Fresh squeezed orange and grapefruit juice are a nice touch to start but the charm of this place is that it isn't a chain and you don't have to wait for hours for a table like Auntie and Uncles, which I found to be highly overrated and only popular because of its hipster friendly location. Chew chews is at the edge of Cabbagetown and would likely be busier if closer to Parliament but if you get to House on Parliament and its backed for brunch, give Chew chews a try! Hubby's greatest complaint is that the cheese in his omelette was cheese slices not real cheddar, but the potatoes made up for this flaw. I love combos where you can get bacon and eggs AND pancakes, you can't get that at Cora's and I won't even acknowledge Golden Griddle as food! It's a charming little spot that food snobs might not appreciate but if you are like me and don't ever make a full breakfast at home because of the number of pans required to cook bacon, eggs, home fries, pancakes, etc. Chew chews is your chance for an old school breakfast at a reasonable price! I'm a fan. read more

Delicious breakfast. Love the home fries! Entrées come with complimentary coffee. Friendly and quick service. read more

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

Some people might think I'm crazy for giving this place 5 stars, but this was one of the most satisfying breakfasts I've had in a while. We arrived and were able to get a booth in the front, and had menus in our hands within moments of being seated, and glasses of water and coffee were on the table quickly to follow. The menu is pretty large, and where I normally try a restaurant first based on a classic eggs/meat/homefries/toast combo, instead of opting for the $7.99 3 egg classic breakfast, noticed a Meat Lovers Omelette for $11.99 which still had the home fries and toast, but a whole lot of meat in the eggs with some cheese. How could I not choose that thing being the pig meat aficionado that I claim to be? The food came out very quickly, and was fantastic. I'm not talking about a fancy breakfast like some brunch places that try to impress with garnishes and fancy ingredients. I'm talking about a good old fashioned greasy spoon breakfast... If I was hungover it would have been even better. Every bite of the Meat Lovers Omelette had some sort of salty pig flavours via the chopped up bits of peameal and strip bacon, sausage, and ham. Even the homefries were a good deepfried potato which complimented perfectly, save for a couple of the crunchy overcooked bits that ended up left on the plate. I even liked how the white toast is thick cut, although they do have the option for even rye bread should you want it. Washed it down with a cold bottle of Steamwhistle, and were on our way back to the sunny streets for a meager $32 post tax/pre tip for 2 omelettes, a coffee and a beer. There's even a picture of a train on the side of the building, so in my best Ralph Wiggum impression I've gotta say, I Choo Choo Choose Chew Chews Diner. read more

A great local diner with amazing staff and good food... I dub it as my second head quarters as my partner and I would have business meetings there as work was taking place at our home. Love the staff there especially Angello who is always smiling. Things I love on their menu... Their soups... Any... YUM! Chicken Souvlaki on a pita Halibut Fish and Chips Turkey Sandwich Chicken Sandwich with Cheese (Massive) and... their pies are amaaazing as desert... Do check them out! 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

I had the chicken souvlaki dinner prior to a concert at The Phoenix. Generous portions, great price, very tasty and attentive service. Highly recommended if you're in the area! read more

I revamped this review a little, but my rating stays the same because it's the best spot in the city for a delicious benny at a reasonable price. It's a cute diner, train themed if you didn't already get that. We loved to eat breakfast here when the boyfriend lived closer. There are a few things that aren't that great: the steak and eggs (according to the boyfriend), the strawberry milkshake (according to me) and the poutines. There are much better places in the city for a poutine, so why eat one here? The eggs Florentine and Benedict, however, were to die for. The portions are huge. I got THREE slices of pemeal bacon on the Benedict, and a garden full of spinach on the Florentine. Both came with THREE large and perfectly poached eggs. I love me some hollandaise so the rest of you can ask for a dollop, I'll take my ladle full. Pro tip - and you heard it here first - you can share the eggs Benedict and Florentine between two people of modest appetites, provided you get something to share from the 'Light Breakfast' menu. This is the place I started slowly falling in love with my boyfriend. We're going back to celebrate our first year together :) read more

I finally ventured into Chew Chew's Diner after years of walking past and was pleasantly surprised. We both ordered the egg and sausage breakfast and it came hot and fresh. The eggs and sausage were really good, but the ham was a bit of a let down and tasted way too processed. Negative one star for the filthy, outdated washrooms, would be four stars otherwise. read more

My favorite local diner. Family owned and operated. Nick and Alex are always welcoming and accommodating. Shawn is one of the best servers in the city in my opinion. He knows everyone's order and is super attentive. I've literally watched him walk a disabled lady in and out the restaurant and offer to walk her home. Absolutely gem of a person. Order the conductors special. You won't be disappointed read more

Did I go to the same Chew Chew's the other reviewers did??? Gloomy waitress, non-existent service, waitress brought the wrong menu item (some hardened fish with weird breading), and then angrily denied that she brought the wrong thing. Chips were overcooked, barely ok. Was I in an episode of Restaurant Stakeout and didn't know it? It was slightly improved by a cheery gentleman who was so nice I didn't have the heart to tell him I hated the food and service. Another day I might have sent the food back, but it must have been near closing time, they were mostly ignoring me and shutting the lights off. Still, I will try it again and follow up on this review. read more

Not what I was expecting from a place rated above 4 stars on google and yelp. I had the Three Eggs Any Style with Sausage. As one of the all day breakfast items, it includes home fries and toast with jam. I had all of my eggs sunny side up but the eggs themselves were very small. The sausage was fine but also very tiny, and they came with and very generous portion of home fries. However the home fries themselves were very bland and unevenly cooked. The toast was fine, just about what you'd expect from an 8 dollar meal. Overall a very mediocre meal because of the ridiculously large amounts of home fries and toast to the tiny amounts of eggs and sausage. The carbs to protein ratio was approximately 4:1. For 8 dollars I'd rather go get McDonald's breakfast. Not only does McDonald's serve better food, but you also won't be expected to tip! read more

Very poor experience for brunch Server (gentleman) was quite engaging but food was way overcooked, burnt in some cases on eggs and toast Not very good value for the money either in my opinion I won't be back - too many other great places to try read more

This is a true example of a diner! Huge portions, delicious food - attentive and friendly staff, great atmosphere. We went there on recommendation from friends. This will now easily be our regular hangout for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. read more

Chew Chew's Diner - Greek omelette, The Conductor breakfast platter. These portions are meant to fill you up! - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

One day, I was walking along College Street, and I was craving a milkshake, so I stepped into Chew Chew's Diner. Since I only grabbed a beverage to go, I didn't truly experience all that the diner had to offer. My milkshake was surprisingly small, and expensive. $3+tax for a 16 ounce milkshake? Come on! read more

Bumping up to 4 stars. I've been here a number of times now, and they are consistently good...good food, good service.

Good selection of breakfast. Had the Eggs Benedict to see if a place is a great, good or somewhat of a breakfast place. This is a nice place to sit down and enjoy. The Staff made it worth going to Chew Chew's Diner . Will be back. Thanks again read more

This Diner is one of my absolute favourites in Downtown Toronto. Consistently they deliver great food and a cool Diner atmosphere that keeps me coming back. Everything is a great portion size and tastes fantastic. This is a traditional Diner in every sense of the word. My reason for this review is actually related to the loss of a wallet at our table during our last visit. A few hours after our meal we realized it might still be there so we called and one of their wait staff said he wasn't on shift during out meal but would contact the other staff member to find out and would call me either way. We luckily found the wallet and I thought nothing more of it until the wait staff called back to let me know they were sorry but looked everywhere and couldn't find. I sincerely thanked them and knew a review was in order. Businesses that take a few moments to make sure their customers are serviced well need to be recognized just as much as the ones who don't provide great service. Thanks Chew Chew's! I'll see you next week. read more

I like to experiment with new brunch places. Specially if they a walking distance from me. Having said that, I have always been a fan of the brunch and enjoy checking out the odd grease spoon place. Better yet, going to check the odd diner since they remind me of a simpler time, large portions with odd racist undertones and familiar scenes from Back To The Future. Really though, the reason why I enjoy them for the retro decour and the forever hope that they not only serve floats but some delicious item that makes them unique. Well, not in this case. Chew Chew's Diner is a train themed diner, however beyond that it just another diner with not so many, so-so home fries and is a bit overpriced for what you get, quality wise. Again, is it expensive? No, not really but I have had some really great brunches for less than $10 at say Johnny G's just down the street. Not to mention the somewhat unsavoury characters that walked in that were refused entry because they were drinking in public. Also the place is not as big and the eggs Benny I ordered where just so-so. Plus the server gave us the vibe that he was just too busy to be too helpful even though we were just right in front of the kitchen/bar/cash. Don't get me wrong, they were not bad, they were just not great even if the decour may be a bit eye catching. So, would I come back? Well, my brunch-mate and I agreed, although not one of the best brunches we have had , that it would be in our third tier of places to have a brunch at. So all in all, a right on the mark A-Ok rating. Needless to say I will drop by again, I am just not in a hurry to do so. read more

Solid breakfast diner. The pancakes I ordered were a large order and so delicious. I had strawberries and bananas on it. My husband ordered the conductor's special and it was plentiful for sure. Coffee was the typical diner coffee. They were fairly stroller and baby friendly for a narrow restaurant, and were prompt in getting us water to heat up my son's bottle. I also noticed they rushed another customer's child's order on their request which I thought was great. We will definitely return as I do want to try the eggs benedict! read more

Great menu selection, very friendly staff that can make a new customer feel like part of the family. All in all, it's always been a good experience there. I would stay away from their mixed drinks, but other than that, you're in good hands at this place. Definately recommend if you're in the area. read more

Incredible. Doesn't look like much from the out side but once you step in the place is bumping! Customers of all ages and backgrounds. Friendly staff and lively kitchen. I've had breakfast here twice and I'm always so impressed. I last had an egg scrambler with bits of veggie burger smothered in hollandaise sauce. To. Die. For. A must for anyone at any age. read more

Most consistent breakfast diner in the city, The veggie patty option with your breakfast is like no other that's because almost everywhere else does not have that option, staff is friendly and polite it's also nice and quite. You must try this place at least once and I'm sure you won't be disappointed, this place deserves to be on that show "you must here". read more

My favourite local breakfast spot. Excellent diner experience: coffee is constantly refilled, food is hot, tasty, and plentiful (and made to order), service is super friendly, and tonnes of regulars. If you arrive early, there's a breakfast special, but no rush, as breakfast is served allllll day. read more

Came here twice while staying in the neighbourhood for a few days. The food was great & the service was friendly & efficient! Definitely a hidden gem. Had the chorizo omelette special the first day & the Reuben sandwich the second day, both were good but the Reuben was a standout for sure! read more

Train theme? Yes, please. Interior decorated like the inside of a train car, complete with false scenery? Hell, yes. Menu items with names like "Conductor's special"? Ooooh, yeah. One of my regular breakfast places, although food is just okay. My favourite item on the menu is the club sandwich. The classic breakfast, and eggs benedict are nice as well. My least favourite are the things with cheese slices. Like, the rubbery, violent yellow, Kraft slice kind. Sometimes things can be a little sneaky. Like charging for coffee refills. And not having a side dish included with the sandwiches. So, if you are asked if you would like fries, it actually costs extra. Return for that romantic feeling of dining in a train car while eating the Big Track Burger. No, seriously, it is really fun. read more

Cool old school diner in downtown area. I love these dives. Good food and great service. Really gets busy around 11 on Sunday. Always happy to find these places. Highly recommended. read more

If you want rude service and bland food this is the place for you. The waitress with the mole on her face was extremely rude from the start. She refused to answer any questions about the menu - maybe she was having a bad day? She was rude to every patron in the diner. Food was subpar - potatoes were soggy and the sausage was flavourless and greasy. Food can be forgiven, but the service is unacceptable. Waited forever to get her attention so we could get our bills, which she never brought over and after 20 mins of waiting (it wasn't a busy morning) decided to just pay at the counter. Owner seems like a nice fellow, but I will never be back because server lacks basic customer service skills. She should be fired or kept in the back where she has no interaction with customers. read more

The first thing that drew my attention to this diner was, of course, reading about the train theme. (Second was that I found that it took the place of The Steerburger Restaurant that was around when I worked in the area in the 90's.) There's a large train mural on the side wall outside, and lots of train stuff inside, from scenic pictures in train windows instead of actual windows on the mural wall, and an entire train-themed menu. It's pretty standard breakfast fare, all-day breakfasts, omelettes, pancakes, waffles. I've only had a dinner meal once, the hot hamburger sandwich I believe. This morning I had the All Aboard Special, a plateful of eggs/bacon/ham/sausage/homefries/toast/coffee. I would say the food has always been good, nothing fantastic but consistently good. Same for the service; this morning's server seemed a little gruff at first, but later seemed more naturally friendly, and was very quick with the coffee refills. Total bill was less than $15. Overall, I always enjoy going there for the train theme and casual neighbourhood feel. I have been there a few times now, and will continue going back. The one caution I will give, I went once on a Sunday morning, and they were packed for brunch, it's the only time I had to wait in line for a table. read more

Great diner with great food. Had their Ruben with Onion Rings and both were amazing. The rings were HUGE and super crispy. The staff was attentive and the food came fast. The perfect spot to grab a bite before heading to Allan Gardens. read more

I live in the area and always walk by this place, usually on the way to another breakfast joint - I finally decided to check it out. We were a group of 3 who all ordered something different. The eggs benedict that my friend order looked amazing and was quite large. I got a regular bacon and eggs breakfast which was pretty good (bacon was excellent). The other person in our group got an upgraded breakfast with pancakes, which weren't my favorite. Service was great up until we wanted to leave and pay our bill, however aside from that they were super attentive and very friendly. I've given it 3 stars instead of 4 because the food wasn't the best in neighbourhood and to be honest, was fairly greasy. But that being said, I would come here again because it's still pretty cheap and close to my house. read more

Great place for your diner breakfast and lunch experience. Staff is very helpful and friendly. Food is good and fresh. Prices are reasonable. Have been having Sunday lunch for years and have loved the experience. read more

Great staff, great food! The all day breakfast is great but today liver and onions and soup was tasty and filling

I work in the neighbourhood and this is definitely my go to spot for breakfast at lunch. Roast Beef isn't their best dish but everything else is Delish. My 81 year old Mum is a big fan too. A Nostalgic retro diner with home cooking and staff who are always friendly & attentive. read more

Good food but there are no set prices on coffee!!! Every time I get charged differently. Very frustrating when you don't know what your bill will be. 1st time I paid just for the meal, coffee was included. This time (2 days later) they charged me 2$ extra for the coffee and another $1 for the refill on the coffee. That is almost 30% of hidden charges. read more

I got my food delivered from the app Just Eat. I had the Greek Omelet and my gf had the Great Canadian Rail. There was a minimum charge of $25 unfortunately so I decided to get an apple juice and a side of mashed potatoes. The mash potatoes had no option to add gravy but I ordered it anyways assuming it would come with som. Nope. Plain mash potatoes which I didn't eat. My Greek omelette was missing the salty taste that normally comes with feta cheese. Their feta is bland. My gf says her Great Canadian Rail omelette was pretty good albeit a bit dry. So in general not a great experience. read more

Simple Direct and: Friendly! A real neighborhood joint. Friendly banter and real attention to people. I ate breakfast here regularly for the two weeks I was there in June- and they knew my order in two days. read more

Favourite diner. I've tried most items on the menu and they are all great. Even the specials.

Maybe not the best greasy spoon in the area, but definitely worth a visit. My boyfriend and I always make sure to get a side order of bacon as it is the best I've ever had. The server told us it's maple smoked and roasted before being sliced and fried. The smell drew me in of the street like a sirens' song. That's the only thing worth remarking on. The service seems a bit hustled and the food falls short of greatness every time. Still a decent place for a hangover brunch! read more

A couple friends and I were going to a concert at the Phoenix Concert Hall and we had about 1 hour to kill. One of us went to pick up food at Chew Chew's (some burgers and chicken souvlaki) and were told that it would take 25 minutes. We thought that gave us plenty of time to eat. However, it was around 40 minutes later that we finally got the food. In the end, we had barely 5 min to eat. But more than that, when we would ask how much longer it would take, they were considerably rude in attitude. I understand it can be frustrating to have customers ask how much longer it would take, but they should have been more accurate with their time estimate. If we had been given a more accurate estimate, we would have most likely gone somewhere else. On top of this, we had asked for a couple subtractions from our orders (ex. no cheese, no onions, etc) and they got all of them wrong. One burger was completely inedible. The other burger, however, once we changed it ourselves, was quite tasty and that is the only reason this review isn't 1 star. But between the inaccurate time estimate, rude attitude, and wrong orders, I can't help but warn others away from Chew Chew's unless service is a very low priority. read more

Not impressed. A star because the fries were really good. I'll go back for them. The hamburger was meh and there was a soggy, discoloured semi rotten tomato served on it. The philly sandwich was on a hotdog bun and the beef was just not good. Flavourless with a huge gristle chunk in the first bite. Flies were buzzing around and one landed on my son's cheek as he was trying to eat and just sat there. Super questionable hygiene from staff and all surfaces. read more