The owner of this new takeout counter ate more than 100 different breakfast sandwiches in the name of research

If there’s one thing Toronto loves more than a sandwich, it’s a breakfast sandwich. This past Father’s Day, Dad’s Breakfast and Coffee, a new takeout counter in the city’s west end, burst onto the city’s breakfast scene, cracking eggs and taking names. Co-owner Phil Akkawi, former owner of long-standing speakeasy the Libertine, and his two business partners dreamed of opening a breakfast-based business worthy of a standing ovation. At the end of 2024, Akkawi sold his bar, trading moonlight for sunshine, and set out on a survey across Canada and the US, trying over 100 breakfast sandwiches. “Toronto has some great breakfast sandwiches, but it doesn’t have enough of them,” he says. “Dad’s style is an amalgamation of all the best ones I’ve tried travelling through New York, LA, Chicago and Montreal.”

Related: Charlotte Day Wilson is ready to take your order at her new Italian sandwich shop

Chef Giuseppe Sansone (Pizzeria Badiali, Bar Buca) and Akkawi landed on three varieties of the winning recipe, each built on a fluffy Breadhead bun. There’s the Dad ’48, a classic egg-custard patty, sausage or bacon, a crispy hash brown, pickles and house ketchup; the Katsu Dad, a panko-crusted egg patty, caramelized onions and chili oil (a sandwich inspired by Little Egg in Williamsburg); and the Summer Dad, a zingier option for hot weather, with an egg-custard patty, zucchini, lemon ricotta and pesto. Akkawi and Sansone hope to eventually offer five different sandwiches, three of which will be in rotation while the Dad 48 and the Katsu Dad hold down the fort.

All breakfast sandwiches need a caffeinated sidekick, of course. Dad’s solution is a 7-Eleven-style coffee slushie made with cold brew from Markham’s Hatch Coffee Roasters, oat milk, honey and a splash of orange blossom water. (A plan for slushies made with coffee, pomegranate and molasses is in the works.) For basic breakfasters, Dad’s has the standard suite of drip coffee and Italian espresso-based drinks.

Related: This Kensington Market café makes some of the city’s best sandwiches

It wouldn’t be an inclusive space for dads without an egg-gregious amount of dad jokes. “Originally, I wanted to call the shop Dad Yolks, but people in my life who want the best for me advised strongly against that,” says Akkawi. “Because I’ve spent a lot of time with staff and patrons who are younger than me, I started getting called dad for wearing New Balance shoes and going to bed early. Instead of fighting it, I leaned in.”

Unsurprisingly, the sandwiches have proven to be a hot commodity. While Dad’s is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day, Akkawi has yet to make it to closing time before selling out. So sandwich lovers will have to get there early, before it’s past Dad’s breadtime.

Dad’s Breakfast and Coffee, 1473 Dundas St. W., @dads.goodmorning