The Westerly

I’ve been here twice now and both times didn’t disappoint. From the friendly casual service to the tasty sweet and savoury options, The Westerly is definitely a brunch staple in Roncy. First time I went I ordered the Crème Brulee French Toast and although this may sound like a toothache or a highway to diabetes, it actually is surprisingly not overly sweet but very satisfying. Definitely my pick for a sweet brunch choice. Paired with the French press coffee this is a winning combination. Second visit, I really wanted to have the potato latkes with smoke salmon, a friend of mine ordered this when I came the first time and it looked delicious. I loved the latkes and with the smoke salmon another great combination. They take reservations if you want to be there at 10am when they open. With a group of 4 or more I would definitely recommend coming early. Cool laid back modern/​rustic décor, is a great space to hang out as well.

We were a group of four and was thrilled to find a place that 1) came highly recommended, and 2) took reservations for weekend brunch.
The food was ok (although I felt the pan-​fried potatoes weren’t fried at all. they felt stale, hard and lacking of taste), otherwise the eggs benedict was good.
What I was most shocked by was the slow service and lack of care to be efficient during a busy time. I showed up for our 10am reservation and ordered a cappuccino. At this point, the restaurant was probably about half full. When one friend showed up about 10 minutes later, the server came by to take her drink order and I asked about mine to which I got a very surly «it’s coming.» response. The rest of our party joined us and it took a LONG time for the server to come back to take our food order. And a long time for our food to come. (I’d say over half an hour). He also gave our other friend some attitude when she ordered her drink as well.
We were done eating, our plates were mostly empty if not entirely gone, cutlery off to the side and astonishingly nobody came by to clear our plates or see if there was anything else we wanted. Even with the packed crowd of waiting guests at the door. No lie (as I checked the time) we waited half an hour from when we were done eating, throughout the busy crowd, before the server finally came back to clear our plate. Still astonishingly, didn’t offer to bring us anything else or the bill at that time. He grabbed our plates and left. walking by us without making eye contact for 10 more minutes before I was able to catch his eye and ask for the bill. We then saw him walking around bringing drinks, etc. to other tables before — once again — come over to our table ten minutes later to ask if there was anything else he could get for us. And we reminded him that we had asked for the bill.
It was about 45 minutes from when we were done eating to when we finally got our bills to pay and leave. I’m just shocked given how busy it was that there was no sense of urgency from anyone to be efficient and clear out a table that was clearly done eating.

I’ve been to the Westerly for brunch a few times (which is stellar btw) but never for dinner. I finally got around to going there for dinner last night, and it was a delightful experience. I ordered the braised short rib. It was perfectly cooked. I went to give my friend a bite and the meat fell apart with the touch of a fork. Beer selection was good, and service was friendly. One of my favourite things about this place is the feel of the place. It’s very warm and comfortable, but not fussy.
My only gripe is that I hear they’re taking the crème brûlée french toast off the brunch menu, which is criminal in my opinion.

Booked a table for 4 on a Friday night and the restaurant was busy but not overwhelmingly so. Although most of the tables were full at 7pm, you could still easily carry on a conversation and the tables aren’t crammed together so it doesn’t feel crowded. The service was excellent but the food average. Our waitress Hannah was funny, friendly and was able to accommodate my husband’s particular requests (he likes his food plain). I ordered a cocktail after asking the waitress for a recommendation and loved it. It wasn’t something I would have ordered based on the description in the menu but it was delicious. We spent a couple of hours enjoying our meal and the atmosphere but we weren’t rushed by anyone to eat and get out. I’d come back for the drinks, service, and cosy décor. Looking forward to trying out the brunch!

Such a great place to go on a cold, rainy night!
Had the special of the day: a gnocchi with lamb sausage. So tasty! Our waitress was lovely and the bartender recommended the perfect beer for my husband.
Will definitely come back. Next time, I’d love to try the brunch!

Super nice food, the place is beautiful, waiters are nice, washrooms are clean and nicely decorated. Reasonable price, I will like more coffee for what I paid but overall is a cute place.

Finally got a chance to check this spot out for brunch. Totally impressed and would love to go back for lunch or dinner based on the caliber of the food. Great service, great food. Casual room and vibe. Recommendations: Monte Cristo and their americanos are fantastic. We’ll definitely be back.

The Westerly is a great brunch spot and I am so glad we had chosen this place for the occasion!
They menu option isn’t super long which we prefer because the more on the menu the more options and harder to narrow down the selection. We had the eggs Benedict (with cheese biscuit and ham — yum!) and the beef brisket hash. The brisket had a nice smokey flavour and the potatoes (home fries) were done to perfection or just the way we like it. It was so tasty.
I would love to go back for dinner. Overalll, this place is great for brunch if you are ever out in Roncesvalles.

Amazing brunch. Always a pleasant experience. Can get packed fast, reserve ahead of time. Eggs Benedict is great. Hash is great. Bright, clean, and pleasant environment. Highly recommended.

I came to the The Westerly a few weeks ago for brunch and I had to write a review because I LOVED everything about the place; the service, the food and the décor! We didn’t make a reservation but it wasn’t too busy when we arrived, so the server had no problems seating us.
The restaurant itself has a laid back and warm atmosphere, I love the the wooden floors and chandeliers. I ordered the crème brûlée French toast and it was to die for. It’s the best French toast I’ve had in Toronto and I will be bringing my friends and family here when they come visit!!!

I’ve been to The Westerly for brunch three times now — twice I was thoroughly satisfied and once I was underwhelmed.
First off, let me say that the décor and atmosphere are one of the stand-​out aspects of this restaurant. Everything from the brick and tile work around the foyer and the kitchen, down to the cutlery (which has a vintage feel and a pretty design on the handles), makes you feel comfortable, cozy and laid-​back. Even the washrooms are well-​decorated! The service is attentive and polite, and the manager/​owner seems to always be present.
Our first visit was on Valentine’s Day with a reservation made about an hour ahead — which I was impressed by. I couldn’t begin to decide what I wanted off the menu between the Crème Brulee French Toast, the Huevos Rancheros and the Eggs Benedict. I went with the Eggs Benny and I don’t regret my decision one bit. The home made cheddar biscuit that they use adds the perfect amount of flavour and texture and keeps the dish crispy. My boyfriend had a breakfast sandwich that he loved, but is no longer on the menu. I had a mimosa, and though tasty, it is tiny and not quite worth the $ 10 price tag.
On our second visit, I was again deciding between the Crème Brulee French Toast and a few other items on the menu. I wanted to try something new but had a craving for eggs and hollandaise sauce, so I decided on the Braised Shortrib Hash. This dish had the «I’m-getting-rid-of-my-roast-dinner-leftovers-in-one-dish» kind of vibe. There wasn’t enough flavour or sauce, be it gravy or hollandaise. We also ordered a pot of french press coffee that arrived with a broken press and coffee grains everywhere. The waitress was quick to get us a new pot though and apologized.
A few weeks ago we went back for a third time; I ordered the Eggs Benny again because I couldn’t eat there and NOT order it. My boyfriend ordered the Monte Cristo sandwich and it was delicious. We had the same positive experience as our Valentine’s Day date.
To conclude, I have yet to try the Crème Brulee french toast… And I’m curious about their dinner menu (especially $ 30 prix fixe on Mondays with half price bottles of wine).

I would recommend the ricotta fritters since they melt in your mouth and are sinfully delicious!

Went for dinner with my partner and mother on a Saturday night. Had made a reservation although restaurant wasn’t very busy. Service was pleasant and attentive. Ordered appetizers to share, entrees, and a bottle of California Pinot Noir for the table.
From the starter, we all noticed that the food was very salty. Any hint of flavour was hard to discern because of the overbearing salt. No luck on the wine either: it had clearly been kept at room temperature and was too warm to be enjoyable. This was a very unfortunate start and it didn’t get better.
My main dish was the Fish of the Day, a pickerel with lentils, sweet potato and rapini. Again, the aioli sauce was way too salty and masked any flavours. Also, the fish was mostly undercooked. I was barely able to split it with my fork — since when do you need a knife to cut through a piece of white fish?!
All in all a very subpar experience and not quite worth the near $ 300 bill including wine and tip. There is a major problem with Toronto restaurants trying too hard at being fancy and charging astronomical prices for mediocre execution.

A nice relaxed neighbourhood resto. Bistro style food that is all good but nothing that stands out as exceptional. Prices are reasonable and the service is good. I was not impressed with the wine list.
Just an anecdote on the wine. They have a few wines from Georgia. Having tried Georgian wine when I was in Russia, I decided to pass, but our server insisted that I try a taster. I did. I still decided to pass.

Brunch with 5 people. Ambiance was lacking. Serving coffee in a French press was fun, but overall something lacked.
Had some sort of hash with eggs. Another person had the same thing. We both thought that it was blend and rated it 3 stars… until we found a long hair in his plate. We then noticed that someone (women) in the kitchen was not wearing a hair net… rating dropped to 2 stars
I would not return at this restaurant.

Unlike many of the busy restaurants in the city, The Westerly does take reservations on Friday and Saturday night.
Unfortunately we didn’t know that until we got there. We stopped in here on a random Friday night to find out all the tables were booked up for the night. The crowd was mature (most were 50+). Luckily one of the reservations called to cancel not too long after we’d arrived and we were able to grab the last two seats at the bar.
The serving staff walked us through the menu recommending the scallops to start (delicious!), the trout and the braised short ribs. We also had their Georgian wine (from the country, not the state) that was really different from anything we’d had before. As a bonus, they two espressos we ordered to finish our meal were on the house.
We’ll have to come back and try it out their raved about brunch.

Nice atmosphere with lots of wood and dim-​lighting.
I had the beet salad and the fish special, which was pickerel. The salad was very nice, but the fish not so much: the flesh was a bit rubbery and bland. The «special of the day» can always be a roll of the dice, and maybe I would have been better off sticking to the menu (friend had duck confit which looked great).
The service was warm and friendly, and they accommodated a couple of requests easily and graciously.
So, I wasn’t wowed, but there were enough positives that I’ll give it another try.

The Westerly came highly recommended, and after having had Crème brûlée French toast in Boston, I was eager to have it again (The Westerly offers a Créme Brulee French Toast for brunch).
1^st Visit
The restaurant was cute and cozy and the staff was attentive and professional.
On to the food…
Crème brûlée French Toast: For starters, the French toast did not have any elements that reminded me of a Crème brûlée but rather, it was more like a bread pudding. I had no problems with that because I love bread pudding. The Crème brûlée French toast I have had has consisted of a rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel on a piece of French toast.
Monte Cristo: The Monte Cristo consisted of bread layered with smoked ham and gruyère cheese, free run Egg dipped and pan-​fried. For some reason, I was imagining it to be closer to a grilled cheese than French Toast, but when I grabbed a piece, it was so soft that texturally alone was a turn off. The sandwich looked beautiful when it was placed in front of me. It was this appetizing gold color, and I was eager to eat the sandwich that I imagined would have a crispy exterior. But I was very disappointed to learn that appearances are deceiving. I know, I should have known better than to fall for the exterior before closer examination. After a couple of bites of the sandwich, I left it and began eating off my friend’s plate. Lucky for me, she does not like whipped cream, so that is what I had for breakfast; whipped cream.
Coffee: My friends raved about the coffee here. And yeah, it was good. What I did not like was that online the price appears as $ 4.95 for a full pot, when in fact it is $ 5.95. Please update your website!
Cheddar biscuit with butter and jam: I am used to fluffy biscuits, specially after spending time in South Carolina. This biscuit was on the drier side and the jam was not the right fit for the biscuit. I ate one-​half and left the rest.
Pan fried potatoes: they were swimming in onions so I did not eat any. Thank God that my friend loves onions and potatoes so she ate them all. I hate wasting food. The onion issue was on me, obviously. I failed to ask if their potatoes were cooked with onions.
Salad: I called it rabbit food. I did not taste any dressing, so it felt like I was chewing on grass. BUT, I am not a fan of plain salads, so again, this is my problem, not the restaurant’s.
I did take the sandwich to go, and planned to fry the sandwich for breakfast. I fried it this morning, and it tasted a bit better, but because of the egg wash on the bread, it did taste like I was eating overcooked eggs. That’s not what I had in mind for breakfast.
2^nd Visit
The 2^nd time around I brought 6 friends with me, and was really hoping to be converted to a lover of The Westerly. Unfortunately my 2^nd trip here was a disaster in several ways.
Service
Our waitress was rude and pretentious. To try to get her attention, we had to physically get up and ask for her, or chase her down. The sub-​par service made the ambiance difficult to appreciate. On a good note, those with young children would really appreciate this restaurant as it seems to cater to young families on weekends.
Food
I tried to apply the lessons I learned during my last meal here at this visit, and first requested an alternative to the potatoes. Our waitress told us that she could assure me that the potatoes I received would not have any onions in them. In fact! She stated that their potatoes never contained onions in the first place! Bullshit! I have eaten the potatoes that come with the brunch dishes before (1^st visit), and they certainly had onions in them! But whatever! As long as you, a staff at this establishment, guarantee me no onions, then I am good.
Result?
Potatoes had onions
Told our waitress about the onions and she looked at me like I was being a complete princess. I imagined her thinking the following:
«Onions?! How the hell could someone not like onions?! Suck it up and eat them!” – Mmm, if you could not omit the onions from the potatoes, you could have told me so, rather than lying!
Salad still tasted like rabbit food
Coffee was still too expensive and more so than my first visit
All my guests thought the food was okay, but would not return-​no dish was worthy of trying again in the future
Argh, and why did the service have to suck and why did the waitress have to be so rude and unprofessional?
Verdict?
Gave it two shots, and not worth a 3^rd.
**This is an image (link below) of the Crème brûlée French toast that I had in Boston for under $ 8. It was incredible!

Woooow. Easily, one of the best brunch joints in the city. The Westerly truly wowed me.
The menu in itself is pretty awesome & interesting. Brunch norms like Eggs Benny & Huevos Rancheros for those who like to stick to the classics, and items like Crème Brulee French Toast & Lemon Ricotta fritters for those who a.) have a crazy big sweet tooth (like myself) & b.) want to try something a little more unique!
In addition to being one of the best brunch joints, The Westerly has some of THE best French Toast, in my opinion. Though by no stretch of the imagination is it a traditional French Toast, it is AH. MAY. ZING. The brulee on top is tasty and delicious, the French Toast itself has a bit of a bread pudding type texture, but the flavours are fantastic. Seriously worth a try.
The Lemon Ricotta fritters remind me of timbits served on a mountain of whipped cream & blueberries. I wouldn’t get this as an entrée, though I think they are great for the table to share! Fantastic, fluffy, & full of flavor!
On my most recent visit, I had the Monte Cristo. Yum. The Monte Cristo is one of my favourite breakfast dishes, and The Westerly does it right. Perfect amount of French Toast battering, just enough oozy cheese on the inside, and some delish smoked ham.
There was not ONE complaint about the food with my little party of 6 (oh, and did I mention, they actually take brunch reservations, so no hour long line for brunch with a group!), and I think it was a consensus among the group that each one of us will most certainly be returning.
Total gem of the Roncy area. Check it out!

We’ve been back to the Westerly twice since my last review — once for dinner and once for brunch.
The dinner was yet again, out of this world. Everyone in our party of five loved their meal (including 3 orders of braised short ribs). The atmosphere was cozy, the service was great, and it was a great, relaxed evening. We were slow to leave at the end of the night, but were never rushed out at all.
Brunch was a hit too, although the service was a little slow. My latte and hubby’s cappuccino were both VERY nicely made. We both thoroughly enjoyed them. The crème brûlée french toast was unique, but very dessert-​y… it left me feeling over-​indulgent and lacking in protein, haha. For those who are used to traditional french toast, note that this is more of a bread pudding consistency. Delicious nonetheless. Hubby loved the eggs benny. Brunch atmosphere is bright, upbeat music, and yet still cozy.
Love this place!