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Categories: American (New), Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
1290 Queen St EToronto, ON M4L 1C4
Neighbourhood: Greenwood-Coxwell
(416) 465-3600
- Hours:
Wed-Sat 5:30 pm - 10 pm
Thu-Fri 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Sat-Sun 9 am - 3 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
14 reviews for Edward Levesque's Kitchen
All Reviews
Edward Levesque's Kitchen
3/22/2010
2 Check-ins Here
- no brunch reservations (clearly posted everywhere) - no substitutions (footnoted often) - no children (overtly implied) -
The good:
- Standard "All-Day Breakfast" was made with top quality ingredients. The bacon was thick and crispy - either they cut it themselves in-house or they get it from a great butcher because it's the thing I enjoyed most about the meal.
- Breakfast has everything - hashbrowns, toast, bacon & eggs (not poached - I didn't ask because I feel like they don't want you to ask - but I wish that wasn't the footnote that affected me) and all of the ingredients are of farm fresh quality
- I like the actual restaurant; walking past the open kitchen on your way in, the space between tables, the professional wait staff.
The bad:
- I didn't love the hashbrowns. They are soft through and through. Not the texture I am looking for in a hashbrown. I want it crispy on the outside.
- We didn't notice the extensive breakfast-alcohol drinks menu until we had already ordered juice.
I will definitely go here again, looking forward to trying dinner. Brunch is only Friday, Saturday & Sunday and there are no reservations.
Listed in: Breakfasts, Turn Down Your Baby
Edward Levesque's Kitchen
6/24/2010
Sorry, I just don't like it here. The food is probably worth four stars, but I just never seem to enjoy myself here. First of all, the space and the music are way too serious for me to take seriously. Second, everything that comes out of the kitchen is not quite what you'd expect.
For example, steak with garlic potatoes and asparagus turns out to be a steak with a little bit of a sauce on top that is extremely garlicky. The sauce it turns out is made with potatoes. The asparagus is basically a garnish. Who needs to mention a garnish in the menu?
This restaurant is too clever for it's own good. But you might feel differently, and really, I don't want to dissuade you. Go. Forget this review. Enjoy the place. I'll be elsewhere.
Edward Levesque's Kitchen
5/9/2010
Was there for a brunch for a first time after hearing lots of hype about the place. While waiting in line you can read ravings from various newspapers on the restaurant's door and see their kitchen.
The ambiance is pleasant and the music is good (not that I usually care...but I had to find something positive), however pretty much everything else was disappointing.
- Greeted by a server that was obviously more busy with his self image than the basic service manners (bringing cutlery for example! They perhaps expect you to eat with your hands instead...)
- Cappuccino was atrocious (tasted like a re-heated breast milk with a super-weak shot of espresso). Gross.
- Poached eggs with sausage and corn bread was ok, fresh ingredients, came fast, but even without the chilly sauce you couldn't escape the overwhelming spiciness.
- Asked for additional glass of milk but of course that was ignored/forgotten.
Might be better for dinner (as other comments suggested), but definitely not a good brunch experience at all. I'm sticking to Bonjour Brioche, thank you.
Edward Levesque's Kitchen
3/13/2010
YUM YUM YUM! Went here for a late lunch with D and another friend of ours who lives in the Beach 'hood.
SO GOOD! It had been a couple of years since I had been here, so I was excited when our chum suggested it! The updated-retro decor & atmosphere can't be beat, and you've GOT to love a place where the servers aren't chipper. I HATE chipper servers, especially at breakfast-oriented places. UGH.
I couldn't decide... so I went for 3 sides: the sweet & sour roasted root veggies, the sauteed mushrooms, and the flat-top potato cakes with sour cream & chives. D had the Cumbrae's sirloin burger with onion marmalade on a sesame challah bun, and our friend had the jerk angus strip steak on grilled pita with avocado, two eggs over easy, roasted tomato, chives and olive oil. All three of us LOVED our meals and agreed ELK would pretty much become our go-to hangover place when we're partying on the East Side.
The fries (which I didn't even order... just totally stole from the boys!) are particularly noteworthy. Well done to perfection, not too greasy, not too salty (leaves room for one's own taste), YUM! The tarragon mayo it comes with isn't my fave, but tarragon fans would no doubt be in heaven!
I also ordered a Cappucino, which was unexpectedly one of the best I've had in some time.
It loses a star for slower service than I like to see, because my mushrooms were greasy, and the bathrooms were totally gross.
Edward Levesque's Kitchen
12/13/2009
Edward Levesque makes a most excellent brunch in Leslieville! Some have bemoaned the lack of menu items that don't feature eggs, but happily I'm always in the mood for eggs!
I had the poached eggs and italian sausage with chili sauce, sundried tomatoes and hash browns served on cornbread which eagerly soaks up all the deliciousness and provides just a hint of sweetness to balance the chili sauce.
Me and my compatriots split the delicious flourless chocolate cake for dessert, it's not even close to Terroni's though. The coffee here is fantastic, really smooth and mellow flavour but still a strong cup. Also, check out their mint tea, it's a teapot full of fresh mint and is absolutely delicious.
Everyone was really friendly and attentive, and we were quite happy with the service and the meal. We ate very well for under $20 all-in, and I would recommend Edward Levesque's for anyone looking for a great breakfast in the city. Bon appetit!
Edward Levesque's Kitchen
6/24/2009
The chef and server were so friendly I really wanted to like the place but sadly the food was underwhelming. First off, I think the lunch menu is sorely limiting if you're not in the mood for eggs or a sandwich. Secondly, we had an extraordinarily long wait for what were essentially three sandwiches for our party on a Friday with just two other tables occupied. I shudder to think how long the wait would be when the place is packed.
I had the lamb burger which would have been fine if it weren't for the cringe-inducing salt bomb of tapenade atop the meat patty. I don't know what was the worst; my too-salty burger, too-herby homefries, or too-sweet strawberry lemonade. The S.O. was similarly unimpressed with his chicken, avo, bacon sandwich.
I would've told the waitress but the third person with us was picking up the tab so I just pretended to enjoy it (and downed about a gallon of water).
Edward Levesque's Kitchen
5/18/2009
The service was fantastic but the food sucked. My boyfriend ordered the chicken pot pie. He didn't even eat it. He hid it inside the omelette that I didn't touch :)
I had the portabello and red pepper omelette. It was just ok. I also had an order of home fries and they were swimming in grease.
Edward Levesque's Kitchen
6/19/2009
Went there for dinner last night. Food was AWESOME. Started with a lamb dish with Moroccan spices, which was very good. For my main course I tried their steak, which again was amazing. Cooked perfectly, and marinated nicely. Have also tried the burger, which was very good as well. Very good homemade relish, and a small amount of gorgonzola, which was all it needed to make it taste great. For desert I had the carrot cake, with a chevre icing. As with the rest of the meal, it was to die for.
Will definitely be going back.
Edward Levesque's Kitchen
2/25/2009
I liked being greeted by the chefs the minute we stepped through the door. It set my mood for the morning, and I had a feeling our brunch experience there was going to be just lovely. Unfortunately, my psychic powers failed me.
I wasn't impressed with the food. I ordered the waffles w strawberry sauce, whipped mascarpone and wildflower honey. It came as a singular waffle, quite small, with a single dollop of what was more like strawberry jam than sauce in the middle. Crowning this was the mascarpone, which somehow had a powdery texture to it. I was actually concerned that perhaps it had spoiled, and I promptly scooped it off to the side. The waffle was rather tasteless and heavy. No idea where the wildflower honey was used. I tend to think it was left off.
My brunch partner loved the bacon on his order. I'm a vegetarian so I can't vouch for it personally, but I feel it's only fair to mention that the bacon has a good rep. Maybe I ordered poorly. Who knows?
The back of the menu is quite amusing, and lists one or two popular memes (web and otherwise), such as "Unattended Children Will Be Given an Espresso and a Free Puppy". It's a welcome distraction from the decor. The deep yellow on the walls, and the framed sepia pictures hanging on them, made me feel like I was in a late 70's department-store tea room. The tables were lining the longer walls of the room, but this created a very wide gauntlet down the centre of the dining area. It felt awkward, like looking at a painting with too much negative space.
Edward Levesque's Kitchen
7/27/2009
2 photos
I've read some of the previous reviews about Edward's here at Yelp and I can see that the restaurant has had some issues. I have been a regular at Edward's over the past couple of years and I've come to realize that for me it is dinner only at Edward's. I don't care for the lunchtime menu whatsoever. As a previous reviewer said, if you aren't in the mood for eggs you are pretty much SOL.
The night time ambiance at Edward's is far more enjoyable for me. Edward, I think more than anything, is just one of those misunderstood sort of fellas. He comes off as being somewhat of a cranky prick, a bit standoffish but as time has gone by I've grown quite fond of him. He is the only restaurant owner I've ever taken a bottle of wine to as a gift, appropriately it was called The Hermit Crab. What I really like about Edward's is that almost every single time I've been there for dinner over the past year the menu is different. It is a one sheet menu and it changes constantly.
Most recently we took some friends for dinner to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. Right from the get go everything was good. The wait staff was attentive but not in your face. Like the menu the wine list also changes. We ordered the McManis (I love this wine) which is an easy wine to drink! Apps included the grilled calamari which were tender, not rubbery, a Moroccan ground lamb spread over a grilled pita with pomegranate seeds and some arborio rice balls with Tallegio cheese in the middle of them. Everything was delicious.
For the mains, two of us ordered the Skirt Steak with rapini and smashed potatoes and the other two ordered the Lobster Risotto. Meat was cooked perfectly (we both ordered medium rare). This has been one of the short comings for me at Edward's. The minute the beef goes to full medium I have no taste for it whatsoever. It's happened to me a couple of times at Edward's and I've spoken up about it. Even passed comment to the kitchen on my way out. The Risotto was lovely, tons of lobster meat, in large chunks. As usual I was a snappy happy and have attached a couple of pics of the mains. Ultimately though my most favorite meat dish at Edward's is when he does a Pork roast. It is often stuffed with dried fruits, sweet potatoes, cumin, coriander and glazed on the outside. It is a thing of beauty. My other compliment to Edward's kitchen is that after suffering through years of my Mother's beets (gag) I have found enjoyment in them again. Once, with the pork, I had glazed roasted beets in three different colours, absolutely delicious and sweet.
I will continue to be a regular at Edward's. I will continue to take friends their for special occasions.
Edward Levesque's Kitchen
8/13/2008
Leslieville is part of the city that's getting more and more face time and for good reason. It's an area rife with independent businesses and unique eateries. One of my absolute faves is Edward Levesque's Kitchen. There is an actual Edward. He says hello to you when you walk in. And he has really really good taste if the food is any indication.
We like coming here for weekend brunch though dinner is equally as awesome. As always, it's sheer torture to pick just one thing to eat. French toast stuffed with honey and ricotta? Chipotle steak and eggs? Italian sausage with corn bread? Now you see my predicament? *faints*
Also, they serve really good coffee and juice (try the strawberry lemonade!) and serve you real maple syrup. And they also have a decent wine selection.
One other thing, ELK tries to support local growers and farmers and all things sustainable.
Whichever you pick, you're sure to be pleased.
Edward Levesque's Kitchen
1/3/2009
Absolutely delicious food. The double-smoked bacon is one of the best uses of deceased pig I have ever tried. A wonderful menu full of interesting and exciting creations that make for a noteworthy brunch.
It's brilliant that you have to walk by the kitchen first. An excellent way to be introduced to a foodie restaurant. The chefs say hello, which is also a nice touch.
The ambiance in the restaurant itself though is somewhat lacking. The crowd feels somewhat like a Norman Rockwell painting come to half-life.
The place feels kinda like a goyisha version of United Bakers.
Edward Levesque's Kitchen
1/7/2010
I have been about 5 times for dinner and have had really consistent experiences here. I can easily recommend it for a nice bistro experience.
Edward Levesque's Kitchen
11/7/2008
4 photos
there must be some large window in the roof (cant think of the right word now) or perhaps it's the colour of the walls, but i always feel fresh and happy when i walk in here. (is that a commercial for..?) anyhow, the food is wonderful - i think ive only come for brunch and i always look for a place that has some new take on the standards and this place does, like the banana, tahini. yoghurt and oj smoothie or latkes topped with smoked salmon and cream cheese. Or perhaps youd prefer your eggs with truffle oil (it comes with other stuff but hey, i just say yes after the words truffle oil appear). Be prepared to wait for brunch on the weekends as this place is well known in the neighbourhood and about halfway between lesliville and the beachs.
Listed in: My Neighborhood-Leslieville, Top Restaurants
