The best brunch restaurants in Toronto — from no-reservation spots worth the queue to easy weekday options. A neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood guide.
Toronto's brunch scene is competitive in the best way. The city has produced a generation of cooks who take a Saturday morning plate of eggs as seriously as a tasting menu. The pattern is consistent: the best spots are in residential neighbourhoods (Leslieville, Roncesvalles, Kensington), most don't take reservations, and arriving right at opening avoids the worst waits.
Lady Marmalade (898 Queen St E) is the most talked-about brunch in Toronto — a tiny room with a queue that forms before 9am on weekends. The eggs benny variations are the draw, particularly the crab cake and the wild boar options. The wait is real (30–60 min on Saturday) but the food justifies it. Bonjour Brioche (812 Queen St E) takes a French approach — brioche-based everything, excellent café au lait, and a simpler menu that executes at a high level.
Note: Saving Grace (907 Dundas St W) permanently closed in February 2025 after two decades as a west-end brunch institution. The Federal (1438 Bloor St W, Bloordale) is now the best pick in this part of the city — small menu, changes regularly, excellent technique.
Aunties and Uncles (74 Lippincott St) is a Kensington classic — the space fits maybe 20 people, the food is creative and well-executed, and the egg dishes are genuinely interesting rather than just competent. Chef Anar (180 Baldwin St) is the Iranian-Canadian café doing the best eggs in the neighbourhood — soft-scrambled with herbs, flatbread, and a rotating menu of pastries.
Maha's (226 Greenwood Ave) is the Egyptian-Canadian brunch that Toronto food writers keep returning to — the ful medames, the taameya, and the fresh-baked aish baladi are all excellent. No reservations, so arrive early. The Annex's cafés along Bloor Street fill up with University of Toronto faculty and students — the Coffee Lab (1614 Bayview Ave) and the surrounding blocks have solid options without the downtown queues.
Beat the Queue Toronto's best brunch spots open between 9–10am. Arriving 10 minutes before opening almost always gets you a table without a wait — even at Lady Marmalade. The queue forms fast after opening. Alternatively, go on a weekday — the same food, no queue, and the staff actually have time to talk to you.
When you want the full experience with reservations, the Broadview Hotel (106 Broadview Ave) Sunday brunch has some of the best views in the city alongside solid food. Harriet's at 1 Hotel Toronto (550 Wellington St W) and the Drake Hotel (1150 Queen St W) both offer polished settings worth considering for a special occasion. Richmond Station (1 Richmond St W) does the best value upscale brunch in the city — the prix fixe lunch bleeds into brunch territory and the quality is exceptional.
Top brunch spots in Toronto include Lady Marmalade (Leslieville), The Federal (Bloordale), Aunties and Uncles (Kensington), and Maha's (Leslieville). Expect queues on weekend mornings at the most popular spots.
Very popular — weekend brunch is one of Toronto's most competitive restaurant categories. The best spots fill up by 9:30am on Saturdays and Sundays, and most don't take reservations. Going on a weekday or arriving right at opening is the best strategy.
Leslieville and Roncesvalles consistently rank as Toronto's best brunch neighbourhoods — high concentration of independent spots, lower rents meaning smaller menus done well, and a neighbourhood feel. The Annex and Kensington Market are also excellent.
Many of the best brunch spots in Toronto don't take reservations — Lady Marmalade, Aunties and Uncles, and The Federal are all walk-in only. Arrive 10–15 minutes before opening to avoid long waits. Some higher-end options like Richmond Station do take reservations for weekend brunch.
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