Starving Artist

Went there today around 1pm with my friend. There were a few empty tables when we first arrived and more people arrived shortly after. The food was excellent but the service was below par. When the food arrived there were no utensils that came with it. We raised our hands up for more than 5 minutes and the waitress never came even though she saw our hands raised. My friends had to go up to ask her for utensils and water, and she still ignored my friend for a few minutes before she actually gave the utensils and water to us; the waitress had my friend bring them to our table which is unacceptable considering it’s a full service restaurant. The waitress also wasn’t the most polite and was quite emotionless; her speed is comparable to a sloth. When other people came, there were many tables that were not cleaned up, so the guests themselves had to move plates to another table, seat themselves and grab their own menus; some people also left after waiting for more than 10 minutes for a seat at the empty tables. I would’ve given this place a four star if she atleast greeted us and apologized for the issues that came up. They need more staff on shift.

Easily one of the best places for brunch. After hearing from many of my friends I went. I dined. And oh my was it worth it.
The coffee is fantastic. The food is fantastic. I mean it says it all.
The servers were running around like crazy, with no one to help but each other. The poor guy at the front looked like he was ready to have his head chopped off with everything that was happening. Definitely overwhelmed by how busy it was, which I don’t think should be a surprise considering that there is yellow tape that says ‘wait in this line’, obviously indicating that line ups are common. We had the female server in the back who was very pleasant, and a bit more calm.
Adding another server to help with the service could benefit greatly, both with table service and overall general flow. It’s bad when you have enough tables open up for the people waiting in line (who can see these empty tables) but no one to clean them.

Perfectly poached eggs, potato waffles were amazing. Great prices. Good service. And according to my sister the «best latte she’s ever had.»
Home run.

This is my second visit and I’m still equally blown away, so I had to write a review.
The Starving Artist has become my #1 go-​to for Saturday morning brunches. You walk in to fun yet somewhat dark art, intermixed with upbeat music, and a vibrant staff. As you wait for your seat, all the food being served is presented to perfection — increasing your appetite tenfold.
The gluten-​free, dairy-​free menu is as equally appetizing as their regular menu to look at and of course to taste.
After an intense workout régime, my friends and I impatiently waited for our meal and were not dissatisfied. Everything was perfect, the meal was finished in silence (which we all know is the telltale sign that the food is magnificent).
Be sure to try the vanilla almond latte, it’s heavenly along with a stack of their glorious waffles.
Great way to start my weekend.

This restaurant is wonderful. I walked in with my friend at 11:30 on a Saturday. It didn’t take too long to be seated — it was about a ~20 min wait. The menu options are great. They have a lot to offer. I went with the eggs benny on regular waffles (though I’d like to try the potato waffles next). The service was a little slow and it took a while to get our food, but that happens with Saturday brunch. The whole place was filled and the servers, despite the crowd, were as happy and attentive as they could be.
The food, though. It was delicious. A perfect eggs benedict. I couldn’t recommend it more. It wasn’t too filling and I simply loved their flavours.
I’ll definitely be returning.

Simply Amazing! The eggs benedict are the best I’ve ever tried. The atmosphere and service are also really good. I want to go there every Sunday for brunch! :)

Great brunch spot for Eggs Benedict.
On the weekends it gets busy and the wait could be long. We wait for about 40 mins at 11 o’clock on Sunday.
Eggs are perfectly cooked and perfect with their waffles and caramelized bacon. If your eggs aren’t cooked medium, which is the default, let them know and they’ll make you another set. Potato waffles (B.Benny) are waffles that taste like mashed potatoes. I usually get one with regular waffle and one with the potato waffle to share with someone. Two potato waffles are too rich for me.
Cash only.

I cancelled my order and walked out because of the way they were prepared the food. No gloves, No Apron. Dishing out the plates with no gloves. Touching smoked Salmon with bare hands and then fruits and vegetables. Cleaning their hands with the back of their Jeans. So disgusting! I told our host about all these, she didn’t even apologize and charged me for the tea and coffee.
I’m not sure how they are still operate with this poor condition.
Definitely 0 star.

This is probably one of the best brunch places I have been to! It’s small so try and get there early so you do t have to wait for a table, we got there 10:30 and were fine! We got the Waffle Benny with potato waffles which was amazing! The waffles complemented the flavor immensely. Our waiter was great and very attentive to our needs as well. I am already trying to plan out when to go next.

Best egg benedicts I have ever had. So, so good. The whole atmosphere, service and food where amazing. I’m sure this is going to be my new brunch spot

This is a really hipster place on college St in Toronto. If you like waffles then this is the place for you. I came here for a Sunday brunch and tried the potato waffle (B Benny) which is definitely worth trying, I’ve never had anything like it before and was pleasantly surprised when I tasted it. I also shared part of their monte cristo sandwhich which of course was served between two waffles and was very good. The waffle was a little too soft, but I overall think this is a great brunch spot and would highly recommend it.

Cute little place that serves a great breakfast. Went with a group of 7 on Saturday afternoon brunch. Seated quickly because we arrived early but did notice that a long line was present in the restaurant the entire time we were there. All of us ordered some variation of eggs benedict and everyone enjoyed their meal.
You get a choice between potato waffles (mashed potatoes in a waffle shape) or regular waffles and both are quite good. Comes with a side of greens and your choice of fruit, beans or potato salad. Service was pleasant.
They accept cash payment only.

I had been waiting to try this place for a long time for its unique concept of using waffle as a base for every dish. I am not a big fan of waffle but I heard great reviews for this place and wanted to try it out. I got the waffle benny with chai latte and it was delicious: D the waffles and benny melted in mouth. The chai latte was good as well.

3.5÷5 stars.
It’s a decent brunch place. We waited for 45 minute before getting a place to sit down — your typical brunch wait.
They’re definitely known for their potato waffle (B. Benny). It’s actually just okay — definitely not bad but it’s kind of like a mashed potato with the poached egg. A little too mushy for my liking in terms of texture. The potato salad and salad that came with was decent too. I don’t think this was amazing by any means. The potato waffle was just worth trying but it’s not absolutely mind blowing. Service was good. No refills for coffees (only Americanos).
Cash only.

Came here for brunch with my friends on Family Day. We arrived at around 10:30am and the place was already pretty full. They do not take reservations, so if you’re coming with a largish party (would not recommend for more than 6 people), you should aim to arrive early in the morning, especially during the weekend. There was a line-​up out the door around noon.
We ordered coffee to start and all of the lattes were a hit. They also came really fast. We waited around half an hour for the food to arrive though. The waffles were delicious! They were cooked perfectly, crunchy exterior and soft interior. My boyfriend and I both enjoyed the B. Benny immensely, made using potato waffles, which was really unique and tasty. We didn’t feel like the Monte Cristo was anything too special, but our friends loved the Spicy Chicken.
The mains come with a choice of sides: salad and fruit, potato salad or beans. The beans were REALLY sweet, basically drenched in syrup, which wasn’t really our thing. The potato salad was great though, and the fruit sides are very generous.
Everything was extremely filling, so if coming with a date, I would recommend ordering one main to share and then getting a dessert «after waffle» or the Bacon Waffle to start.
Our server was also extremely nice, but he was definitely over-​worked, so unfortunately, I took one star off for the long wait for our food to arrive. Great food nevertheless and a fun ambiance.

I love Starving Artist. The Waffle Benny is THE BEST. I could eat it several times a week and not be sick of it (in fact, I went two days in a row one weekend last summer).
Because this place is so small, the wait is awful during brunch. When I say awful, I mean line goes out the door and you have to wait 20 — 30 mins for a table, another 10 mins to flag a waiter down, and then another 15 – 20 mins for your food kind of awful.
You have been warned.
So the Waffle Benny: The eggs are poached to perfection, the Hollandaise sauce is rich and creamy and super flavourful, then there’s the caramelized bacon on the fresh crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside waffles, oh my gosh. The flavours and textures meld and blend into each other and it’s just absolute perfection.
Waffle Benny comes with salad and a choice of fruit, beans, or potato salad. I always get the fruit and it is always super fresh. I also find that it’s a good contrast to the richness of the eggs.
There is an option of substituting the regular mini waffles for potato waffles for an extra charge of (I think) $ 1. For me, the potato waffles were just way too rich and filling. After finishing everything, I was just uncomfortably full instead of perfectly satisfied after eating the regular Waffles Benny.
Yes the wait is long and the tables may not be sterile enough to do surgery on, but the food is amazing. And given the amount of people they have working, they are doing pretty well at keeping the people and orders flowing. I have to applaud that one male waiter (sorry, I forgot your name!) who is always at the front keeping everything running smoothly. Even though we can tell you are crazy stressed, you still greet everyone and serve a crazy number of tables with a big smile on your face. You. Are. Awesome.
Last time I was here (summer 2015) it was cash only, but there’s an ATM beside the counter.
I’m kind of glad that Starving Artist is so far from where I live, because I would go broke from eating here if it were a walk-​able distance from me.
Definitely try this place out.

Here we go; understaffed, Dirty table, 20 minute wait for menus, 10 minutes on top of that to take our orders, no cutlery provided with our appetizer (which we ate with our hands) discourteous staff, Canned beans, over dressed salad, eggs overcooked, table syrup instead of real maple syrupand medicocre food.
Save your money

This place is quite the spurlge. The eggs Benny are wonderfully some shaped. I really think that it was amazing at how perfect the Benny’s turned out. I went for the salmon Benny without any capers and my spouse went for the breakfast Benny made with potatoes in the waffles. Both came with a waffle base instead of a English muffin. After brunch, we had a latte and a cappuccino which were very well made. It came with great sides some salad and a choice of fruit, beans or potato salad. Though the service is kind of slow and there is a lot of people. This is kind of a lazy Sunday kind of venture.
I can’t wait to come back to give it 5 stars.

My aunt has taken to watching: ‘You Gotta Eat Here!’ And we meet up to hang out every so often. She saw this place (their Lansdowne location) and wanted to do brunch.
After reading the reviews of the original and St Clair Ave West locations I decided that we would meet at the one on College.
Location is easy to get to, and the décor is simple and clean which I give thumbs up! It was not too busy as we agreed to do a late brunch so perhaps we missed the breakfast crowd.
The weather outside was warm so when water arrived at our table I thought it’d be ice cold… not quite but it wasn’t warm so not a big worry.
We both ordered the Breakfast waffle which consisted of potato waffles with caramelized bacon poached egg with salad and your choice of fruit salad, potato salad or baked beans. Oddly enough it came with hollandaise which made it the B Benny but oh well. My aunt had the baked beans while I had the fruit salad.
In short it was delicious, I would have liked the egg a little more runny and the potato waffles a bit more toasted but the combination of everything was delicious! I would caution you on the mixed greens that if you want more dressing to ask for it as it is almost non-​existent.
The service was good, not too pushy and not lazy. Friendly in their suggestions without being blazé about it.
This location is still waiting for their liquor license so be ware that no booze with your brunch! Worthwhile in coming back, I know I will!!!

Surprised this place doesn’t have a page already; the other locations seem quite popular! Apparently the wait time for brunch is nothing (yet) as this location isn’t really known of ATM. They also only take cash right now and do not have a liquor license at this time.
My friend and I came for brunch. We have both heard of the Starving Artist before, where everything is served with or on waffles. The waffles can be changed to potato waffles btw!
I ordered the Waffles Benny. For $ 10 you get two mini waffles, each topped with bacon and a poached egg and hollandaise sauce. I subbed the bacon with avocado for free (there’s a list of substations and their costs on the menu). I asked for a side of fruit with my dish (there were two other choices which I cannot recall now). My friend ordered the chicken bacon sandwich and she dubbed the bacon with avocado as well.
My poached eggs were a bit overdone (no nice runny yolk when I cut into it) but I found the combination of waffles, egg and avocado topped with the hollandaise to be really nice. My friend didn’t really like her sandwich. We both got huge portions of salad greens with our dishes (which was a waste as we dislike salad greens). We also found the side of fruit to not be a great selection of fruit.
I also ordered an almond milk latte, iced. It was a bit too sweet for my taste (which means it’s WAY TOO SWEET as I already dump excessive amounts of sugar and sweeteners into my coffee drinks).
I like the atmosphere and the service. But I think the food wasn’t as special as I had hoped and I probably won’t be back as there are so many other places that I enjoyed more.
But I will say that the pricing is very reasonable for the type of food they are serving you and it’s a lovely location for brunch.