Fanny Chadwick’s

Best brunch I have had in Toronto in a very long time! The eggs benny was incredible — a rich hollandaise on what tasted like a homemade english muffin and the potato hash were delicious. The staff were very friendly and the food was outstanding. I cannot wait to go back.

Local, comfort food with a bit of an Asian influence in this cozy Annex abode.
We started with the Mac & Cheese, which was served in a bowl of elbow macaroni swimming in cheese sauce and garnished with crispy shallots. This wasn’t your basic Kraft dinner but it did have the nostalgia of eating it as a kid. The sauce was VERY saucy with a watery consistency. We kind of wished we had bread to dip in the sauce because there was that much sauce!
We were kind of glad we split the starter three-​ways and didn’t order a second starter as the mashups we ordered were rather large.
I ordered the Smoked Beef Brisket Mashup, which was served on a bed of mashed potatoes topped with a cilantro salad and garnished with fried garlic and shallots. Alternatively, you can order your mashup as a poutine or lettuce wrap. For $ 17, it is a rather larger portion; big enough to go halfsies or pack up for take-​out. The creamy mashed potatoes are not side order portion and is just as much the star of the dish as the brisket. The brisket is cut in chunky pieces and there’s a generous portion of the brisket as well. All in all, a delicious and filling meal.
Sadly, we did not have room for dessert but it’ll have to wait for a future visit.
Had it not been for You Gotta Eat Here, I would not have ventured in this part of the Annex. We went for a late dinner on Tuesday night so it was rather quiet with a few patrons having dinner and drinks. Unfortunately, they didn’t have anything that was featured on the show (Lamb Shepherd’s Pie, Tourtière Turnover, or Polenta). The dishes we ordered, however, were satisfying and it looks like they have a changing menu, which is reason enough to come back. It seems like most reviews here are for their brunch, which I’ll have to add to my roster of brunch spots to eventually check out!

Best brunch in the Annex.
They house smoke all of their meat (including a rotating selection of fish), make great sides, and have an excellent selection of craft beers.
The only drawback is that you need to arrive early to beat the hipsters to a table or you’ll end up standing in line. They do however serve coffee to the people in line so it could be worse.
Eat here!

Price：
–Overall: ⁶⁄₁₀ (10 means really expensive)
Service: ⁷⁄₁₀
Food: ⁷⁄₁₀
–Finish pancake ⁸⁄₁₀
–Fanny’s Huevos Rancheros ⁶⁄₁₀
Food amount: ⁸⁄₁₀ (10 means a lot)
Environment: ⁹⁄₁₀
Crowded but warm. French design.

We went for dinner one evening, a group of 5 women friends, intent on a long catch-​up conversation over a bottle of wine and good eats. We were brought the bottle of wine at once, but nothing else until our mains arrived. Bread might have been lovely. When I ordered my fish, I was told I had a choice of fries, mashed potatoes, cole salw or green salad. Chose the slaw. But when my meal arrived, there was coleslaw alongside the fish, then another separate bowl with a larger portion of coleslaw. I asked why. Waitress told me the fish came with coleslaw. Really! So I asked why she didn’t mention that. «It was on the menu,» she snapped. Perhaps, but why then offer it as a choice of side? I asked if it were possible to get something else? «Yes, but you’ll be charged extra.» But I haven’t even touched the bowl! «We’ll have to throw it away now.» I passed on the additional side and charge. Sometime later a man came over to the table, possibly the owner, to ask how everything was. I told him about the double order of coleslaw and he nodded his head– yup, he seemed to imply– if you’re not going to read the menu, what can you expect?
Is there any need for such unfriendliness to a new customer? All for a side of mashed potatoes that may have cost them pennies? We don’t live far, and might have made Fanny’s a regular place to come for an evening bite or brunch. But there are far too many nice pubs and diners and brunch places in this city to frequent the ones that are rude to their clientele. Sorry Fanny, you blew it.

My review is framed through the lens of a neighbourhood lady who appreciates an unplanned meal here or a relaxed beer flight with a loved one. This is not necessarily a spot that I would recommend to an outsider as a destination weekend brunch spot. I don’t think waiting in a line with expectations is the proper way to enjoy Fanny’s.
That being said, I still want to give them props via Unilocal.
My ideal experience is sitting on the lovely patio, noshing on their delicious Finnish Pancakes with a side of smoked fish served in a jar.

Fanny’s, like every other brunch place in Toronto (why haven’t I opened my own yet?), is exceptionally busy. But I was surprised at how fast the line moved, and we got in relatively quickly.
You have a decent choice (or would, if it were empty) between typical restaurant-​style seating, and a more «experiential» seat at the bar, which gives you a fun view of all the goings-​on in the kitchen area. Regardless of where you sit, the place is full of that energy that really sets brunch apart from any of the other meals.
The food, while quite pricey, was great. It takes something pretty special to steer me away from any kind of Eggs Benedict, but the Smoked Beef Brisket Hash did it in an instant. Just a big ‘olé pile of brisket, hash, and some eggs… and keep in mind, a «big ‘olé pile», in brunch terms, is the pinnacle of perfection. I loved every bite.
Nobody does brunch every day, which I’m sure makes it easier for us to rationalize paying that much. And if you’re going to spend a lot anyway, Fanny’s is probably a decent place to do it.

I tried Fanny Chadwick’s a few months ago this past summer.
My best friend and I consider ourselves eggs benny connoisseurs and heard great things about this place so we decided to go for it! We really liked the fact they do a build your own benny, and it wasn’t too overly pricey to add a bunch of things to it.
I ended up getting a brisket and sauteed mushroom benny. It was great and extremely flavorful, a little too filling though! My bad, sometimes I eat with my eyes: P Next time I’d probably just get the mushrooms, I liked them best and I think the meat is what made it heavy, still great though!
Our waitress was really nice and the overall service was good. She was friendly and appreciated our crappy jokes!
I also loved the little patio in the back that we sat in, it was like an adorable little back yard.
Great experience overall and I loved the excuse to head over to this area as I’m not there often!

Yum!!! I had the cochinita sandwich — delicious! Fries are nice too, as is the salad.

The food was good. Not the best I’ve ever had but definitely good. It was the service that was horrific. It’s slow and the staff is unfriendly. Our servers was BY FAR the rudest server I’ve ever had. I had to double check with my brunch partner that what was happening was real ‘was she really THAT rude?!’ It really ruined our whole experience and meal. Will most definitely not be back.

Very tasty food! One of my favorite restaurant in Toronto. Can be busy for brunch on the weekends but totally worth the line up!

The burger was absolutely amazing. So many flavours, perfectly greasy and squeezed inside a tasty bun. And the fries! Thin, salty and crispy.
The fried chicken was also fantastic. It had a unique flavour, maybe turmeric or curry of some kind. Not too strong, but just enough to make the fried chicken totally unique.
Also had a side salad with a very tangy and delicious dressing. Wooh!
Looks like they have a very nice patio as well.
We showed up at 5:45pm on a Saturday, not realizing they only do drinks until 6pm. Enjoyed a beer though from their decent size selection. The restaurant was pretty empty when we showed up but when we left an hour later more people started showing up.
Can’t wait to go back again and try more.

Delicious brunch in the Annex.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve passed by Fanny Chadwick’s and the huge line of hungry patrons waiting outside. To be honest, I’m not big on brunch but we decided to check it out anyway early after opening at 10am. Even at this hour, the restaurant was near capacity except for the outdoor patio area where we had the area to ourselves for a hot 10 mins.
My gf’s eggs benedict was probably the best I’ve had. Their hollandaise is made with beer (awesome!). You can add a variety of toppings including wilted greens (recommended), american bacon, peameal bacon, and so much more. You can even choose the type of bread too! Highly recommend with hash browns. Many places seem to screw up hash browns. These were soft warm, well spiced, and had pieces of crunchy goodness (gotta have the crunchies).
My order of finnish pancakes came out with an impressive presentation but was somewhat lacking in flavor. I could have used a side of maple syrup to go with it. Enjoyable as the meal was, the real highlight was the benny.
BTW: the homemade «hot sauce» is more of a hellish relish made with habanero. Seriously… proceed with caution.

Fanny Chadwick’s came recommended by quite a few Annex residents. I’m not sure if my friend and I went on a bad day, or if standards dropped since those recommendations, but my recent visit was wholly uninspiring.
In a few words: brunch is mayhem. Apparently the restaurant expanded its seating, not the kitchen. So, while the number of hungry diners has increased, the flow of yummy things has slowed to a crawl. I like a leisurely brunch as much as the next person, but you have to jump through hoops to even get a seat. You wouldn’t know that you need to talk to the server to put your name on the waiting list. So, while we waited in blissful ignorance, a few people who came in after us got on the list before we did! Very annoying.
The person managing the line was also quite rude, and no doubt frazzled. But I’m sure the staff’s stress levels could be lessened if they made procedure more clear, and figure out the kitchen situation. Easier said than done, granted, but the dining experience would be much better for it.
Oh, and they don’t take reservations by phone. Oh, and despite the long line up there were tons of empty tables on the patio and in the restaurant. Efficiency was not strong at Fanny Chadwick’s on this visit.
When we finally got a seat, it took a while to place our order and get our food. I wish I could say the wait was worth the while. While the Finnish Pancakes sounded amazing on paper (Thai basil pear compote… yumm-​o!), the presentation and taste were lacking. The crepes, stacked and rolled, were topped with a messy dollop of honeyed ricotta and the pear compote. The basil was nonexistent, the plate was different shades of brown. It was quite bland and unimpressive.
My friend ordered huevos rancheros, which were topped with refried beans, a strange chipotle mayonnaise, salsa and watercress. Better huevos were had elsewhere.
I expected more of Fanny Chadwick’s, especially reading the nearly stellar food reviews, but I would steer clear until they sort out the kitchen/​diner dynamic. Hopefully it’s only uphill from here.

I believe in second chances. I am also an idiot.
Almost a year after my last attempt, we tried Fanny Chadwicks again. Arrived at 10:15am on a Sunday. Small line at the door, we were seated shortly after.
We were seated by a lady I assume to be the owner (?) who told us in a very off-​putting tone, «here is the situation. We expanded our restaurant and added 50 seats — but we didn’t expand the kitchen. You arrived at the busiest time, keep in mind there are 75 orders in ahead of you. The kitchen is doing all they can but please expect 30 – 40 minutes for your food.» I may be giving her too much credit. I don’t think she ever used the word «please.»
We heard her repeat the script to two other tables as they were seated.
Fine. I just really wanted to try the eggs benedict here already!
We then proceeded to sit for 20 minutes without any water (in the heat outside) and no one to take our order. We flagged someone down and finally did.
An hour went by. No food. I saw our server walk by and I POLITELY (yes I was actually being polite) said «I know you’re kitchen is a bit backed up but I was wondering if you have any idea as to how much longer it will be?»
She rudely cut me off before I could finish and goes «EVERYONE HERE IS IN THE SAME POSITION AS YOU. THOSE PEOPLE *points behind her* ARE GOING ON AN HOUR AND A HALF. AND THAT TABLE HAS BEEN WAITING LONGER.»
I said «Ok, I understand that but we were told you were backed up 30 – 40 minutes… but apparently the entire patio have been waiting for over an hour. I’d just like to know how much longer we’re looking at here.»
Her response «I dunno. Probably over an hour. Maybe more»
I don’t know what nutty people can sit and wait 2+ hours for their breakfast food, then feel compelled to write a good review about it.
Keep in mind we were a table of TWO… imagine being 4?
I’ve never in my life experienced such extreme rudeness from a server or management. I honestly maybe would have waited if their attitudes towards the 3 hour brunch was nicer and more sympathetic.
Also — their coffee machine and debit machine broke while we were there — this did not affect us as we did not order any coffee or stay for our meal. Again.
I can’t be the only crazy one… I can’t be the only one who can’t commit 3+hours to brunch… most of that time spend WAITING for the actual food.

This restaurant is at the top of my street and I would always see lineups every weekend. Finally got around tp trying it out. Food was delicious and well worth the wait (and it was long)! I had the huevos rancheros and my partner had the Finish pancakes. We were both impressed and probably rolled home after, we were so full. Will definitely go back.

Weren’t very accommodating for a party of 5. It took nearly 2 hours to seat us and when we would ask for a time range they said your table is almost ready. Staff was polite but could have handled the situation better, like pushing 2 tables together. Instead of taking multiple parties of 2 over a party of 5; larger bill, more gratuity.
I chose this place as my birthday brunch, first and last time here. Supremely disappointed, I specifically came for Eggs Benny and after that wait; they were out of Peameal Bacon.

Just checking in again to say that Fanny’s continues to be fantastic. Once again (really, why mess with perfection) had the Beef Brisket Hash and the Finnish pancake. The hash is to die for. Pancake is good. The service remains excellent. Décor, ambiance, music, colours, font style are all super. LOVE!

Despite the humorless server, this place will get a return visit. 11 craft beers on tap. They have an interesting Asian inspired entrée menu in addition to «mash-​ups» which are savory dishes (brisket and lamb) that can be served over mashed potatoes or as a poutine.
The atmosphere is hipster lunch counter meets Korean bbq joint. With great local taps.

This was a great breakfast spot!!! Very homey vibe and cozy interior. The food is amazing quality and the portion siZes are huge and well worth the price. The location is very convenient short walk from DuPont subway. The only downfall is it gets quite busy so it may be a long wait, however they offered us fresh coffee with frequent refills throughout our wait,