Patrician Grill — Restaurant in Toronto

If anyone has read my other reviews, I think that I'm fair and offer a decently worded and detailed description of the places that I've been.

I was not entirely enamoured with my experience at Patrician Grill for a Saturday morning, solo breakfast.

The restaurant is dated but clean inside, with comfortably sized booths and benches for the size of the space. When asked to seat myself in a mostly empty restaurant, I chose a booth that likely is sized for 4 diners.

The owner or waiter asked me if I could move to a smaller table because the restaurant "may get busy". We negotiated that I would stay in my seat until a large party needed to be seated and no other tables were left. I can confidently say that I've never been to a restaurant that asked me to move if I had seated myself, let alone a restaurant with roughly 10 booths (3 of which were in use) and 20 bar stools (none in use). I was able to stay in my seat for the short duration of my stay, because I ate quickly, feeling some pressure.

The food is advertised as "Good Food" on the sign. I decided to keep it simple for my first experience and ordered eggs with peameal bacon. I got 2 eggs competently prepared as over-easy, 2 modest slices of peameal bacon which were disappointingly missing the cornmeal crust, a small portion of herbed home fries, and 2 slices of toast. The home fries were well seasoned and good though the portion was lacking for the price I paid (more on that later), the eggs were fine, but having to settle for brown toast instead of rye was disappointing. I also got a small glass of orange juice, maybe 125mL total volume.

When it came time to pay, my bill rang through at $15.60, surprising me in the process. Reaching for my credit card, I was informed that the diner was cash-only. I was again surprised as this wasn't noticeably indicated anywhere, like at other diners and restaurants you may encounter. Being cash-only isn't something to be too upset with, but in the age we live in it does come across as very old fashioned and inconvenient.

I was told there was an ATM in the basement to withdraw from. I walked through the kitchen and down into the unfinished, dark, and foreboding basement and found the ATM up against a wall, almost like an afterthought. I was immediately uncomfortable with the paper notes taped to the front of the machine and left quickly.

The owner or waiter informed me that I could walk down the street to a bank and come back. I appreciate the willingness to let me go to another place to do what I would consider a more comfortable withdrawal. Unfortunately, the closest bank (it was raining heavily and I felt that I shouldn't go too far away) was not a bank that I have an account with, so my withdrawal fees were $3 per bank, for a total of $6.

This brought my grand total for 2 eggs, 2 slices of toast, 2 slices of peameal bacon, a moderate portion of home fries and a truly tiny glass of orange juice to a $22.60 total investment. I realize that not having cash cost me $6 and that isn't the fault of the restaurant (though I would not have eaten here had I know from the outset that it was a cash-only establishment), but its important for me to note the total experience and I will guarantee that someone else will have a similar problem.

Overall the service was fast and friendly enough, though the initial seating situation put me off a bit. I can't comment on whether or not the service was attentive enough because I wasn't there for very long.

Even for the $15.60 my bill actually came to, I didn't leave satisfied. You can get more for the same or less money and probably in a more...

🦋 Located near King & Sherbourne, we can easily see the Patrician Grill’s 50’s-style sign. The throwback experience doesn’t stop there.

When you walk in the doors you are instantly brought back to a diner in the 50’s. The booths and bar stools were upholstered back in the day and have purposely not been changed (so cool!).

🦋 There is a big open kitchen where you can see any and all cooks prepping the food. The pictures on the wall are picture advertisements and marketing that took place at a time when we were young or not even born. Some of the artwork is even done by the owner (Terry) - we found out that Terry actually holds an annual art show at the restaurant where anyone can come in and check out what his heart decided to show the world - Thanks Terry ❤️.

🦋Also, Terry LOVES music and will play either classic rock, jazz, Frank Sinatra or on the off-chance some classical tunes.

This restaurant breathes authenticity. Terry has done an excellent job maintaining the integrity and authenticity of the place because of who HE is which comes out in the experience. Terry isn’t fake and greets you however he feels like greeting you - don’t expect a fake smile (a breath of fresh air!).

The menu has the typical selections of most breakfast restaurants but it’s the tastiness that sets it apart. Nothing fancy here about the look of your food but you can be assured that restaurants from the 50’s pride themselves on the taste, more than the look

We’ve been here many times and have stuck with a few items because there’s no need to try anything else (for us). Even though we have limited our selection, anything we’ve tried outside “the norm” of breakfast has been delicious!

The sausage or bacon and eggs are amazing! So tasty! We love that they give 3 eggs with your meal instead of two. Friday’s are a special day when Chris (head cook & Terry’s brother-in-law) makes what they call “Meatloaf Friday’s) - so good! Home cooked meatloaf, mashed potatoes (real ones) and corn. Definitely a reason to show up on a Friday.

🦋 This is where it gets amazing. The BLT and clubhouse are hands-down the best we’ve ever had - anywhere & anytime! We’d recommend asking for extra bacon on the BLT-it will be that much tastier and fill you up properly (without feeling overly full).

And finally the piece de la resistance is the rice pudding. Homemade every week, it’s the best rice pudding we’ve ever had. First off, to consistently make rice pudding of this calibre is unheard of. The texture and consistency of the pudding is incredible and Chris cooks it WITH raisins making the treat sooooooo good. We ALWAYS ask to see if they have it available and if they do…SCORE! We never want to share and will get one for each of us.

We absolutely love coming here. Chris & Terry are amazing people and we love what they continue to do even after Terry’s dad took over the business back in the day.

Thank you so much Chris for blessing us with your cool, chill smile and Terry for always being YOU and reminding us that true happiness is always just about being yourself.

We love all the staff (including Del who started last year and brings a bubbly, happy personality to a diner that accepts & compliments her style.

This is our experience....

The dining area isn’t fancy but comfortable, the well-padded vinyl banquettes overlooks the kitchen and if you really want to be where the action is, there’s a row of stools for couples and single diners.

What makes the kitchen’s proximity great is everything arrives fresh and hot. The fluffy vegetarian omelette ($11.75) was packed with diced tomatoes, onion, green pepper and enough cheese to give it that signature gooey pull. With a choice of home fries, French fries, or mashed potatoes (yes, it can be a hearty breakfast), we’re advised the home fries are cut in house and then the diced pieces are slowly cooked over the flat top developing a golden crust without feeling greasy. I ate every single piece.

Interestingly, breakfasts also come arrive with a small cup of coleslaw, the vinaigrette based greens adding a nice refreshing crunch and splash of acid against the heavier breakfast.

As a table, we decided to forgo the toast that comes with breakfast and shared an ordered of cinnamon French toast ($10.50) for dessert. It was an amazing idea as a slice of the custardy hot toast was an ideal sweet ending. They’re also thin enough that it wasn’t too filling. If only it was served with maple syrup, instead of the thick artificial corn syrup variety, it would be...