Cora’s Breakfast and Lunch

Even though I don’t live in downtown Toronto, I’m always there — especially in the mornings. I’ve tried many breakfast places, but I still prefer Cora’s the most in the Ryerson area! It’s right by the MAC (Mattamy Athletic Centre) for those of you who know what I’m talking about, and makes for the perfect breakfast to have right before hitting the gym ;) there are many different Cora locations in the GTA as well, so I actually go quite often to various places.
Anywho, I’ve tried a lot of things on the menu and I’ve liked every item thus far. My favourite would have to be the salmon eggs benedict! Pretty big in size in comparison to other breakfast places, and there are many seasonal fruits and potatoes on the side for a full meal. Second fave would have to go to the tuna melt sandwich. You have an option of either fruits or potatoes on the side, but rest assured as you will get a huge portion worth the price you’re paying! And I absolutely love the sandwich. It’s simple but tastes delicious.
You can’t go wrong with these dishes, or this restaurant for that matter if you’re looking for a nice breakfast/​brunch restaurant. The service here is always really great as well — I visit all the time and have never been disappointed.

Have been to this location a few times for early breakfast. Food has been consistent and quick to arrive. Staff are pleasant but minimal staff on hand earlier in day so expect that you may need to flag them down for coffee refills.

I’ve had many good Cora’s experiences, but unfortunately, this wasn’t one of them. I ordered the Seven of July, a crêpe and slice of french toast topped with a mountain of fresh fruit. I love their waffles, but the crepes are another story. It was chewy and almost rubbery, without the sweet and eggy flavour of a pastry. No complaints about the french toast. Oddly enough, the fruit is what threw me off the most. There was MOULD visibly and clearly growing on 2 of the grapes! I noticed after eating a chunk of the crêpe and notified the waiter. He brought back the same plate after removing the grapes, said «sorry» and left abruptly, without really taking care of the whole situation. 2 stars I think is pretty generous for mediocre food and subpar service.

Cora’s, I only just discovered, is a chain of restaurants (currently celebrating 25 years in operation) that has 147 restaurants across Canada. Thus far, however, I have never been in one and the only one I have really noticed was the one on Rideau St. in downtown Ottawa which was visible from my hotel room during this last visit to the capital. One morning, during my stay, I decided to give it a try for brunch.
I attended at 10:30 in the morning, it was very nearly full with the Saturday shopping crowd. It features mainly booth seating, with a few individual tables, and the interior is clean, brightly lit and very comfortable. I was seated and served right away and my waiter during the visit was very helpful in answering questions and never let my coffee cup get empty.
Cora’s has a very large colorful breakfast menu (there is a separate lunch menu on weekdays only) and it features a whole selection of crepes (both sweet and savory), several inventive French Toast selections, some nice fruit plates and quite a few omelets. On this occasion, I was looking for something substantial and was seduced by their offering called the ‘Gargantuan Feast’ which was described as including: 2 eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, a crêpe, creton spread, baked beans and toast. What the menu didn’t say was that it also came with roast potatoes and, when my waiter informed me I could have these with mushrooms and onions on top I, perhaps unwisely, selected them.
The bacon, sausage, ham and scrambled eggs I chose were largely unremarkable (neither better or worse than equivalent eateries) and the baked beans were tasty but, I suspect, canned.
Cretons, for those unfamiliar, is a spread made out of pork, a little like rillettes, and is generally served cold. I have not had this before and I really wasn’t that keen on it as the heavy seasoning, featuring cinnamon, was a bit jarring with the rest of the meal.
The crêpe was actually more of a pancake, actually, and was a bit rubbery to my taste (although not too bad), while the potatoes were far better than one usually gets with restaurant breakfasts. They were good size wedges, nicely seasoned, and I thought afterward, that having them with mushrooms and onions was a bit of an overkill.
I had a great, and very filling breakfast at Cora’s for a decent price and was treated very well in pleasant surroundings. It is easy to see how the place has managed to become so popular with its patrons and I would happily return.

It’s an ok place. Quantities are greater than you really need. Menus are are in thick plastique like in all non de script restaurants. No reason to avoid this restaurant just no reason to go out of you way to go either. Ordered an espresso an got a Demi tasse with no crema. They should not be selling this if they can’t make it

It’s a nice place where people can get together and the food is good.
I like that there are lots of fruits in every portion and dish so that when you order something not too healthy lol
The service is very attentive. Recommended.

I actually like Cora’s in general. I’ve been to the Montréal location and to a location in Thornhill and another in Kingston. Overall pretty good. This location, however leaves much to be desired, unfortunately! I went once and didn’t have a good experience; gave it another chance and again same thing, and now won’t return. We get there and have to wait even though there were many tables available. They told us no booths were available although there was one that was sitting there dirty for a while. We asked someone and was resistant, she said she’ll check… didn’t come back. Then someone else approached us, seeing us waiting and then sat us quickly. I asked for my french toast to be cooked a little more than usual (just so that it wouldn’t be damp). It came burnt. Also there was supposed to be a mountain of ‘fresh’ strawberries on top. It’s a new offering. The strawberries looked horrible, like a pale pink colour and tasted really weird and were mushy. They were on the way to being rotten. I asked the waitress about the strawberries and she said that they’re always fresh. I then ordered a side of potatoes so that I wouldn’t be hungry after receiving burnt french toast and gross strawberries. Nothing was comped after our meal, not even the side of potatoes. Also my dad mistakenly forgot to order no cheese and when he told our waitress, the waitress did not offer to change it at first. Yes it was his fault but at other restaurants we’re always offered a switch if there’s an issue. Also the fruit is very hit or miss at this location. My dad’s canteloupe was pale and not ripe. Overall bad service and not a good experience. :(For a consistently awesome experience I recommend the Senator near Yonge & Dundas. Cora’s please shape up your quality of food & service!

Average food that is expensive. Go here if nicely cut up under ripe fruit is what you crave. Terrible value for your money and the fact that there is line ups every weekend makes no sense at all. Go to Fran’s down the street for better bang for your buck.
Service is good doe

Friendly waiters. Great for the kids. If ur feeling it u can ask for a sheet and crayons. The food is a lot. They fill every empty spot with fruits. I’m a breakfast person, I can do breakfast 3 times a day. If ur like me, this place would be perfect for u too.

For a restaurant in downtown Toronto, I think that Cora’s could greatly benefit from a renovation. Maybe even from a new space altogether– for instance, one with windows would be nice. This felt like a cafeteria for guests at the nearby hotels.
That said, the service was fast and friendly. For those of you who are worried about the line-​ups, we were there at 2pm on a Saturday, and the restaurant was only about a third full.

Just this wonderful place to have brunch every day, great food, nice coffee, really healthy.

the boy and i are incredibly lazy on an average day. on weekend mornings, our laziness level goes up by 1000%. for that reason, we spend too much time here. the food is usually pretty fast, generally delicious, and they seem to use fresh ingredients. we’ve had a bunch of their servers and hosts, and they’ve all been incredibly kind to us. we try to hit up cora’s before 11am, because otherwise, the line is out the door. but even so, they do a good job of moving people along and we’ve never had to wait more than ten minutes.
BFs and Mine personal favourites:
morning hotdogs (surprisingly not disgusting/​disgusting in just the right way)
waffles with custard and fruit
eggs in a skillet
benny
he likes the cocktail but i think he’s confused

Cora’s is a classic brunch spot, and definitely one of the best food chains for sure. Their brunch options like omelettes and crêpe are deliciously made and are All very good quality. Prices are very fair for the size of the meals. This location is a good size and vey conveniently located and easy to get to by ttc 504 college streetcar or walking from college subway. Definitely a great spot to go if you have a good appetite! Definitely try their variety of smoothies they’re all quite good!

Was looking for a filling healthy breakfast… Got more than asked for, could barely get out of my seat and almost went back to bed :)… The omelettes were great, fresh juices, coffee, ice mochas/​lattes are delicious… And of course crepes are amazing !!! This place was super busy at 10 am… But we were seated right away…

Too many options and limited healthy options, imho.
Good service though.
Ordered the 10 star omelette — was ok but not worth the price.
I know it’s a popular chain but I don’t understand its popularity

Love Love Coras this location is an exception. Expect long line ups and always a packed house. The line ups are long but it does move along fast. It is very rowdy place so expect loud people running around like the staff to get your food out. The portions are filling and the fruit is tasty. You can actually specify what fruit you want if you are the picky type. The smoothies are delicious i usually opt for the the coras special or the battered sausage rolls plate. Very delicious. I do plan to come back often just wish they open longer as its packed house at all hours of the time. The place is clean and tidy and sign up for their newsletter theres usually coupons you can use and they give you a free something on your birthdays week which is a treat!

So many options I can’t decide! I love the creativity of the breakfast dishes.
This is the third Cora’s I have been to and probably the best of the three. The service was prompt and courteous. The food was very good, fresh, and visually appealing! Our coffee never went empty and none of our requests were ignored.
Although a bit on the more expensive side, you definitely get what you pay for.

Its a good place to grab breakfast or lunch. They have a good selection of foods, and its pretty tasty and filling. Be aware though, if you are a student they don’t offer any discounts and some of the prices can be quite high, especially for desserts. For that reason, I would not suggest Cora’s for dessert, only for breakfast, brunch, or lunch. If you are going for dessert your best bet is Pickle Barrel.
The service has been average, nothing special, I do like the speed of the service and accuracy– but they could put on a smile now and then.
I took away two stars for two reasons: 1) they don’t offer a student discount; 2) the price of the desert (strawberry waffle) was expensive for what it was. The strawberry waffle came with a waffle, smeared with custard and strawberries on top– nothing spectacular, rather average looking and tasting. At Pickle Barrel, for a few dollars more you get a better tasting and bigger waffle, more strawberries, ice cream, and real Canadian maple syrup.

Our experience was not good. Bad service.
1) The host got moody when we did not like the table at the door and asked for a booth (we were three people).
2) I ordered peppermint tea and got green tea. (I kept drinking it, thinking why does it taste weird until I saw the packaging).
3) We ordered a wrap with fruit that was okay… but then we asked a side plate that never arrived.
4) We ordered a «Strawberry smoothie», that didn’t arrive. We asked for it again and orange smoothie was brought. We reminded that we ordered Strawberry, they answered «Today we only have orange-​mango». Well, then why did you take an order for Strawberry?!
5) Kids meal was supposed to have scrambled eggs, tomatoes, fruit and bacon. The plate looked depressing: about 2 tsp egg, 1 tiny bacon piece and 4 huge tomato slices covering the whole plate. Will not return to this location.

This franchise used to have a homier feel to them, now that they have hit the big cities, they have become more like cafeteria’s with table service. big boring faceless places, overworked and stressed wait staff due to the volume. And the food was just average at best.
I’ve been here twice and probably will likely never return if i can avoid it. Not that i had an horrible experience here, or that the food was terrible, i just found the whole experience very rushed, and again very cafeteria like, and for the price, i just don’t think it’s worth it. I’d rather go elsewhere with better atmosphere and food.
This franchise has really lost it focus.