Petit Dejeuner by LPD Café — Restaurant in Toronto

So disappointing. I always walked past this place and saw busy lineups on weekend mornings. So, my friend and I took a weekday morning off, and came to Le Petit Dejeuner (I’ll refer to it as LPD) for brunch.

We both ordered the “famous Belgian waffles” (mine was with Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict Belgian Waffle, hers was the berry waffles) and my friend stopped eating because something tasted off, slightly fishy. She looked at the waffle and there was surely something grey-brown and blotchy cooked into her waffle batter. She told the host/manager that she saw something weird in the waffles — she also showed her — and was concerned about contamination. The manager apologized and offered my friend to have another meal made to replace her bad dish. My friend and I were pleased with the customer service until this point. What happened next is that the chef actually came out and confronted my friend. He told her that she was wasting food, that his Belgian waffles are the best/famous, and that if she doesn’t like them, maybe she doesn’t have the palette to appreciate good cooking. The chef was incredibly condescending, rude and accusatory. My friend was honestly trying not to eat contaminated food. She’s not trying to waste food. If a customer gets food poisoning, the liability falls on the restaurant. The chef clearly has an ego and I can’t believe he would come out and berate a customer like that. Over his bad waffles. Even other diners at the restaurant around us looked appalled.

Anyhow, the Belgian waffle chef was so aggressive in his confrontation that my friend cried. The chef figuratively and literally gave my friend a poor taste of LPD. I am upset because my friend and I was just trying to have a nice meal on our morning off, which, again, we took off so we could spend time together. This definitely left a damper on the day. I’m glad that the host apologized for the chef’s behaviour and comped the experience. She offered to enforce that the chef make another meal, but we no longer wanted to eat there anymore so we both packed up and left. The manager ended up giving us a complimentary meal to apologize for our experience and invited us back another time, but I’m doubtful that we would come back to LPD for brunch.

One thing I won’t deny is that LPD is a quaint, vintage/historic looking spot so I understand the appeal and charm of the place. But if we’re talking about the food, it is nothing special. The chef needs to get off his high horse. Don’t come here. There are certainly better...

My boyfriend and I have been eager to try Le Petit Déjeuner for a while, and our recent visit did not disappoint.

We each started off with a latte, which was a perfect way to begin our meal. The lattes were smooth, creamy, and had just the right amount of kick to wake us up and get us ready for our breakfast.

I opted for the Benjamin Benedict, featuring their in-house smoked salmon. The smoked salmon was exceptionally flavourful, with a rich, smoky taste that really stood out. It was perfectly paired with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce, creating a delightful combination of flavours. The dish came with a side of apple slaw, which was surprisingly tasty and added a refreshing crunch to the meal. The home fries were a good complement, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, providing a satisfying contrast to the smooth texture of the eggs and salmon.

My boyfriend chose the house smoked salmon omelette, which also came with a side of apple slaw, home fries, and bread. While the omelette with smoked salmon was a bit on the salty side, it was still enjoyable, with the same delicious smoky flavour adding a unique twist to the classic breakfast dish. The accompaniments were consistent with my dish, making for a well-rounded and satisfying meal.

We were pleased to find that the wait time to be seated wasn’t too long, even though the restaurant is quite popular and small. Inside, the atmosphere was really nice, with a cozy and inviting vibe that made our dining experience pleasant. We were lucky enough to be seated in a booth by the window, which added a lovely touch to our meal as we enjoyed the view and natural light.

Overall, our visit to Le Petit Déjeuner was very enjoyable. The in-house smoked salmon was a standout surprise, adding a rich and smoky flavour to both of our dishes. While the omelette was slightly salty, it was still good, and the Benjamin Benedict was a delicious choice. The atmosphere of the restaurant was charming and comfortable, enhancing our overall experience.

We highly recommend Le Petit Déjeuner for anyone looking for a delightful breakfast or brunch spot. With its tasty food, pleasant ambiance, and reasonable wait time, it’s a great place to enjoy a relaxing meal. We rate our experience 4 out of 5 stars and look forward to...

Pretty authentic-looking restaurant and food. But it all boils down to your own preference.

Going to brunch here is pretty tough to do as there seems to always be a lineup that'll last for at least 20 minutes (I heard from the staff that the wait time I was in was much shorter than the usual). But right from the gecko the place oozes with authenticity, in that it separates itself from those restaurants who act all hipster because this restaurant really is hipster... looking. Its a small place that's filled with small trinkets everywhere, you can tell that those are cleaned semi regularly as you can see dust on them (but only if you're really looking at them). The staff constantly were running around as it was always full in the restaurant, but kept their cool and even joked around with each other. (I can imagine that's some great family staff members, but in terms of professionalism they seemed to ignore the customers from time to time. I can see that being bothersome for some). Unfortunately, I really didn't appreciate being given my coffee around the same time it took to make my freshly squeezed juice.

The food itself is where the divide comes. I had the hangry gal dish with the waffles as a side. With the entire meal I had, I can confidently say that everything was fresh food and there was nothing that seems prepackaged or off. But the preparation is questionable. The fruit salad was simply small match stick cut outs of apples and other fruits, drizzled with a mild sauce. The fish cake mix wasn't the best I had and the waffles had a certain odd fragrance to them that made the simple dish seem weird. But maybe these flaws are just my own taste that hasn't been used to European dishes? I did appreciate that the bread wasn't piled on with butter, the eggs were lightly seasoned so I can actually taste how good the eggs were, and the maple syrup that went with the waffles wasn't the overly sweet maple syrup I grew up eating - I could actually taste the waffles first rather than just the sugary syrup.

Be prepared to spend at least $20-30 on one person, I think every dish is meant for people with a light appetite as I saw almost everyone having at least two dishes...