The Future Bakery (483 Bloor St W): There's not a lot to say about Future's all day breakfast. They have one, it's passable, but boring. Get a slice of cake instead. Or just come later and get a basket of fries.

McDonalds (various): Not a very inspired choice, but there are times when there is nothing more satisfying than an Egg McMuffin, a hash brown and a paper cup of orange drink eaten straight off your lap in your car. To eat this breakfast at an actual McDonalds franchise would be depressing, but to eat it as sustenance for a road trip is sublime. Make sure to get extra napkins in case you spill any ketchup, and try to stop as soon as possible to throw out the greasy wrappers - the smell lingers in a bad way. If you're down south you can even get your eggs on a buttery biscuit, which is decadent, but messier. Perhaps the only meal at McDonalds where you believe that the food you're eating is actually real.

Lakeview Lunch (1132 Dundas St w): I was a little thrown by the number of children at this place on a Saturday morning. Not because it's a little dingy, but because the food was just bad. My eggs were rubbery, and even my Coke seemed a little watered down. The assortment of omelettes looks impressive, but I dunno. I think getting some custardy Portugese pastries and hearty loaves of bread down the street would be more satisfying.

People's Foods (176 Dupont St): A perfect diner - the booths are cozy and comfortable, and each one comes with its own mini-jukebox on which you can play "Crying" by Roy Orbison and "Sweet Child O Mine" by Guns n Roses for a few coins. The breakfast is standard diner fare. I prefer to come a little closer to noon and order a burger. Get the classic burger combo, which comes with fries and maybe the best onion rings there are in Toronto.

Mildred Pierce (99 Sudbury St): This place has been open forever. I read about it in an old book I have about places to eat in Toronto, and it was deemed to have the best French toast. Maybe it did 10 years ago, but now, while the French toast is good, it is definitely not the best. And for the price, the portion is small. My eggs came on a slightly stale croissant. The restaurant also suffers from tacky decor - faux-finished table tops ("antiqued") and over-the-top murals. I would rather go down the street to the Beaver or Mitzi's.

Mitzi's Cafe (100 Sorauren Ave) and Mitzi's Sister (1554 Queen St W): Mitzi's Cafe is cuter, a sunny room with small tables, good art, and a bustling kitchen. But, it's always full and I've only managed to get a table once. The good thing is that you can go to Mitzi's Sister down the street, which is more bar-like and less charming, but has lots of tables and shares the same menu. And when it comes down to it, you are going to Mitzi's for the food. Maybe my favourite breakfast find of 2005 - the eggs hollondaise are perfect things, silky rounds resting upon crumpets and doused in lemony sauce. The pancake is one thick slab of oatmealy pleasure, topped with whatever happens to be seasonal, from fat berries to eggnog. A perfect breakfast experience.

The Avenue Diner (222 Davenport Rd): I kind of hate this place. I've only been once, and I'll never return. It's not too far from Yorkville and the Four Seasons, and is filled with the kind of people you'd expect to see hanging out in those locales. And okay, that's fine, sometimes I hang out there too, but I cannot stomach listening to a family talk about the failings in the risotto the hired help cooked the night before or watching a woman in ill fitting leather pants before noon on a Saturday (both of which I experienced when I was there). The Avenue Diner also sells its own merch, and I am so bugged by fake diners selling their own t-shirts. The food was okay, I don't really remember. Go to People's down the street instead.

The Stem (354 Queen St West): Maybe I'm being cynical, but I'm surprised that the Stem exists as it does at Queen and Spadina. It would be so easy for the owners to clean up the place a little, hang up a few black and white photographs and start charging fifteen dollars and up for entrees. It's a good location and has the retro-diner chic already. But, as it is, you've got a great diner where you can get greasy bacon and eggs, undertoasted white bread and endless cups of coffee for a few dollars.

Fressen (478 Queen St W): Another wonderful place to go with your vegan friends. Even though my vegan friends are no longer vegan, we still come here. I have not always been so impressed with dinner at this restaurant, but brunch is mind-blowing. Your plate comes stuffed with fresh fruit, a roasted tomato, toast, crunchy tempeh and guacamole and salsa, and whatever your ordered as your main. Scrambled tofu is good, and the tall glasses of freshly squeezed juice are perfect. There is soy milk for your free trade coffee. They've renovated, so the space is a lot more open and sunny now, with rustic wooden tables to eat on.

Vesta Lunch (474 Dupont): The food is diner-style bad - rubbery eggs, oily potatoes, cheap bottled juice. But that's okay and after expensive, faux-diners it is always a relief to eat dirt cheap, genuinely bad food in a place that looks like it's supposed to serve it. Vesta is an institution of sorts, skinny and lined only with one long bar where you'll always find Greek taxi drivers congregated on one end, drinking coffee and barking at each other in Greek. It's open 24 hours.

The Swan (892 Queen St. W): So, okay, the place looks charming - it has the perfect diner-aesthetic, with cozy booths and Formica, stools and old timey Coke coolers in the back. But, don't be fooled, because it's relatively pricey and also does the weird no-regular-coffee thing. I like the food here enough - you can get different breakfast stuff, like eggs with oysters. The kind of place I'd go to once a year, not every weekend, you know?

The Beaver Cafe (1192 Queen St W): You can generally count on finding a place here on a Saturday morning if your other options are too busy, even if it's at the bar. A little pricy for the portions, but you don't leave feeling like you've ingested a pound of grease. Their steamed eggs are divine, as is the fig preserve that comes in small metal pots for the toast. I like the avocado sandwiches. The Beaver is one of those weird breakfast places that doesn't serve regular coffee, just espresso and Americanos. I don't understand this, other than the fact that it means we pay $2.50 for one cup of caffeine. Anyway, I'll forgive it. They play Teenage Fanclub.

The Victory Cafe (581 Markham, in Mirvish Village): I've only eaten brunch at the Victory Cafe in the summer, mainly for the gorgeous, cool tree-lined patio. I love this area of Toronto. The food is good, cheap and fulfilling too. You can get challah with your eggs, and the waffles come with a dollop of whipped cream.

Aunties & Uncles (74 Lippincott Street): There is always a line-up for the place if you get there after 10, and once, when my brunch date ran a little late I was asked to wait outside even after staking out a table and ordering orange juice. It's a popular, hipsterish breakfast haunt. The converted house, 70s-era tables and comfort music playing in the background make it feel like you are in fact eating at your aunty's and uncle's. The food is fresh and good, with potato salad instead of hash browns.

Maggie's (400 College St). I've been going religiously to Maggie's with my girlfriends for the past few years strictly for the French toast. Their French toast is an absolute indulgence: a mammoth four layered stack of eggy bread stuffed with crunch peanut butter and slices of banana. I've tried the apples and cinnamon and had bites of the sundried apricot and Amaretto, but it was the peanut butter and banana that has always been closest to my heart. The extra great thing about Maggie's is that they do a great veganized version of the French toast which meant that me and my friends would leave the restaurant equally stuffed. Recently I've been eating their eggs benedict, which is silky and rich, and comes with a side of their amazingly addictive garlic fries. If you want a table, make sure to come early, and try to ignore the bad art on the walls.