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Grenadier Cafe
Categories: Restaurants Canadian (New) Restaurants Breakfast & Brunch Canadian (New), Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
200 Parkside DrToronto, ON M6P 3K7
Neighbourhood: High Park
(416) 769-9870
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Breakfast
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
19 reviews for Grenadier Cafe
19 reviews in English
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Review from Keidi K.
Maybe I'm not as dissapointed as this place met my very low expectations. It's a park restaurant, not a fancy place you dream of going or one that makes awesome anything.
Their breakfast is decent, when you get the $2.99 special but even when you pay the full price around $7, it's still reasonable.
The coffee sucks and any other entrees will run you about $10 a plate.
The patio is great and the little ice cream shop is open in the summer time! -
Review from James K.
Toronto, ON
8/10/2011
I know that I'll go there again, but only for the location... Well, I might be back for breakfast.
I've eaten there a number of times and other than the corned beef on rye & omelets I don't think I've had a "good" entree.
Its often crowded and noisy inside, but there's a large patio outside - nothing spectacular, but it is in High Park -
Review from Cheri d.
7/26/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Grenadier Cafe does have one BIG thing going for it. Location! A beautiful big patio with a fantastic view in High Park.
I've been here a few times. It's good, but not great. Although they do something spectacular to the bacon that comes with the breakfast. I don't know what it is, but it's friggin' delicious! Everything else is average. I could give this place 3 stars if the service was better. The sure do take their sweet time to serve you.
Part of the restaurant is cafeteria style. You order at the counter, they give you a number for your table, you go find a spot to sit and they come find you when your food is ready. One time when we ordered breakfast it actually came pretty quickly. But i did have to hunt down a waitress to re-fill the water in my teapot. After they give you the food, they kind of just forget about you.
The other section of the restaurant is the normal waiter served area. There is also a patio for that section too. I've been on that side of things a couple times and it took FOREVER for my order to be taken. When I finally got my food, my friends food didn't come. We thought it would be out in a minute. Nope. The waitress forgot to place that order. So we had to wait again... I was practically done before my friend got their meal. And again, the food was okay, but nothing great. I'll probably give Grenadier Cafe another shot, in hopes that i can improve my review. We'll see.... -
Review from Kent P.
6/27/2010
Without question one of the worst meals I've ever had.
Packed full of people because it's the only restaurant in High Park, the Grenadier has really gone slack on their customer service / quality of food.
50+ minute wait for food (breakfast food), non-apologetic wait staff, wrong orders, coffee that tasted like horse piss.
negative 5 pats out of a possible positive 5 pats
taptaptaptaptapListed in: Worst Experiences @…
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Review from David M.
Toronto, ON
9/9/2010
Yup, this place bustles, even at 9:30 on a Wednesday morning. Unlike many others, my group and I managed to get the 2.99 breakfast. I didn't ask any questions...just backed away from the cash and raced to a table. Oh yeah, you place your order at the cash and take a number stand to a table. Service is very quick, so don't dawdle on the way, or the server may beat you there.
The food was acceptable, but don't go out of your way.Listed in: Breakfast places, Diners, Greasy Spoons and…
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Review from Renata R.
3/16/2010
They have the so-advertised 2.99 all-day breakfast. That's obviously not true. The 2.99 plate is only available until a certain hour (I believe 11am) and does not include coffee.
All the menu options are incredibly unhealthy, so, RUN AWAY FAST if you're on a diet or something. The food tastes as expected and their coffee is default. Nothing you will regret, but maybe you will find better options on Bloor West Village. -
Review from Claire Y.
Toronto, ON
6/3/2010
So my boyfriend and I stopped by the Grenadier Cafe after a bike ride in High Park. We were thinking it wasn't the best place for breakfast, but we decided to settle for a quick bite.
Everything was mediocre. Food was prepared in cafeteria-style, which means everything was lukewarm when it was on the table. I ordered an English-style bangers with eggs. The bangers were a bit burnt, but still edible. Some of their desserts were from Subway, and the juices are bottled, brand-name companies. For the both of us, we spent $15 on breakfast, which is a little more than you would spend on your local greasy spoon.
I managed to try bits of most things, but as soon as I sliced opened the third over-easy egg on my plate, there was a BLOODY residue in my egg yolk.
A FERTILIZED EGG served in a restaurant that claims to be famous for its breakfast!!!! Disgusting! -
Review from Vivek S.
6/1/2009
Cosy cafe tucked into High Park. Cafeteria style with a huge menu. Overwhelmed by the options -- and exhausted from biking straight uphill to get there -- the kindly server suggested a chicken Caesar wrap. Good choice. Seems like a great place to break for lunch when you're at the park. Especially since it's the only place. Large patio as well.
Obligatory Title Pun: GrenaDEARy me, what a lovely restaurant.
Menu Readability: Just endless options above the counter. Truly overwhelming.
Need to mention: There is a giant fake maple tree in the middle of the restaurant.
What this place teaches me about myself: Arboreal interiors make me uneasy. -
Review from TOFoodReviews n.
Toronto, ON
11/22/2010
If you've ever driven by High Park on Bloor street, seen the street-level sign that advertises 3 dollar breakfast, and considered stopping in to check it out, you're probably lucky you didn't. Sure, I know the breakfast is only 3 dollars, so I probably shouldn't be hard on it; but regardless of price, I'd still like my meal to be served hot and be put together with some level of care and attention.
This is a pretty mediocre breakfast here: a slice of warm ham, a strip of old bacon, browned toast, over/undercooked eggs, leftover potatoes, breakfast served here is less-than-spectacular, and the service staff doesn't seem to care if you complain about it; I'm sure they've heard it all countless times before.
All of this, of course, is served in one Toronto's prized possessions, High Park. If it wasn't for the location, I certainly would have given them 1 star. In fact, it wasn't for the location, I probably wouldn't have eaten there at all. And in some strange way, I almost wish I didn't eat there. That way, the ad on Bloor street could have remained some mystical promise of a tasty, hot, and friendly-served breakfast somewhere in the heart of High Park. -
Review from Michelle A.
Toronto, ON
6/26/2010
I think a five-year-old could prepare a better brunch than the folks at Grenadier Cafe. The owners of this establishment must be rolling in dough - seriously - head there on any nice weekend, and there are lineups through the park for a table on their dirty, bug-infested patio.
The service is super slow, and the food is awful. Greasy eggs, half-toasted, super buttery, Wonder Bread-style toast. Don't go there.
Bring a picnic. Stop by the farmer's market, or just skip greasy breakfast, and over-indulge on two ice cream cones.Listed in: Bloor West Village
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Review from Kat F.
4/29/2009 1 photo
This cutesy cafe that's snuggled deep in the 400 acres that make up High Park was bustling when I visited it yesterday. Might I add that it was 1pm on a Tuesday?
Grenadier Cafe is located at the heart of High Park at the junction of West Road, Colborne Lodge Road and Deer Pen Road (where the small year-round zoo is). It's also at the intersection where you'd head off to watch "A Dream In High Park" at the amphitheatre in the summer months.
There's a huge (fake) maple tree that spans the entire indoor part of the cafe, which makes you kinda feel like you're still outside. And unlike the former "cafeteria" feel, the place has been renovated to now include a full menu, including all-day breakfast and sandwiches. Once you've ordered and paid, you take a number to your table and a server brings your food to you. My dad and I ordered two breakfast specials (I got 3 poached eggs with grilled vegetables and homefries and he got a breakfast sandwich with homefries) and with drinks the total came to about $15. Suuuper cheap.
Gotta agree with Luke that the best part about the cafe is the outdoor patio, which is gargantuan and wraps around most of the restaurant. Because it backs onto West & Colborne Lodge, there's a lot of traffic and it's a great spot to people-watch. There's also an outdoor ice cream hut in the patio area where you can order scoops and Drumsticks, Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches and the like. -
Review from John F.
North York, ON
3/2/2010
This is not the best breakfast choice on weekends, as they up the prices and one can get better elsewhere. But for those who are not working weekdays, the cheap breakfast menu is great. You can eat cafeteria style or sit down in the dining room for the same price.
I usually order the spinach and feta omelet, which is quite tasty.
The food is not four star, but it is wholesome and good and the park atmosphere is very pleasant.
Note that coffee is not unlimited - refills are $.79
Have not tried other meals here.
As it is very informal, this is also a good place for those dining solo. -
Review from Luke A.
Toronto, ON
10/11/2008 2 photos
The Grenadier Cafe and Teahouse (formerly the less-pretentious Grenadier Restaurant, and still known as such to old fogies like me who remember what it was like before the "new management") has been a fixture in High Park. The coin-op, table-top Pac-Mac machine is finally gone, and the decor is now a little more, uh, tea-housey. Which is for the best, I suppose.
The menu has expanded and improved to all your yuppy favourites, although they still do greasy-spoon standards like bacon and eggs breakfasts. Service and quality seems to vary depending on when you go.
However, the best part remains the wooden deck/patio, which, in the summer, has its own service, and even an ice-cream booth. It's a nice place to relax and watch some of the other doings in the middle of the park. Like the real estate guys say: location, location, location. -
Review from Kevin L.
Toronto, ON
8/31/2010
Table service is pretty horrible. Go for the counter service, with much nicer cashiers, and you won't have to wait forEVER. The breakfast here is ok, although greasy, but I don't know what you would have to do to manage to get it for the advertised $2.99, I certainly haven't ever managed to get eggs here for anywhere near that price. The stars are for the kick-ass location. Also anytime I've tried to eat dinner here, the food was horrible. I always forget how horrible, and because I love the park, and am often here, I try once a year or so, and am always reminded that it is awful. Stick to the breakfast, and expect to pay double what it says on the sign on the road, and it'll be ok.
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Review from alison r.
Toronto, ON
5/3/2011
I have not been there on a week-end, but have had their breakfast omelette which was very good. As to staff, friendly and courteous.
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Review from Julianna B.
Toronto, ON
2/2/2010
It's a great location, but the food is bland and overpriced. Table service is slow. The decor has seen better days; what is good ain't new (the tree), and what is new ain't good (the awkward-suburban tchotchke-shelves). If you're in the park already, fine, but I wouldn't make a special trip or anything.
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Review from Brian C.
Toronto, ON
3/27/2010 2 Check-ins Here
This place gets an extra star for being right in the middle of the High Park. It reminds me of that restaurant that you find at every provincial park. The food is okay and oddly southern. Their specials include waffles and BBQ chicken... or deep fried shrimp... or deep fried anything I guess. Choose from either cafeteria style or a please wait to be seated section. The $2.99 breaky is pretty good as is the $6.99 Big Breakfast. Have lunch, then walk through the park. Watch out for Coyotes though. Apparently there are coyote in the park. Really. There are even signs.
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Review from Michael S.
Toronto, ON
9/19/2009
The best thing about this cafe is the location. The food & service are mediocre at best. That's what happens when there is no competition around.
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Review from Alissa I.
Toronto, ON
4/20/2010
Worst breakfast experience of my life. The service was horrible, and the food horrible. I was seated on the patio and after waiting for 20 min I finally got menus. After a long wait and a rude waitress, my food came. I asked for overmedium eggs and received 3 absolutely raw eggs. The eggs were not even over easy, they were raw. All the "egg whites" were still completely clear and the yolk was cold and still had a film over it. The pancake that came with the meal was soaked in the raw egg. And when I was brought a new plate they just moved the same cold bacon ham and sausage on the same plate. I could not eat this meal. The rubbery eggs and the cold meat did not sit well with me. On top of that they asked me to choose from a selection of different toast, and when they brought the meal they gave me the wrong one. Not even informing me of why my order was different. I would not recommend to ever get breakfast here. I still feel sick, 6 hours later. My boyfriend got a steak which was also absolutely awful, almost 90% grissle. This $40 meal was not worth a penny. Maybe the hot dogs are better but stay far far away from the breakfasts!!!!
