Hubby & I were out shopping on Christmas Eve for some last minute gifts and groceries. We were…read moreclose to downtown Markham and the idea of Draco came up. Initially we were going for the idea of breakfast, but timing was a bit off from what we anticipated and it was a really nice lunch date instead. I love the Markham Marriott, the staff is always warm and welcoming. Draco has a very sleek, sophisticated and cozy atmosphere. We both ordered Bacon & Cheddar burgers. I opted for a Caesar salad as an appetizer and hubby ordered their Grilled Wagyu Flat Iron Steak. Let's start with the apps. The Caesar salad was SO good! I wish I had taken a pic, but admittedly, my phone was tucked away and I was caught up in the cozy seating, great food and Christmas vibes of the restaurant and lobby. Grilled Wagyu Flat Iron Steak: $33 - Buttercup Squash Puree and Truffle Oil - Everything you want Wagyu to be - tender, cooked to the perfect temp which left a nice warm red centre. This was melt in your mouth good! The burgers - these were perfection! Draco Bacon Cheddar Burger: $25 - Aged Cheddar with Crispy Bacon Strips; Crispy Onion Straws, Arugula and Garlic Aioli. This was a very well seasoned patty, so juicy and a substantial sized patty of fresh not frozen beef. The bun was lightly toasted, bacon crispy, easily taking this into my top 3 fav spots for burgers! Options for sides include fries, sweet potato fries, poutine, side Caesar or garden salad or truffle fries. We finished off our meal with 2 really good cappuccinos and just took our time before heading home. This was our first time back here in a few years. The food was exceptional as was the service and the warm staff. Draco is the perfect spot for an early morning breakfast, work or lunch date or a nice cozy dinner. They also have Christmas & New Years dinners and brunches. Relax in the restaurant with drinks or in the adjacent lounge, this is a great spot to unwind with some great food and drinks.

The esthetic is on point. They have an infusion of fresh coming through the vents. The staff were…read morequietly there if it makes sense checking on us throughout. The food was chefs kiss. I had chicken and waffles my daughter had steak and eggs. The steak was seasoned to perfection, my waffles were crispy and so was my chicken. I wanted lactose milk he heated it up for me which was a nice touch. Would recommend Drako 100%

Everything was delicious!…read more The bone marrow was rich and flavorful yet hard to believe the warm milk bread was the star of the show (we even got some extra to-go). Who woudlve thought brocolli,strawberries and whipped feta was a wicked combination! Duck sliders were also a hit. Beautiful modern decor and excellent service. The server took a lot of time to explain almost everything on the menu. Looking forward to trying their new brunch menu as they have recently collaborated with Glass Kitchen).

I've been wanting to try this spot for a while but never got around to it, so we decided to go…read moretoday. Overall, it's definitely on the pricier side. Personally, I felt like many of the dishes were elevated or fancier versions of Asian classics. The crab truffle chawanmushi was super creamy, with crab meat on top and truffle flavors. For $40...ya idk it wasn't anything crazy and I would have loved it with a bowl of rice (maybe that's me being too Chinese lol). But also I've seen other review of the chawanmushi and it seems like every time, the amount of crab on it is different. Mine didn't seem to have as much compared to the other pictures I have seen which just tell me that they have inconsistencies. It just felt like a lot to just be eating on its own. The mala cream udon was really tasty, I loved the creaminess, cheesiness, and the addition of Chinese pork and spices but it also felt like something that could be make at home. The tuna tataki came with only three pieces for $22, which felt quite small for the price. The flavors were good, but the portion was underwhelming. My favorite was probably the Basque cheesecake it had a rich, creamy texture with a slight hint of saltiness. The Korean fried chicken sliders were also great, the crispy chicken with a well-balanced sauce. For drinks, we got the Zazatar and Golden Pear, and both were really good. The Zazatar, in particular, was quite strong which I liked. While the food was enjoyable, it didn't quite feel worth the price. For this style of food, I think you could find similar options and flavors at a more reasonable price point elsewhere in Markham. Nothing of the dishes like blow me away which is why I'm saying this. The staff were very kind and attentive, which I appreciated. However, the timing of the dishes was a bit off. We received and finished the tuna, then the sliders came out, followed by the udon. Finished that and then we waited about 15-20 minutes before my main (the chawanmushi) arrived, which by that point my partner had already long finished eating. I understand that chawanmushi takes longer to prepare since it's steamed, but a heads-up or better coordination with the rest of the dishes would have been nice. Like severing the appetizers at the same time and serving the mains at the same time. Instead of having the dishes come out one by one and such a long wait between the mains. The space itself is beautiful, with an upscale vibe, great for catching up I don't regret trying it, but it's probably not somewhere I'd return to.

My wife and I went to Smash Kitchen and Bar, and we had a generally good experience…read more The staff are friendly, the wait time for food was 13 minutes (yep, I time it), the food tasted great (we split the truffle mushroom baked eggs for the main, and Cathy's chocolate banana bread for dessert). Overall, a very pleasant experience. They only lost a point because there was an egg shell in our meal.

Smashing good brunch?…read more Smash Kitchen has been on our list to visit for a while till we finally had the opportunity. For more than a dozen years, this Markham spot has been known for good flavors and portions. The weekend brunch menu from 10am - 2:45pm had an assortment of creative dishes. We opted for their LA mac & cheese ($25) with a saucy cheese blend textured by herb crumbles. The soft shell crab benedict ($24) looked irresistible with two nicely poached eggs beside crab drizzled with maple buffalo hot sauce. While it came with no sides, bites of the whole fried soft shell crab on brioche toast were scrumptious. The inside of this restaurant is cavernous, featuring even a private room and patio. It's much larger than the dated plaza entrance would indicate. Staff were generally active at the tables, even delivering colour sheets to young ones. Skip it or hit it? It was a long time coming but brunch here didn't disappoint. Hit it!

Waited around 10 minutes to be seated during a busy weekend morning…read more The food came very quickly, and the portions were huge. They definitely did not skimp on the toppings for the seafood tomato soup, and the spaghetti was loaded with sauce.

Large selection, so much so that it can be a bit overwhelming for someone new to the HK style cafe…read morescene such as myself. Ordering a few dishes easily adds up. Can get quite pricey for simple dishes but you do leave feeling full. Ive tried the oysters, pasta dishes, black pepper beef and eggs, chicken wings and everything was good! Some orders gets you a free drink (iced/ hot milk teas). Nice bright spacious space in Downtown Markham!

Another amazing meal chicken waffle, spinach pasta , hot coco & hojicha latte…read more Service was great n tentative

This place redeemed itself that's for sure, we ordered chicken and waffles and shrimp cake eggs,…read moreservice was excellent the staff were very attentive, the shrimp cake was perfectly cooked had a lot of heat to it, the eggs were runny when you cut them that is how a poached egg is supposed to be. The fried chicken and waffles were out of this world price is on the higher side but this place always gets packed, the chicken was crispy on the outside and very juicy on the inside, the chilli maple glaze was delicious The ambiance was nice small space so there isn't that much seating, the chicken and waffles were my favourite and their salad with their vinaigrette was delicious. Just if you come here don't order the duck if I was the owner I would take that out of the menu, they specialized in making eggs Benny, super tasty the chicken and waffles were my favourite.

Very delicious but long queue.... U better reserve a spot beforehand. I like their Hainan chicken…read morerice and beef curry. I don't like their fried rice.

Run, don't walk! Also put yourself in queue beforehand or join the line before they open. The hype…read moreis real! This is a cute Hong Kong style cafe with LOTS on the menu. We arrived a little before they opened on a Thursday morning and there was already a line. The service is mighty fast, and the place for a random weekday stayed busy. We definitely over ordered and had leftovers. The menu was very long and so many yummy options but we opted to get their breakfast menu options. The set we got was a truffle omelette on toast, with beef soup. We also got a pineapple bun and french toast bites to share. We also added the option of a hot Hong Kong style tea. Highly recommend everything! You can tell from the photos - no additions explanation needed. Will definitely be back!

Stopped by for brunch at Next Door, located in the heart of Main St. Unionville. The restaurant is…read moreunique in a sense where it's situated in the historical Unionville Planing Mill. Was seated in their dinning hall ( the other side is more of a bar) and ordered a brunch tower for two. The tower includes their signature malaysian scrambled eggs, chorizo sausage, bacon, Brussel sprouts, toast with buttermilk pancakes stacked at top of the tower. The tower was beautifully presented and what I love most about the tower is their pancakes. Truly fluffy and light with whipped cream on top of it. Overall, service was efficient and attentive, often checked on and refilling water. On top of that, the restaurant has great decor and parking is provided in the back of the restaurant. Its considered on a slightly higher end for brunch ($20-30 range), but it was truly an amazing experience. They also have daily promos so worth checking out for dinner and late night deals.

This is very popular brunch place in Markham - but the options are more limited up here. Came with…read moremy parents to see what the hype is about (a few years after the hype has died down, but oh well). I must say that I do understand why people are drawn to the restaurant - it is very pretty and makes for wonderful pictures! This includes the lovely visuals of the food, which is beautifully presented and extremely photogenic. The taste of the food, although quite acceptable, fell just a bit short of its looks. The variety of colours was not matched with a variety of flavours, and everything was somewhat on the salty and greasy side. That being said, we very much enjoyed the potato hash, pancakes, and French toast. The portion sizes also outdid themselves - if you're coming here for brunch, just be prepared for a long nap in the afternoon! Service was excellent: prompt, helpful, and friendly. The interior is fairly spacious and elegantly decorated. Overall, a pleasant experience even if it's not the most spectacular - and perhaps worth a visit for some based on the aesthetics alone.

Came here for brunch for a girls day out and what a little gem! We came on a Thursday afternoon and…read moreit wasn't busy so I can't say how busy it gets on the weekends. I ordered their chicken kaarage with mochi waffles. The chicken was fried with a light batter. Crispy on the outside and the meat (chicken thigh) was moist and juicy. The waffles were crispy and chewy and stretchy with a hint of sweetness. The yuzu sauce was refreshing paired well with chicken.The dish came with a side of salad which helped balance out the heaviness of the fried chicken and mochi. We also ordered their pistachio souflle pancake and it was delectable. It was light, airy and fluffy. The pistachio sauce was creamy, nutty and aromatic without being too sweet. I also liked how it came with fruits on the side. I also ordered their hojicha latte, which was one of the best ones I've had. It was smooth, creamy, and had just the right amount of tea flavor. The milk foam had the perfect velvety texture and it came with a pretty latte art. Overall, I really enjoyed the brunch they offer here. It is a pretty simple cafe, so don't expect it to be all decked out because it's not those instagramable cafes. But the food were solid and it's a great option for a small group brunch as they don't have many tables and they don't have large tables at all (the best is to 4 people or less). Staff is very limited but it could be because we went on a Thursday and it wasn't busy. They have a QR code for you to scan and you can order directly from there and food came fairly quickly shortly after we placed our order. I would definitely return when I'm back in town.

My first time visiting the woodbine location after having good experience at the Finch location and…read moreit delivered. There's free parking in the small plaza right next to electric piggy. We ordered using the App from the QR code and the food and drinks came after a short wait. The chicken karage was friendly fried, crispy yet juicy on the inside. The mochi waffles were perfectly done and although we were full we had to try the jiggly pistachio soufflé pancakes which were light, fluffy and not too sweet. It's a great space for conversations or to work from with comfortable seating and space. The only downside are the drinks being served in paper cups instead of reusable cups. Great place for Japanese brunch if you're in the area!

I came here back in November with my boyfriend and we both still think about this place! There was…read morea line when we got there, and we were lucky to be able to be seated quite quickly as there were tables finishing their payments and just about to leave. Due to the number of guests that day, the space around our table was quite tight and cozy but that was fine by us. The servers were super friendly and when we had questions about the menu, they were able to help us narrow down our decisions (it was quite hard to choose because everything looked amazing!). My boyfriend got the Gochujang Chicken and Waffles with a juice (I believe it was lychee), and I got the Char Siu Benedict with a Hojicha Latte. The portion was much bigger than we had expected for the Gochujang Chicken and Waffles, which was definitely the highlight of the entire meal because this is a DEFINITE MUST TRY for the sweet/savoury combo lovers out there (note: the chicken wasn't a large thigh or two like other brunch restaurants we have been to, but rather chunks of chicken that were perfectly tossed in the gochujang). The Char Siu Benedict was also amazing, and I got truffle fries and a side salad. The Hojicha latte was recommended by not only the staff but also another diner who was seated next to us, and I definitely loved the rich flavour of the Hojicha. We will definitely come back (I dream about the Gochujang Chicken and Waffles), and I would highly recommend Sisters & Co for anyone in the Milliken/Markham area looking for an amazing Brunch spot!

Sisters & Co Markham is a chic diner brunch spot with more premium pricing than your usual diner,…read morespecializing in benedicts and various brunch items with Asian flares to them. It's extremely popular (always full) but the tables move quite quickly, so yes - while you most likely need to stay in line if you come during the weekends, you don't have to wait for long if you're on a cute brunch date for two. A few pros and cons about this place: Cons: 1) ordered the bulgogi benedict, and to be fair, it was not very impressive. While the English muffins underneath were toasted to perfection - crispy and soft, I was not impressed by the bulgogi/benedict. The thing about hollandaise sauce is that it's powerful, rich and creamy. What goes well with it needs to add another dimension of powerful flavour profiles, which is why it's usually paired with smoked proteins (smoked salmon, peameal bacon, pulled pork etc). While I love Bulgogi, it's usually sweet, refreshing that goes well with flavour neutral side such as plain rice (or bread, fries). When I had my Bennies, I could barely taste any of the bulgogi and it was a disappointment to me (it just tasted like an egg on an English muffin). 2) the size is quite small for its price (CAD 22). If you think the two bennies as one sandwich, it'd be a small English muffin. That's very pricy. Pros: 1) the "spicy" home fries were extremely well done. The flavour profiles were well delivered, with caramelized onions and pepper pieces mixed in. I had a great time enjoying them. 2) I enjoyed the drip coffee quite a bit. It was very fresh and the beans they used had a nice balance of acidity and bitterness. Very satisfying. 3) the service was superb. I really really appreciated my servers (Gabriella and Alan). They were extremely efficient while being attentive and friendly. I gauge that the servers are the primary reason why the restaurant, tho being extremely popular, still has a steady speed to move the lines and customers. Extremely impressive comparing to all other diners I've been to when it comes to service. Because of the servers and the home fries, I'd give it a four stars while the food/pricing need some works. I may come back sometime soon to try other items on the menu.

I came for afternoon tea on Saturday with a friend. It was located in a hotel so there was plenty…read moreof parking. We called in the Wednesday before and were able to get a reservation for the same weekend. It was an ok experience but there were definitely odd things I noticed. For the food, you're able to select 4 of 7 of the savoury dishes, which is nice to be able to customize. For dessert, you get most of the desserts except one (you need to pay $3 extra for macaron). Most of the food was fine, not exceptional, but fine. The scones I found were quite small compared to other tea places, and they only gave one per person rather than the usual two I'm used to. The tea experience could be better. In terms of the tea selection, I foundour server wasn't the most knowledgeable about the different tea. When asking about them, they mainly told me what was the top sellers, and when I asked to give me more details about the other ones, I was told things like "that's not as popular" or "that green tea like this other one but a bit different". Which really isn't helpful when trying to figure out what I want. Additionally, thete is a note that it costs $3 for an additional refill, and that a pot serves 4 cups. The problem is that the pot was really small and filled only two cups. They often checked in to see if we wanted a refill, but it was unclear when we would be charged for it. For example, our first refill we didn't get charged, but my guess is that it's because the first pot only filled two cups and not the four cups. So would I get charged for the next refill? How would they keep track? I imited how much I drank because of this. It was an ok afternoon tea experience but it wouldn't be one I would necessarily recommend given the above.

I went for High Tea in a group of 8, all except one is in their 60s-70s…read more The best things: the guest of honour was absolutely delighted, which is no surprise: it was her birthday, and a surprise event, and she was surrounded by family. And parking was free, once you registered at the desk. The china teapot and cups/saucers were gorgeous. HOWEVER!!!! We were seated somewhat away from the empty dining room, beside a wedding shower; some dividers separated us from the shower. Why sit older folks close to a noisy party?? (there were games, surprises and speeches) My husband couldn't hear his sister or brother at the other end of the table; I couldn't hear several of my in-laws; my brother in law with a hearing aid couldn't hear me well, and I was sitting beside him; we did not talk. After a couple of hours, I got fed up with the clamour, and anxious to LEAVE!! I suspect the staff seated us there for their serving convenience and/or because they assumed that a group might be noisy and should be near another group. Well!!!, older folks having high tea do not chortle and yell; they yearn to visit with people they've not seen in awhile!! All so unfortunate, as the dining room was empty (we were over near an empty buffet table). The tables were not set for tea, apart from the cups, saucers and pots already on the table; also, each "setting" had cutlery wrapped up in a napkin and I found myself wondering: do I need THREE knives, including a large dinner knife? Do I need two forks for finger food? Where do I put all this stuff? The small spoon was useful though. No table cloth. Institutional-type melamine tables...after I left I realized, they did not set the table at all! Setting the table is a fundamental of high tea. The other two are food and service! Our tea arrived. The china was very beautiful BUT each person got a small teapot and a very large teabag--one too large for the pot (I guess we were to get the pot refilled w water multiple times). I decided that the tiny plate on my portion of the table MIGHT be for my tea bag--there was NO WHERE ELSE to put it (one thing I inherited from my Mum was silver teaware including a little plate to put the teabag; this should not be a mystery for the hotel). I certainly wasn't going to leave a large black tea bag in a teapot for an hour or two!! Later, I realized that the little plate was what we was supposed to eat off of. I wiped it off with a napkin and stuck the tea bag somewhere else.... Perhaps 20-30 minutes after we were served tea, I overheard my in-laws muttering that they needed a refill of water: staff had to be asked to bring more water (!). They didn't ask or offer to bring it a second time. My fellow guests let their tea bags sit in their pots the whole time and/or (like me) gave up on getting more water. High Tea should be several cups of hot and fresh tea, automatically provided by staff and enjoyed over a while (a little bit like at dim sum: the tea helps balance and cleanse; sipping is comforting and should be delicious). As for the food: Savouries: of the four I ate, only the crab was interesting and tasty overall. The egg and truffle: no taste of truffle at all; best part was the brioche underneath; I make egg salad as well. Although the strip loin slices were perfect, and the touch of mustard was good...this was essentially meat on a nice slice of bread (could do this myself too); I'd bet the meat was cooked prior to the date, but it was good. The smoked salmon on croissant: the salmon was better than the frozen product I can get at the grocery store; the croissant may have been baked on a previous day. The single scone and cream: the scone was nice. Others at my table noticed that the cream had a lemon flavour but all I tasted was cream and some sweetness. I've had "cream teas" in England; the clotted cream was NEVER sweet. Although the accompanying jelly was nice, a gourmet/tasty strawberry jam would have been appropriate. Ask the English Desserts: I've never eaten a cannoli before and this was obviously fried (w bubbles in the "pastry"); nothing tempting about it. My guess is that the staff made these the previous day for the shower and for us, since there was a crust on the filling; no taste of pistachio in the filling. I researched what a canelé was before the Tea and wow, the little thing we received was no better than a Timbit in a different shape: so different from what I was expecting. It was supposed to be raspberry and caramel, but it just tasted like baked bread/pastry. An absurd letdown; the internet said they are hard to make, but really!!!! Panna cotta was unmemorable (it was pink and I used my little spoon lol). During the course of our visit, two staff smiled at us once, and we were asked ONCE how everything was, and WHO wants to make a fuss at a celebration? Avoid!!