Start your day the right way: with a fantastic waffle for breakfast! Or maybe it’s close to midday on a weekend and you’ve been waiting for brunch all morning… Either way, these spots will get your day started on the right foot with a great waffle for your first meal.
THE EARLY BIRD
We hope you brought your appetite, because the waffles at the Early Bird are no joke. The portions here are seriously big, but once you start eating, there’s basically no stopping until that plate is clean.
Vanilla waffles made fresh when you order, so perfectly fluffy on the inside with a crisp outer layer, you’ll wonder if angels made them. They’re accompanied by the classic maple syrup and whipped cream, because those two elements are quintessential. But instead of the same old lame mixed berries or little plastic containers of jam that were sealed no one knows how long ago, next to your waffles sit poached apples – soft, sweet, and incredible.
However, if you really want waffles, but also crave something savoury, the chicken and waffles is your ticket. Dense waffles stacked high with fried chicken, bacon jam, and crispy onions. Top all that off with some maple syrup, and you’ve got the perfect place – a tantalizing blend of salty and sweet. If you’ve never heard of chicken and waffles, you may think it’s absurd, but I swear, if you love fried chicken and you love waffles, and you haven’t had both on the same plate, your life will change once you try it.
Whether you go for sweet or savoury, your order comes with a side of home fries and salad or a fruit cup, because everything is made better by home fries, no exceptions. The Early Bird is one of our favourite spots to have breakfast in the city, and their waffles are no different. They’ve set a high bar for themselves at the Early Bird and both the sweet and the savoury options exceed expectations. Definitely worth trying the next time you’re looking for a great breakfast out on the town.
HAPPINESS
Happiness is not only what you’ll be feeling after tasting these waffles, it’s also the name of the place! Happiness is a new face in downtown London, found on the corner of Queens and Wellington, and they’ve been off to a strong start in the last year or so since opening. Cakes, crepes, macarons, coffee, and of course, our focus for today: waffles.
Sticking to owner Olha Prytkova’s European roots, she’s serving Belgian waffles at Happiness. Light, fluffy insides, and a delightfully crisp exterior, always made fresh when you order.
There are all sorts of options to pick from when it comes to topping your waffles. Fresh fruit and maple syrup are just the start! Peanut butter, chocolate ganache, salted caramel, lemon cream… The list goes on and on. Your typical order gets whipped cream plus two toppings, but you can go crazy and get as many as you want for an extra charge.
Gluten free? No worries, you can get waffles made with rice and coconut flour, absolutely no gluten in sight. Vegan? Not a problem, replace the dairy with almond milk and you’ll be chowing down on some delicious waffles in no time. Happiness is always happy to accommodate.
Happiness hasn’t been around for long, but they’re bringing smiles to the faces of Londoners with their amazing menu. If you haven’t checked this place out yet, we can’t recommend it enough.
PLANT MATTER KITCHEN
Sure, these waffles are vegan, but do you really need eggs and milk to make a waffle amazing? Plant Matter Kitchen answers that question with a resounding “hell no!”
As with everything on their menu, the PMK Waffles at Plant Matter Kitchen are completely plant-based. It should be no surprise at this point, that this fact has absolutely no impact on how delicious the food at Plant Matter Kitchen is. Their dishes never fail to impress.
The waffles are so incredibly fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside, making the perfect vessel for the toppings. Organic maple syrup, sweet soy cream, fruit coulis, and butter – which, of course, is a plant-based alternative that tastes and melts just like the real dairy product – top your immaculate waffles. Sweet, fresh, and fruity, there’s no denying how good these waffles are.
Whether you’ve made the decision to go completely plant-based, or you’re just on the hunt for an incredible waffle, Plant Matter Kitchen should be your destination this weekend for breakfast!
SYMPOSIUM CAFÉ
Symposium Café opened in London over two decades ago, and has since expanded to over 21 restaurants across Ontario. Their spot in the core of Downtown London has made them a go-to for everything from breakfast to dinner to a late-night snack. Their breakfast menu, which features the waffles that placed them on this list, is available to order every day from 8am to 4pm, so it’s great for everyone, no matter what time you roll out of bed.
Their Belgian waffle is made fresh to order, ensuring that when it arrives at your table, it’s still warm and the exterior hasn’t gone soft. They top it with your choice of fruit, and served with an additional fruit cup on the side. Plus, they give you your own table syrup to top as you see fit, as much syrup as you can handle. If a plain waffle just doesn’t get your heart racing, you can add chocolate chips for just $1.50, adding a whole new level of delicious to your waffle. They get melty and gooey in the waffle press, a definite must-have for any chocoholics out there.
The waffles at Symposium are fantastic, and not just because you can get them basically all day, every day. Warm and fresh, and potentially oozing with chocolate, the waffles are our favourite choice whenever you’re out for breakfast at the Symposium.
MARKY'S CREPES AND WAFFLES
Marky’s is basically the destination in London for crepes and waffles. I mean, it’s in the name of their establishment after all! They’ve got all crepes of all sorts, including both savoury and sweet preparations, milkshakes, desserts, and best of all, waffles.
For a shockingly fair price (averaging about $7), you can get yourself a whole assortment of amazing sweet waffles that would be the perfect end to any meal, or may even qualify as a meal in itself.
You could go for the classic Belgian waffle, topped with icing sugar, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Simple and delicious, but you don’t go to Marky’s if you want to play it safe, you go for their unique, amazing concoctions. For instance, the Fruit Haze-nut – as pictured above – which is topped with Nutella, strawberries, bananas, and icing sugar, fruity and chocolatey is exactly what we’re looking for. Or maybe you’d prefer the Strawberry Cheesecake, which has rich cheesecake filling, strawberries, and cookie crumbs – because why have one dessert when you can have two on one plate?
Marky’s has been offering amazing waffles for years, and I’d be surprised if you’ve never heard of them. Located right on the corner of Richmond and Dufferin, they’re so centrally located that every Londoner must have passed the storefront dozens of times. If you’ve been there before, you already know how great it is, and if you haven’t, that’s has to change soon!
SOONIES
Have you heard of Soonies? Because we hadn’t until we posted on Instagram asking where the best waffle was. And boy are we glad that Dos Tacos let us in on this little secret. Located inside of the Babaz Shawarma restaurant on the corner of Wharncliffe and Oxford, is Soonies. Their menu is simple, only three items: milkshake, cheesecake, waffle. And oh boy, are their waffles aver amazing.
The waffles are so thick we’re inclined to call them deep dish, perfectly fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside. Cover that bad boy in cookie crumbs, then a scoop of ice cream, and finally cookie butter. You read that right, cookie butter. Like peanut butter… but cookies instead of peanuts.
If Soonies is a test in self-control, we’re failing hard and we’re happy doing so, because this is too good to pass up.
Whatever your waffle craving is, London has you covered.