Drake’s Corner Café + Bistro

Douchey hipster service. Average coffee. Very unimpressive overall. On the bright side kinda reminds me of the café from seinfeld

Happend to be in the area so I dropped in for breakfast with a friend. I counted at least 4 vacant tables but was told to put my my name on a waiting list and that the wait would be at least 20 – 30 mins. I was offered to sit at the bar if I wanted but didn’t look very appealing. Sorry but I don’t care how good the food may be, I won’t be back.

Superb! I’m kind of blown away by the deliciousness of the breakfast I just had (I had the Drake Breakfast and asked them to make it vegetarian and they added kale and mushrooms– yum!) the service was so friendly and lovely! I’m a huge fan of the drake café!

Started off 2016 with brunch at the Drake’s! A quaint corner café with an eclectic spin on classics. I got the smoked salmon bagels with eggs Benedict. Unlike most places, their salmon was chopped up and mixed with the cream cheese, providing a unique flavor texture combo. Yum! Treated myself with blueberry scones as dessert which were excellent. 2016 is off to a great start!

The vibe is great, the servers are awesome, and the food is decent. Drake’s is part boutique hotel, part bistro, part dive, part café… it is super cute and somehow works well no matter what the concept. Queens West is ones of the cutest neighborhoods I’ve visited in Toronto, and that’s due largely in part to gems like Drake’s. The place offers a full bar, and eclectic menu and free wifi. During my visit, it was neither busy nor packed. I noticed that most people were there alone, sipping coffee and checking their phones, quietly reading, or working away on their laptops… I enjoyed the lively scene, and how it is was somehow still pretty quiet inside. I easily found a table next to the window near two people holding a business meetup. I unpacked my macbook and got to work over hot coffee, fresh salmon, eggs and warm bread.
Stayed for hours. Got a ton done. Enjoyed myself. It was a great day.

Nice spot for Sunday brunch. It was pretty busy when we came in. Had the chicken and waffles which was amazing huge portion.

Hit this place up while I was waiting for some friends. Decided after taking a looooong subway ride I needed something cool. It was pretty empty around 6pm-​ish so I basically had the entire inside of the café to myself. Service was nice and everyone was friendly.
Clean, quirky and a pretty decent sized patio this place I am sure gets packed later in the evening. Great place to sit on the patio in the evening and just people watch. Haven’t tried any of the food items here so looking forward to that next time I’m in this part of town.

Chicken and Waffles were the best! Drake Benny and Drake Burger was great as well. Service was excellent. upstairs patio is where it’s at!

Went there for the «Seafood Sunday» special they were starting this month.
Friendly service and nice ambiance but the food was very average in presentation and taste.
I might give it another try but not recommending as a must.

Loved this place — beautiful morning even though it was really windy — sitting on patio was fabulous! Coffee was great — breakfast was off the charts good especially threat fried chicken thigh!!! And the servic was awesome — so friendly and real! Lasted to end the meal! Go there you will not be disappointed!

I was there in May 2015 for Canadian Music Week to meet a colleague for a showcase taking place in the Drake Underground. I arrived and joined my colleague on the patio. There were only three tables occupied on the patio, and what appeared to be a private event inside, and maybe 6 servers or so. Three servers gossiped around the POS, while I tried to make eye-​contact. It took 20 minutes for a server to come over and ask if I wanted a drink, while my colleague downed his beer. When I finally received a pint, it wasn’t very cold, and I had to drink it quickly to make it to the showcase on time. I’ve experienced better service at The Drake in the past, and was disappointed in my first visit to their café.

Love this place! Ate out on the patio because of the nice weather but it got windy real quick and i ended up getting lots of leaves and impurities in my drink :(
The scones are a must! Super flaky and buttery. And their homemade jam?! YUM :)
Also for the croque Monsieur which was served with a leaf salad. Good portion size and the sandwich was super crispy. Pretty pricey but food I had was good. I would recommend.

I had been to The Drake before with my best friends a few years back so I was pretty excited to bring my boyfriend here to try it. The best part was that it was a Friday and we had the entire place to ourselves.
My boyfriend and I decided to get the Drake breakfast and the chicken and waffles. We split everything which I always find is the way to go. The breakfast was great but if you go to The Drake you absolutely have to get their chicken and waffles. They are so epic! They put, and correct me if I am wrong, cranberry sauce over the chicken which adds a nice tartness to the mixture of sweet and savoury. So tasty.
The service was really prompt and courteous, but then again we were of the few that were there so one would expect to be treated well. I recommend The Drake for anyone that’s looking for a great breakfast in Toronto.

Love this place it’s always a hit!
From the blueberry scones and the cappuccino to the breakfast burrito swap the cheese to goat cheese with extra guac and salsa pure heaven!
The service is fantastic! The atmosphere is chill and all around great!

Despite the fact that I live basically across the street, I’ve only eaten at the Drake once before this past weekend. It wasn’t bad the first time I suppose I’ve just found myself there for drinks only since then.
So last Sunday rolls around and my husband suggests we go for brunch, really glad we did. We each started with a Drake Caesar (the classic one) but it had a really great punch of fresh horseradish that I loved. I prefer a celery garnish to the olives served here but overall the cocktail was excellent and the rim was nice and peppery.
I struggled between ordering the Caleb Benny or the Bagel + House Smoked Salmon but went for the bagel in the end. I’m SO glad that I did. This is not your traditional long slices of smoked salmon, it’s chopped up finer and has more variance in it’s texture. Below the salmon was whipped cream cheese and above was a chow chow topped with alfalfa sprouts. The chow chow had the most wonderful sweet, tangy, pickled flavour to it. It reminded me of a sweet giardiniera. I’ve been thinking about the dish ever since — I even finished the massive portion.
Husband had the classic benny and also almost finished his. He loved it and really appreciated the ‘real’ slices of ham. No deli meat here. Also the fresh cheddar biscuit was a welcome subsitute for an english muffin.
Man, I might have to go back this weekend.

The vibe: Great looking café and patio inside the swanky and cool Drake Hotel. The people watching here is pretty top notch, which is a bonus. It’s a great spot to come for brunch with some girl friends, since there are some big tables and the service is accommodating and patient.
The food: Although the prices aren’t bad, there aren’t many dishes on the menu that wow me. The best thing I’ve had for brunch was the blueberry stacks with the lemon curd and ricotta. Perfection. If all their meals tasted this good I’d give them a higher review. I’ve had the vegetarian sandwich, which was great, and friends tried the salads, which were both OK. The quality of the food is good, but it isn’t amazing.
My go to meal: Blueberry stacks
Secret: A great spot for people watching.

So, I came here for their après work deal. $ 6 – 10 sushi and cocktails.
I was quite impressed.
The sushi was amazing. Mine was basic, just salmon, cucumber, & avocado. I loved it.
Then I had their Kahlo cocktail.
O.M.G.
Sultry with mezcal which I loved. Agave nectar & other ingredients I don’t remember. My oh my, what an amazing drink. And it snuck up on me super quick.
Atmosphere cute. The lounge was cute as well, but an event was taking place. I wanted a more chill area to read & space out while enjoying my meal.
Love.
Service was slow at first though –_​–
Will come back. Service better be better…

This is the hipster temple of Queen West. A bike frame chandelier runs the length of the bar. It’s cool looking and cool feeling. So never mind the service is a dash slow (too slow for takeout coffee, though they try) and lineups stretch around the block on weekend mornings. It’s The Drake!
Ordered the fried tomato sandwich today and it was absolutely delish. Some great vegetarian options, more than The Lakeview and cheaper than some other nearby hipster fare, though not by much.
A must-​see if you’re in the neighbourhood.

The soup I ate here was so freaking delicious. In the winter there’s nothing quite like a bowl of piping hot, hearty and/​or rich soup and that’s exactly what the Drake served up to me during our stop in here. I also had fries (you really have to try to mess up fried potatoes) and a salad that were both good.
While we originally stopped in to dine in the breakfast area they let us in to the bigger restaurant portion as it was opening at 11 and offered us that menu, which did feature two breakfast items on it. So if you are looking for a later breakfast in the area this isn’t a bad spot to stop in to.

I’ve been on a mission to try different brunch places. This Sunday we went to check out the Drake.
It’s super busy so my recommendation is to make a reservation beforehand; if you can. Otherwise be prepared to wait for a bit. You can request to sit at the bar as well to try and get seated earlier. The vibe of the place is energetic with lots of people flowing in and out of the restaurant. The place has an old school diner feel to it, but a bit more modern and eclectic.
The bartender was friendly and efficient; my only critique would be that I wish the coffee was refilled.
We ordered the blueberry scone plate and the Lumberjack. After reading the reviews on here I wanted to try the scones. The scones are served with cream cheese, preserves, butter, and fresh berries. The scones were not too sweet and flaky, but I found them a little hard. You definitely need a coffee or a tea to go with scones. I got a regular tea that came in a cool tea bag. I enjoyed the preserve that was served with the scones. The Lumberjack is a large portion of food consisting of 3 eggs, apple and sage sausage, home fries, pancake, and maple syrup. I loved the sausage. The sausage was cooked perfectly; the apple and sage complimented each other. The bacon was cooked the way I like it; not too crispy. This along with the scones was definitely enough for 2 people to share.

I brought my bf’s friends from out of town here for brunch in a Saturday morning. I called ahead to make reservations but they don’t take reservations for groups smaller than 8 people. But the hostess advised that their busy times are between 12 – 1:30, so anytime before and after we wont have to wait long to be seated. we went at 11, so we were seated immediately.
We sat inside by the open windows. So we got the best of both worlds as it was forecast to rain (but didn’t) and still enjoyed the warmth and the sunshine.
I got the blue berry scones that came with a infused butter and rhubarb and citrus jam. Good call Unilocal reviews! These are indeed the best scones in Toronto!
I ordered the eggs Benedict… It was served on a bagel. It wasn’t huge but it was filling and it tasted great.
The friend’s wife got egg whites with hashbrowns. Which she said was good, her regular breakfast.
The guys got the southern fried chicken and waffles. I wish I got this and now I’m craving it. The chicken is glazed with maple syrup I think and it was garnished with cherries. Great dish! They enjoyed it and I enjoyed the few bites I was able to steal!
The service is prompt and efficient. They were friendly and I will definitely be back again to order my own fries chicken and waffles!

Aw man, if I lived in Toronto I think I’d have to take up residence at the Drake Hotel… more specifically, the Drake Corner Café. Even though I just finished my breakfast here mere hours ago, I have absolutely burned it in my brain as some of the best pancakes, evar. Evaaaaar. And this girl knows her pancakes/​hotcakes/​griddle cakes/​flapjacks.
The café itself is just plain lovely. You’ll spy plenty of patio space, an eclectic menu with something for a variety of tastes and quick, friendly service. After my decaf latte arrived it took me all of .2 seconds to order up the Short Stack: three sizable fluffy pancakes, topped with blueberries, blueberry drizzle and a small but sassy scoop of mascapone. Oh, and do not forget the coating of lemon curd in between the pancakes. Are you drooling yet? Because you should be.
It’s not a cheap meal — pancakes were $ 12.95, latte was $ 4 but I enjoyed it so thoroughly. It was a beautiful breakfast and one that I plan to repeat (read:eat) during a future visit to Toronto.

Drake’s is an awesome place for brunch especially on a sunny day when the patio is open!
I love how you can find sunny and shaded area on their huge patio. Now I think all I care about is the nice patio.
And of course having a drink or 2 helps?! Apricot Frizz ($ 9) is light and refreshing. Now I think all I care about is the drink.
I ordered Wild Blueberry + Ricotta Pancakes ($ 11.95) is OK, but probably won’t order that again.
I tried Southern Fried Chicken + Waffles ($ 14) Savour+Sweet at the same time
Services are casual and friendly… love the laid back vibe.
Isn’t it that what I want on a Sunny Summer afternoon? Laid back and enjoy a drink with my friends! :)