Starving Artist

Got here around 11:30 on a Sunday, which I already knew was a mistake. Had to wait in a line outside in the cold. Finally got inside probably half an hour later.
Server took our drink orders really fast. Drinks came out in a timely manner. I got a hot chocolate for $ 3.50 and paid the extra .25 to have it made with almond milk. Could’ve been «chocolaty-​er» but maybe it was the almond milk that took over. Orders were placed and we waited…40 minutes for our food to come out. Jeez.
Anyways, food was ok. I got the waffles with peanut butter as a «topping». It actually comes on the side. The peanut butter is a whopping extra $ 2, which really, I could’ve just brought in my own packet, so I don’t know what I was thinking. Defs not worth it. Waffles were good. Fluffy and crispy in the right spots. Salad and fruit were a good touch. Would I come back? If I happen to walk by and there isn’t a line, sure. But I wouldn’t go out of my way for this place. However, my friend that got the Sammy Benny said it was excellent. She killed her plate. They even let her do one potato waffle and one plain waffle.

Good brunch spot. I shared the grilled cheese waffles with a friend, which was great.
I had the Sammy Benny which is eggs Benedict on a waffle with fruit as a side; I substituted for a potato waffle which was delicious.
Great, prompt service. Came at 10 am on a Sunday and a lineup started soon after we arrived. I would come here again.

While on a short trip to Toronto we stopped at Starving Artist for breakfast. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived and there was no line up. I heard this place gets pretty busy. We were told it would take about 20 minutes to get a table. The patrons finished up sooner than expected and we were seated within 5. This place is really tight and uncomfortable so be prepared to ‘dance’ with people while they leave and you enter.
While I waited, I did take a look around the kitchen and the espresso machine and could see what people were writing about. This place REALLY needs a good wipe down. The lion statue at the front, don’t get too close, it’s covered in hair which is strange since its concrete. Maybe its art?
Cleanliness aside, I was able to get past this once I saw the menu and the pics on Unilocal.One word, waffles. Waffles everywhere. Whether you’re after a savory breakfast or a sweet one, Starving Artist will give you what you crave.
I had the Hitchhicker’s Breakfast and everyone else at my table had the B. Benny. The B. Benny is made with potato waffles and wow were they tasty! I LOVED the caramelized bacon. A perfect hint of sweetness and cooked perfectly.
I like that the breakfast came with a bit of fruit and also some greens. The 2 mini waffles were a great treat without making me feel too bad about it.
From the moment we sat down until the moment we left, there was a line of at least 8 people waiting, outside, in the cold. When people are waiting outside and its negative degrees outside? Yep, it must be good.
I’m sad I don’t get to visit Toronto as much as I used to because I could definitely see myself becoming a frequent customer at Starving Artist.

It has taken me nearly 3 years to give a hell about brunch. Just a fancy word for breakfast in a city.
I still say that but the difference is i do make more of an effort to go to recommended brunch spots.
I was bought here first last year by two good friends, they recommended the eggs benny on potato waffles. This was on the menu for $ 12 so reasonable i thought.
Surprisingly enough this was my first experience of Hollandaise sauce (i had to google it just to get the spelling correct), and it caught me off guard at first and i attempted to scrape most of it off.
I came again recently and decided i would give it another tr and enjoyed it much more. Maybe having tried new things over this last year i enjoyed the sauce more.
Overall i have enjoyed the service, and especially the food. The portions are really good and i am pretty stuffed by the end of it.
The first time i came was a cold sunday morning and we were waiting in line (outside) for nearly an hour. The more recent visit was on Saturday around 11am and we were seated straight away.
The actual place is not an overly fancy setup. They have a front and rear area outside for seating and inside it is low frills.

Was there a second time. The girl that greeted us was not the smartest soap dish. She said the only tables were in the front or back patio. I ask is there sun or shade in the back, with attitude she said «I don’t know». I ask how long has she work there and does here boss know she has never been out back, she then pawned us off to another girl to seat us and take our order.
Now this is where things turn around. You can serve a mediocre meal with amazing friendly service and somehow that makes it better. It’s like when your a kid and you fall and hurt your knee. Your mom kisses it better and you feel better all the while still knowing the pain from the fall, but now feeling it was all going to be OK. But you hope never to have that experience again… Ever…

Disappointing! I had been there once before (about a year ago) and thought it was fine, so I felt fine about giving it another try.
The restaurant is in desperate need of a facelift, and a huge cleaning in general. It feels dirty, everywhere. The table I sat at with my partner was a two top, painted black, and the edge where I was sitting was covered in black tape that was wearing away. So it felt slightly sticky and my sleeves would catch on it all the time. The table was also uneven so it was constantly shifting. It’s these details that really irritate me, and it bothers me that no one in the restaurant has taken the time to pay attention to the details.
There are bits and pieces of debris all over the floors. The fish tank is freshwater, so algae builds up, and it clearly needs to have the water changed. It’s not appetizing to eat while looking at a giant fish tank of dirty water. In my opinion the fish tank is not necessary and they should just get rid of it if they can’t take care of it regularly.
From my seat, I was facing towards the front of the restaurant, and half of the dropped ceiling foam tiles are painted black, and half are white. The overall aesthetic is dark and dingy and unfinished looking. We were sitting under the black ceiling tile area, and it really makes you feel like you’re stuffed at the back of the restaurant without lights — and we were there for brunch, arguably the brightest time of day.
I had a cappuccino, which was the best part of the meal. I ordered cinnamon french toast waffles. They were cold when they arrived, and didn’t have any syrup on them, which is fine — except I then had to wait for the server to bring syrup. I realized that it was fake syrup in a real syrup bottle (they should disclose that up front for allergy reasons) and then had to wait for the smaller real syrup container to arrive. It was about 7 minutes later that I finally was able to take a bite. My partner was well into his breakfast by then.
The waffles were very eggy, and it didn’t help that they were cold. The fruit was decent quality, but the greens were a little too wilted for my liking.
The server was not enjoying herself. There was a serious lack of table-​side manner, in the way that she would plunk everything down on the table, and never smiling. She did comp the real maple syrup (normally they charge for it) so that was nice.
This place feels like it’s struggling. Hopefully someone can get it back on track! As we were leaving there were a couple people I overheard who were excited to eat there, and eat there frequently. I don’t understand how this is appealing based on the state of the restaurant… They must tune it out, or else you’d lose your appetite like I did.

What can I say about The Starving Artist other than waffles. Waffles, waffles, waffles. To quote their menu, everything is either a waffle, served with waffles, or served on top of waffles.
Is it heaven? Pretty much.
I went not too long ago with a friend and had a great experience. While we were nervous that we would have to wait in line for hours (the Internet is a scary place that cautions that The Starving Artist can be quite busy on weekends), we were able to get a table straight away and got to eating quickly. We both had traditional breakfasts with bacon, cheddar scrambled eggs, and of course, waffles. I had regular waffles and my friend had potato; both were out of this world delicious. One thing I was incredibly delighted by was the amount of fruit that was served with our meal; so many brunch places charge an extra four dollars for a small plate for fruit, but this was included in the meal which was under $ 10.
I’ll definitely be back again as it is now a personal goal to consume all of the waffles on the menu.

Bad service. Scratch that, TERRIBLE service. Waited 45 minutes without receiving water or coffee, and the place was empty. Waitress (WHO DIDN’T SERVE US) swore at us as we left. So rude, never returning.

I came here with my out-​of-​town friend on Sunday for lunch and I am utterly appalled at the service and hygienes of this place.
Let me just get this off my chest because I was horrified after taking a sip of my almond vanilla latte — THERE WAS A DEAD BEE IN MY DRINK.
Immersed in foam, I though it was just a piece of hair but once I fished it out with my fork, I noticed the legs…
Okay, aside from the huge bee in my drink, there was only one server. We waited half an hour just for the menu, tables around us weren’t cleared and there were flies everywhere. When she came to give us the menu, I pointed out to her there are too many flies. And she responds with «I know» and rolls her eyes.
If she cleared the table faster, maybe it wouldn’t have attracted that many bugs. We were sitting at the cleanest table available and when she wiped it down, waffle crumbs fell into my sandals.
As we wait for our food, three other tables left because they weren’t even given menus. I had to ask for water two times and never received it.
We were seated right by the two garbage bins by the kitchen and the smell was horrid. The cook got into a heated argument with the server because he can clearly see upset customers and she cannot.
The bee in my latte was the last straw. As I walked by the front to let the server know I was leaving, she just gives us a thumbs up sign.
Just a note: the two other times I came during the weekend, service was significantly better and there are no flies during the winter. However, after this experience today, I will never come back.

Fair warning: this restaurant has a bee and wasp problem. They mention this on a sign at the door, and they aren’t kidding: we were seated inside, and had a few buzzing around the sweet items on our table throughout our meal. We watched customers squirm, swat, and finally move inside from the even waspier patio. If this is a dealbreaker, go elsewhere in the warmer seasons.
Insects aside, the food is good to very good. Poached eggs were yolky and baked beans tasty. Oddly, our plates came with piles of undressed, dry greens; were they meant to be swirled in my hollandaise? A waffled Monte Cristo was satisfying, but wasn’t the true, heavily cheesed melt-​style treat that I had expected. I learned that they only serve espresso-​based coffee when I got an americano after ordering a regular drip — legit enough, but would have liked to know this earlier. The latte was strangely boozy-​tasting, as if faintly sprayed with some kind of flavour shot. Popular with the thirtysomething, sharply barbered Bloordale set.

As a brunch enthusiast, I had high hopes for this place, but I was disappointed. There were wasps everywhere. We relocated to the back of the restaurant where it was a tight squeeze – directly in the path of servers and customers trying to pass through. Heads-​up: there is no A/​C and it was quite stuffy.
They ran out of several key toppings: avocados, Nutella, ice cream, and something else (I cannot recall at the moment). The baked beans come out of a Heinz can. They use Kraft singles instead of real cheese. I ordered the waffles Benny and though it was fairly decent, the service was lacking and it marred the experience. When my friend voiced some concerns, the server seemed defensive and patronizing.
Great concept, poor execution. I cannot speak to the other locations, but needless to say, we will not be returning to this one.

This is one of the first brunch places i tried when moving to Toronto. Their potato waffles are amazing and the amount you get will keep you full till late dinner. I would recommend to go a little earlier before the brunch rush because the line will be long and slow.
Their eggs benedict was delicious. Kind of sad that they only had maple bacon as an option. Would have preferred bacon that isn’t sweetened.

«We walked through the long room with an open kitchen on one side, which created a unique ambiance with the huffing and puffing waffle machines (five of them in total, waffles non-​stop!). «
“However, our waitress’ enthusiasm made up for the dark setting and our grumbles about the menu. One interesting option was Sub Your Waffles section: bacon could be changed by avocados or tomatoes, for example (which we tried).»
«Waffle Benny came in a shape of two round mini waffles with caramelized bacon (avocado in our edition) and plenty of Hollandaise sauce. We noticed a hint of vanilla sweetness from the waffle. It was fresh and soft besides that and appeared to have a touch of smokiness to it. A side of maple beans was also in interesting choice. «
“Starving Artist is a definite must if you love waffles with everything. Even if you do not, try out the desserts at least — worth it!»
Just a few bites of our full review.

Yummy in my belly.
The area isn’t the best, I subway ed from yonge and bloor and was a little hesitant when I stepped outside the station. But the restaurant is literally two minutes from subway.
Got a waffle brunchwich. So delicious. And a Caesar. And got the dessert waffle with coconut and banana crunch. Everything was delicious. The place looked slightly more old school diner, nothing very fancy. Thoroughly enjoyed the food though!

Oh. My. God. How am I only discovering this place now? Waffles on every dish? Oh man, talk about brunch heaven. Went on a Saturday around 11:30am, pretty prime time I’d say, and got a table within 2 minutes. Both myself and my boyfriend got the waffle benny, and it was SO good. Perfectly poached egg, sweet caramelized bacon, and hollandaise sauce on top of a waffle. Wow. And as a side I picked the potato salad, and although it was not the most brunch-​like side to pick, it was probably the best potato salad I have ever had. I’m getting hungry again just thinking about it…
The waitress was super friendly and attentive too. So glad I found this gem thanks to Unilocal!:)

Eggs Benny on potato waffle is amazaballs! More bacon and more space next time and i’ll give it a 5!

Mmm I really enjoyed the B Benny and the Chicken Bacon club. The potato waffles are like mashed potatos cooked in a waffle iron, so the outsides are crisp while the insides are fluffy. The caramelized bacon compliments the eggs benny really well without being too sweet. The Chicken Bacon club was good, no extra seasoning or condiments needed, but the bottom waffle got soggy from sitting on the plate. I was surprised they had almond milk lattes as not many establishments offer almond milk, but the vanilla almond latte was good. The salad on the side could use a bit of balsamic vinegar though and my friend agreed that the mustard-​y potato salad tasted exactly like Costcos.
The wait wasn’t bad on a Thursday morning and there was a staff of two. The waitess was really friendly. Ask for the bill split first as she had to split the bill manually at the resgister for us (oops!).

Waffles waffles waffles!
How could I not love this perfect little Spot. I recently went here again for my birthday lunch. My friend and I both got the chicken club waffle sammy. Why aren’t all sandwiches on waffles? We both went for the side of potato salad which is also amazing. It wasn’t the lightest of lunches but if you’re hungry this is the spot! Also this place is great if you’re gluten free.
The staff here is also really nice, The few times I have been here I always end up chatting with them before I leave.
I have to check out the St. Clair location next!

I really enjoy coming here for their delicious breakfast and the coffee is great too. The place feels nice inside and the décor, although old, fits the style and food they serve here. It’s hard to find a good waffle house in the GTA let alone on the west end, but this one fits the bill nicely!
My go to meal is the Chicken bacon club or the Breakfast Benny. The portions are almost perfect and they have a nice option for salad and fruits on the side. The waffles are made fresh and if you’re super hungry make sure to grab some waffle bacon on the side. I’ve never had waffle bacon before this place and it’s hard to go back!
Overall the food is great and the staff are fairly friendly and attentive. I always like going here for a breakfast or brunch treat and I’m never disappointed. I’ll be back for more waffle bacon!

I learned of The Starving Artist when I stumbled upon a picture of an Eggs Benedict on a waffle rather than on an English muffin. The image I saw intrigued me, and knew that I had to check it out for myself. An All-​Day-​Breakfast joint, and everything is made on a waffle? Sign me up! So I gave the Lansdowne location a call, and asked if they took reservations. They said no, but that they would try to accommodate my request, and will sit my party and I together if we arrive by 9:30am on a Saturday morning. This was still very early for me, but I wanted a pretty large group to sit together (8 of us). So I made everyone arrive by 9am, and as promised, they sat all of us together.
What I always have to get when I visit The Starving Artist is the peanut butter, chocolate and banana smoothie for $ 5. It is to die for! I also like to get the grilled cheese for $ 4-​do note that the grilled cheese is made with processed cheese. I love it, but many may not like the «processed» aspect. I have also gotten the Waffle Bacon for $ 6 (bacon dipped in waffle batter then pressed in the waffle iron, served with real maple syrup) on more than one occasion. And of course, I always get the Benny! Something else I want to note is that they are quite flexible for those with allergies etc.
SIDES & SUBSTITUTIONS
Avocado (4 slices)…3.50
Caramelized Bacon (4 slices)…3.50
Potato Salad…3
Baked Beans…2
Mini Waffle…1.25 each
Potato Waffle…2.25 each
Vegan Gluten Free Waffles…2.25 each
Bacon = Avocado… FREE
Bacon =Tomatoes…FREE
Reg = Potato…1
Reg = Vegan…1
Reg = Gluten Free…1
Also, there is a new location at 1078 St. Clair Ave. W. Review from BlogTo here. I have heard that the new location is not great, but maybe things have improved since they opened-​always gotta give restaurants a bit of time to work out the kinks.
I loved The Starving Artist the first time I visited, but overtime it has lost its luster. I guess with so many brunch options in the city, I rather try a new place, than return for a waffle breakfast. Don’t get me wrong, the food is tasty, but not tasty enough to make the trek on a regular basis.