Last updated on April 4th, 2021 at 09:30 pm
Lady Marmalade
Seating: 40
Address: 898 Queen St E, Toronto, ON
Location: Logan/Queen
Neighbourhood: Leslieville
Food type: Delicious brunch with an inexplicable Mexican twist
Brunch is Sarah’s favourite meal of the day. I often decline to tag along when she’s trying a new spot (as it’s often reserved for “girl time”, something I’d only be intruding on), but with a Monday off and time booked with our friends Trevor and Sakshi, we were brunchward-bound!
With its yuppie crowd and a charming atmosphere, Lady Marmalade is a good place to go if you’re looking for a brunch that won’t disappoint.
“There’s no rest for the wicked awesome.”
–Casey Palmer
In a busy city like Toronto, you can forget that it has so much to offer—even in your own neighbourhood! Despite Sarah having lived on the east side for a few years now, we don’t explore it nearly as much as we should, and even without a car, much of it is very well-connected by either bike or public transit—overlooking all its hidden gems is a mistake.
One of the areas I don’t visit as much as I should is Leslieville. Just south of where I live, the more I hear about it, the more I want to visit. A restaurant that specializes in bacon? Somewhere selling fried chicken and donuts in the same place?? Or how about Queen Margherita Pizza which you constantly see on lists for the best pies in town? A neighbourhood full of charm and Mom ‘n’ Pop shops?
Yes, Leslieville has it going on, which is why I was happy that brunch on Easter Monday found us at Lady Marmalade, a restaurant known for a solid breakfast at a decent price with a Mexican twist to it!
The Skinny
Lady Marmalade isn’t sizeable by any stretch of the imagination, and don’t come here starving, because you may have gnawed your arm off by the time you get in—but it is worth it.
I looked at the menu and couldn’t decide what to get because it all looked so delicious (which, by the way, is an excellent problem to have), but finally settled on the huevos migas, which had a slight edge over the huevos rancheritos by including sausages (from Rowe Farms, I assumed, judging from the rest of the menu). The food was definitely delicious, you could tell how fresh the ingredients were—but more importantly, it was filling. I came in hungry, and Lady Marmalade did not disappoint.
Complemented by its glass of grapefruit juice, my huevos migas was a solid blend of flavours. I probably could’ve added a little spice to it to make the deliciousness pop just that much more, but I was happy with what I got!
So if you’ve ever considered venturing east of Yonge, but find yourself searching for a reason—or perhaps if you’re already one of us east siders and need to know a bit more about what there is off of the Danforth, try Lady Marmalade on for size.
Your stomach deserves it!
18 replies on “Lady Marmalade | Falling in Love with Brunch Again!”
That looks delicious!!!
One of the things I love about living in Toronto is the variety of DELICIOUS food we have available 🙂 That and the fact that a lot of restaurants are focusing on using higher-quality ingredients, you get so many stunning results 🙂
Thanks for stopping by 😀
Yeah agreed! I’m so happy Calgary has a lot of great new restaurants using locally-sourced ingredients and amazingly fresh food – I’m loving the food revolution! The one thing we seem to be lacking though is an amazing MEXICAN brunch place. I miss Chilaquiles and Machacha Con Huevos!
Although, I just found out that the Mexican place across the street from my house serves brunch so I’ll have to check that out…
Calgary’s on my list of places I need to visit. UGH. We have family out that way, too! Might try going to the 2014 Stampede so I can experience it. After watching two seasons of Justified, I have a hankering to own a cowboy hat and boots. (I’m sure those aren’t the TECHNICAL names for them, but you know what I mean!)
DO IT! Do it!! Stampede is wicked fun and as far as I know ‘cowboy boots’ IS the technical term, if Stampede is your only visit to Calgary you’ll have a very skewed view as everything goes cowboy for 10 days – but it’s definitely fun! We have awesome food trucks too 🙂
If it’s skewed to the AWESOME end of the spectrum, I see little to no problem with that 🙂
Awesome cowboy antics make for awesome photos, amirite?
This needs to happen.
casey, your pictures make me wish that i was at lady marmalade….NOW. this is by far, my fave brunch spot in toronto! it’s got character and really good food…worth the line up to get in.
Ha ha ha! Then I’d better keep taking pictures, right?
Yeah — it was really good comfort food; I just sat there, content. I had a meeting to go to right after, but this got me in the right frame of mind for it 😉
My list of restaurants to visit in Toronto is growing exponentially thanks to your new foodie status!
P.S. You need to change the name of this series. Just accept and embrace it lol
“MAYBE I’M A FOODIE”
I’m glad that I’m giving an unintentional virtual tour of Toronto with these posts 😛 I’m sure you’ll wind up in some of them sooner or later 🙂
Oooh sounds delish! I’ve never been and will need to check it out. There are some fab restos in Leslieville. Paulette’s (the place w fried chicken + donuts) is amaze btw 🙂
It surprises me that you’ve never been! I look forward to Paulette’s. It must happen.
I’m on your end for a bit tonight to attend a brewing company’s grand opening. Should be good times! I’ll fire you off the details on the Facebooks, just in case you wanted to check it out.
Lady Marmalade is amazing! You’re right, totally worth the wait! Just remember to bring cash (the TD on the corner must do brisk ATM business in the mornings!). I get the Migas everytime I go (albeit the vegan version). The coffee is pretty darn good too!
If you’re looking for another fun brunch place, you should check out Lola’s on Church St just a bit south of Bloor. Great food, decent prices, nice atmosphere, and $5 mimosas/caesars (although they follow city by-laws and don’t serve them until 11am).
And since you were talking about Mexican food, I must tell you that you HAVE to try Pachuco. It’s super-authentic Mexican food and delicious mojitos. It’s on Danforth just steps East of Broadview. Fish tacos are amazing, as is the guacamole and pretty much everything I’ve ever had there. Go. Go now. Don’t stop to respond to this message, put on a jacket, finish your work day, just drop everything and go. Now.
OMG, you’re right! A Pachuco re-visit is NEEDED. Okay, you’ve wanted to hang out since forever. I’m gonna make this happen. (Ohhhh, yes I will. YES I WILL!!!!) Already putting wheels in motion. I’ll be in touch 🙂
As for Lola’s, their poutine is RIDICULOUS. No way I could finish it. And it was so affordable, too 😐
Maybe it’s the light, but you sure look like a foodie from here.
This definitely sounds like a fun place to stop for Brunch!
*smirk*
I’ve been getting that a lot lately 🙂
It was really good — with a seating of 40, you’ll going to have to expect a wait to get in, but the atmosphere and food were great once we did! Hope you can make it out sometime!
I like smaller venues lately. I find you get a very different atmosphere than the larger seating places. That actually just added to the appeal for me.
Ha — you’re right; I haven’t had the greatest time in larger venues as of late — I find the intimacy of smaller venues lends to better conversation and usually a better time overall 🙂
Add it to the list, sir! Add it to the list!