Sandwiched between Allan Gardens and Seaton St. in Cabbagetown sits Chew Chew's serving all-day breakfast, hot sandwiches and burgers in their diner with booth seating and train-inspired decor. At the corner of Carlton and Bleecker St, I spotted a mural of their trademark locomotive painted on the outside walls. Choo-choo, Chew chew! I chew-chewed my way into the train themed diner. I got the All Aboard Special Breakfast which is a meat lover's dream. It came with 3 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 strips of bacon, a slice ham and peameal bacon, seasoned home fries and buttered toast your choice of white, brown or rye. Adorning the walls are black and white photographs of trains. A panoramic photo on one wall is a captivating one of the Minnesota border, smiling staffer Sean tells me while taking down the Christmas holiday decor. It's a green grassy beauty. It has a long history of charity, partnering with St.Luke's United Church and Dixon Hall to supply a street outreach team hot meals to distribute to those who need it. The diner is more than meets the eye, some greasy spoons are full of character and kindness. read more

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Since I moved to the area in 2021, this was my go to breakfast spot. Cheap, nothing fancy, but consistently good food with great portions for the price you pay. The eggs were always perfectly cooked, the bacon crispy, and delicious home fries. The staff were all very friendly. Nothing but great things to say! I thought the restaurant was under renovations for a few months, but it seems they are closed for good. Truly lost a great spot for brunch. read more

Chew Chew's Diner - 3 egg special with bacon. Wide of home fries, toast and tomatoes. - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

A hole in a wall place. The place is an old diner, clean and cozy. The food real filling. Your classic Canadian breakfast. Three eggs, pea bacon, bacon, potatoes, tomatoes... omelets choices. They have all you need for a hearty breakfast. May it be savory or sweet for your morning taste. Washroom needs cleaning. Soap refilled. Other than that it's a thumbs up. Server and cooks is their asset. Friendly and hardworking. A++ read more

Chew Chew's Diner - a plate of breakfast foods - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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One of the really old school diners left in the city. Big portions, great ingredients, awesome taste. Burgers are massive, can't even describe the poutine selection (which family members have devoured). We have been regulars for more than a few years. Great service, great food and great prices (a bit more but what isn't). Stop by and Chew, Chew! P.s. there remains a train motif ;-) read more

Incredible, new favourite and go to breakfast diner in downtown Toronto. The food is delicious, freshly cooked diner fare and the portions are huge with exceptionally low prices especially in the context of high recent inflation. Service was friendly. The three egg breakfast was delicious and is $6.99 or $8.99 if you include a side of bacon, sausage, or ham. The service friendly and fast. I'll be back soon! read more

Chew Chew's Diner - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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A classic old fashioned diner at Carlton & Sherbourne with nice booths (no personal juke boxes but a CP News monitor purring away), friendly efficient staff, where I had the pictured Eggs Scala: Poached Eggs w Tomatoes, Sautéed Mushrooms & Spinach on an English Muffin topped (rather, smothered...) with Hollandaise Sauce. Old fashioned comfort goodness! #Diner #Eggs read more

So happy that this institution has reopened!! Always an amazing place to grab a quick and delicious meal. Service is always impeccable. Portions are more than generous. And always a fun place to go to! read more

A really nice and affordable place for brunch. We ordered the great Canadian rail omelette and the eggs Benedict st Patrick - both were large portions, filling and tasty. Service was friendly and quick. We came on a monday holiday around 11:30am and were quickly seated as the place wasnt busy. read more

Chew Chew's Diner - St patrick Benedict - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I love these non pretentious, "dive diners". Delicious food, great service... fantastic price point! Love the atmosphere. read more

Chew Chew's Diner - Ben florentine - Eggs Benedict with pea meal bacon and spinach. 4 eggs!!!! - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

A favorite of mine. I like eggs Benedict and thar is their specialty. They use peameal bacon and it's so good with Hollandaise sauce. The home fries has great spice to it. And it's small but really good coffee. The service is great. Fast and always make sure your coffee is full. It's shaped like a train car and has that diner feel from the 40s. It's definitely a place I frequent. read more

I like the theme and the food portions are generous. I wouldn't say the breakfast is amazing but there is a large variety on the menu. I enjoyed my breakfast here and it was a great value. Overall I'd come here again for a sturdy breakfast and an ok cup of coffee read more

Chew Chew's Diner - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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It's a clean place the food is great and you never walk out of there hungry. Really large servings,reasonable price. Their breakfast menu will surpass anyone's wishes. You must try their toasted Western. It is at least 1 in thick of egg ham peppers onions and every other thing that's delicious and nice. The service is spotty but they are very nice people. read more

It has reopened Saturday, October 12, 2024, now calling itself "Grill" instead of "Diner." Menu looks pretty similar.

Great food! Love the old fashioned booths and colour scheme! Big portions. Friendly servers. Fair prices. What more could you want?

The plates are huge and if you don't get a big appetite, it's a waste... I ordered the Benedict, I had 4 eggs!! Unfortunately, they cannot put the appropriate amount of hollandaise. My whole plate was drowning in the sauce and I couldn't eat half of it. It was disgusting. Service very basic and slow. Probably won't return. read more

Chew Chew's Diner - Benedicts... somewhere under the sauce :/ - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Checked out #chewchewdiner today bc they have the cutest little mural on the side of their store and had to come see what they're about! The portions were American sized and the price was good. I ordered the pork hot sandwich with mashed potatoes and veggies on the side. I'm not sure why the boiled veggies were a little bit sour, but if it's done on purpose please stop bc it tastes like it has gone bad. My bf loved his breakfast burger though and was very satisfied with the portion size (4/5 rating). Our friend also enjoyed his meatloaf eggs benny (3.9/5). I was impressed by the service - our server was super friendly in a genuine sort of way and very on top of her game. The waters were also always full. Unfortunately I found a hair inside my hot sandwich so was too grossed out to finish the rest of the sandwich. My experience with the food was not great, but the other tasters at my table highly enjoyed their food. Price - 11.99 for hot pork sandwich Nom factor - 3/5 Service - 5/5 read more

Chew Chew's Diner - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

At first, the restaurant doesn't look like much but the server, Gray, was so friendly right off the bat. Their service was above and beyond from the moment we stepped through the door until the moment we left. Then the food was amazing, I was expecting just regular diner food if that makes sense. Gray suggest we try the avocado, bacon egg dish with fancy hot sauce and omg it was so good!! I will definitely be going back read more

Chew Chew's Diner - a plate of food - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Another homerun in Toronto! I love the hole-in-the-wall places. The hidden gems where only locals dare tread...why? because they are usually the best place around. Chew Chew is one of them. Greeted by a friendly staff, lead to a booth that has seen more butts in it than I could care to imagine. To follow is a classic fry up that these places are famous for. The peameal bacon and eggs was plenty and by no means would you leave hungry. If you want linen napkins and cut glass goblets...this isn't the place for you. If you want good service and good food in a local atmosphere, this is a gem in Toronto. read more

Chew Chew's Diner - Peameal bacon and eggs - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I decided to have dinner here before seeing They Might Be Giants at the Phoenix. The atmosphere is warm and friendly, and the staff is just attentive enough. I had the Friday night fish special (whitefish) and enjoyed the large portions. Everything was hot, greasy and exactly right. Coleslaw oily and vinegary, classic. My friend stood me up, so I ended up hanging out here for more than an hour, reading a novel and drinking tea. Staff never made me feel like I should pay up and leave, even after I offered when I saw the room start to fill up. All in all, a perfect place in Moss Park to hide from a cold, dark, wet night. read more

Chew Chew's Diner - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Big portions! Decent taste .... but when the pancakes are served darker than my complexion it's time to go! read more

Chew Chew's Diner - "Burnt" Cajun cakes! ‍ - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I was really surprised that this place was not busy. The food was fantastic and the service was great. Alex our waiter was right on with the menu and service . Very pleased and will certainly be coming back. read more

Chew Chew's Diner - Great food great service - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I was very impressed with this diner. The service is very good as is the food. I ordered the hour turkey sandwich and it was proper turkey not deli turkey. It came served with fresh vegetables. I ordered it with the fresh cut fries as my potato and they lived up to my expectations (I have a thing for fresh cut French Fries). Good portions and good food. It is conveniently located on the streetcar line. Definitely check them out. I'll be back. I love old style diners. read more

Chew Chew's Diner - Hot turkey sandwich - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I searched on yelp from brunch spots near the area and was underwhelmed at my 3-3.5 options. I opted to hit up the closest spot to where I was staying just to eat something. I was blown away! Mimosas are $5 and they are made with freshly squeezed orange juice with just the right amount of pulp. My boyfriend and I split the Benedict and French Toast. It was too much food for the two of us but it was delicious. By far the best egg Benedict I've ever had. The French toast were just okay. I could skip them. Def recommend this place if you're looking for a quick bite or a long bite. This place is great! read more

Chew Chew's Diner - Florentine Benedict - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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This place is a hidden gem. Old school diner decor and friendly atmosphere. Food was exceptional. Portion sizes were huge and everything came out hot and tasty. I judge a brunch place on their hollandaise sauce and Chew Chew's was awesome. A special thanks to the server Shawn. Great service from someone who obviously loves what he does. I greatly recommend this place, I will definitely be going back. read more

I came by for a quick dinner with my friends before they hit the Phoenix. I ordered a hot liver sandwich and asked for the fries to be upgraded to an eggs benedict (!) poutine instead. The hot liver sandwich was okay, nice thick white bread, starchy, diner gravy and frozen liver (a little on the tough side). I only ate about 1/3 of the large order of poutine, as the hollandaise was very very creamy and I'm not supposed to eat dairy (I take an exception for butter). What I was able to eat before my body objected was delicious and totally worth it. The service was passable and the the atmosphere was perfectly dinerish. Every once in a while, the cook (wearing a conductor's hat!!!!) would walk by and say hi, and ask how we were doing. That was a really nice touch. I would definitely go back again. Apparently they had a special that we didn't see until we left... 4 domestic bottles of beer and a pound of wings for $20! read more

Chew Chew's Diner - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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After a few more visits, I've found the food here tends to be incredibly bland. Most recently, I took a bite of fried potato and suddenly found my mouth full of dirt. Seriously. Service is decent, but as I'm not into eating dirt or tasteless food, I won't ever be back. read more

I live close by and have eaten at Chew Chew's numerous times. The staff are extremely warm and are always courteous. Their portions are quite generous and prices are very reasonable. The restaurant seems to be kept quite clean as well. Their menu is actually quite varied for a greasy spoon and you'll surely be surprised at the selection. So far I've sampled their Chicken Caesar Salad, Fish and Chips, Cheeseburgers, Clubhouse Sandwich, and Eggs Benedict. I have no complaints about any dish, but I especially love their Halibut Fish & Chips. Not too greasy and plenty of fries. I've ordered food for takeaway on my way home from work and had it waiting for me neatly packaged with all proper garnishes and utensils included without having to ask. As long as they maintain their current standards and pricing I'll be a long time customer. Keep it up! read more

I would give this place a 3.5 stars since it has promise. I got the conductor's special for breakfast. The eggs and sausage were 4 stars but the ham and pancakes were 3. I'd give it another go with a different order next time. Cute little diner atmosphere and service is speedy and friendly. Shady neighbourhood though. Staff have an excellent sense if humour! Try it out. read more

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The food is not too bad but nothing o write home about. The service is can be inexplicably slow--I was the only one there and the server was too busy chatting to find me until I asked for assistance. One time I asked about the veggie burger and received an anti vegetarian rant. Overall, it's not bad but avoid if there are reasonable alternatives. read more

I went for breakfast the other day, and it was delightful! I have always wanted to try a Greek omlette and am glad that I may the choice to do so here. It was on special too; score! The omlette was huge, filled with tomatoes, onions and feta. I would absolutely get it again. The home fries were some of the best I've had. A nice bit of seasoning and so tasty. The only thing that would have made them better if they were well done. I like my home fries crispy! I'm not a huge fan of orange, so was happy to see a slice of orange AND pineapple which was sweet and juicy. I can't wait to go back! One thing that I really love too is that you can tell they try to get to know the regular customers. They have a draw every week for a gift certificate. You just have to write your name and number on your reciept and put it in a jar. I was paying debit one time and the waiter saw that I had written my name on it, put it in the container for me and purposely looked at the back so he knew my name when he said bye. read more

So I decided to give this place another shot. this time I went with all aboard special since u didn't really want pancakes. Like the last time I went there were some issue but different issues. The eggs were cook fine and peameal bacon was good. the ham was just off in taste but still edible. Sausage was okay and bacon expect for ends of a few pieces which were really chewing it was fine. I always said home fries were my main issue with most places. They were fine up until the last few ones. They either weren't clean right or cook all the way. Either way it's a good meal for most part, service was good. Chew Chew diner isn't a place I will dismiss just yet. read more

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Wow, can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet! If you can make it past the prostitutes and drug addicts - OK, I exaggerate, its not THAT bad (until you go a bit south, then it really is that bad) - you can spot a old fashion diner on the corner lot. The service is immediately inviting and friendly and the restaurant is small but well laid out. How can you deny an illuminated faux window scene aimed to make you feel like your gazing out onto a foreign landscape...tacky as it gets, but hey, for this neighbourhood its an elegant touch. Now I'll get onto the food! The menu is well priced with everything in and around the $8-13 range but please do come hungry. Portions here would give even our neighbours to the south a reason to let out their belt buckles a couple notches. I swear, they must use about 5 eggs in their omelettes, and they are so fluffy and packed with all the good stuff. I'd steer clear of the more average options like perhaps some of the sandwiches, in place of the fantastic brunch items....oh ya and the souvlaki's in a pita etc (this ain't exactly the Danthforth). The Eggs Bennies were a tad pricey but BOY I've got to admit it was well worth the couple extra $$. Couldn't have asked for better stuff. Pretty much everything from the mains to the sides (addictively delicious hash taters, super buttery toast) were spot on. Good hearty meals made fresh and served up with sincerity. This is the best diner I have been to and I can't wait to come back for some brunch tings! read more

Chew Chew's Diner - Chew Chews gargantuous Veggie omelet with gorgeous and buttery brown toast. - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I like the setting, old diner, the booths at the front... The three meals I've had; breakfast, club sandwich, hot turkey sandwich; all very average. I'm not a huge fan of the 'microwave' being a big part of my meal (i.e. hot turkey). I've had some great hot turkey/chicken type plates (especially in MTL), this is not great. 2nd handsmoke coming in from the back exit not pleasurable; staff smoking pre cooking, etc. After 3 visits I think I'm done with CHEW CHEW'S, staff always very good; unfortunately food not much beyond mediocre. Also need to add; don't be in a rush if you are visiting; SLOOOOW. read more

Dive diner at its finest! All the retro diners need to study this place. Peameal bacon chunked into uneven chunks and grilled so there's little crispy and larger juicy bites in my omelette, combine that with real home fries, not frozen shredded crap and that there is a meal! This place is rough around the edges and you want to sit in front because the cook is a riot read more

A gem of a place...dont let the location and the outer décor fool you. All my friends that I have taken them to the Chew always say the same thing.Wow...what a great place. Its my local Eatery that i am very proud of. The staff are great and friendly. Be warned, the portions are huge so bring an appetite! Doughboy read more

Good breakfast joint, no frills dining experience and simple breakfast foods like their conductors special is my favourite with sausage, bacon, ham, and pancakes. read more

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Great service. Tasty food. Cheap prices. Huge portions. The omelettes are loaded. Coffee is decent. A must for your Sunday brunch.

Their poutine doesn't use cheese curds (what?!) but they have Thanksgiving poutine and a serious train theme, so I still love it. Portions are huge. Really huge. Come prepared. read more

What an amazing place! The staff are wonderful, the food is awesome and the overall experience is like you are at a friends place for a meal One of Toronto's best kept secrets!!! read more

Just terrible food. Didn't know where to go for breakfast so we tried this place I have been passing by everyday. I was not expecting much and I was still disappointed! I order eggs Benedict. The potatoes are some microwaved reheated cardboard, eggs were like boiled eggs and the sauce tasted and looked like some mayonnaise and was probably coming from a jar. Very disappointing. The only thing that was ok is the "home made" orange juice, probably the only item actually home made. Just avoid this place! read more