The Lakeview Restaurant Review

Always open my ass.
To proudly boast something as this and then change it to only the weekends and not change the sign, the website, etc, is just bad business.
The poor dude that had to turn us away informed us that he is not allowed to turn the always open sign off, despite, in fact, their not being open. He was very cordial and seemed legitimately bummed that they couldn t fulfill the lie of a promise that they claim at The Lakeview.
Disappointing....

Open 24/7, always happy with the food and milkshakes. Don't go there if you're not really hungry, plates are full and more

Got served a fish sandwich that was nearly sushi. Sent it back only to receive the same thing again. This after waiting 20 minutes despite there being plenty of empty tables in sight. Lousy experience.

Had dinner here. Food was good. They do accomodate well for vegetarians. Their chocolate milkshake was excellent!

Food was so bad and the bodyguard at the door was so rude. We waited half an hour to eat terrible sandwich and poutine.

24/7...amazing food (cornflake chicken), milkshakes, best brunch in the city and easy on the wallet. $3 mimosas daily!!!

Prompt service and helpful staff. The chicken sandwich wasn't anything special but their fries are tastey.

THE place to try out on Dundas at Ossington. It's even open 24 hours, for those of us working on late late shifts, or starting on super early shifts, when food needs to hit the spot!

Go to late night bite. Wings are my good to, so good. Finish off with the apple pie Milk shake....

The food was fantastic. For the love of all things sacred though, do not expect the same standards in the bathroom.

Stephanie our server was really good. The food was great for the price too.

Burgers here are served medium rare but the beef isn't fresh enough so they smell like blood and cheap powdered seasoning mixes. Well-done burgers are equally inedible. I've given up. Stick to vegetarian offerings.

Tasty food. Good selection. Great service. Amenable to modifications on menu

So went to Lakeview for a birthday brunch today and at the end of it the waitress offers us a key-lime pie because of the birthday then proceeds to charge us for it! Unbelievable, I have never had this happen, ever.

This is pretty low and deceitful.

Definitely would not recommend a place like this to anyone ever.

Also the key lime pie wasn't even complete as it had no meringue on it and a little dab of whipped cream.

best 24hr restaurant (non china town) in the city. hands down.

yall need to lower your prices and treat your staff better. $16 for a plate of mediocre chicken fingers is ve unreasonable. Every time I come in I hear staff complaining about being overworked.

First time at the Lakeview for Sunday brunch. Very impressed with both the food and the service: "hipster with a smile". I ordered the Ossington Massive, which was indeed massive. If you're looking for a breakfast option with a bit of everything, it is a solid choice. My friend had the B.E.S.T sandwich. She says it was da bomb. Also worth noting the front end manager said hi to both of us and gave us her business card which was nice of her. We will both definitely be back.

All this place has going for it is the atmosphere. Had the breakfast plate. Eggs unseasoned, hash browns bitter, sausage tasted like bleach. Coffee was... I suppose bad is the right description. The toast was good.
I like around the corner from there. Such a shame that this place is basically wasted potential.

Everything about this place is amazing! The food is so good, the waiters are super friendly and the best part is the fact that it's 24-hours! Can't wait to go back!

Best looking staff I've ever laid eyes on. Hands down. Servers! Cooks! All wonderful people. You go there for an easy going vibe when you're with friends, or even when you're alone. And the food is exactly what you want - good grub. Sat/Sun Brunchers; it'll take a while for your food ANYWHERE in T.O if you go for a Sat or Sun brunch!! Get used to it and be pleasant!

Classic diner food, friendly and quick service. Pie is delicious!

Food is good, ambience is very cool. Service is often on the slow side, though I think mostly due to the popularity of the place. Expect to wait 10-20 minutes for a table during peak brunch hours.

Despite them regularly being sold out of of hot cakes, it's still the best 24 joint in town.

I come here quite often and can only remember having bad service on one occasion, where it was very busy. The food is comforting and delicious... It's also hard to beat the 3$ mimosas and all day breakfast

24/7
Food is great, servers & bouncer are great too!

Reason for 3/5 is because:
- the washrooms are always godawful nasty and full of graffiti
- Most of the seats/benches are small, uncomfortable, too upright, and too close to the table

Good menu/selection for diner food. Like the atmosphere, but maybe kind of dark.

Used to be so good. Today, pure trash. Burnt fries, soggy fried fish (their staple) sandwiches, and pi$$ poor service. I didn't tip, ordered ahead and picked up, of course, got the dirty looks on the way out. Lol are you kidding me?

Good food for good prices, cozy spot. Service can be kind of slow though.

Love this place! So friendly, feels like a Toronto classic.

I got the Apple pie milkshake the first time and it was so good that I came back.

Terrible customer service! They forgot our order and after 1 hr we finally got our food! Offer your costumers a cheap drink at least instead of just saying we are sorry.

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.

While waiting for the food the waitresses were putting tea bags up on their noses and sniffing them, trying to figure out what the flavours were then putting them BACK IN THE JAR. Service was slow and food was not worth it for the price.

Had the B.E.S.T. sandwich.. was very tasty and reasonably priced.

Great staff, great menu selection. cute, cozy 50's style dinner open 24/7

Being always open is a Godsend especially on the Labour Day! My daughter and I were looking for somewhere to have breakfast before heading back to the U.S. when we stumbled upon this restaurant while looking for an ATM. And I didn't realize that this was the same restaurant I recently saw on Food Network. We enjoyed the Eggs Benny, fresh fruit cup, and, most of all, the red orchard apple juice. We'll definitely come back again.

Great food. Amazing shakes. Typical diner stuff but its so good and they hace super cheap Mimosas!! Portions are big and salads are super tasty. Onion rings are awesome and big portions. They can put booze in your milkshakes if you want (and are over 19y/o) sooo good!! Breakfast, brunch options, lunch and dinner. Awesome place!

I love this place. I go there any time I'm in the neighborhood.

Cheap, cheeeful and never closed! An Ossington institution.

An experience! An old world diner. A few items we ordered were not available... not even kids spaghetti.

1 h 45 since we are here and we don't have our food yet! 1 h 45 and counting for three breakfast.

Magical Toronto Christmas Eve. Thank you for always being open. Sorry couldn't give 5 stars the food leaves a lot to desire

Great menu, fair price. The sandwich and the fries are not that big, but enough to me. Friendly service and environment. Definetely, a place to go back

Food and service was great. Good place to bring your family. Kids menu is available but no change table.

The food is super hit and miss, but seemingly worse and worse with every subsequent time I'm there. For $9 you can get an okay poutine that comes with about 30 french fries total (approximate), so they have going for them. Prices from when this was a "diner" are long gone, if you want to actually eat food go literally anywhere else on Ossington.

The drinks are cheap and it's open 24 hours, so that's good at least.

Amazing food and open all the time, there is usually a line up on the weekend. Went at night and went back in the morning! Menu changes depending on the hour so try it out at different times and the Apple Pie Milkshake is amazing.

Ossington massive was my choice for today's brunch. Gave 4 stars bc of inconsistency with food in the past. It's mostly great, good portions and made to order properly, just sometimes it's a miss.
Today though, bacon was crisp, eggs over easy aced, home fries crispy af and Americano was smooth.
Our waitress was really good too, friendly and quick.

The food is decent, great desserts and milk shakes. Open all night on weekends which is awesome! Lovely atmosphere.

I drive across the city for the chicken and waffle benny. Always a hit

I like the vibe in the restaurant, it's very New York-ish. I got the wine special and it was really awful, it tasted like it was sitting there for a long time.

Omg the milk shakes can be made with alcohol...yahoo

Took advantage of a full turkey dinner for up to 8 people at only $150. This was by far the best value not just for the price charged but for the abundance of turkey, mashed potatoes, root veggies, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce! All I had to make was appetizers and a big green salad! Our turkey was cut in half ready to carve and the sides were warm and properly packaged . The Lakeview Restaurant removed all the time and stress I usually feel in having to prepare everything from scratch. Thank you!!!!!

Food poisoning from the meals. The wait staff was terrific and the drinks were cheap and fine but was horribly sick after eating the burger, and my partner was sick from eating the club sandwich.
Absolutely terrible food, good staff and environment.
Do not order food from them.

Ossington Massive is indeed massive, decent food, okay pricing, good service, kinda old and smelly though.

Came here for late night food and wanted to pay the bill on my debit card. After many attempts, the waiter insisted the transaction was not going through, so I paid in cash. I found out later that it actually did go through! I paid double for a tasteless meal and laughable service! Come here if you love disappointment!

Went there with a bunch of friends. The placed is a very old diner that opens 24/7. They have a nice small patio, but we went to sit inside because there were no seats.
Inside smelled way off, like old cooking oil or something, I was uneasy at first but then I got used to it.
I ordered the corn flakes chicken and the apple pie milkshake. The chicken sandwich was good but it was a bit overcooked and the chicken itself was very thin I barely tasted it. The milkshake however was heavenly, It's unlike anything I've ever had!

Food was great, cool atmosphere. Will definitely return!

Never closes and never disappoints if you're looking for a greasy spoon.

Not the cleanest, not the nicest, not the best food. Looking for a breakfast place, was ok. If you want to get in and out fast, for us this was not the place. Was slow to get food, and food was ok.

Good service and food with decent prices. Such a cool vibe and has been used in quite a few films that have been shot in Toronto! Would definitely recommend!

Diner-style full meals at a fair price ($5-$10) and $4 (craft beer pint and wine glass) drinks make this a nice spot for a pre- or post-concert in the area. Friendly service in booth-style seating or at the bar. There is no TV so you can't cheer on the local sports team here but the menu (maybe having good company helps?) and ALWAYS OPEN outweigh the lack of screens here.

Good diner - an institution. If it's full they are frequently not able to deal with that many people and you will be waiting for 30 to 45 min to get your order.

Old school diner with a funky twist. Great place for kids with a good kids menu, relaxed atmosphere and friendly wait staff. Food was excellent!

I've had amazing times here and only ok times. Definitely still one of my Favourite spots though.

Someone barfed in the bathroom sink while I was in there, but that's not the restaurants fault. Our waiter was a gem. Food and prices were good.

Absolutely lovely and cozy diner. Really good service and food. Will definitely visit again.

Food was pretty good with good portions. Milkshakes were good, and staff was okay. The restaurant kinda had a weird smell though.

I was in the area so I Stepped into The Lakeview for the first time in over 20 years. Needed a quick lunch. One of the best Clubhouse sandwiches I've ever had. The young woman taking care of my order was also extremely pleasant.

Left wing wimps eat here less taking more looking for a job

Great breakfast food, but not great if you are in a hurry.

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!

The Lakeview is a good 24-hour staple. The service is brusque and the food is only good, not great, but it's a nice place to go late at night or when you don't know where else to go.

Great place for breakfast, brunch, deserts and dinners. Old fashion look and feel and great staff.

Absolute garbage.
Soggy homefries
Horrible scrambled eggs
Forgot my toast
No whip cream for waffles with two sad berries on top
3.25 for a side of sausages?
All together sad very very upset.

Just really wish this place closes down
Highway robbery

Never again.
Don't eat here nd save you're hard earned cash.

That's coming from someone who never complains