Joyous Redemption

Joy’s a dinner disaster, but they shine when it comes to brunch.

Joy Bistro is an east side behemoth with two patios and two floors. I recommend, weather and warmth permitting, B side patio.  B side gets great sun, and has a warm Mediterranean ambience with its terracotta stucco walls and wooden patio furniture. In winter and rainy weather, Over Joy, their upstairs indoor option, is also a very good second. Over Joy is bright, elegant, and open, with a great view of Queen St. E.

Brunch seems to be quickly becoming the popular meal of the twenty something. It’s affordable, it’s plentiful, and at a decent hour leaving the rest of the day  open for whatever Sunday whims tickle you. And Joy Bistro is worthy of your precious early Sunday afternoon, especially if you can snag a sun soaked spot on B side by their fire pit.

At Joy brunch, coffee and tip will run you about 15$. The selection isn’t anything out of the ordinary, but they have a healthy selection of bennies (10-13$) and sandwiches (for the more lunch inclined 9$). And their Dutch oven pancakes will fill any belly (8$).  The coffee is unending, always a plus on a Sunday morning, although it is weak, and waving down a busy waitress can be difficult.

I recommend their Rowe Farms Steak and Eggs (14$). Rowe farms provide local, conscientiously farmed, meat, so you can rationalize the cost. It comes served with two eggs, any style, home fries and toast. I had my eggs poached, and they were perfectly runny. And the meat was done rare, like I asked for, although it was a touch on the cold side when it arrived at the table. The home fries were crispy, and they were interestingly seasoned. If you are watching your wallet this week they offer many traditional breakfast items for less than 10$.

Service is never spectacular, but that is mainly due to how crowded Joy Bistro is for brunch.

Ultimately, Joy Bistro succeeds when it focuses on simplicity and quality. The problem with Joy is that there is just too much, too many patios, too many rooms, and too many flavours. They seem to like juggling a lot, but when they concentrate on one thing, like good traditional brunch fare, they succeed.

SERVICE 3/5
AMBIANCE 4/5 (4/5 for B side patio, 3.5/5 for Over Joy)
PRESENTATION 3/5
TASTE 3.5/5
PRICE $$
HOURS Open seven days a week from 11:30am on. Dinner service begins at 5pm. Brunch is served from 8am-4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
LOCATION, LOCATION 884 Queen Street East

25$ Day for 2 East of the Don River

I know Leslieville can seem a million miles away when you live in the downtown core, but hop a Queen street car, or hop on your bike for an affordable day of fun and fresh air.

Begin your day by sipping coffee on Te Aro’s spacious patio, it’s a perfect place to soak in the sun and do some people watching (2$). When warm and energized it’s time to head over to Leslieville fantastic Value Village. Try on some outlandish outfits, and poke around their back case for great jewelry and camera finds (0$).

Now it’s time to pick up picnic ingredients.Leslieville is rife with scrumptious odds and ends and they can all be found within a two-block radius.

Try the Leslieville Cheese Market, Rowe Farms, and the Brick Street Breads for delicious locally sourced picnic ingredients (10$ approx). One thing you shouldn’t forget is the wine. You can pick up a local Ontario bottle at Wine Rack. If you’re skeptical about Ontario wine, you really shouldn’t be. In fact, you may even be surprised by how Ontario wines have matured over the past decade (10$).

Now that your pic-a-nick basket is filled with goodies,and you’re warmed to the core with shopping and coffee sipping, it’s time to head to the day’s ultimate destination: the Leslie Spit. The Leslie Spit is one of Toronto’s best kept secrets. It’s a 5 kilometer peninsula that jets out from the bottom of Leslie Street. The Spit was built out of recycled industrial waste that has now been reclaimed by the earth. So, expect to see rusted rebar jungles, species of local flowers that haven’t been seen in the GTA in over 40 years, as well as rare butterflies and bird species that had at one time abandoned Toronto.

Did I forget to mention that the Leslie Spit has perhaps one of the most stunning views in Toronto? So, enjoy the breath taking Toronto views, and find a nice rock on which to enjoy your picnic as the sun sets behind our fair city.

Wine Rack 731 Queen Street East
Leslieville Cheese Market 891 Queen Street East
Value Village 924 Queen St East
Brick Street Breads 255 Logan Ave
Rowe Farms 912 Queen St East
Te Aro 983 Queen St East