Murgatroid

My husband and I came in on a Monday morning. They were busy with take out orders but treated us well to an in house brunch. Food was delicious, right down to the potato canoes! We took some cookies for the road and needless to say they didn’t last long. We highly recommend them and can tell a lot of care goes into their business.

I am only staying in the city two nights but managed to find this tasty place for lunch. They also had the brunch menu but I went in late enough that I really wanted a sandwich.
Ordered:
House made iced tea
Murgatroid sandwich with canoe fries
Kale side salad
Trio of cookies (chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, and an Aztec chocolate cookie)
Came to $ 25 CAD. I’ll leave that up to you if you find it expensive.
Everything was fresh and super tasty. I had a lovely chat with the owner and only wish I had brought my sister so we could take advantage of their selection of boardgames.

Not knowing this was a locavore eatery, and not being well-​versed on the topic, I probably seemed slightly daft to those who were running this lovely joint, and seemed to be the owners. Menu had enough items to be interesting, but not too long to be overwhelming. I had the special, a seared brisket sandwich with old white cheddar and pickles, and what seemed like grainy mustard. Brisket flavour was good but was marbled with fat; I ended up opening the sandwich and cutting off the fat. For some reason I thought brisket was a large piece of roasted meat that was then shaved into thin slices. This was more of a patty of brisket. Nonetheless, good flavour, fresh sides, and very salty hot canoe potatoes with a shaving of parm cheese. My friend had the eggs benedict with chicken and canoe potatoes– she enjoyed it. In a city obsessed with brunch, I was surprised to find the restaurant with only a few tables on a Sunday, though it was the long weekend. I would return for sure, if anything to see the rotation of specials not normally on the menu. Special teas available by the pot are also a hit.

Super friendly service and the food was just amazing!
Had the Murgatroid Brunch (chicken eggs Benny). Usually breakfast can be super salty but I’m surprised how well ever was seasoned. Crispy chicken skin and the potatoes were absolutely the highlights of the dish. Also had the Kale salad and again, very well seasoned. What surprised me the most is that nothing was overly salty, which is what you usually come to expect with brunch. Everything was perfectly balanced.
Service was absolutely on point! Water glass was never empty.
Such a wonderful small, neighbourhood restaurant. I will 100% be back because his is my favourite new brunch spot.

Came here on a Saturday morning. The restaurant is small but not crammed with tables which is nice.
The food: we got the eggs benny special called El carnitas eggs benny, and the pigs in blankets. The eggs benny was well done. Just enough spice, eggs were perfectly poached (unlike many other places we’ve been to before). The pigs in blankets were great, eggs once again cooked correctly. I would have preferred the pancake to be a bit dryer and fluffier. The pancake is sort of moist and has a similar taste and texture to a super thick Russian pancake. But the meal was delicious nonetheless.
Portion size was great for me as I am a small person and don’t like to overeat. But if you are looking for a large breakfast this is not the place for that. For the portion size the meal was definitely pricy. But I would come again for the awesome quality of the food!

Got brunch delivered from this place on a Sunday. Delivery was quick and the food was awesome. Best breakfast/​brunch I’ve had in Toronto and they are doing it right. Can’t wait to try the food in the actual restaurant.

Came with a friend for some Saturday brunch and was absolutely blown away by the food and service. The chef-​owner and wait staff are super polite and conversational, made us feel right at home as they patiently explained the specials of the day. Coffee was always topped out through the service as well.
The eggs Murgatroid were stupendous — a delightful twist on eggs benedict with roast chicken and chicken skin. The softness of the juicy roast chicken meat contrasted beautifully with the crispy chicken skin. Don’t forget about the canoe potatoes on the side though. The spices and light cheese completely justify describing them as «fully loaded». Ask for some ketchup (which I assume must be made in house because it has the perfect balance between sweet and slightly acidic) too!
As a side note, the front door has a tendency to get stuck because it’s apparently an old building. So push hard as you step through the threshold and enjoy!

Truthfully I’ve only had soup (excellent), I’d like to try everything I’ve seen pictured. I like the owner; good dude trying to work it ‘locally’ (ingredients, etc). Very nice interior, bright and clean. Unfortunately challenging to see signage, too bad Under the Table downstairs wouldn’t share the space (they have 2 outdated/​ugly signs up), Cabbagetown already loves you Under the Table; share the love!

Ordered take out from this place for my first visit yesterday. First off, the staff are super friendly and very personable. That’s a big plus in my book. A second thing that I appreciated is that you can pay via PayPal. No need to carry a wallet, just use PayPal via your phone and it is super easy.
I ordered their bacon cheeseburger with an extra patty. Also made it a combo with fries and a bottled soda from a small outfit in NY. The soda was very delicious. The burger was sublime. Great freshness and a tasty bun.
As for the fries, when I got home I honestly thought they forgot to include them. Then I realized it was just 5 wedges with my order. To my frugal mind that didn’t seem like a great value even though they tasted good. My take out combo (with the extra patty) came to $ 17.50 before tax.
Next time I’ll likely just stick with the burger.

I had the fermented leek and wild mushroom omelette and it was the best breakfast I’ve had in Toronto.
Not a gigantic portion but everything was hot and fresh and potatoes crisp and golden and wonderfully seasoned. Everything just handmade and perfectly rich. Lets just say I left feeling satisfied… ;)
The mushrooms were out of control! I could really taste the earth. Mmmm… Earthy earth. Sign me up for the fungus! Amazing when one ingredient just snatches you up like that. Soaring through the air on a mushroom!
Not sure what’s up with the name of this place tho. Ick. Certainly not as elegant and smooth as the delectable mushroom omlette I had that fine summer morning!

Thank you Unilocal for this excellent find. By tapping into the mobile app at the right place, Myrgatroid happened at the right time.
The spot is ideal for rich, delicious, colourful fare. The service was very good; served by three warm, charming, informed and culinary gifted men serving plumb pancakes, piggies in crêpes, pulled pork Bennies (a generous substitute for the signature chicken ingredient in the Myrgatroid), succulent fried pork tacos, refreshing ginger beer, bottomless fresh coffee and the promise of a liquor licence before Christmas. Definitely causes for a repeat performance. Expect a following up review soon.
Next time I’m dropping names. Kudos Myrgatroid!

I came here for the very first time today for brunch with my boyfriend and his co-​worker. I discovered this place as I was suffering on Unilocal the other night looking for new brunch places to try. This place is located in Cabbagetown so it was walking distance from our condo. We got to the place around 11:30 am. The interior is not very big, but the seating was spacious enough that you don’t feel as if you are crowded in your seat. The guys that worked here are super friendly and cheerful, which is very pleasant start to the brunch experience on a Sunday morning. I ordered the egg murgatroid and brewed coffee. My boyfriend ordered their ice tea and the Ploughman’s Brunch. His co-​worker ordered the breakfast sandwich and brewed coffee. I have to say the food was good and the portion size was just right. The coffee was freshly girded and brewed (just like I would at home). We also got 10% off on our bill for checking in on Unilocal for the first time.
As we were settling our bill, we had a conversation with one of the guys and found out that everything on their menu, they make from scratch where possible, and the items they used are locally sourced where possible too.
I would definitely come back for brunch or even lunch and try out their lunch menu items.

HEAVENS TO MURGATROID (Did they name the restaurant after Snagglepuss’s catchphrase? Because I am super okay with that) THE FOOD HERE IS ASTOUNDING. I’m mainly speaking about the Eggs Murgatroid. I love the Eggs Murgatroid so much that I want to take it behind a middle school and get it pregnant. I am RIDE or DIE for Eggs Murgatroid. I F with Eggs Murgatroid HARD. It was seriously the best morning meal I have ever god damn had and I am still reeling from the effects Eggs Murgatroid had on my psyche.
I’m not sure you’ll ever find a more perfect English muffin, forget everything you know about the dick-​nut english muffins you buy at the supermarket, because Murgatroid English muffins are the real deal — home made — they are ridiculously fresh, fluffy and little perfect baked pillows of magic. The roasted chicken was moist and fabulous, it included white AND dark meat and somehow, as a INTENSE HATER of dark meat, I was still captivated full-​stop. Poached egg was tight, perfectly runny, cripsy chicken skin artfully place on top of the whole deal and finally sealed with the top half of the english muffin.
UGH MY MOUTH IS WATERING JUST THINKING ABOUT THIS GODDESS OF A MEAL.
The hollandaise sauce was a little more runny than I’m used to… but you know what, fuck the noise that is mayonnaisey hollandaise sauce, if I wanted Mayo, I would have ordered god damn mayo… so perhaps a nice viscous hollandaise is where its actually at.
The canoe potatoes were awesome as well, perfectly cooked, flavorful, crispy skins and nice and mashy on the insides. MMMmmmmmm. I ordered their pickled plate — which was less STRICT PICKLES and more of an array of their fermented in house veggies (radish, onions, green beans and cucumbers) I mowed through that plate with absolute joy because vinegar is the best.
Service was whip-​fast on a Sunday morning. Caleb was great at recommendations for a first timer and we felt very taken care of and welcomed. Big Ups to Luca the ~chef~ of the morning cause yea, my meal was magical, life-​affirming and a GAME CHANGER to my breakfast/​brunch worldview.
Murgatroid Forever.

I called to find out if the place is open for brunch on Monday morning, the guy answered the phone said with an annoyed voice that it would be open at 11 but we better come after 11:30.
Um no thanks. Weird.

I really wanted to like this place. The staff are really friendly and knowledgeable. But the wait time for the food was slow. It took about 40 minutes from the time we ordered. They offered unlimited coffee while we waited but let’s face it, how much coffee can you actually drink? The food was good but not worth the wait. Don’t go if you’re in a hurry.

Came here to try their brunch, food was good. We ordered the breakfast burger, and the eggs benny. However it was just such a long wait and when we did get our dishes you can tell it was sitting there for awhile because it was warm and there was a layer of film ontop of the eggs benny’s hollandaise sauce. The potatoes were really good. We came here with a deal, and this is definitely a good alternative to another brunch place however the super long wait is very discouraging to come back.

Weird name, boring menu, by far the slowest service I’ve ever had — even on a Saturday noon (brunch primetime), it was only 20% full. Drop list of 5 things that will kill this restaurant:
1) Slow service: my party waited an hour for our order while there was only around 5 other people in the restaurant (they also waited that long).
2) Inefficient ordering method: we had to walk up to the counter for the server to put down our order on an iPad — ever thought of just walking up to the tables?
3) Inefficient service: besides having an extremely low output rate, even the simplest of orders like yogurt parfait were left for the kitchen to make, while the two idle servers aimlessly engaged in chit chat
4) Quality (or style — it’s really subjective): Brunch burger was oddly sweet, Eggs «Murgatroid» — simply an eggs benedict — had FULLY cooked eggs, no runny yolk. Really? You had ONE thing to do and you overcooked the eggs?
5) The name — need I say more?
Bad day or not, the quality of the food was consistently underwhelming, and borderline terrible for every single dish my party ordered. Sorry but not sorry!

It was a perfect breakfast.
I ordered the eggs Murgatroid and my husband ordered the huevos rancheros. We thought it was absolutely delicious!
We would definitely return.

Murgatroid — the name reminds me of an evil robot in a sci-​fi movie, and perhaps this is fitting because the food is out of this world! I purchased a groupon and had two brunch and two drinks for only $ 19. The prices would have been reasonable even without the groupon. We shared the Eggs Murgatroid and the Pigs in Blankets.
The Eggs Murgatroid was an interesting take on eggs benedict — it had a two house-​made english muffins topped with chicken, crispy skin (tasted like that amazing Chinese pork skin you get from a whole roasted pig), poached eggs, and green onion. There were potato wedges on the side which were TO DIE FOR. The Pigs in Blankets dish featured three breakfast sausages wrapped in pancakes and two eggs on the side. The sausage-​pancake-​maple syrup combo was amazing. The eggs didn’t need to be there because I was stuffed by the end of it! Coffee was delicious and bottomless, which I always appreciate in any brunch place.
Given that we went on a Friday morning, the place was pretty empty. The food took a while to come, but it was ultimately worth the wait because it was so good. I wonder if they would be able to keep up with a larger weekend crowd though. All in all, it was a fantastic brunch in the Wellesley-​Parliament area, which in my opinion lacks great brunch places. Street parking was readily available. Give it a try!

Ambiance
I loved the rustic feel of the restaurant and the beautiful fresh flowers on every table. I also liked that you got a lot of natural light coming through the large windows.
Now to the actual brunch…
So on the day of the brunch, when we were seated at the table and Caleb brought out the first plate for us to share, my friend pointed out that unfortunately her food could not be touching bread. So all he had to do was put the bread in a small bowl rather than mix it all together on one plate. Plus, he did not have to do this with every plate, just the one she would be eating from (¹⁄₃ plates). However simple the request seemed, this was the exchange (note that it is not verbatim, but damn close):
Caleb/​owner: «You did not tell me that when we spoke on the phone.»
My friend: «I am sorry. I thought I did.»
Caleb/​owner: «No, you did not tell me. When we spoke you should have told me this.» As he grabbed the plate back and stomped away.
Me: «Huh? Did he just chastise her? And did he just have a tantrum?»
11 people looked at me and nodded.
My friends: «Wow, I can’t believe he just treated her like that! How rude!»
Sigh. To say that I was embarrassed and regretting having chosen this restaurant is an under-​statement. But it had to get better!
Food
We sampled (in the order of preference):
Pancakes (one stack shared between 6)-moist in the inside and crispy on the outside. Simply perfect.
The ploughman’s plate (one plate shared between 4)-I loved everything on the plate-​the crackers, cheeses, chicken rilette, pickled vegetables, hummus (some plates had hummus and others had chicken rilette).
The huevos rancheros (one plate shared between 6)-I love beans, tortillas and cheese. Enough said.
Canoe potatoes (2 each)-I liked the crispy exterior and fluffy center-​I also thought they were well-​seasoned and the herbs accentuated the dish.
Eggs Murgatroid (Benedict with chicken-​each person got one egg on ½ of an English muffin)-loved the sourdough English muffin. I did not like that there was still fat on the chicken. Chewing on fat killed the dish for me. If the chicken had been shredded with more care, the dish would have been significantly more successful.
Brisket and grits (day special)-I am not a fan of grits. I do not eat it when visiting the south (where grits are a staple), and don’t care for it here in Canada. The dish was fine, and several of my guests enjoyed it, but I did not care for it.
Deal-​breakers
One of my guests does not like runny yolks, and I did tell her that she should have told me in advance so that I could have communicated it to Caleb in advance. Nevertheless, I took her egg to Caleb and asked if it would be okay to have it cooked some more. He proceeded to tell me that he could not just throw it back in the boiling water, so he would have to make a whole new one. I tried to count to 10 in my mind and keep my cool.
Asking my table if we were still hungry and needed the next course. We had a deal, so honor it. Don’t try to get out of it by implying that we should be full! We were starving! We were sharing one small dish between 4 – 6 people!
Dishes took a long time to come out. We were there from 11am-1:30pm-2.5 hours! We had to wait close to 30 minutes per dish. In other words, we cut one small dish into much smaller portions, eat it in 2 seconds, and then wait 30+ minutes for the next small plate to share. We certainly got plenty of time to digest each dish. Could that be why were still hungry? Probably!
We were using saucers as plates, and kept reusing the same saucer. When we asked if we could have new saucers to put our tiny portion of the pancakes on, he told us that we had all his saucers and that we would have to wait while he washed them. Was this communicated in a kind and professional way to us? Nope. It was our fault for being a big group using his limited dinnerware after all. What a nuisance we were! Huh?
At around 1pm we were all staring at each other wondering if there would be a last dish. We knew from the agreement we made that there should be a sweet dish. However, there was so much confusion and frustration in the room, that I had no idea what was happening. And to make matters worse, I did not want to be the one to ask. I generally lead and attend to any concerns my friends and I have when dining out, but with Caleb’s attitude, I was afraid to approach him since there was a strong likelihood that an argument would ensue-​he was rude not only to me but also my friends! No one insults my friends! So a friend decided to inquire on our behalf and learned that it would be another 15 – 20 minutes for the next dish. So unable to wait that long, one friend left without trying «dessert.» I asked her as she was leaving if Caleb had apologized to her when she went up to pay, or at least offered her a cookie, and she said no, he had not.
Full review here: