The Porch Light — Restaurant in Toronto

I have not done brunch in years so when my partner suggested it I was excited to go. We wanted to try a new place so after a search we decided to try The Porch Light. The short version is that my first brunch experience in years was a complete disappointment which is very unfortunate.

I ordered the Eggs Benny not wanting to take any risks because what can possibly go wrong with an Eggs Benedict... Apparently a lot. I started with the salad and first thing I noticed was a lack of flavor. Maybe I just picked a leaf without dressing so I took another bite and another but same thing. That's strike 1. Then I proceeded to cut into the side of my Eggs Benedict and I noticed no runny yolk oozing out. Maybe I cut too much to the side so I cut it right down the middle... Not a drop of yolk. The egg was nearly fully cooked with the bare minimum of yolk that was still slightly uncooked. I cut into the second one and while it was slightly better than the first, it was also almost completely cooked through as well. Not a single drop of yolk touched my plate. That's strike 2. I also want to note that 1 of 2 eggs in my partner's meal was runny so I don't believe it was supposed to be cooked through. I was incredibly disappointed at this point but was holding out hope that the taste would redeem this whole experience. Nope didn't happen. The hollandaise sauce was bland to the point where it felt like there was no sauce at all. Me and my partner did taste a subtle sour flavor on the eggs which we did not like. When we weren't tasting the sourness the egg whites didn't taste very pleasant either. I love eggs and have no issues with the taste of the egg whites so it was weird that I felt this way. Strike 3. The only decent part of the meal were the home fries which were a bit crispy on the outside but even then they were not anything special.

Service here was acceptable. The folks here were very friendly and it was busy when we arrived. Maybe it was due to that reason that once our orders were taken it was hard to get anyone's attention for some condiments. When we finally flagged someone down they brought just single a cup of ketchup which we had to share between the two of us. I saw several other tables with squeeze bottles of ketchup so that didn't help with the experience either.

The establishment was bright and clean with a good amount of seating. As mentioned it was very busy when we arrived so we were seated near the back of the restaurant which was a lot darker but otherwise was comfortable.

I hate to give bad reviews but this experience just left me with such a bad taste in my mouth (figuratively and literally). We were both so unsatisfied with our meals that I actually looked up other brunch places and was this close to actually doing another brunch to get my fix. After this experience I definitely won't be back and do not...

I've always wanted to like the Porch Light but after several visits they always seemed to come up short. This review and updated score is based on my experience today, where I was pleasantly surprised at the many improvements.

There were several tables indoors and four tables right in front. Of the ones I saw patrons leaving, the waitresses cleaned them between use.

The menu is much more varied than when I last visited, and I found that both the price and quality was spot on. I had a portobello mushroom and avocado panini which tasted really good.

Service was fast, both girls working there were friendly, and with a varied menu with great price, it's definitely worth a visit.

I didn't check the work week hours but on the weekends they're open at 10 for brunch and lunch, a plus for those like me that like to eat early!

Also, almost next door you'll find Chocollata, which offers the Brazilian chocolate "brigadeiro". Delicious treats and a perfect stop for a smaller...

I recently visited the porch light for brunch with a group, and was sadly disappointed by the experience.

I hardly ever give less than 4 stars to any place but unfortunately this spot really missed the mark on brunch service.

It took 20 minutes for our group to be greeted, and service was incredibly slow throughout the meal. We repeatedly needed to ask for napkins, water refills, and plates/cups to be cleared from the table.

As someone who has worked many hospitality jobs, I understand being understaffed etc, and that may have been the case; however, the staff didn’t seem to know their own menu options very well, the menu pricing didn’t accurately reflect the cost of the items (extra charges for ingredients already listed in the meal???) and the portions were very small.

I will say their coffee was delicious, and the ambiance was lovely for a casual visit. I wouldn’t recommend this place for breakfast dining but maybe for a simple coffee &...