My 1st review of June is not even in my country, the US. It was a year ago today, June 1, we left for our Niagara Falls/Toronto trip. This continues the 2025 alphabet series, C is for Cafe Landwer. On Tuesday, 6/3/25, we went to St. Lawrence Market; see my B is for Buster Sea Cove. Seems like we happened to go alphabetical for lunch/brunch as the next day Wed., 6/4/25. This place had good reviews. So, we got on TTC to Osgoode station and was a very close walk. It said established in 1919, so we thought it's a good sign it's been in business over a century; although not this location specifically. Their history in the 20th century was that they started in Berlin, Germany in 1919, but they were a Jewish family who ended up immgrating to Israel in 1933, opening their store there, and expanded locations throughout Israel. Their history in Toronto & North America (including some in the US) is much more recent since opening in 2017. Unfortunately, my closest is New York City; none in Maryland or DC area. This location is in busy downtown Toronto. We sat outside on their big patio area as the weather was warm and could enjoy the view of the buildings, people, cars, etc. Server was friendly answering our questions. I ended up getting an egg benedict with salmon in a croissant. It was creative and delicious take on egg benedict. The only issue was it was messy to eat in the croissant, but I didn't care as it was so delicious. My girlfriend got a Belgian waffle with blueberries, whipped cream, etc. It was unique and very good & sweet too as I tried a bite. Overall, this was a 5-star experience with great food, service, & atmosphere. read more

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My wife and I were visiting Toronto and we ate here. It was a delightful food experience. The service was "meh" but food was good which is why I gave three stars. Service: It was not great. We sat for a while and no one took attention (we were outside and they were busy but no excuse for them -- they should do better). We had folks come in and out and were somewhat nonchalant and not attentive. Food: This was the great part of the experience. - Berries and Granola with Greek Yogurt: My brother in law got this an he devoured it and said it was great. - Farmers Breakfast: My wife got this and she LOVED it. She went back to get their Halwah Latte (which she said was just OK) - Egg white Omlette Skillet: I customized my food and it was good -- for reference I've had better only because the cheese was feta and it was unclear that this was the only option as I don't love feta. Also I'm pretty sure while I asked for egg whites there was normal egg (i.e., eggs). If you order egg white make sure the server hears you. They screwed this up for me. This is why I'm giving it three stars -- I could have made a stink but didn't think it was necessary to do so. All in all -- I'd recommend this spot to folks but don't go there thinking the service will be great. read more

Cafe Landwer - Egg white omlette - Cafes Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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It was my first time at this downtown Landwer's location, and it was strikingly similar to the North Toronto location (same relaxed service, same menu, same shortage of washroom stalls). Some reviewers complained about the loudness, but, compared to many other downtown locations, Landwers was a medium level of noise, and we were able to converse. It was not excessively busy, but if you are set on eating here, then make a reservation. I finally tried the Sinia Kebab, and it was tremendously good! It was also huge, and I had to take half of it home with me. The focaccia bread is excellent, and serves as a sort of bowl for this deconstructed kebab. My husband had his usual Cobb Salad, which he thinks is particularly well done at Landwer's. Our other dining companion had schnitzel, which came with some angel hair pasta. He enjoyed it very much. Service is, as I said above, "relaxed". If you are planning to see a concert or show afterwards, then plan ample time to allow the relaxed service to unfold (a.k.a this is not fast food!!) We had a 6:00 reservation, and we were able to make our 7:30 concert time with about 10 minutes to spare. The University location is conveniently located near Thompson Hall, the subway, and Union Station (Via Rail and Go). read more

Excellent food, breakfast are awesome! Waffles were excellent. Great customer service.

Nice friendly waitress, good portion of latte and tasty food for sure. Both my husband and daughter are agree that we will be back during our stay. Family and pet friendly , good read more

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Great spot for Mediterranean food. Reservations are recommended at this very busy location on University. Service was friendly and prompt. They are known for the Schnitzel but also things like a hummus plate with meat or veg toppings and they're wonderful in house made pita type bread. We really loved it and will be back for Brunch sometime soon. read more

Cafe Landwer - Hummus with roasted meat and pita - Cafes Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Great food and service. Very well organized. Exceptional menu. Great continental and Mediterranean menus. read more

I ordered Italian pizza and Affogato. The pizza was so-so, hardly better than cheese pizza at any corner pizzeria. Ice cream in Affogato was hardly better than a bucket of vanilla ice cream from Chapman's. - I'm not sure why they offer these items on the menu if it's nothing special. read more

Cafe Landwer - Affogato - Cafes Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

If you check the low online reviews of this place - poor service and poor food quality are the common reasons for the negative feedbacks from customers. You would think that management will addressed these concerns. I guess not, since it's an ongoing thing and I've experienced it firsthand. We went for their breakfast and ordered the Protein Packed Omelette and also ordered the Shakshuka with a choice of challah bread. The omelette which contains turkey bacon and beef sausage tasted bland. It doesn't even taste good and primarily because of the minuscule meat quantity in the omelette. So basically you're just eating scrambled eggs and for 20 bucks definitely not worth it! When I got my order of Shakshuka it came with a multigrain bread instead of challah which is what I originally selected. When I told the server (Eden) about this, all she said was 'I put in a challah bread with your Shakshuka.' No apologies from this server nor the willingness to correct the mistake. Clearly you can tell that staff here don't even care about customer's concerns. And this is not the only occurrence of their bad service. When you ask for something like say butter, expect it to arrive at your table when you're almost close to finishing your bread. That's how slow their service is. And the Shakshuka was such a disappointment. Eggs were unevenly cooked, the tomato sauce so salty. Definitely the worst Shakshuka I've ever tried. For a restaurant that doesn't value customers, staff that continuously delivers bad customer service and inconsistent food quality - a repeat visit is highly unlikely to happen and will certainly not recommend this place to families and friends. read more

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Casual spot diner style with a Mediterranean influenced menu. The interior and booths were clean. I wanted to like it more but the food was just okay being a little heavily seasoned and overcooked. Our server was very friendly and pleasant. read more

Just picked up takeout this time around. The restaurant was busy even right after opening. It's cute and quaint and had a great menu selection. My order was tasty, but it did sit on the counter for a while until I gave a wee nudge. understandable in such a busy establishment, but perhaps room for organization improvement. Other than that, I was happy enough! read more

Cafe Landwer - interior - Cafes Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Loved this spot! Even though the restaurant was packed, the service was impressively quick. Just a heads up: there was a pretty long line to get a seat, but it moved steadily and was definitely worth the wait. Such a great breakfast/brunch place. The poached eggs were perfectly done, and the knefe was absolutely amazing -- easily one of the highlights of the meal. Everything was flavorful, fresh, and very reasonably priced. Would absolutely come back again! read more

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Loved the food, service and many variety. We sat out on the patio which was beautiful and not crowded. Service was friendly and at a nice pace. Turkish coffee was fantastic! So rich and delicious. Shared the Mezza Platter which was a whole meal on its own. The pita is unbelievable! Had the grilled Mediterranean salmon. It was good but very thin slice. The crushed potatoes on the side were delicious! Loved the falafel, so light and the hummus was thick and creamy. Can't wait to go back! read more

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If there's one of my fav spots in the city - it has to be this one. They have such an extensive selection of items that you can grab anything from pastas to falafel. I highly recommend their falafel platter and their truffle pasta (both my personal favourites! read more

Got the shawarma and it was so filling!! Delicious and am happy about the food! The staff was friendly too read more

Cafe Landwer - Cafes Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I came here for breakfast during the week while I was traveling for business. The staff recommended the shakshuka breakfast and definitely a wonderful recommendation. The sauce was flavored perfectly and paired so well with the bread. I also like the fact that it came with a morning salad to get my vegetables in for the day. I also ordered a matcha latte and it was super delicious. read more

Cafe Landwer - Cafes Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Came by for brunch on a Sunday, the restaurant was pretty packed! Cafe Landwer never disappoints the food was really great and filling. I was worried about the quantity of food so I replaced the potatoes with side salad and it was a perfect amount. read more

Food was mediocre & my cocktail was awful. The service was very nice tho. Loved the patio seating on a crisp Autumn day but not enough to make me come back. read more

Cafe Landwer - Cafes Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Amazing food and great service. Nice restaurant and good location. The best coffee in town, in my opinion. read more

If you're looking for a quick and reliable place to fuel up, you can depend on Cafe Landwer to deliver! Everything came freshly prepared and the bustling café ambiance highlighted the fact that I was right in the heart of the city. Lots of savory and sweet options to choose from, and they do a great takeout business as well. Service could be a bit better. read more

Cafe Landwer - Cafes Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

The food was outstanding. The first time I went I was slightly disappointed because they did not have the dish I went there for. After having the alternative I was happy I went there. Great attention to detail and excellent service. Did I say the food was outstanding? read more

Lack luster bland food. Horrible service. No charm. Inattentive. I sat for 30 minutes trying to get male server to bring me a check. There are tastier options in the area. read more

I honestly think the tiramisu and the halloumi sticks were the best here, easily a 10/10. I don't think cafe landwer is a great spot for dinner even though they have quite a few vegetarian options. The ambiance is cute and this place is always busy so I recommend getting a reso. Service was pretty quick too read more

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Cafe Landwer was the farthest we wandered about for breakfast. It wasn't very close to where we were located but we wanted to try it since we had saved it prior to our trip. Cafe Landwer is definitely more of a brunch place than just a quick coffee pickup spot like some others that we tried, so definitely visit with some time. I was so excited to see that they had a nutella latte on their menu so of course I had to try it. All our drinks came in super cute glasses, but unfortunately the latte itself was not my favorite. I ordered a salmon eggs benedict and while it was good, my favorite part was their house potatoes, which were so well seasoned and yummy! The service here was very nice and overall I'm glad we had this experience. read more

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Been there a few time and the service and food are amazing We tried a few breakfast and lunch items and everything tastes good. Shakshouka, with lamb was very good. Good atmosphere and great service read more

Cafe Landwer - Cafes Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Had a lovely dinner at Cafe Landwer last night with several old friends. We made reservations with Yelp, and we were sat down 5 minutes early. Our servers were awesome - very attentive and kind. I've been to another location and had the shakshuka, which I would highly recommend. This night I had the chicken pesto salad. It was great - but not my favourite. We shared the tahini egg land and that was lovely. Would highly reccomend for a casual sit down for brunch or dinner! read more

Cafe Landwer - Aesthetic - Cafes Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Food is overpriced, small portions (considering the price), and pretty flavourless. The service stood out, though - because it was terrible.

This was a cute little cafe lots of history! I tried the shakshuka I'm glad I did but it isn't for me. The sauce was good but the meat was kind of bad. Their bread was excellent and the staff and place were clean and friendly. Prices were pretty high. Coffee was cold and the refilled coffee was cold which is pretty disappointing for a cafe. Glad we tried it but probably wouldn't return. read more

Cafe Landwer - Cafes Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Phenomenal brunch spot for mediterranean food! I came on a Saturday morning and had to wait ~20 minutes for a seat, so be sure to book reservations if you can! The inside of the restaurant is adorable, with lots of decorations, and very spacious. They have a pretty vast menu but my friend said that they were famous for their shakshuka, so we had to give it a try. In the end, we ordered the sinia shakshuka, hummus, and carrot cake. Everything was phenomenal and the portions were huge. I loved how flavorful the shakshuka was and their fresh hummus went so well with their warm pita bread. Carrot cake was absolutely divine. Would highly recommend this spot! read more

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This restaurant has a lovely interior and decent service. Tragically, I have no kind words for the food. Horrible, I dont know how you can make food this tasteless unintentionally. Sinia Shakshuka: A shakshuka with kebab and eggplant, and a serving of salad. The salad was your standard affair, with a slightly sweet vinegarette. Nothing offensive. The shakshuka was bad. The entire thing was underseasoned, and even after a generous shake of salt and pepper it was still bland. It was a challenge to finish. I would've left it unfinished if I weren't hungry. read more

Cafe Landwer - Sinia Shakshuka - Cafes Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Put us on their wait list, but not seeing the confirmation. Hopefully it's not too busy by the time we walk over. At cafe Lander just after 10am. It's so cold outside to have to wait at all. It's a 15 waitlist for a seat. Join the waitlist when you arrive. The Yelp online wait list doesn't line up to the restaurant's wait list. Wishing we had gone somewhere else now with it only being 40 degrees outside. Hoping this place is good and worthy of a wait out in the cold. Seated by 10:27am. Sab is waiting on us. Grabbed some Nutella latte with oat milk, Berlin 1919 tea with a side of green tea, croissant Benedict with turkey back, Landwer's Greek yogurt, chocolate babka, mezza platter. Added two fresh squeezed OJs to help boost our immunity since it's rather chilly here. C$111.25 / $79.95. The chocolate babka has a lot of chocolate swirled throughout it, not too bad. The pastry didn't do a lot for me though and wasn't as good as the croissants here look. The yogurt is good, light dusting of granola. A good amount of fruit. The Nutella latte is good, as is the Berlin 1919 tea. The cinnamon stick, sliced of orange and ginger and lemongrass and sage is pretty good with green tea leaves. The pita is soft and billowy, outside is soft and squishy. The fried halloumi and humus are just okay, as is the lebneh, would be better for me with zaatar seasoning on it. The hummus is super bland to us. The garlic tomato sauce with the Halloumi is good as is the red pepper on the lebneh. The croissant turkey bacon Benedict is good, the croissant was a nice change than the usual English muffin. The fresh squeezed OJ is so yummy. It tastes just squeeze The service is good here. read more

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Cafe Landwer is a great place to grab a casual breakfast! I come here frequently with colleagues for a bite before work. Service is always courteous and quite quick as well. read more

Cafe Landwer - Farmer's breakfast and greek yogourt - Cafes Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

6 kinds of Shaksuka! So delicious. I ordered the one with halloumi. I will need to come back to try the rest. read more

Cafe Landwer - Halloumi Shakshuka - Cafes Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Love this place! Great prices and great service. I asked for a few modifications and they were very accommodating. The food was great and big portions. Nice old school diner setting. read more

Cafe Landwer - Protein mocha & Açaí smoothie - Cafes Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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The wait time was long on early Saturday! You enter your name and number in their iPad at the entrance and wait for a text message to inform you the table is ready. We waited so long, we thought we had been forgotten. Then of course, finally our turn came and we received the notification. Our initial intention was to go for typical brunch (which they definitely had on their menu) but instead, we ended up trying their lamb stew special which was served on yellow rice with a side salad and boy was it good! So tasty! We also got the falafel - the most flavourful falafel I ever had. The falafel itself had cilantro and onion combined in the chickepea filling making it so vibrant in color and refreshing in taste. It was so delicious, I tried to recreate it at home right away. This came with a side of thick cut fries, yum! We also tried the Turkish coffee. Fun decor (mainly the floor tiles, they some how really brightened up the space), busy place, friendly service. read more

Please note: a co-reviewer joined me to assess this café. We both ordered the very first item on the menu in order to hone down the quality of food. We ordered the 'Eggs Benedict Florentine' and were quite pleased with what we tasted. THE MEAL - Critique - There was not much Hollandaise sauce to be seen or tasted, which was a disappointment. The menu also inaccurately described the item as including avocados which it did not. - Positives - Prior to this, we had not seen homefries done in the manner presented at Café Landwer. They are mini russet potatoes, halved and fried. The result was a crispy exterior with an interior no different from baked potatoes. THE SERVICE - Critique - Seating, ordering and receiving food was snappy. However, getting the bill after finishing our meal took about 15 minutes after requesting for it. - Positives - All servers and greeters were very friendly and welcoming. Tables were clean and food was well presented! AMBIANCE The ambiance at this café is a unique blend of 1950's American Diner with 1960's Rustic styles. The tables are tiled with ceramic which is a nice touch. Rating - 8/10: Two points deducted for delayed billing. read more

Cafe Landwer - Eggs Benedict Florentine with a Nutella Latte on the left and a regular latte on the right. - Cafes Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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We tried a few different items that were delicious! The one that stole our hearts was the Sinia Shakshuka. It was ultra-flavorful and felt like the best kind of comfort food while somehow being not too heavy. Service was prompt and friendly, and the food was prepared relatively quickly for how busy they were at the time. It felt lively inside the restaurant with nearly every table full. We were lucky enough to put our name on the wait-list ahead of time so the wait wasn' bad when we arrived. Would recommend! read more

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As an American, I loved this place! It felt so cozy and the service was amazing. They also serve alcohol, which is great for my morning mimosas. The food was also great. I got the chicken schnitzel, but the bread stole the show. I remember they had an interesting check in process with a kiosk but it was effective. The wait wasn't too bad, but boy does this place get busy! I'll definitely return the next time I'm in town. read more

Cafe Landwer - Menu - Cafes Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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The food - Arais burger & Shawarma - was very good, including dessert (Affogato & Lava cake). But our server? He needs some re-education. He barely made eye contact, never checked in with us after our meal was delivered to ask how things were or if we needed anything, and we had to ask twice for more water and then wait at least five minutes before getting any. The wait for the bill was so long we thought we could've just walked out without being noticed. But he had lots of time to chat with the table of girls across the room. This was early on Friday evening. read more

There was a wait line when we arrived, but it went by quickly, the monitor to put your information in for the wait line is in front of the entrance, but we didn't see it as it was close to the hostess area. The seating is quite comfortable, not stiff, and they have various sized tables, open lighting coming through all of their windows. Really beautiful. The latte I ordered tasted more like water with a splash of Nescafé, and some diluted skim milk. I also ordered the sashuka with the meat kabobs. This one I really regretted. The eggs were quite raw. The whites were runny, and I wasn't able to get through this dish. The meat was also quite pink on the inside. It was nicely charred on the outside. But the inside was cold. I ordered a side of fries, but it came with the salad, the runners were quick to replace them when we flagged them to ask, this was nice of them. I also ordered the mezza platter. Totally worth it! I really liked the fried cheese sticks and the tomato sauce, the lebneh was well flavoured, tahini and hummus were meh, the pita is quite thick and fluffy, great for this platter. Our waitress was also really uninterested in any conversation, to the point that she didn't even care to ask for the side options and such. Just wanted to bang out the order and get a move on I guess. Didn't check on us for food quality. Service could have been much better. read more

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