Fran’s Restaurant

My boyfriend and I came here on a Sunday noon for brunch. We were greeted almost immediately considering how busy they were. We sat down — menu came — ordered coffee — left to decide for food — ordered our food — waited for about 15 mins for the food.
We both ordered Benedicts — he got the Eggs Blackstone (Atlantic smoked salmon) and I got the Portobello Mushroom Benedict.
His Benedict were not consistently poached. One was almost soft boiled and another one is almost hard boiled.
My Benedict were inconsistent too but better than his: one was runny and the other one was soft boiled. The flavour of the mushroom was a bit bland (my camping grilled mushroom tasted better than this).
Coffee wasn’t very good either. And we had to ask the server for a refill, other places would offer refills. So overall, it was an okay dining experience. It’s definitely a 2.5 stars. Independent businesses for the win!

Every time I come to Fran’s I’m pleasantly surprised by the quality and quantity of their food. They cover all three meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) with countless options to choose from, offer a selection of apps/​snacks, and desserts as well. Nothing is overpriced here, especially considering how much food they give you; the plates are massive! I generally split one dish with whoever I’m with since there’s simply no way that I’d be able to finish an order on my own.
During my most recent visit, I got the big breakfast (at 11ish pm aha) to share. It includes: 2 eggs, bacon, 2 breakfast sausages, homefries, 2 pancakes, and toast. All that for about $ 16 after tax and tip! It tasted great! They did butter the toast without asking me, so if you want your toast un-​buttered, its probably best to specify that. The waitress was also super nice too!
In the past I’ve ordered their mozzarella sticks, poutine, chicken fingers, and quesedilla… all were great, and I would definitely order them again.
Frans offers practically any food you could think of, at any time of the day! I’ll definitely be back again :)

There’s something about breakfast food that is akin to angels singing or wiping your wet hands on your dog, it’s ultimately very satisfying. Fran’s does breakfast food right by giving generous portions with great variety.
I have come here a total of 3 times and my go to meal is the «big breakfast». Most people think that a little Asian kid like me cant finish the big breakfast, they’re liars and I’m hungry. The big breakfast comes with two eggs done how you want them, 2 slices of bread cut lengthwise, 2 sausages cut into 4 pieces, 3 rashers of bacon, 2 pancakes and enough home fries to smother a small annoying toddler.
There’s not much to say but breakfast always comes out piping hot and my eggs are always done perfectly, sunny side up, scrambled etc. The bread is also cut nice and decently thick and the pancakes are nice and fluffy but also cakey, they really hit the spot. The home fries are also good and really comprise the «bulk» of the meal as the carbs and the bacon and sausage are nice, crispy and salty.
The service is always fast and friendly and the décor is diner-​esque, true to it’s american style of breakfast. How many times can I say nice in one review? I don’t know but Fran get’s a nice fat five stars!

This place is located right near hospital ave. and open 24 hours so I have lots of not so pleasant memories of this place while my ailing mom was visiting the ER and/​or hospitalized.
However, we visited tonight with a couple of family friends and they really appear to have improved in their quality of product. On one memorable visit in August 2013, my cousin felt sorry for the fish that sacrificed its life to be cooked in such a senseless manner. He also wanted details on the cooking technique because he wasn’t aware that a fish could be cooked so dry and tasteless.
Today’s experience was very different. It’s still a decent home-​cooked meal and what they’ve always done well over the years they continue to do well. Service was prompt and timely. Servers were honest when answering questions and if they didn’t have an answer went to the kitchen for more information.
Two of us had pasta. I had their ‘baked 5 cheese macaroni’ and savoured every bite. The lasagna looked to die for as well. The others covered their salad, sandwich and Favourite section of the menu and no complaints were heard.
The member of our party whose goal in life is to find the best Western sandwich, commented that their Western sandwich was very ‘fluffy’.
Our taste of the dessert menu was more than adequate. Their sundaes have 3 scoops of ice cream (vanilla/​chocolate/​strawberry) but their pies and rice pudding are still what they are known for.
Because of the memories, I can’t say I’ll be running back but if I’m in the area I wouldn’t hesitate with going back.

We dined here for brunch on a weekday. Our service was quick, no complaints there. I am an eggs Benedict fiend and Fran’s has a great selection. I went with the eggs blackstone (smoked salmon eggs benny) and it was delicious! Generous amount of hollandaise sauce and large helping of home fries which were crispy on the outside.
We also had the morning glory waffle. Waffle topped with eggs, bacon, Apple and drowned in syrup. Would have asked for the syrup on the side if we knew how much would be on there, so it was a little on the sweet side for our taste. It was still delicious and probably even better if we were hung over. Definitely will be back for breakfast when we’re in the area.

Fran’s is a classic diner style breaky venue. You really can’t go wrong since you always get
A big portions
B good pricing
C bottomless coffee
It can be pretty hectic but it’s the the best bang for your buck breaky wise in this area.

Nice selection of vegetarian options beyond the (normal) ones you’d expect from a diner like Fran’s. Love the nostalgia, service is very good, and we enjoyed the food very much. Chances are you will have to wait a few minutes for a table but it’s pretty much worth it to get a good meal and sense of what Toronto was like in the past. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for the jukebox (digital) by front door, while we were there the staff played Michael Jackson and Madonna, which fit well with our meal ;)

Simple, local diner. Our party of 3 came here on a Friday night and they were about three quarters full. Coffee and water refills and general checkups were frequent which was nice.
Everyone at our table got something different, a sandwich, a breakfast meal and steak. All the food was on par, and nothing too special. The only issue I had with the whole meal was that their food didn’t really seem that warm. It was definitely cooked thoroughly, but it never felt fully hot, which wasn’t to my liking.
I’d probably come back out of convenience, but not particularly for their food or service, as neither were that exceptional.

I have to drop my rating, the pancakes were lacking, not much taste or wasn’t that fluffy. The sausage was a bit burnt and over cooked, lack favour but it was passable, the rest of meal was alright, eggs and bacon. Home fries are decent

Seriously fresh and amazing food. I ate breakfast here everyday when I was in Toronto. The prices are good and you get a large portion every time. All the servers I had were super friendly and welcoming. I wish they extended their chains to South Florida.

First of all, this place had some massive portions. It had that diner feel spot on, from the colour choices to the extra friendly waitress that calls you honey and asks about your day. The food itself wasn’t exceptionally great. I had the chicken and bacon panini, but it seemed more like a regular sandwich. The bread was very chewy and the chicken tastes processed. The home fries that came with my sandwich was very good though. My friend ordered a Shepard’s pie that tasted quite nice. Overall, I’d come again because of the great atmosphere and I’ll try something else on the menu. I’m still hopeful

We came here on a Saturday afternoon and it was super busy.
Everyone at our table got something different and we were all satisfied with our orders. Coffee and water refills were consistent, and our food came pretty quickly. I got the Western omelette and it was pretty good but a tiny bit bland. The home fries made it worth it.
Our waiter was extremely friendly and checked up on us often to make sure we were doing okay. Standard diner breakfast food, big portions, super friendly service. Would come again if I were in the area.

Went here on a saturday night (Blue jays vs Royals Game 2) and it was actually not as busy as I expected it to be. The servers were very nice and honest when I asked about the restaurant’s specialty and their recommendations since it was my first time there. I had chicken baja and it was pretty good for a well-​known breakfast restaurant, though the downside of it is that the wrap was too loose for me to hold on to it properly.
The restaurant in general is very warm and cozy, family and friends friendly feel atmosphere. Overall, it’s a great place to be with your friends after a long day out with pretty filling dishes and friendly staff.

I’m an American and I know diners. This was a fantastic diner AND was open on thanksgiving (which, as a silly American, I had no idea about when I went searching for food). The host was fun and silly with me as I was silly with him. My order came out super quickly and I DEVOURED it all.
My favorite part is the all day breakfast. I have a weakness for benedicts and holy moly they had AN ENTIRE PAGE of them. I had the eggs Benedict with steak and asparagus and it was heavenly.
Got good food for a very reasonable price on a holiday– I’ll be back for sure.

I found it really hard to review this place but here we go. First of all, the staff here is awesome. Our server was extremely friendly and made sure our water was filled and came back several times to check up on us.
The downside is that this location gets really busy so be prepared for a line up. The seating is also a bit tight. The other issue I have is for some reason the portions here and the quality of some of the menu items are different compared to the Fran’s near st. michael’s hospital. The oatmeal with mixed berries for instance, was quite watered down and the mixed berries came in the same size pot as the brown sugar which was incredibly small for the extra $ 2.00. At the other Fran’s location, the berries came in a bowl that was at least 4 to 5 times bigger for the exact same price. The toast is also smaller, and the western omelette was smaller and came with far less home fries.

Oh Frans, how you never disappoint my very late night munchies after a long night out partying…
Food: This place does breakfast and it does it pretty darn good. I always order eggs here and have yet to try their sandwiches. This time, I ordered the Vegetarian Rainbow Eggs Benedict. The menu said there would be asparagus but I couldn’t find it this time around. A little bit more on the pricey side around $ 11 but the plate was huge! Almost half the plate was filled with their fries. Although not beautifully plated as Cora’s, this place gets the job done and leaves you full enough to get home into bed satisfied.
Service: 4am and my party of 4 were quickly seated at the back and not surprising that it was moderately busy with people. Its another fast diner so dont expect top class service with servers asking you how your meal went. Occasionally someone would refill on our water.
Décor: Still has the 60s cheap diner vibe going on. How many times have I passed by the flashing lights outside in the middle of the night? Again cheap diner so a little dirty inside so yeah. Décor is vintage looking and cute.
If you want a late night bite more filling than the 24h McDs on Yonge, head to Frans!

I love Frans, and especially as of late. I’ve been coming here since first year of university (about to go into my third) with my student fellowship a couple times a semester, and again a few times on my own with friends and classmates. They changed their menu/​main ingredients recently, so now their food portions and flavour and quality is so much better than before! Every waiter that I’ve ever encountered at Frans is always super friendly and helpful. So glad this is near my school and 24H for anytime breakfast! Their sandwiches and benedicts are awesome.

I had the Canadian Benedict which was brought to me by the Manager. It was smothered in paprika including the fruit. No one came to check on my meal and being it was brought by the manager, I decided not to say anything.
It also looked like the pepper shakers haven’t been washed on the inside for years. They were completely yellow but there was indeed black pepper inside.
For $ 16.00, I can’t complain, just express concerns.

I’ve now been to this location twice now and I’m not sure if I will be returning again. I came here for breakfast and the food was relatively bland and there something that I was missing.
Food: 2/​5, food was what was most disappointing about this place. First time I got the Montecristo and the second time I got the egg croissant sandwich with hollandaise sauce. The Monte Christo was way too salty and The egg croissant and the sauce was extremely bland.
Service: 3/​5, nothing special
Ambience: 3/​5, fun décor with the 70s theme
Price: 3/​5, average I guess, $ 15-​$ 20 per person.

While in Canada for a few days with my girls, we decided to grab a bite to eat on the first full morning after arrival. I can not remember the name of the place we initially went to, but they were closing soon and not very inviting since it was near time for them to close. Understanding, we decided to ask someone walking where we could go and she quickly said «Fran’s» and pointed us in the right direction.
This was the best breakfast meal we had while there! OMG, the prices were unbelievable for the amount and quality of food. I was impressed with the OJ prices being that they were mostly fresh squeezed. I say mostly fresh squeezed because when I saw the prep, they did in fact pour a little orange ‘juice’ from a gallon container. I asked the waitress what that was and she described in detail their process. She said basically depending on the oranges they receive, some may not be sweet enough, so they add a little ‘help’. Seriously, it wasn’t that much added, and it was so good. I mean let’s be honest, there are a lot of restaurants that serve a fancy glass of Minute Maid OJ. So at least 90% of Fran’s OJ was actually OJ. :-)
Most of us ordered the Big Breakfast, which was really big and filling for only $ 12.99. What a steal. I went back three days in a row and ordered the exact same thing. When I tell you once I find something great, I am hooked… believe me. I shall not lie to you. I was HOOKED.
I, the coffee drinker of the group, had coffee and I wanted more. It was so good with their table cream.
Lastly, I would like to mention their syrup. So, you’re in Canada and you want real maple syrup right? Well you wont get it here… BUT it’s still better than the norm in the US. They will actually sell you a bottle of their syrup for you to take with you and we all purchased at least one. It was great and I have been using it since. Now once it’s gone… I don’t know what I will do. I guess I will need to make another trip and rack up!
The service was great all three days and I had to leave a bigger tip because there is no way I would have received all that food for that price in the US. I felt like I was cheating them. hahaha
Overall, great food and since I was with my girls, it was a nice place to just chat and eat. Fran’s reminded me of an old diner where you could go, grab a cup of Joe and they would actually remember your name and order.

Une institution que ce Fran’s ! C’est le bon vieux restaurant style ‘Diner New Yorkais’ de Toronto. Pas de flafla, c’est frit, c’est rapide et c’est bon. La décoration est un peu rococo dans le style mais à 2 heures de matin, cela importe généralement peu.