The Lakeview Restaurant Review

Great diner food, cheap beer, open 24 hours, awesome place.

This place is a must see if you are a movie buff as they filmed a scene from cocktail here. It has an authentic 1950's diner vibe. Beer and cocktails are super cheap - $3 mimosas and $4 beers.

Currently my favorite breakfast restaurant in Toronto. Plus being able to get food at all hours of the night is pretty great.

Great diner! Awesome atmosphere, fun for kids. Love captain Canuck!!

Iconic and classic looking dinner with some of the best Bartenders you'll ever meet.

Delicious food, unfortunately they are typically so busy you are looking at ridiculous wait times for seating and service. I've waited over an hour lined up on the sidewalk before to get in, then close to an hour to even get food. Worth it though, if you have the time to wait...

Great 24hr spot with delicious food! Just a heads up they take cash only after 10pm :)

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.

it's a nice place. i've gone during the day - pretty quiet and not a whole lot going on. I really felt it would be some sort of unique experience since I've heard good things and they're open 24 hours, but it feels like a pretty generic restaurant.

If you are drunk and want late food this place will do. Customer service is great

Lakeview is a great place to eat late at night. I like their tuna melt!

The Lakeview is like that side thin that you only hit up when you run out of options. She s not the hottest, but she certainly hits the spot when you need a late night hotline bling.

P.S: Lakeview is now better than Old School.

Decent food and nice staff. Prices have gone up it seems

We consulted their web page and thought it looked perfect. We tried to call to make SURE they were ALWAYS OPEN, as advertised emphatically online, but nobody answered. We decided to have a little faith and drive 45 minutes to experience this appealing place. When we arrived, the door was locked! We knocked, and an employee came and unlocked the door to say that they were CLOSED for maintenance and gave an incredibly unfelt apology. We were beyond frustrated. We pointed out that their website gave no indication of any maintenance or being closed. We got another, equally cold and fake, apology and then they re-locked the door and walked away. We were hungy and at least 45 minutes from ANY food - including fast food drive-thrus. Thank GOD for Wimpy's in Hamilton. Not only were they open, but they were friendly and the food was perfect. We might have considered returning to the Lakehouse restaurant when they re-opened, but the employee who turned us away was such a jerk that we'll never be back. I think we've each told the story 50 times since! So sad to have an inhospitable place operating disguised as a nice restaurant.

It was great! Had a great meal 4 am rare to find something this time...
Anyway the fish n chips was very good.

Was excellent , will be back for the great service and apple shake and much more ! Thks

I was very excited to finally visit the Lakeview Diner as I had heard a lot of amazing things about it. The interior is kind of special and interesting, but that didnt bothered me at all, as it gives the place a certain atmosphere. It was super busy when we got there, I understand as its one of the only places in a busy clubbing area which serves food 24h. When we finally ordered the server seemed totally overwhelmed, he was friendly, but definitely not able to keep up with all the people in there. He got our whole order wrong and after waiting for a while for our food, we had to wait another 10min until we finally got what we had ordered in first place. The food we got was cold and didnt looked great at all, I had some poutine with mushroom gravy but there hardly werent any mushrooms on the poutine, and the gravy did looked like the slush we just had on the streets a couple of days ago, the taste was just as it looked... My friend refused to actually eat his chicken wings, I didnt tasted them as I don't eat meat, but they didnt looked great either. We wont go again, even though if its the only place open in the middle of the night and they are busy... they should definitely be able to get the order right and serve better food.

Best late night drunk food in the west end. Open 24h

Ordered the Chilli, the waitress brought it out and asked "does that look OK?" and then left briskly, which seemed to be a strange. It came missing both the bread bowl and the onion rings. Took a long time to get anyone's attention, to the point where i had to get up and seek someone out. When they brought it back it only had one small onion ring and a slice of bread, despite the menu clearly saying onion rings. I was told that it only came with one and that they had run out of the bread bowls. Perhaps they should have told me this before? When i told them that the menu is misleading they didn't seem to care and said "there is a lot that needs to be changed on the menu" and walked off. I suspect they had just taken one ring from the poor table next to us who ordered onion rings and put it on my plate. Then as we were still eating they gave us the bill, i guess they wanted us out so they can get more in as fast as possible. Service was very slow, staff couldn't care less.

Pros: open at all hours and has good ambiance
Cons: everything else, especially lack of options on menu and food is sub par

Good place for a small budget! They have special offers on Monday, for example wine for $4.50 (per ounce).

Really like this Diner. The decor is vintage and the service is prompt and polite. Also good menu for a late night eatery. I had the Vegetarian burger and it was very tasty.

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

Cute place for lunch in Little Portugal! Stopped here for lunch today with my daughter. I had the club sandwich with fries and she had the philly cheese steak sandwich.. fries were fantastic, sandwiches were very good.. water was served in a wine bottle which was a little odd.. service was fast and friendly.. and prices were reasonable..
I would have given a 5 star, but bathrooms are a little sketchy, lots of graffiti and not very clean.

Open 24 hours. Great breakfast food and simple, clear menu. Staff is quick and precise and awesome!

This is a very famous restaurant from Toronto, Canada where you have a lot of famous movies like "The shape of water" by Guillermo Del Toro, have in the walls autographs of a lot of famous actors. Its 24 hours and have very good prices

Excellent place 100% recommended is a very famous place in Toronto that has been used to film several important films, like The Shape of water by Guillermo Del Toro, the place has it very old, it is 24 hours and they have very accessible prices.

Good portion for the price and awesome taste of food. Don't know why people give it any less than five. It's great.

Quaint 24hrs restaurant in Toronto. Try the "Disco Fries"

Food so cheap. Open so late. Hipstet haven in the middle of hipsterville.

I had the B.E.S.T sandwich and it was actually THE BEST!! You get Bacon, Spinach, Tomato on rye bread and choice of fries or greens on the side. SO GOOD. If you are a meat eater but want to pass on the big plates and burgers but still get some nice crispy bacons go for this sandwich. I've tried their burgers too, my fav is the one that comes with an egg inside and literally bursts as you bite/cut into it. The service is usually quick but expect a lot of diners and loud music in the late evenings and nights. Always warm and welcoming. I love Lakeview. They should open a location by the lake!

Okay, I have NO idea how this place has such a high rating. The bathroom here was simply disgusting. There is graffiti all over the bathroom and it didn't look like it had been cleaned in a while.

On top of this, the waiter got my order wrong twice and I mean completely wrong. He brought me out a club sandwich instead of the burger I ordered. When my burger arrived it was burnt to a crisp. Please check the picture to get a better idea.

I gave it 2 stars instead of one, because they didn't charge me for my meal, but I definitely would not recommend this place. The only good thing is that it stays open quite late - maybe 24/7.

Of course, the waiter did tell me they were very short staffed that day.

Fantastic diner. I had a perfectly cooked burger with a delicious and creative poutine side. Fantastic service from a young gentleman (can't remember his name but I sure wish I could) . I'll be going back there in about 3 hours after I go to the bar to get an apple pie milkshake.

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.

Open all the time, tasty food, and great for a Boondock Saints reference!

The food was passable, but definitely not worth the long wait time we had while we were there. Not only did we have to wait for the food, but I had to wait 25 to pay my bill after the waitress LEFT the table before setting up the machine. I asked the other waitresses there if I could just pay and go, but they said that it had to be her that did it. I even asked one waitress, who made eye contact with me, then turned around and ignored me.

My eggs were cold. And that made me sad.

Had to wait 25 minutes to pay. Made me even sadder.

All reviews are Real.
The service and food is great!

A group of three friends and I came on a moderately busy Wednesday night and received a burger with soggy bun and barely any coleslaw, a hollandaise sauce that was just melted butter, poached eggs well done on the inside + big eggshell, toast only toasted on one side, and 7 onion rings (small) for 3.50 extra. All in all not great, maybe the night wasn't right. Would not come again.

I love that they have Vegan options now. They have the Impossible burger an Vegan poutine

The apple pie milkshake. If you get nothing else, you will be over the moon with this alone!

Love the apple pie milkshakes here! Great place for late night eats and a date. Great service and great atmosphere. Love it!

Service was a little slow and inattentive - our server was really nice, but she kept forgetting things we asked for. I found them to be out of stock of a few menu items, but overall I really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere of this place, and I would go back.

their milkshake was 3 milkshakes worth of milkshake

Terribly slow service. No AC!!! Took 30 minutes to get me my burger and fries.

Slow service and a rude waitress named Laura. She failed to communicate clearly why only two dishes arrived to our group of 8 (something about the kitchen not seeing two chits) and did not apologize for the wait. Then came time for the check. We asked her to split the check and she did so incorrectly. We politely told her which items should be divided however she claimed she was right. Overall unenjoyable experience.

Not impressed. I guess it's supposed to be a 70-80s theme diner, but it looks more like it was just built during that time and never renovated since. Booths are literally falling apart, everything looks and feels out dated. The menu is typical diner "homemade" style food. But there nothing homemade about it. I've had better quality, for less, at big breakfast chains.
Lunch here for 2 adults and 1 child was about $40
One positive thing is the staff; our waitress was friendly and attentive throughout our meal.

Great location, terrible food. Good hours, pricey.

I keep coming back for their milkshakes. Waiters are nice.

The Food Was Alright ?? We Ordered Poutine and The Cheese Curds Were So Big That We Had To Ask Them To Melt The Cheese More !! But Must Order Their New York Style Cheesecake It's Excellent !!

The Lakeview restaurant is one of the best classic diners in Toronto, open 24 hours and ready to feed the hungriest stomachs at a moment's notice. It's great for pretty much any meal you can possibly think of, whether it be a weekend brunch, a regular dinner, or a 3 am snack. The breakfasts are substantial and the Ossington Massive, which boasts three eggs, buttermilk pancakes, maple sausage, peameal bacon, grilled tomato, and toast-- is, indeed, massive.

Good food at reasonable prices and a nice beer selection. Efficient service.

Speedy service, good brunch selection and super friendly wait staff

The milkshakes are incredible (especially the Apple Pie milkshake).

Really charming vibe and great food served around the clock! Would totally recommend

Good food, but considering that this is a retro rundown diner, it's over priced. Also, how is it that they only serve President Choice soda?

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 :)

Seems the staff can be choosy with who they want to serve. As they're often busy they are not too fussed about the odd person they completely decide to forget .

Great place, even when busy and packed. They accomadated our large group at 2AM easily and were very attentive to us. Food was also pretty great

Everything is good and their kitchen never closes! Try their Caesars! Go at three in the morning!

We have tried to have breakfast here, and enjoy it, on several occasions, but it has always turned out badly.
Our last visit, we arrived early on a Saturday. By the time we ordered and got our food, it was over an hour, and the restaurant was not particularly busy.
My Wife's breakfast arrived burnt and only partly edible. We advised the waiter, he was sympathetic. As we had been there for a long time already, she ate what she could, we were not willing to wait for her order to be prepared again.
Her food was removed from the bill, but this was our third trip with slow service/food issues.
We will not return.

Good food, reasonable prices, open late, and a classic diner ambiance. Highly recommend.

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!!!! The food I ate here was soo good. Definitely a brunch spot a visit in city.

Worst service I've ever had. On top they have the balls to just tip themselves on the debit machine in and hand over the machine and ask for more tip... Unbelievable
Food took 45 min
And then took these guys 10 min to clear the table... Just wow

I want to love this place because of it's history, and the milkshakes are good, but it always feels a little dingy to me. I also think it smells a little funny.

Love this place. usually have to wait but soon worth it

There was some sort of error with their printer and we ended up waiting over an hour for our food. Then when the food arrived it was cold. The waitress was very friendly and apologetic.

Had a good experience in this place with my friend. The food comes out quick and the service is just fantastic. Prices are convenient.

The menu here was better and more expansive than I expected, with plenty of opportunities for customization. Although it's definitely diner food, the quality is good and I had quite a few options as a vegetarian. The service was also good. Probably the biggest draw is the classic diner decor, of course.

Food was excellent, service was middling. Three incorrect orders at one table, but right enough to know they were ours.

Old vintage diner feel to it, with some of the best prices around. One of the few spots in TO that you can leave completely full for under $25 (drinks included)

Love coming here. The food is always delicious . Great service and pretty quick for how busy it gets.

Love this old school restaurant .. I hope they never change the old booths .. great selection of food .. breakfast is awesome .. poutine is great .. always a great experience!

I usually love this place came in to order take out was ignored for 20 min , then took them over 30 min more to prepare my food

A very vintage breakfast/brunch spot.

Menu is quite substantial with interesting meaty offerings. The menu varies from plates and sandwiches with sides of salads. The Ossington Massive breakfast is quite large and filling which samples the entire brunch menu involving eggs. Would've been complete if the meal didn't include disposable sample cups of ketchup and maple syrup.

I arrived on an Easter Sunday in the early morning, probably between the late night/morning shift change. The staff felt very distant for a homely place. However they still maintained attentiveness to the customer's needs.

The decor is very vintage and in fact seen in many films from the past. Most recent feature of it's 40's/50's wood aesthetic was Shape of Water. I had to Google it for a shot for shot comparison. However it the furnishing and decor does predate the 1950's as per the establishment's history blurb, about no early than pre-WW2. The front sports a black with chrome (or chrome-like) trim.

I've passed this place many times in my life but I wish I could've visited more often.

It was a nice place, very quiet when I was there in the afternoon. Mimosas were delicious, got the Ossington Massive and it definitely gave me all I needed for a good price! Would come back :)

There's a lot I would and have ordered on the menu. Lighting suffers, drafty bathroom.

Went here late night on Saturday after a show. Ordered the Tuna Melt with fries upgraded to Disco Fries. I am still unsure if the Disco Fries were actually a poutine, but it was pretty good nonetheless. As for my Tuna Melt though, it was cold, not grilled, and contained no cheese, so basically a cold tuna fish sandwich. Will not be going back.