisy.

2008 Oct 29
Hmmm, I've never had a long lineup, poor service, or feeling of being rushed at Cora's on Rideau at 7:30 am. And I rather like the ambiance. I have had long lineups for lunch at Cora's on Merivale.

2008 Oct 29
I too like Stone Face Dolly's so that is a good bet. I would also recommend the Scone Witch. I don't think it would be a candidate for the best breakfast in Ottawa and it is informal (counter service). But the food is very good, especially the scones, and its reasonably priced.

Cheers

2008 Oct 30
My favorites are...
Benny's Bistro, always fresh and flavorful.
The Urban Pear, have the absolute best peameal bacon & egg sandwich. Also a sun filled room which is great for an energizing brunch.

2008 Oct 30
Zymurgist: Ai yi yi, I could never be up that early on a weekend!

The place I like is Caffe Zucchero at 340 Queen Street.

2008 Oct 30
from where ive been (which has only been and handfull of places since ive been here), I like
#1 Fraser Cafe Brunch on sundays
#2 Bennys Bistro Brunch on sundays
#3 uuuhh I guess I alwasy go to the same 2 places!! :)
Zym 730am is a scary time of day!

2008 Oct 30
Fraser Cafe FOR SURE is the BEST breakfast I have ever had in Ottawa!!

One sort of surprise for a good standard breakfast is Eddie's on Montreal Rd....it's open 24 hours a day and is always busy. The service is great, coffee is good and the eggs perfectly cooked with great homefries at a VERY reasonable price....like under $5.

2008 Oct 31
7:30 is scary? What about 5:30? :-)

2008 Oct 31
Zym - I'm not a morning girl... So you'd never see me up for breaky on a weekend at 7:30 AM... but that said, you could run into me at 5:30 AM... many a late night has ended with breakfast at a deli. LOL

2008 Oct 31
What, no Manx brunch love???

2008 Oct 31
I said I love the Manx! It's awesome! I am, however, a Cora's "playa hata". Long & slow lines (which is just a marketing ploy anyway), boring food I can make at home (which I find is overpriced for what it is, they seem to justify the extra expense by throwing sliced fruit on your plate), inconsistent service, rushed service... it's just not for me! It might be better on Rideau st., but the fact that it's a chain franchise operation with variable quality at different locations irks me.

2008 Oct 31
;-) *wink*

I was just about to say that Chimichimi had praised Manx in his earlier post.

Chimichimi - I hear you on the Cora's thing (which BTW I believe is overpriced) but there is something so positive about that "thrown sliced fruit on the plate", it really does set them aside from the countless other Bacon & Egg Breakfast places (not that Bacon & Eggs is what most people order at Cora's). There is just something "lite, airy and springlike" about all that fruit in the middle of a -20 January day.

2008 Oct 31
Best breakfast in Ottawa is at a little quaint spot in Wellington Village .... called Chez Caper.

The picture is of the host, the chef and the server.

2008 Oct 31
My bad Chimi re: Manx, all the Cora's talk took me for a loop...

2008 Nov 1
Since Muscovite said he wanted an "early breakfast" I still think Cora's on Rideau. The place is almost empty at 7:30 - so no lineups. Heck, after 7:30 it's not even breakfast anymore anyway - you're already into your 2nd breakfast by that point! Yes, it's a bit expensive but the dishes are all unique - things you just aren't going to get anywhere else. Like who else serves pigs and a blanket? Not many places. And yes, piled with fruit which probably does add a fair bit to the tab. Or you can have just a bacon and egg breakfast if that's what you want. It's a bit more expensive than your average greasy spoon bacon and eggs, but the quality is a bit better, too. All that said, I can't afford to eat there often but I sure enjoy it when I do.

Many of the other places mentioned above are indeed good, but they are just plain old bacon-and-egg breakfasts. Nothing special. If that's what you want, then sure. I actually go to both Ada's and John's a fair bit, but I don't kid myself into thinking it's anything special as far as the food goes. As mentioned, you go there if you want to be recognised and "become part of the family". At Ada's the main attraction IMO is Ada herself, and the fact that once you've been there a few times, you can come back 5 months later and she'll still remember your "regular". John's I like because it's decent food, mom-and-pop (or actually pop-and-son) operation here in the neighbourhood. Super-friendly place.

Judging by Muscovite's description of his best breakfast in Canada, I'm thinking not one of the places like John's or Ada's though. Cora's for sure. Probably a few of the others above but I haven't been to them so don't know first hand.

2008 Nov 2
I just want somewhere that serves decent homefries. Not those little hard pieces of potato that are deep fried till their tasteless and seasoned to death, yet still tasteless.
Eggspectations has by far the best breakfast! Pancakes are fluffy like little pillows from heaven, and the homefries are REAL potatoes cut into rounds and baked(i think). Either way they coffee is great and if you get an orange juice it's fresh squeezed. The ambiance is amazing, menu selection is to die for, and the prices are reasonable.

2008 Nov 2
For delicious home fries, Broadways. They are fried in butter and onions.
For all around good breakfast, considering food quality, good service, prices, and consistency...Al's on Clyde
For a bigger menu & interesting creations..Eggspectation I also like...Cora's is alright but I also dislike how they keep a lineup going when there are empty tables...marketing tactic to make it look more busy and popular.
But for white linen breakfast and the most unbelieveable buffet imaginable...Chateau Montebello

2008 Nov 3
Just tried Fraser Café for brunch this week-end. Golf claps to them. Had the grilled cheese and it was excellent. Wife had the ploughman's lunch and it was great as well and a very generous portion. Reasonably priced given the quality of ingredients.

2008 Nov 4
I agree with Scrabbies the homefries at the Ottawa chain of Broadways Broadway Bar & Grill are totally awesome, and addictive... it's been said before, they must include a "drug" in their secret recipe.

2008 Nov 4
From my (admittedly limited) "weekend breakfast" experience, all of the "distinctive" (i.e. not bacon-and-eggs-greasy-spoon-type) places to eat aren't open at 7:30 in the morning. Can anybody corroborate?

Because all of a sudden I do have a craving for smoked salmon and caviar as a hangover breakfast. Preferably with much hair-of-the-dog, in either Champagne or Aquavit form.

2008 Nov 4
Can resto's sell booze before 11:00 am ?

2008 Nov 4
Momomoto - For the record Daly's Daly's at The Westin opens everyday at 6:30 AM (not that I would ever get there that early... NOTE: In my world 5:30 AM is late, 6:30 AM is early) LOL

As a top-drawer Hotel, they should be able to fulfill just about any of your breakfast fantasies... Eggs & Smoked Salmon with a Champagne Chaser does indeed sound good!

2008 Nov 4
CC - Oh crap, you may be onto something. Sounds like a job for Alcohol Sneaking.

DISCLAIMER: I do not advocate the use of secret contraptions to drink in restaurants before 11:00am.

2008 Nov 4
CaptainC - According to the LCBO Website, they say that indeed liquor can ONLY be served as of 11:00 AM (even with a Special Events Permit, nothing before 11 AM)... hmmm, now I gotta think back on the rare occasions when I've had a fancy breaky with Mimosas, "Were they all out of Ontario, or did they all happen after 11 AM?"

2008 Nov 4
Momomoto - Which sparks something else, the LCBO Website says alcohol may NOT be sold from a "Vending Machine"... I guess the idea being that the "control" goes out of the Liquor CONTROL Board of Ontario aspect. So one has to wonder how DiVino Wine Studio DiVino Wine Studio gets around this RULE with their fancy Enomatic Wine Machine... which is essentially self-serve if you purchase one of the wine cards. Hmmmm.

As for smuggling in alcohol... I have been known to use a flask on some occasions for Vodka, Rum or Rye (outdoor sporting events in particular).
;-)