7 Best Breakfast Restaurants in Toronto

P&M has been feeding Weston since 1970, and the family math alone tells you something: Frank Kalimaris runs the room now alongside his wife Niki and their kids George, Peter, and Katerina — the third generation behind the counter of a place named after the original founders, Peter and Mike, who opened at Weston and Lawrence back when the neighbourhood looked considerably different. The walls document all of it: old photos and memorabilia from Weston's past cover the decor, making it less a diner and more a minor time capsule. Notably, the kitchen has grown to be larger than the entire original restaurant — which is not a renovation story so much as a testament to what consistent community trust actually looks like over five decades.

The Halibut Fish and Chips is the dish P&M is consistently pointed to for, and the sourcing detail explains why: Kalimaris reportedly flies in whole 160-pound halibut from Alaska and breaks them down in-house, a deliberate choice over cod made decades ago for the fish's firmer, cleaner character. The result is widely described as structured and grease-free in a way lesser fish-and-chips operations rarely achieve. The Chicken Souvlaki anchors the other end of the menu — marinated, then grilled, plated with roasted potatoes, a daily tomato-sauce rice with sautéed onions, a feta-topped Greek salad, and garlic toast. It is the kind of plate that has been executed so many times in this specific room that it has essentially become its own reference point. Then there is The Ringer, a burger stacked with bacon, cheddar, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and freshly battered onion rings — distinguished primarily by the ringer sauce Niki developed herself, reportedly built on a base of barbecue, mustard, and hot sauce.

Practically speaking: no reservations, no drama. Lunch is the quieter window. Sit near the front where the old Weston photography clusters, go straight for the Halibut or The Ringer, and note that the price point is about as low as Toronto gets for cooking this deliberate.

Mildred's Temple Kitchen occupies a large, bright room in Liberty Village — a neighbourhood that has grown considerably since the restaurant established itself there, though Mildred's arrival predates much of that development. The scale of the space is deliberate: the kitchen is built to handle serious weekend volume, and the reservation system reportedly manages the flow with more discipline than most casual brunch rooms in the city. That combination of capacity and consistency is what has given the restaurant its institutional reputation in Toronto's west end.

Mrs. Biederhof's Wild Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes are the signature — the plate the room is arguably built around, and the one most first-timers are steered toward. The Manhandler is the move for a bigger appetite, a loaded breakfast built for people who arrived hungry, while Chix + Waffles delivers the sweet-savoury contrast that has kept it on the menu through years of shifting brunch fashion. Lighter tables lean toward Veda's Choice and the Eats, Shoots + Leaves salad, where the kitchen's seasonal thinking shows more than its indulgent side. That mix — a few unwavering signatures alongside a rotating cast — is what lets Mildred's read as an institution without feeling frozen, and it is why diners consistently return across years of high-traffic weekend service.

For practical purposes: weekend reservations are advisable and widely recommended — the room fills, and walk-in waits can be significant. The surrounding Liberty Village area has expanded its dining options over the years, but Mildred's retains a clear reputational advantage over most of its neighbours in this category. If you are anchoring a west-end brunch plan, the restaurant's track record makes it the logical starting point — book ahead, confirm the current menu online, and arrive with the expectation that the room will be busy by design rather than by accident.