The Lakeview Restaurant

I may be a bit bias because I have only dined at the Lakeview past midnight, but I have to say it is a great place for some late night food. Service was great and food was very good with some nice portions. I keep coming back for more. If you haven't tried the Lakeview, definitely something to add to your list.

Loved this place ❤️ great food, service and coffee. I had the salmon eggs Benny and the hollandaise is freshly made. Can't wait to go back again.

Very friendly waitress. Restaurant decor could use a touch up. Food was great

The Lakeview Restaurant is an 87 year Toronto institution that is open 24/7! It is great for late night dining and also great for brunch. Food is always made fresh and the staff are fun and great. $5 mimosas and Caesars. Try the apple pie milkshake that has a whole slice of apple pie! It was featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. It is also used as a location for many films and shows. Ample parking on the street or in the parking lot across the street.

Great late night hangout. Got the fries, thick cut! Got the happy sundae.. boy was I happy I did. Family got key lime pie, onion rings and apple pie milkshake. Yes, you heard. Its apple pie, thrown in a blender with vanilla ice cream. Sooo good!!

The food was good, brunch is 24 hours, and they was liquor for drinks. Get the peameal over bacon or sausage. The side salad could use more dressing but was good. Solid place to eat.

Good brunch place. The pancakes are super fluffy. The crab cake Benedict is great. Good bottomless coffee too!

Laid-back diner with fun options for your sweet tooth including apple pie milkshakes and deep-friend mars bars. The milkshakes would be better if they were thicker but it will still hit the spot.

Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. A restaurant recommended by Guy Fieri himself, right in the middle of my city. I've been dying to check this place out. The atmosphere and decor is great. You really feel like you've been thrown back 80 years in time. The food itself is okay. Caught in the middle ground between classic American and something modern, the food is good, but not something I wouldn't crave. I didn't get the triple D items, but our food was okay. I had similar remarks who say people go to The Lakeview because it's, open 24 hours, it's a cheap place to get booze, on a Sunday morning and it's historical value. Not for the food.

Now I know why it's a city staple! Awesome ambiance, delicious food, good people. See you again soon!! 🤘

Lovely north-american design environment, nice staff, great option to eat breakfast anytime. It’s open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Try “Ossington Massive”. It’s huge and delicious.

I don’t normally post reviews, but the food here is amazing. I got catering for a 70-person event, and the food remained fresh throughout the full 7 hours. It was a big hit with the guests as well. Fadi was very helpful, prompt and patient when it came to answering all of my questions, and the food arrived on schedule. Will definitely use The Lakeview Restaurant again for any future events!

Cute diner setting, and great when you're in a pinch and need some 24/7 food! I had the apple pie, which was delicious and homemade. I got a grilled cheese and onion rings to go. It did not travel well. The grilled cheese was soggy and I was not a fan of the extra slice of bread in the middle - too much bread, not enough cheese. The onion rings were decent though and I'm sure would be better fresh.

Amazing staff, courteous, kind and professional. The food is great too! It comes out hot, fresh and fast. They offer bottomless coffee and a great place to study, work on a project or doodle the night away. Its a relaxing atmosphere most days and gets a bit louder after bars close on the weekend. This place is a true gem. Its A classic and feels like a historical landmark. This place has been around for such a long time. My grandma has so many memories of this place. She even meet actors and musicians here back in the day! I really hope the place stays open for a long long time. Its a blast from the past in the best way. I hope this place is still around when I'm my grandmas age!

I have a great experience every time at The Lakeview. Good service, friendly staff and reasonably priced food. It's open 24 hours but expect a wait during peak times such as Sunday brunch. The freedom toast was exceptional.

Quick and dirty. Satisfied my craving for a greasy meal that set me on for my day. Far better than your 15$ salad for breakfast meals in this city.

Great 90's American diner vibe. The vibe is really great. Good music. WiFi. Tasty burger.

In a city best known for its global outlook and its diversity, the Lakeview is an enduring symbol of what was once a much more "North American" city. Homemade apple pie, milkshakes, and the type of peameal bacon sandwiches that gave Toronto its "Hogtown" moniker decades ago. Far from being a relic of a bygone era or a last bastion though, the Lakeview offers an interesting menu and a dining experience that's more than just nostalgia. I recommend the corn flake chicken sandwich, but have never been disappointed with anything else. And while you're there make sure to appreciate the glorious art deco entrance to the kitchen!

I’ve been there twice during my Toronto trip. Very nice restaurant, the server was super nice! Hopefully I’ll be back soon.

Always a classic location! Open 24 hours and bustling with people and a fantastic staff.The pulled pork was perfection. Just a touch of spice, and a great contrast with the coleslaw on the sandwich.

Amazing! Always a go to when downtown. Great tasting vegan and vegetarian options. They took their fortified (alcohol) milkshakes off the menu but if you ask they will still make them for you! Great vibes. Can get drafty when the weather outside is cold so bring a sweater :)

The place is someone run down and takes you by surprise the first. However, the servers are friendly and helpful and the food off of what I've tried is yummy. I look forward to more plant-based options on the menu!

While the concept of drawing pictures and sticking post-its on the wall is cute, the food left something to be desired. I found the eggs benedict to be lacking in flavour and the home fries excessively salty. The service wasn't too bad, they seemed busy, but I felt like we were forgotten about. I had to ask for menus and there weren't enough forks at the table. Overall, it wasn't bad, but I expected more.

Went for the Key Lime Pie, like in the movie "shape of water". Got good service, good pie. The venue is actually really cool to see from the inside, very vintage original 1950s type decor (I'm pretty sure it's original 1930s art deco) but I was impressed.

I have no idea what the hype about this place is. The food was mediocre at best. Atmosphere is okay. Cleanliness could have been better. Wasn’t really worth the drive for me, could have found better value elsewhere.

July 2018 Update: lowered to 1 star. This place is terrible. Don’t order anything deep fried I don’t think they have ever changed their oil. Also, we waited over an hour for our food and our server wasn’t giving us accurate estimates on when our food would arrive. This place is mediocre at best. In the future I will avoid it. Old review: Decent for late-night good. Especially if you’re drunk. Food won’t blow you away, but it’s consistent. Service is efficient.

Absolutely love this place! Great food and awesome atmosphere! Highly recommended!!!

The lake view is a beautiful staple in the city and is absolutely worth the visit to experience a truly vintage slice of history .... the food on the other hand is a a little left to be desired . I would recommend coming here with very basic expectations for food . They are however 24 /hours , serve alcohol after 11 aM and have tonnes of late night eats for if you’ve been drinking a lot ! Great milkshakes , mediocre food , great decor , mediocre service !Édit : I got the chicken and waffles Benny . The egg was rubbery , chicken was thin, burnt and hard as bricks !Pros : vintage , 24/7, alcohol served , convenient Cons : terrible food , less than mediocre service

Come here for cheap unpretentious eats and drinks every now and then. I like the atmosphere, good diner food in a hipster location.

I have been to The Lakeview Restaurant many times. It is always open, always popular and busy after midnight on the weekends. My favorite drink here is Caesar and strawberry milkshake. Last night I ordered Disco Chicken Poutine, very yummy and it's only 12.5 dollars. Good place to go with friends and also when you are looking for bites, by the way Caesar is only 5 dollars.

I've been there many times over the years and the food's always been just okay but today the "disco chicken" was the perfect comfort dish. Crispy, tender chicken, and richly smothered fries.

Great food. Very fast. 24 hours hangover food at it's best. Apple pie shake and nothing else. Thank you Lakeview.

A Toronto classic, try to avoid going on bar nights as it drastically effects the quality of food, still a great place.

While this iconic diner has beautiful decor, woodwork, and memorabilia adorning the walls, they lack an authentic diner experience. My husband and I visited for breakfast and ordered the usual fare of eggs, toast, bacon and hash browns. While the food was cooked well, the portions were small and very controlled. They served ketchup in paper cups, not a bottle at the table. Also, the silverware was in a stainless steel bucket and the forks faced tongs side up, which is very unsanitary. The kicker was that they didn’t have coffee?!?! The waitress stated that they had a film crew in the day before the coffee maker was disconnected. I asked if they had tea, she said no. Honestly, for a diner downtown that is open 24/7 that’s embarrassing and quite frankly lazy. We paid $30 for our food and drink, they could’ve bought a kettle to appease their customers. I wouldn’t recommend this place or return. Bottom line, nice to look at, but that’s it.

It's lost its spark. I haven't been to the Lakeview in years. I went back after seeing an old episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I decided to try the Freedom toast. I think they up staged it for the show. What I got was three 2 bite sized "sandwiches" and paid $3.25 for a side of 2 strips of bacon, I mean come on guys. It's just an average restaurant now.

Are you slightly intoxicated? Is it 1:00am and you're hungry, and yet still thirsty? If you're in the neighbourhood, head to the Lakeview Restaurant, you won't be disappointed! Good food, all day breakfast, refreshing Mimosas. Hard Liquor!

Great place to hang out. Good ambiance. Cheap Caesars and fantastic milkshakes. Food is a hit or miss but I'm very happy to have this place opened 24/7. Avoid after club/bar closing hours.

24h breakfast food, what's not to love. Staff is a bit prickly, but dealing with drunk and high folks all night, can't blame em

Interesting, upscale diner. Nice variety of all day breakfasts and sandwiches with interesting options like avocado, Portobello mushrooms. A tasty choice is fried chicken strips breaded with corn flakes accompanied with a substantial green salad. Classic diner design with a number of booths.

Hugely overrated diner. I understand the historical significance of this spot, but the food is never great. Good greasy drunk food if that's your thing. And very cheap. Good service (the people are really nice!). But I can walk 5 minutes down ossington and find something much better for a bit more money.

I remember this place being much better. Food doesn't taste very fresh anymore. Poutine was very salty and sad. Drinks deals are alright. Wait staff have improved slightly from before. Desserts are still mighty large along with their milkshakes. Best milkshake selection. Nice decor but after a few visits it gets old.

During this pandemic, I am only travelling to work once a week. This is the day we also order from Uber Eats for lunch. How excited was I when I saw The Lakeview Restaurant as an option! Their food has always been amazing every time I've been there. They've never disappointed.Until today! Placed my order for myself and colleagues with Uber Eats almost an hour later the delivery person is at restaurant door knocking to pick up our food. Windows closed. Doors locked. Sign at the door saying they are closed during this time. Not sure who's to blame in this situation. I have already complained to Uber Eats. Not impressed.I will come back once you re-open because the food is great. But this kind of service is unacceptable!

The restaurant here is as old as Toronto and the tables aren't comfortable- they build character and remind you that back in the day, you didn't need plushy seats and fancy tablecloths to eat. That said, I broke a bone in my butt and find the booths uncomfortable, so tend to prefer the bar. Moving on to the food, it's pretty good. Try the ossington massive if you are hungry.

Great execution on a classic grilled cheese. I love the way they do it here.

24/7 delicious food. Got the pulled pork sanwich and it was absolutely amazing, super tender and melt in your mouth delicious. The old school vibe inside is really interesting and the service is fairly quick and pleasant. Definitely come here for a hangover cure / middle of the night feast.

History alone dictates that to must go here. Try to count all the movies you've seen that are filmed here. Also the actual restaurant is great.

One of the few places in Toronto that's open 24 hours. Went there for a late night treat. They didn't have any chocolate cake so I may do with delicious cheesecake and brownies. Delicious.

Favourite place to come when looking for a good burger and milkshake to eat.

Classic! I love the milkshakes and tuna melt. Staff always seems knowledgeable and friendly. Great location. And you always see the venue in movies.

I tried this place once with my friend and I am hooked ever since. I liked the excellent vibes and fresh dishes and beverages. Keep up the good work.