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White Lily Diner

4.5 (194 reviews)
Open • 9:00 am - 10:00 pm

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WHITE LILY DINER ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Hipster
Casual
Intimate
Moderate noise

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Recommended Reviews - White Lily Diner

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Patty melt
Jinzi H.

I remember when this place opened when I was still in highschool and its just as great as I remember. In fact, it got onto the Michelin list a couple years ago, and for good reason. The restaurant is giving cozy comforts diner with abut 20 people worth of seating. Join the waitlist as soon as you can because you can wait up to 2 hours for a table on a Sunday morning. After we got seated and our waiter came over and he wasn't giving the most welcoming energy, he seemed a little stand off ish which was weird but we assumed that's just how he was lol. Other than that that the service was good. We started with the biscuits. You have an option to have it with gravy or jam. We got jam and it came with a clotted cream like spread and a cinnamon apple tasting jam. The biscuits were nice and fluffy. We got an ice coffee too and it was really good. I always come for the party melt. It comes with their house salad and a scoop of their sweet potato salad. The whole plate was fantastic. We also for their turkey dinner and this was so delicious but we were so full we only had a couple bites and took the rest home. It was just as delicious as reheated leftovers.

Karla T.

The food was good. Fresh ingredients, nicely prepared, and you can tell there's thought behind each dish. The service fit the vibe: warm, cozy, and laid-back. We ordered: * White Lily Farms salad * Etta's breakfast * Summer toast with pickled zucchini * Steak n' Eggs Def the kinda spot that feels easy to settle into for a slow morning (if you can get a table). That said, it wasn't quite enough for me to come back and wait through a long list again. Still a solid all-day breakfast spot if you're in the area and don't mind taking your time. Highly recommended to join the waitlist the moment they open lol.

Hot Turkey Club
Rachel C.

First time visiting White Lily Diner and the food was amazing. We sat at the bar and the entire staff was very friendly. Super cozy and perfect for a cute Sunday brunch date or hang.

Michelle K.

Your girl was hungry and curious to try this breakfast restaurant since I heard a lot of hype. If you're sitting alone they most likely will seat you at bar. And only about 6 tables, so there will be waitlist for sure on weekends and weekdays. The menu was simple but at the same time they had their own flavour and uniqueness. I got the meatloaf dinner. The combination of meatloaf sauce, grits, gravy, mushrooms and spicy sauce was delicious. First time trying meat loaf as well, very interesting. Service was good and the restaurant is really old school vibes it's cute!

Paige G.

Honestly some of the best pancakes I've ever had. So fluffy but also has a nice crisp on the outside. Could tell they used high quality ingredients too. It was like an elevated diner. Toronto food is epic!!

While Lily standard
Laura R.

This Michelin recommended restaurant serves classic diner fare. I ordered the White Lily Standard which comes with eggs, bacon, toast and hash browns, and the White Lily Farms salad. The owners have their own farm, so the eggs come from there and taste fresh. Food was very flavourful. They don't take reservations, there is only an online waitlist. We arrived during the week, so were served quickly. It's a small restaurant, and there are seats for about 20 people.

Steak and eggs
Maggie G.

Heard great things about White Lily Diner, but it didn't live up to the hype for me. The wait for a table was long, and the food took quite a while to come out. We ordered the steak and eggs and the meatloaf with grits both looked nice but lacked flavour and felt heavy. Overall, good service but pretty mediocre experience for the wait and food.

reuben sandwich
Alexus T.

the ambiance is cute and casual. I went on a Thursday evening and I didn't have to wait, it wasn't busy at all! the menu is very specialized in sandwiches, but they are mostly very simple offerings. its like comfort food, but you can tell they are thoughtful with their preparation. I appreciate this quality that they work to maintain! I had the reuben and don't have a very strong opinion. I have had better, but it wasn't bad. I think I'd have liked the meat to be juicier, to be able to taste the swiss cheese more, and could use a bit of extra sauce. the salad was good and fresh. service was quick, friendly, and attentive. they leave you with a bottle of water at the table, so you can refill your glass whenever needed. overall for the price ($28 with tax and tip) I don't think this was worth it for me so wouldn't go out of my way to come back. it feels overhyped.

Coffee
Gab G.

Had a fantastic breakfast here while on our trip to Toronto! My boyfriend and I joined the waitlist waitlist at 9:28 AM on a Friday (you can join remotely), and were seated at 10:09 AM. The coffee was meh, but you get free refills - and you're really here for the food, which is amazing! Sour cream cruller was perfect, and I loved the southern breakfast. The fermented cabbage really brought it home for me.

Alexa J.

Been to White Lily Diner many times and still remains one of my favourite spots! Came here for dinner recently with a group of 6 friends - we took up 2 booths and the restaurant was kind to hold 2 booths for us when I called in. They have a waitlist as well which can get very busy for lunch, but dinner tends to be pretty empty and the menu stays the same. We all got the OG patty melt and scones (one with gravy and one with jam/butter), and a peach crueller donut. 10/10 on the OG patty melt - and scones with butter/jam were delicious! Loved the whipped butter and fresh jam. Gravy wasn't my favourite with the scones but I think it would taste delicious with chicken or something heartier. Definitely make the stop here if you're ever in Leslieville!

White Lily Standard breakfast
Divyank S.

Went for a brunch on a weekday and was amazed with the restaurant's specialties. The mouth was filled with flavoured food. Service was attentive. Had a wait time of 30 minutes was totally worth it. The atmosphere was morning breakfast diner type-ish. Will come back for more.

southern breakfast. maple donut
Shlexa M.

We found this place to be pretty mediocre. We joined the wait list for about 45 minutes and were able to get a table. We ordered a donut, the southern breakfast, and the pancakes. The biscuit was great, but everything else was fine. We had higher expectations and left feeling let down.

Meatloaf dinner with added sunny egg
Sylvia S.

White Lily Diner is one of those places that quietly earns its cult following. This cozy east-end spot serves up comfort food with a Southern twist, all made with a clear focus on quality, local ingredients. I've been a few times now and have worked my way through a good chunk of the menu, but on my most recent visit, I went full-on dinner mode with the meatloaf plate: tender meatloaf with rich gravy, creamy grits, griddled mushrooms, sweet pickles, and a fluffy buttermilk biscuit. I added a sunny egg on top because it was brunch and I felt it was right. The portion was generous and everything tasted homemade in the best way. I couldn't even finish it all, which says something. I had my eye on the key lime pie, but my stomach waved the white flag. Next time. The vibe here is classic diner but elevated, very clean, welcoming, and unpretentious. Service is friendly and attentive without being overbearing. Coffee is drip only, but it's good and keeps coming. No lattes here, but that's part of the charm. Now, a heads-up: the wait is real. You'll need to put your name on the list and plan to wait. They'll text you when your table is ready, which is helpful if you want to wander. Expect to wait at least an hour. I've been there before and heard them say the wait was four-hours! That said, the food and experience are worth the wait. Prices are reasonable for the quality, and you can taste the care in every dish. If you're craving a hearty Southern-style breakfast or comforting dinner in the city, this place delivers. This is one of my top 5 breakfast joints in Toronto.

PB&J donut

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1 year ago

The food was great & the service was awesome. The staff made sure that we were happy & satisfied. They were very friendly & accommodating.

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1 year ago

Great food in a cozy diner. Innovative menu and friendly staff. Nice place to go with a couple of friends.

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The George Street Diner - Irish breakfast

The George Street Diner

3.6(196 reviews)
1.8 km•Old Town, Corktown
•$$

Great find! Learned about this place during a drive by on the hop on hop off city bus tour…read more.. Our server Nicole was outstanding; friendly, efficient, & knowledgeable. Hubs and I both had the Irish breakfast- served hot and delicious. Coffee cups & water glasses were never empty - highly recommend!!

Went for breakfast on Sunday - we were a table of 5. We were seated right away…read more After seeing the overwhelmingly positive reviews, I was excited to try this diner. The atmosphere was welcoming and had the classic charm you'd expect from a neighborhood favorite. Unfortunately, our experience didn't quite live up to the hype. The food was decent but fairly average. Nothing was particularly bad, but nothing stood out as memorable either. The Irish breakfast was not Irish at all. For a place with such a strong reputation, I expected more flavor and attention to detail. The biggest disappointment was the service. The service was slow, they never checked on the table, and several requests (3 of the 5 drinks, syrup for the french toast, water refills) were either forgotten or took a long time to arrive. The restaurant wasn't especially busy, which made the lack of attentiveness even more noticeable. About 20 mins after we finished our food, we decided to head inside to pay and then our server noticed we left and accused us of walking on our tab but we had the payment receipt! I can see why some people may enjoy this spot, and perhaps I visited on an off day, but based on this experience, I found the food ordinary and the service well below expectations.

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Sammy's Family Restaurant - Lentil soup

Sammy's Family Restaurant

4.0(32 reviews)
13.6 km•Scarborough
•$$

While standing in the long lineup to get into Sammy's for Sunday brunch (note that this place is…read morebetter to visit on a weekday) I met a nice lady who told me she has had two knee replacements. Sadly there was no chair for her to sit down on yet it didn't stop her from going to her regular spot for a Sunday brunch. She told me that she has been coming here for many years, even before it was called Sammy's. Has it been 30 years, she asked herself? Either way, she made it known that she is quite the regular. Very nice and friendly lady. These are the types of regulars that make the diner what it is. There is a sign in clipboard at the front, as soon as you walk in. You have to sign in as part of contact tracing in case there is an outbreak of COVID linked back to this establishment. Make sure you do not block the pathway from behind the bar, I didn't block it but a large family with several kids needed a place to stand in line and wait for a big table, because servers will get very mad at you and tell you "I NEED TO GET BY! DON'T BLOCK THE WAY!" But there is no where to stand when the lineup is 20 people deep. This is something to think about once the weather gets colder and there is a long lineup out the door. Perhaps takeout would be a better option than to be yelled at by the short haired waitress with tattoos? While I did not mind waiting and I had a book to occupy my time in the lineup and at the table before I was given the menu, I could see that this was obviously a rush time, prime time lunchtime at the diner, maybe others might be a little more impatient than me? I could watch a snail crawl for hours, patience is a virtue. The wait is very long to get seated and even longer to get food. While the food was pretty good, and the other server was very friendly, attentive and nice, I think they were short staffed that day and nothing is ever as instant as fast food. My advice would be to go here when you have the time to wait. Don't come here if you are in a rush. It's better to only come here when you have lots of time to wait.

Hubby is a breakfast person and my heaviest meal of the day is lunch; naturally, we are always on…read morethe look out for a good brunch place. Sammy's has warm, welcoming and hard-working staff; they seemed genuinely happy to be working there. The food is diner quality, except for the flaming saganaki OPA! Lovely ambiance with the sociable patrons, comfortable booths and lovely decor (please see pics). WE ORDERED: - Liver and onions with bacon was pretty good; judging by the comments made by hubby, we will be coming back for this. - Side Salad - lettuce was limp, not the freshest. I would recommend getting a different side. - Saganaki - not only was this a yummy appetizer, the show was entertaining. Just make sure to let the staff know if you want to takes pictures or take a video beforehand; I forgot to tell our waitress, so by the time I whipped out my camera, the show was over. Oh well, live and learn.

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Fran's Restaurant - Strawberry milkshake

Fran's Restaurant

3.3(476 reviews)
2.7 km•Bay Street Corridor, Downtown Core
•$$

Time travel back to 1940's Toronto and enjoy a hearty breakfast at Fran's Restaurant. I love the…read moreretro diner decor that seems frozen in time. Friendly staff all around! $20CAD/$14.50USD Montreal Corned Beef Hash had tender, lean, smokey minced corned beef with sautéed onions, delicious! My over medium eggs were perfect, the homefries were nicely seasoned and crispy. Plan on skipping lunch! $24CAD/$17.50USD Eggs Blackstone is Eggs Benedict with Fresh silky smooth Atlantic smoked salmon, topped with perfectly poached eggs smothered in a creamy buttery hollandaise sauce.

This diner has been here for ages in Toronto and is somewhat of a landmark…read more And For good reason. The decor is old but has that diner vibe. Their menu is extensive with all day breakfast and various diner meals. Your typical greasy spoon diner that really delivers I came on a weekday for lunch and they were very busy. Luckily I didn't have to wait to be seated. I ordered 1. Montreal corned beef Benedict 2. Mint tea The food was average. Nothing to write home about But It did come very fast though I think you come for more of the nostalgia It did live up to their reputation It is a recommendation from me to come visit And If I was in the area, I would return, maybe order something else that would be more satisfactory. All in all, this establishment is a well deserved success story with all your diner greasy spoon vibes, food and environment.

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White Lily Diner - breakfast_brunch - Updated November 2026

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