The Breakfast Shop — Restaurant in Victoria

We tried The Breakfast Shop for brunch today.

Let's get right into it.

While we miss the prior purveyor at this location, we enjoyed our visit today.

The staff handled several crazy rushes like pros and we got there at an ideal time (~1100am on a Sunday).

Staff were friendly, quick, personable and charming. Hands down, full marks, and I have a little more to say about this point down below.

Looking at the menu, there were numerous meal-ish choices for under $15 which I was happy to see... (trendy places I feel tend to have "trendy prices" north of $20).

Today, the Fancy Chicken Sandwich caught my eye and I went in on that. I declined the side of fries or other accompaniments I was offered and wanted to go for a drip coffee today.

Our meals were served pretty quickly and as we sat down to enjoy our spot, my wife's latte arrived in moments. It smelt great. My coffee was, I believe Discovery, which is a good roasterie, though I find their blends tend to be on a slightly acidic mouth feel.

It wasn't long and both of our meals arrived and we dug in.

My sandwich was "okay". The chicken was dark meat (yaye!!!), the breading on the chicken was in tact and not greasy. The arugula had a slightly sweet taste from the dressing, and this paired well with the chicken. The sandwich was presented with 3 coiled pickles in a rosette presentation. When I added the pickle to the sandwich, the acidity elevated the experience tremendously.

Overall, I was thinking the sandwich was about a 3.5 out of 5. The bun was an anemic ivory colour, and upon first taste, felt a bit gummy or moist. I mean, one does not desire dry buns, but given the colour and that, perhaps it was slightly under cooked. Notwithstanding, there was a herbacious taste to the bun which I didn't determine was from the bun or from an aioli, but it was a nice flavour.

The problem was that the content to bun ratio was inadequate. I felt it needed more substance, or thinner bun, to make this an ideal experience.

Then it happened.

I was now done. And walking past, I saw one of the girls bring out another of the SAME sandwich to another customer... BUT IT WAS STACKED with chicken. My jaw DROPPED. I literally could not believe my eyes. I took a clandestine photo (on this review) of theirs. Just look at the difference. Must be 3x-4x more chicken. That would have been the RIGHT amount.

So, in my mind, factoring in the inconsistency and what was clearly a BIG difference in value... I am dropping the food score to a mere 2 out of 5.

Lets sum up.

As I alluded to before, the staff were INCREDIBLE. The place was clean, and the food was not awful, but there were extenuating circumstances.

The staff (no less than 4 interactions, and all were super nice) were all willing to help and appeared genuinely interested in their work, and our experience. Without that, I would not consider a return visit.

Food has potential, and I am looking gorward to seeing how things go next time, and make a final decision.

Thanks...

I have been working overtime to love this place.

My first visit, I got the steak salad which I didn’t LOVEEE (the meat was a bit tough) but it wasn’t terrible. 2nd visit, I got all the way through my breakfast sandwich feeling like something was off. After I finished I realized it was the bacon that got missed (kinda funny actually that I didn’t notice sooner). It was very busy this day and I understand mistakes happen. Sandwich was lukewarm at best. I didn’t love the bacon jam or bun, but chalked that up to personal preference and perhaps an off day. I very well could have mentioned this on-site, however as another reviewer mentioned the lineup is so long and awkward so I didn’t feel particularly inclined to complain. I visited for a third time and tried the sausage breakfast sandwich this time, and was equally if not more disappointed than the previous visit. I think it’s the bun and temperature. The bun is unevenly cut and dry.

Again, this could all be personal preference but I really wanted to love this place as all my friends and family are frequent guests.

This place is insanely busy so they are obviously doing something right. The hashbrowns are great (although I believe this is supplied by a separate entity?). The employees are great and seem genuinely happy to be working there. The location, branding, and network of partners certainly bolster their initial success, but I’m just not getting the WOM hype.

TO BE FAIR, I HAVE BEEN VISITING AT PEAK TIMES ON WEEKENDS* pls consider changing your buns and then I...

SO happy this gem has been added to this neighborhood location. The brunch spot we needed! There is something for everyone here...wether you are a super clean, light, whole foods veggie eater...or looking for some savory comforting richness...or a blend of both!

Happy they know how to feature avocados and other vegetables in a way that is artisinal, creative, highlights the veggies to shine (instead of just sticking them in there in an uninspired way).

You can tell each menu item has been thoughtfully curated. I would trust everything on the menu here. Hope to try it all.

It was my friend's birthday and we had brunch here..the manager (or owner?) Was very hospitable and made it feel special.

Feels like a place of locally inspired food & friendship 😊

Please don't ever go away!!! 🙏

Oh!! And they also have a multi-item dog menu too!!! With lots of patio seating on vibrant cook street.

Thanks for opening up...