After the one-hour charity workout at Yonge and Davisville, we decided to find a restaurant for brunch that was in the Leaside area.  I consulted Google Maps and was surprised to find that I had previously bookmarked Sophie’s Kitchen as a restaurant that I’ve wanted to go to.  Sophie’s Kitchen was ranked and rated highly as a solid breakfast spot well-known for their lemon ricotta pancakes.

There is only street parking available in this part of the neighbourhood, but as it was the weekend we found a spot just minutes away from the restaurant — there is free parking on the weekends.  While parking, Ken made the astute recommendation to call for a reservation since I read aloud from the Google reviews that seating was difficult on the weekends.  The staff picked up my call right away and responded to my inquiry that there was currently no wait time for a table of two.

It just so happened that when we walked in two minutes later though, there was already a short line forming inside the restaurant.  I went up to the front counter and inquired about our table for two that I had called about just minutes ago and were immediately gestured to an awaiting table for two.  Wow!  I was so glad that we made that phone call.  We were able to step ahead of two other parties who were waiting in line.  Who knew that two minutes could make a difference!

The interior of Sophie’s was bright and cozy with lots of lemons and yellow flowers as their featured decor.  The menu featured various breakfast dishes, sandwiches, make-your-own-salad, drinks (including bubbly alcohol and beer), as well as a section for kids.  I also noticed that there was a self-serve container of Cheerios and bubble gum station at the counter and jars of crayons for customers to use as well.  It was an extremely child friendly/family friendly restaurant.

When I spotted the framed portrait of a little girl on the counter with the name “Sophie” framed as well, I immediately knew that that was Sophie, the namesake behind the restaurant.  Turns out that Sophie was the daughter of the owners!  What a cute idea to name the restaurant after your daughter.

After we placed our orders, it took a little bit of time for the food to arrive.  It was a very home-style kind of kitchen and restaurant, so the wait time was anticipated.

The Lemon Ricotta Pancakes are “Sophie’s favourite pancakes!”  They are made to order with a creamy lemon ricotta finish, blueberry compote, and maple syrup.  There were three stacks of these homemade pancakes on my plate, and it was steaming hot.  I loved that it was made freshly off the grill and piping with steam off each bite.

I found that the pancakes themselves were a tad mushy though and I would have preferred more maple syrup (or at least some on the side for me to add more if needed).  It was a good pancake, but I feel like the lemon ricotta could have been stronger in flavour too.  It was a greatly filling dish and presented beautifully.

Ken ordered the “Run of the Millwood Frittata” which was a three-egg frittata with sautéed leeks, diced red onion, roasted red peppers, and a sharp old cheddar (not sure what this was).  It was accompanied by fresh fruit, house made mixed potato hash with sautéed onions and house salad.

It was a very home-style looking dish and the frittata was decent.  The potato hash was mushy and warm.  Basically, every part of this dish seemed very home-style cooking.

Sophie’s for sure is a popular restaurant serving breakfast from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m every day except for Mondays.  It’s worth a visit and especially because it is a local family run restaurant.  It’s always a good idea to support small local businesses.