School Bakery & Cafe | Winner Winner Chicken (And Waffles) Dinner!

Within Liberty Village sits one of the top brunch spots in Toronto, School Bakery & Cafe. This is the kind of school I'm sure everyone would appreciate attending. My friends and I planned an outing here in November to celebrate my birthday and one of my other girlfriends, Li. Our birthdays are 8 days apart. Our group consists of six girls - we grew up together, our parents were friends and we all attended a language class on Saturdays for a good chunk of our life. We have now been friends for over two decades, crazy!
The atmosphere reminded me of a rustic private school vibe in an industrial setting - not like I would really know since I've never been to a private school. I guess this is what I imagine it to be like. Inside the restaurant, you'll find black and white decor with chalkboard illustrations and other decor items relating to school - clipboard menus, an apple on tables, paper's hanging from the ceiling and clocks all set to 3:30pm.

Any good brunch starts off with a good latte, naturally I went for the vanilla flavour. My latte came in a cute white mug labeled school. We started off our meal with the Teacher's Pet - a basket of their daily fresh baked goods. For $11, I'd pass on the basket next time as it was nothing special (I didn't even take a photo of it). I'd put that money towards the sides like pan fried hashbrowns with jalapeno sour cream or the smoked salmon.

My girlfriends ordered the Smoked Salmon Breakfast Salad, Golden Hashbrown Poutine (this looked amazing!) and the Super Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes with a side of grilled back Ontario bacon. Then the three of us went with the chicken and waffles. Being voted #2 of the best chicken and waffles in Toronto, it was a must for me. Oh and also because I love me some fried chicken. How can you go wrong with this sweet and savoury concoction?

The chicken was nice and crispy on the outside and still juicy on the inside. The dish came with a side of tobasco-pepper honey and crunchy cabbage slaw. The tobasco-peper honey was the perfect compliment to bring everything together. Chicken, waffles and honey with a bit of a kick - sweet and savoury goodness!

I also had to make a special note about the Golden Hashbrown Poutine. The dish came with braised leeks, sunny egg, tomato jam and gravy. It not only looked amazing but I had a bite of it and it was delicious (I kind of wish I ordered it too). You will not be disappointed if you order this dish.

If you are planning to come for brunch, you have to get here early on the weekends or be prepared to wait. The line up goes out the door! They are a walk in restaurant only and do not take any reservations. With that said, they do have a great system where you can leave your phone number with the host and they will send a text once a table is ready. Instead of standing around and waiting, it at least gives you some time to explore the surrounding area!

School Bakery & Cafe
70 Fraser Avenue (Liberty Village) Toronto, ON M6K 3E1
Price: $$