Where to eat the best breakfast in Toronto

A staple local breakfast spot formerly housed on Queen East and reopened on Broadview in 2018, serving excellent eggs Benedict and globally nuanced breakfast faves. The pretty, light-filled location sources loads of local products and produce so that you can customize your own egg dishes or opt for an A.M Poutine. If you like a place that pays attention to the deets, like cold-pressed OJ or grapefruit juice, high-quality coffee (from Toronto's Pilot Roasters), bread from Blackbird Baking Co. and St. John's Bakery, you'll love this spot. The Leslieville nabe location is the ideal destination if you’re looking to wander around funky shops and galleries post-meal.

A bakery/café that feels like you've stepped into a hidden treasure below the city street level on King Street West, complete with all the sweet cornetti (the Italian variation of the croissant) and cappuccini you can handle. Not a fan of sweets in the morning? No problem: the cornetto salato (savoury croissant) will delight you. Third-generation bakers that use organic flours mean business when it comes to baking in the Italian tradition. This is the perfect spot to pick up some casual grub and to-go breakfast to fuel up before exploring the city. After all, a bombolone and cappuccino are the perfect pairing any time of day—especially in the morning. Check out additional locations at Union Station, MOCA and First Canadian Place.

A southern French café and bakery originally from New York City, in the heart of First Canadian Place in the city's Financial District that serves locally sourced breakfast and lunches to a daily throng of area suits. Bonus points for the freshly baked artisan bread, quiches, cookies, croissants, and all of the other French, buttery bites Maman turns out that make any morning better. Try the pistachio loaf; trust us. Maman is a pretty café within a robust food court that caters to white-collar office workers, which means you get top-notch fare at reasonable prices. If you're more of a vegetarian/vegan breakfast diner, just hop across the court to iQ Food Company for a chia pudding, PB oats or avocado toast with a smoothie to wash it all down.

This is what Maha Barsoom and family call "5,000-year-old food made 5,000 years later" in Toronto's East side. The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch every day except for Wednesday, serving a variety of Egyptian classics like ful (stewed fava beans) paired with sunny-side-up eggs or the basturma scramble, made with fenugreek cured Egyptian beef slivers. Without a doubt, every dish is a winner. The place is cozy, as you'd imagine the Barsoom's home to be, buzzing with activity and honey-cardamom lattes to start you off on a sweet note.

Owner and executive chef Donna Dooher has been a fixture of Canada’s and Toronto’s food scenes for decades. This particular spot is the reinvention of her former Mildred Pierce restaurant, named after the classic movie. She offers a hearty B'lunch (which she considers the best of lunch and breakfast) service in a spacious, light and airy space in the West side's Liberty Village neighbourhood. To taste the Canadiana-inflected Bloody Caesar (not a Bloody Mary in these parts) with house-made chilli hot sauce, a locally made Caesar tomato-clam juice and paper-thin celery curls with your huevos monty. You might also want to try Mrs. Biederhof's blueberry buttermilk pancakes doused in Lanark County maple syrup. This is the perfect place to linger while enjoying a late-morning feast.

The original Emma's Country Kitchen opened in small-town Ontario, where the owner's grandma (you guessed it, Emma) was renowned for her brilliant baked goods. Recipes have been passed down to the current generation, so expect freshly baked everything: from loaves of bread to scones, hamburger buns and a terrific “lazy daisy oatmeal cake”. A country-style diner in St. Claire West, this neighbourhood gem has been serving classic eggs Benedict with house-cured peameal bacon on buttermilk biscuits under a dome of mousseline sauce since 2012. The morning fried donuts are legendary, as are the aforementioned eggs benny and the "I know what you did last night" breakfast burger. Strong coffee and a stroll over to the Artscape Wychwood Barns post-breakfast make this a tasty start to any day.

A funky, 26-seater in the Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood known for its fabulous French toast made from day-old bread sourced from the bakery down the road and the carrot cake waffles. It's a gathering spot for locals and travellers alike, who commune over-generous plates of carbs and good, hot coffee. The persimmon pancakes are one reason to give this place a whirl, the all-day breakfast specials and the cheese-stuffed savoury French toast are two others. It's also a fabulous start to a walking tour of the eclectic neighbourhood packed with designer shops, coffee shops and indie fashion labels.

A classic French bakery in the Riverside neighbourhood that has been serving some of the city's most delicious freshly baked croissants, quiches, tarts and omelettes for over twenty years now. You'll smell the alluring aroma of baguettes and pastries before you step foot in the quaint café. The bakers start their routine at 4 am every day to ensure that you get the flakiest, most buttery French viennoiseries, croissants and boules around. Do you really need more reasons to visit?