Where to Find a Good, Cheap Breakfast Across Canada

You don't have to break the bank on the most important meal of the day. That's especially true in Canada, a nation with an evolving food scene bolstered by countless unique and affordable breakfast spots, both new and old. With dishes ranging from breakfast poutine to fish cakes, and Parisian pastries to buttermilk pancakes, we've combed through customer feedback on Google and other review sites to compile 4- to 5-star rated restaurants throughout Canada where you can find a delicious, cheap breakfast.

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Google rating: 4.3 stars
Since 1998, Aunties & Uncles has been serving up a small yet solid breakfast menu, including banana oatmeal pancakes, cinnamon French toast, scrambled eggs, and a rotating daily omelet — all of which cost under $10. You might have to wait in line to catch breakfast at this Toronto favorite when visiting on the weekend, but many diners agree it's worth it.

Google rating: 4.4 stars
Bon's Off Broadway definitely didn't become a Vancouver institution for being overly fancy, but rather for its $2.95 breakfast special, which includes two eggs, ham or sausages, fried potatoes, and two pieces of toast. If you're fine with pouring your own coffee ($1 for a bottomless cup) and following the restaurant's one rule (don't sit at a dirty table), then stop by to grab what's likely Vancouver's most famous cheap breakfast.

Google rating: 4.5 stars
Located on Saint-Laurent Boulevard (nicknamed "The Main"), this longtime Montréal institution is often described as a comfortable, 1970s-style diner with warm service and seriously delicious food. Le Vieux St-Laurent offers a broad menu of breakfast staples (including plenty of vegetarian options), many of which cost under $10. Try ordering one of the Festins ("feasts" in English) — most include a combination of eggs, bacon, sausage, and specialty buttermilk pancakes.

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Google rating: 4.5 stars
Located in the Verdun neighborhood of Montréal, this quaint, nautical-themed restaurant offers a wide array of French-Canadian breakfast classics: eggs Benedict, waffles, crepes, French toast, omelets, baked beans, and cretons — a pork pâté — to name a few. Many diners note that you don't come to Chez Jacquie et France for the ambiance, but rather for the friendly service and affordable breakfast plates.

Google rating: 4.4 stars
Deerhead Cafe is an unpretentious breakfast spot that, though slightly out of the way, has remained a local favorite for decades. The worn exterior and mounted deer heads on the walls signal that this restaurant is more "greasy spoon" than fancy brunch spot. But that doesn't matter when you can get a solid breakfast — bacon, eggs, toast, and hashbrowns — for about $7.

Google rating: 4.5 stars
If you want a quick breakfast for about $5, stop by Hap's Hungry House for a McHap — a cheesy, fried egg sandwich on an English muffin with your choice of meat. For bigger meals, this popular Edmonton spot also offers pancakes and French toast combos, Belgian waffles, omelets, and two massive breakfast plates called "Hunger Busters."

Google rating: 4.6 stars
This popular Halifax restaurant offers all-day breakfast, including fish cakes, a local favorite, as well as decidedly Canadian breakfast items like poutine and baked beans. Almost every dish on the Ardmore Tea Room's breakfast menu clocks in under $10, but don't plan on paying with your credit card, because this no-frills spot accepts cash only.

Google rating: 4.4 stars
This mom-and-pop doughnut shop in Vancouver's Granville Island Public Market earns solid reviews for serving delicious and affordable doughnuts, including common varieties like glazed and chocolate iced, as well as more adventurous ones like lemon cheesecake, Dutch crumb, honeydew, and coconut. Maybe it's no wonder Lee's Donuts has been a local favorite since 1979 — it's estimated that, per capita, Canadians eat more doughnuts than people in any other nation.

Google rating: 4.4 stars
This Parisian-style bakery doesn't offer a full breakfast menu, but it does serve some of the best pastries in French-speaking Québec City, throughout which Paillard has several locations. Paillard's main focus is making delicious, high-quality bread and baked goods, a pursuit that's yielded "the prettiest croissants in town," as Travel+Leisure noted. Stop by for one of nearly 20 pastries (most of which cost about $3) in Paillard's communal dining spaces.

Google rating: 4.8 stars
Often described as a reasonably priced, delicious and cozy breakfast spot in Victoria, The Sour Pickle serves breakfast all day and receives particularly glowing reviews for its French toast, which comes with butter and syrup. As one reviewer wrote, this restaurant is a "hole-in-the-wall gem in Victoria" that cooks simple food well, and for a fair price — all breakfast meals cost under $13. It could serve as a relaxing respite from the nearby crowds that form along the city's waterfront and throughout Chinatown.

Google rating: 4.3 stars
Countless restaurants throughout the provinces offer poutine — the Canadian comfort food that consists of fries, cheese curds, and brown gravy — but not all offer a cheap version at breakfast time. One popular restaurant that does, however, is Ottawa's Reynolds Restaurant, an all-day breakfast spot that serves breakfast poutine for $6.95, topped in either gravy or hollandaise sauce. If you're not up for eating poutine in the a.m., try Reynold's other affordable breakfast dishes, including the special — two eggs with bacon, ham or sausage, served with home fries or baked beans and toast — for just $6.20.

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