Brunch in the West is often challenging. Yes, there are lots of brunch spots west of Decarie but I often find that they have similar menus and aren’t really creative in terms of what they make. Having gone to hundreds of different brunch spots, I get tired of the usual bacon and eggs so when our brunch brought us out west, I had to look around and find something a little different.

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The 411 St. Jacques Street isn’t known for brunch, at least besides the legendary and now defunct Picasso. There really aren’t any brunch spots in the area; a bunch of motels, yes, but not exactly an abundance of great places to eat. So when I heard that a breakfast spot opened there, my first question was: next to which motel? My second question was: is it yummy? So, it turns out that I have driven by this place a few times, and not because I have been frequenting the various motels in the area. I must have been subconsciously led to it on account of the giant egg sign. What can I say; I get drawn to these places.

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Oxford Cafe – an NDG institution

The 411

Out in NDG is an institution called the Oxford Café. I say institution because it has been around for ages. Lots of people in the area know it well and it had a reputation for a good breakfast years ago. It’s a no-frills diner style spot that does not look like it’s changed since it opened. You come in to get some classic breakfast dishes, have some drip coffee and kick it old school maybe with a newspaper and let your day sink in. So, with this institution around and almost having done every spot in NDG I felt I needed to check it out.

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Vino – Hidden Gem of NDG

The 411

My goal to visit every brunch spot in NDG keeps getting delayed because everytime I think I’ve covered them all another place shows up on my radar. Vino is one of those places. In fact, it was submitted by one of our readers who raved about it and after seeing their menu on their site I could see why. Normally places need to get in line before I review them and I usually go to places I found out existed over a year ago. Since I tend to do brunch both Saturday and Sunday, you can imagine how backed up I get. However, just by seeing Vino’s menu for brunch, I was motivated and decided that this place needed to get reviewed sooner than later.

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Ye Old Orchard – More than just a morning pint

The 411

Once upon a time on drunken St Patrick’s Day a bunch of my friends and I got up bright and early and had an Irish breakfast, at Ye Olde Orchard Pub. I had never eaten Irish breakfast before and was very curious about it. We all ordered different dishes but none of us were brave enough for the green eggs and ham. Since then I have a feeling that I failed at something and I needed to step back onstage and show that I could eat it no matter how weird and Dr Seuss-esque it sounds like. So on one of my previous forays into NDG, I saw that the Ye Old Orchard pub served breakfast on the weekends, and since I was meeting up with one of my friends from NDG and we both wanted something new for brunch , the choice seemed obvious.

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Benedicts – An NDG Brunch Champion

The 411

In following with an attempt to give more geographically balanced brunch reviews across Montreal, I returned to NDG with a mission, to review one of the most talked about places in the western end of the Island and seeing if this NDG sensation can compare to some of the better breakfast and brunch places Montreal has to offer. Benedict’s has some good feedback both online and from people who live in the area and a while ago when I was passing through NDG I was in this area and was curious by what I saw. A visit was definitely in order..

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As sweet as its name

The 411

One of the better known brunch places in the West End, Orange Cafe has made a name for itself not only in NDG but across the city. Now having heard many good reviews of this place I had never actually been so you can imagine my excitement when two of my friend suggested that we go
there. What came after was quite the culinary experience.

At 1st glance

Once you walk up to Orange Cafe you wonder what is so special about this place since the front is not that assuming nor is the area in general. The inside is a simple setup of banquet seats and some tables, nothing fancy, although they do have wheelchair access which is a nice touch. (more…)

Home of the legendary Mish Mash

The 411

Cosmos is a place that you will likely have heard of as a Montreal Legend, a small 11 stool greasy spoon that serves up some really well priced egg dishes and their famous Mish Mash.

At 1st glance

As you pass by Comos you have to look carefully as the sign is faded. There’s Christmas decorations in the window and the interior looks like a textbook greasy spoon. So why go in, you ask yourself? Well, put your doubts aside and get in line, you are about to experience Montreal Breakfast history. In the summer there are a couple tables outside and during the winter there’s a line-up. This is not your typical go eat, get comfy and read a newspaper place; this is a get in, place your order, sit, eat, pay and leave kind of place. The turnover is quite fast and the line-up is usually 20 minutes.

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