Mother’s Day Brunch 2014: nine very delicious ways to say “I love you, Mom”

Mother’s Day Brunch 2014: nine very delicious ways to say “I love you, Mom”

(Image: Renée Suen)

Mother’s Day is on Sunday, May 11, and Toronto’s best brunch spots are filling up fast. After all, how better to thank the woman who birthed you than to ply her with pastries, prosecco and a gut-busting midday meal? For all you last-minute planners, we pulled together a list of spots that aren’t yet booked up, with options to suit every style of matriarch. Here, nine Toronto destinations for Mother’s Day brunch.

Bar Buca
Chef Rob Gentile’s grown-up snack bar doesn’t take reservations, but his decadent Italian brunch is worth the wait. Choices range from crunchy cream-filled cannoli to chocolate-toped Tuscan crepes infused with pig’s blood, and the cocktail list is similarly inventive. We suggest the Mimosa Rosa, an effervescent mix of prosecco, grapefruit and orange aperol.
75 Portland St., 416-599-2822, no reservations

Hudson Kitchen
Hudson Kitchen’s brunch menu is an intriguing mix of European and Asian flavours—think buttermilk pancakes with bourbon syrup, Spanish omelets and Filipino-style French toast with pork and pineapple mostarda. For Mother’s Day only, meals come with a complimentary package of take-home petit fours.
800 Dundas St. W., 416-644-8839

La Cubana
If your mom’s not the finicky type, take her to this retro diner on Roncey for a hearty Cuban brunch of chimichurri-slicked steak and eggs or medianoche sandwiches piled high with pork, cheese and pickles. The casual vibe and kiddie menu makes it a good spot for families.
392 Roncevalles Ave., 416-538-7500, no reservations

Brussels Bistro
Chef Roger Wils’s new incarnation of his former Leslieville café will be debuting its brunch menu on Mother’s Day. Diners can expect traditional French Belgian cooking—e.g. cream-topped waffles and grilled croque madames—plus nine different egg dishes.
1975A Queen St. E., 416-464-0004

Luckee
Susur Lee’s modern shrine to pork soup dumplings, rice rolls and turnip cake has been consistently packed since it opened last month, but there are still a few dim sum brunch spots left on May 11.
328 Wellington St. W., 416-935-0400

Starving Artist
This second outpost of the popular waffle house is a great pick for a casual, no-fuss breakfast, lunch or dinner. The waffle-centric menu includes savoury and sweet spins on classic diner dishes, like waffle eggs benny, waffle sliders and a fried-egg brunchwich sandwiched between waffles.
1078 St. Clair Ave. W., 416-901-7479, no reservations

Four Seasons Hotel
The Four Seasons offers two different midday meals on Mother’s Day: a buffet lunch in its sixth-floor Vinci ballroom and an elaborate prix-fixe brunch at Café Boulud. The former includes an all-you-can-eat seafood station, made-to-order omelets and two entire rooms dedicated exclusively to macarons and chocolate treats. The latter, a decadent three-course prix fixe menu.
60 Yorkville Ave., 416-964-0411 for Vinci; 416-963-6000 for Café Boulud, fourseasons.com

MoRoCo
The Parisian chocolate salon’s annual Mother’s Day tea includes champagne, truffles and tiered trays of pastries, scones and delicate finger sandwiches. Midday bookings are full, but some morning and evening spots are still available. Part of the proceeds from the tea will go to Camp Ooch, a summer camp program for children with cancer.
99 Yorkville Ave., 416-961-2202

Bestellen
At just $25, the College Street steakhouse’s four-course lunch special is a great deal: scones to start, beet salad or smoked trout to follow, and then a handful of egg and quiche options. For dessert, there’s an assorted cookie platter or a rich chocolate budino.
972 College St., 647-341-6769