Brunch On 3rd — Restaurant in Duncan

I was on a bit of a long and at times stressful road trip with my partner coming from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, to explore Vancouver Island, and we came across Duncan, BC for our first time after spending the night in Victoria, BC. Duncan seemed like a quiet town with not much going on. We were very hungry however, and nothing really seemed to be open that was worthwhile in Victoria. So we held out and googled the nearest breakfast joint when we got to Duncan, and "Brunch on 3rd" came up as one of the options. We both thought it was a simple but somewhat amusing name for a restaurant, and it happened to be the closest one to us, so we thought "why not?" Wouldn't you know, it was on 3rd Street! We walked in, and it was quite busy considering how early it was. I was surprised to be honest. It was a nice, welcoming and somewhat modern environment, and we were greeted with a sincere and friendly smile. There was definitely a positive vibe in there. We were seated almost instantly and were helped right away. We were poured a much needed and delicious cup of coffee. The energy was quite high in the room. After a bit of friendly conversation with our server they had let us know that the restaurant had just recently opened up in the last few weeks, and that they were working hard on ironing out the wrinkles, so to speak. We both have spent a lot of time in the hospitality industry and completely understood how hard it is to open a restaurant, so we were happy to be patient. I don't know if it was just because I was very hungry, but I remember the smell of the food being almost euphoric. My partner felt the same, and we couldn't wait to try it. I ordered the "Warmland Welcoming" Smoked Salmon Benedict, and my partner ordered the "West Coast Veg & Mushroom" Benedict. We ended up only waiting for about 15 to 20 minute's or so. We would have waited for 30 plus minutes though in hindsight. We both agreed that they were easily some of, if not the best Eggs Benedict either of us had ever had! And we love our Benny's. If I remember correctly, the delicious buttermilk biscuits that they were served on were made in house. It's funny how something so simple done right can leave an impact on you. We'll never forget Duncan based on this wonderful breakfast experience that we had. The food and the service was amazing! I wish I could have met the Chef to tell him what a great job he's doing, but he was far too busy cooking up a storm for me to dare go and bother him. Kudos to the fine people that make that place run. And I wish them the best of luck. Normally I don't do these reviews, but something about this place stuck out to me, and I hope it thrives. We will definitely be back again on the way home! I've got my eye on...

This restaurant can highly recommended by friends and family. It’s a breakaway from another popular breakfast place in town. The reviews on the food were raving. I was a little skeptical …. Until I are here. The best eggs benny I have ever had. Actually. Several eggs benny to choose from on the menu and they are all equally amazing. The Avacado toast is delicious. Reading the reviews I wasn’t sure if the portions would be sufficient. Portions are more than sufficient. The eggs benny and the avacado toast was even a little to much but my eyes were once again bigger than my stomach. Food presentation is perfection. Prices are more than reasonable.

Props for an amazing outdoor dining area too!

Downsides/ Recommendations: Coffee not good. Not horrible but not good. Bitter. I know coffee is a personal preference thing but a smoother medium blend roast would do the trick. And please add lattes, cappuccino and espresso. Need to get a machine. A good cup of coffee is as important at breakfast as the meal itself.

The big flatscreen tv in the corner of the dining room is a huge detractor from the ambiance which otherwise is quite nice. We felt our neck were bent and our gaze constantly drawn to the tv above our heads and that other diners were constant looking at our table because of the tv. Ditch the TV. Not a sports bar :)

We showed up at 10:45 walked right in and got a table. Within minutes there was a line outside the door.

Pro tip: No reservations taken in advance....

EDIT — I have removed two stars after returning with family. My brother paid and was still complaining the next day. They changed too much since my prior visit.

Issues I had included — service wasn’t “friendly with a smile” anymore though it was competent and nothing to complain about, but friendliness made a difference last time.

Potatoes — some idiot has decided to make the potatoes “colourful” and the hash now has PURPLE potatoes (where flavour goes to die), sweet potatoes, etc, and they all require different cooking times/temps to get crispy, so naturally they’re completely inconsistent.

English muffin — on the Benny, the English muffin is poorly made so it doesn’t hold together in the cut pieces.

Coffee — it’s weak now! Weak and lacking in flavour. We both grumbled about it.

I really wanted to love this place again but when you go and change a lot of what makes you successful, it’s hard to keep people happy.

Based on the potatoes and coffee alone, I will not return. Sorry.

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Just what you want for breakfast! Friendly service, fast too, refills without hassle, and tasty as heck. The classic Benny was $16. With coffee and tip, it came to $23 for one.

There’s a heated patio but the inside is cool too, so be sure you dress warm in...