The top 21 brunch in Toronto by country
Brunch in Toronto need not be limited to just bacon and eggs. There's a whole world of morning foods readily available in this city, which means your taste buds can potentially start the day in a different country every weekend.
Here's my picks for the best brunch in Toronto by country.
AMERICAN
For a taste of the southern US, head to The Stockyards where the smokehouse Sunday brunch menu boasts biscuits with sausage and gravy, fried chicken and waffles, and griddle cakes topped with whipped citrus butter and maple syrup.
BRAZILIAN
Mata Petisco Bar in Parkdale serves a brunch menu where Brazilian and Canadian influences mingle. Highlights include rabanada (Brazilian-style French toast) and breakfast poutine loaded with guava BBQ pork, cheese curds, poached eggs and hollandaise.
CANADIAN
The Sunday brunch menu at Bannock features all sorts of traditional Canadian faves including a spin on eggs benedict that comes with shaved peameal bacon, brunch poutine and eggs served with bannock and duck fat potatoes.
CHINESE
Get your yum cha on at Kwan from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. The dim sum restaurant prides itself on its wide variety of fresh-made dumplings, steamed buns, bite sized pastries, egg tarts and congee.
CUBAN
The weekend brunch menu at La Cubana is packed full of chorizo empanadas, chimichurri steak and eggs, and pineapple glazed pork belly with sunny side up eggs. Ensuring that no one leaves hungry, most morning meals come with rice, beans, tostones and slaw.
EGYPTIAN
Maha's is home to the Cairo Classic, a breakfast platter featuring fava beans and an entourage of hard boiled eggs, falafel, tomato feta, salads and balady bread. Other house favourites include the sunny eggs and foole, basturma scramble and a date grilled cheese sandwich drizzled with honey.
FILIPINO
Get your silog breakfast fix at Lamesa where the Filipino staple includes a choice of boneless bangus, pork belly tocino, or pork longanisa with cassava hash, fried eggs, salad and garlic fried rice. Those who prefer a sweet start should opt for the eye-popping ensaymada French toast.
ENGLISH
Proper Brit style fry-ups at The Old Laurel are the ultimate greasy feast. Expect a plate packed with fried eggs, rashers, bangers, black pudding, baked beans, grilled mushrooms, tomato, bubble and squeak, and fried bread.
FRENCH
Bistro brunching at Le Select is a lavish affair featuring fluffy croissants from Rahier, foie gras on French toast and Provenรงal pastry tarts inspired by salade nicoise.
INDIAN
Saravanaa Bhavan boasts locations in Scarborough and Mississauga where a South Indian breakfast buffet is served weekends between 10 a.m. and noon. Get there early to take full advantage of the AYCE menu featuring dosa, utthappam and poori along with vada (savoury lentil fritters), rava kesari and rava kichadi (sweet and savoury semolina dishes), and potato masala.
IRISH
The weekend brunch at Ceili Cottage features fresh shucked oysters and full Irish breakfasts loaded with bacon, sausage, black and white pudding, fried eggs, mushrooms and grilled tomatoes.
IRANIAN
Takht-e Tavoos is the place to fill up on Persian delicacies like kalleh pacheh, dizi sangi and paneer boroshte featuring fried eggs over halloumi with smoked salmon, potatoes and a medley of olives, tomatoes and fresh herbs.
ISRAELI
Israeli and Jewish influences collide on the menu at Fat Pasha. Find seasonal features like steaming bowls of shakshuka, falafels slathered in tahini and skhug, and beet cured gravlax on toast with labneh and hard boiled egg.
ITALIAN
Pizza for breakfast? Gusto 101 does it right with the pizza all'uova, a pie topped with speck and baked eggs. Other favourites on the brunch menu include lemon ricotta pancakes and a sweet potato and spinach frittata.
JAPANESE
Kasa Moto in Yorkville offers a Tokyo-inspired brunch menu that features salmon tataki on toast, bincho grilled steak and eggs and breakfast bento boxes.
MEXICAN
Huevos rancheros, bolillo buns loaded with scrambled eggs, bacon and avocado, and burritos stuffed with bacon, eggs and queso are all on the brunch menu at Milagro's three locations.
PAKISTANI
Shaheen Tikka serves breakfast on weekends and holidays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.. Specialties include poori with chana masala and halva, and haleem, a slow cooked porridge of lentils, grains and lamb served with naan or kulcha.
POLISH
Hastings Snack Bar is a luncheonette that serves Polish breakfasts Thursday to Sunday. The humble but delicious morning meal features fried eggs, parowka (a Polish weenie), potato pancakes and rye bread.
SCANDINAVIAN
Karelia Kitchen is a Nordic smokehouse in Bloordale where the brunch menu boasts potato pancakes with hot smoked trout, horseradish gravlax and a poached duck egg. There's also Finnish style French toast made with pulla.
SPANISH
Graze on pan con tomate and thinly sliced jamon at Patria while waiting for orders of tortilla de patatas and sweet Spanish toast to arrive at the table.
TRINIDADIAN
Windup on College Street is the place to enjoy bake and saltfish, oxtail Benedicts and short rib peppa pots swimming with cassava dumplings.
What did I miss? Add your favourite international brunch spots in the comments.
Lead photo of Maha by Jesse Milns.
Join the conversation Load comments