If I could give this no stars I would. It took us an hour to get our food and when it arrived, they brought the wrong items. The chicken and waffles were mediocre, the gravy in the poutine tasted like cardboard and we ordered eggs Benedict and got eggs florentine. They were hardly apologetic..terrible service and I won't ever step foot in this place again and neither should you. read more

Fran's Restaurant - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I order a club sandwich for pick up. It's been years and not many places have it on menu. Disappointing! Bread was burnt. Could not taste chicken or bacon, all I tasted was burned toast. As it was pick up, I gave 15% tip, but never again read more

Not a huge fan of Fran's from the get go. The interior was a major let down compared to the bedazzled street view of the restaurant. The service was very poor & the food was bland and slightly unappealing. I didn't go over the entire menu with any concentration because I knew I was there for the All Day Breakfast hands down, but I could see there was a lot to choose from. That being said, I ordered a standard two egg/home fries/toast & sausage situation and I barely finished my plate. Home fries were seasoned beyond belief, the toast tasted like it had been frozen beforehand (you may or may not know that particular taste I'm referring too), the eggs were inedible.. The only thing I enjoyed was the sausage links. A disappointment to say the least. The bathrooms were pretty nauseating. I don't be back. read more

Mediocre to poor, not even good quality You could do worse, its better than a Denny's, But you could do better with a random restaurant, give this one a miss, this is don't go here if you can avoid it read more

A Toronto icon. The famous frans sign is certainly one of the more identifiable pictures in Toronto. Although it's very famous and a landmark, not a particularly large fan of them. The food is consistent, but never great. I always get the breakfast food, which is always 7/10 but rather on the expensive side. It's sometimes like your paying the sit there and the food is a plus. Being open 24 hours is a definite plus, but overall not a huge fan. I go when my family wants to, but otherwise I would never jump at the opportunity to go read more

Trustworthy..It's the diner vibe you crave..The sounds, the smells, the crazy fast and quick wait staff. The food is just the cherry on top. All day breakfast options, classic diner fair. It delivers time after time . No frills, just satisfying eats. read more

Half of my visits to Fran's have been after a night of heavy drinking while the other half has been in the morning after a night of heavy drinking. The shaman aka cook has the best cure for a hangover. It comes in the shape of Fran's Big Breakfast. You get a pair of toast, eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausages and a pile of home fries for under $10. I like that the servers are perfectly accustomed to handling a certain level of drunkard tomfoolery. I have always received the respect and kindness I don't deserve. In fact, they come by often to flash you a smile and top your coffee up for free. I would stir clear of their "famous" coke float. That is where I draw the line. Also, I have tried their eggs benny in the past and their hollandaise sauce did not taste right to me. read more

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 read more

Fran's Restaurant - Chicken and bacon panini with home fries - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I was flabbergasted at how rude our waiter, "Chris C" was. My girlfriend ordered eggs benedict and the egg was rock hard in the center. She complained about it and because "Chris C" had taken so long to come & ask how it was - I was already done. She didn't want anything else because I was done eating. She had not even touched the food because of her displeasure. She asked to have it removed from our bill & "Chris C' refused to do so. She said she did not want it, and he gladly forced us to pay for it regardless. He was rude, inconsiderate, and actually gave us faces and slammed her plate in the plate-tray. I will never go back to Fran's because of "Chris C." I can't believe he is still on staff there. - Rich read more

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. read more

We all have our favorite unpretentious place that we go to for conversation with friends over a decent breakfast or lunch. This is the place in Toronto, downtown around College and Yonge. There is a deck off the sidewalk. The food is good and tasty. The staff is attentive. We stayed in Toronto five nights and had breakfast here twice, and went back to the Upper Deck for a pub food dinner, which was also good. read more

Came here for a quick breakfast after a long overnight shift. The service is friendly and my order of bacon egg sandwich was delicious. It came with free homemade fries and portion size is pretty big. Overall, decent breakfast place and I would.come back if stop by College. read more

Fran's Restaurant - Bacon and eggs - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I thought diners were supposed to be good value? Went here with a friend. We shared a mediocre calamari appetizer. I had a cheesesteak sandwich and my friend had "sliders". I put the word sliders in quotation marks because it was actually just a long sandwich cut in to three pieces. Bizarre. Total bill $45 including tax and tip. I'm sorry - I have no problem paying for good quality, but this was not - this should have been a $30 meal. read more

Fran's was a goldmine when my friends and I discovered it; it was open 24/7, had a pretty big menu and really friendly service. But when our initial euphoria of finding a 24/7 place in Toronto wore off we actually started focusing on the food. First of all, the food's good but not all the time. The consistency of their home-fries continuously vary, their pastas aren't anything special, their steak always has muscles somewhere (even in the sandwiches, which make it terribly chewy), their chicken is bland and extremely soft and their poutine was a royal disaster. That being said, their breakfast is fantastic. It's one of the best in the city and occasionally when the other stuff in their menu is made well, it's really good. And that coupled with excellent service is probably why we still go back most of the time. Lastly, I would most definitely recommend their floats. They are beyond spectacular! I haven't had a better one yet, they're quite essentially the pièce de résistance of the menu read more

I'm sure I've been looking into this place from the outside for over ten years now whenever I pass College Street. The big furred hoods, and giant loop earring has always deterred my from Fran's. Finally, after being drained of my mojo from a visit to the Police HQ museum, I decided to step into this restaurant, and dine where countless other police HQ visitors had lunched before. So it looks like a diner from the early fifties, but as I discovered, Frans dates all the way back to the forties. But aside from the stretched leather seats, there wasn't much to suggest that it was a historical site. I'm sure the people of Toronto know much already of this place, so there's no sense on telling you about it. I debated between the shepherd's pie, and the chilli. The friendly waitress recommended both, but leaned towards the pie. I got a calamari to start. It was served in some kind of tubed 'Thai' sauce, which paired remarkably well with the squid. The pie however, was very average, dry, and didn't come with gravy. The place is fully licensed, but I can't for the life of me imagine why anyone would want to drink here. There's a mysterious lower establishment which looked..glossier. No name, perhaps a private dining area, but they've got separated tables? This day, I shared the restaurant with some beatnik looking people. Which wasn't unpleasant. Much better than Rocawear, and Babyphat.. My beef with this place is the price. My meal came out to be over thirty dollar Canadian. That is a very high price paid for such casual eating. I could have gone on King and had myself a better meal for that price, with drinks. And shouldn't the service staff here be on roller blades or something? read more

I was going to say Fran's isn't a place I'd take a date, but then I remembered my wife and I visited at least two locations while we were courting (side hugs galore). We got married, and we still are, so she must love me for reasons other than my choice of classy restaurants. Fran's is hardly classy. An old school greasy spoon diner in a state of permanent shabbiness, frequented by students and office workers and transients lucky enough to scrape coffee money together. The front door's busted, and a display case by the entrance features proprietary bottles with ketchup turned black from age. Want a Fran's basebal cap? A faded pique knit shirt? A yellowed plastic travel mug?They're here under glass. I don't know if they've got your size in the back. Staff are a pleasant surprise. I walk into most diners expecting gruff service, unless I'm a regular (by which point I either expect to be greeted like family, or tossed out and sworn at...like family). Wait staff here are a youngish bunch; freshly shaven or dyed or tattooed. They're unfailingly polite, and happy to be of service. Which is good, since they have to cover for some pretty mediocre diner food. Over they years, I've learned to stick mostly to breakfast. It's generally well-executed. Over-easy eggs are suitably runny and always arrive intact (scrambled tend towards overdone). Marbled rye toast is hot and bathed in butter. Plumb sausages arrive split and grilled crisp. A few homefries dot the plate. I'd rather have hashbrowns, but I'd have to move to Vancouver for that. Belgian waffles are light and crispy, and pancakes huge; as vehicles for real maple syrup, they're admirable. Other items are less successful. a hot turkey sandwich coats sawdust-textured fowl with gloopy brown gravy, and sad uni-vegetables sog anemic frozen fries. Soup of the day is vegetable...so what? A bacon cheeseburger is just OK; a similar one can be had at your local fast foodery for less than the $12 Frans charges, and fish and chips features more pallid potatoes and a slightly gummy portion of haddock. Frans may just be the archetypal Toronto diner, and for that I love it despite it's faults. Besides, breakfast is the best meal of the day. read more

This place is great. The food isnt anything to write home about but to find a full breakfast at 430AM is typically a difficult task, especially if youre looking for something that isnt McDonalds. I came at about 400AM on a Sunday morning after being out all night. The place was pretty busy but they were staffed appropriately and the food came out quickly. Prices were pretty good and I was happy with what I ate as was my group. read more

I hadn't eaten here for many years and was a little disappointed that they had renovated. I was looking forward to the old school decor. As for the breakfast on a Tuesday at 9:30, it was so-so. It's hard to ruin toast and eggs, but they managed to ruin the "home fries". They use the frozen, spiced, cubed version that I now consider an inexcusable short-cut. Having eaten at and reviewed over 40 breakfast places, the great majority manage to use real potatoes cooked on the grill. Surely Fran's could do the same. read more

You know when you go out on a date with someone but you didn't know it was a date until after? And then it gets awkward? About a year ago that happened to me here. He really liked Fran's and we good waffles. I hadn't been back since I moved into the city early Sept. and now Fran's is right around the corner from me! And I go there! Hoping not to bump into him! Naw scratch that he's a nice guy. Oh right this is a review about Fran's! Yeah it's pretty alright! You get what you go for! Okay diner food! The waffles are decent as is the hot chocolate (you get such a big cup!) but I don't recommend the chicken qeusidellas (there's just too much going on in them, I also have no idea how to spell quesadia...)! Recently I spent something like 5 hours here because I had to read Frankenstein - good book. I ended up getting a free tea. So yeah that was nice. Go here if you are close by it and just looking for diner food that's nothing fancy. Also gimme I shout and I'll come visit you seeing as I'm so close by. ps. The play the strangest mix of music. Techno remix of "Puttin' On The Ritz" back to back with Alanis Morsette. read more

My experience with Fran's was one of pure mediocrity. They have a few items that are decently priced and the food isn't terrible by any means, but overall it's simply just not that great and you can find similar food of much higher quality elsewhere. There burger is half decent and their breakfast is acceptable but neither had any wow factor at all, and the fries in particular were horrendous. I give the place two stars simply because the service was above average, the place is open 24 hours, and the interior has a somewhat unique 1950s look. Only worth going to if its 5am and everything else is closed. read more

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 decor 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! read more

Chill, friendly service. Great, reasonably priced food. It was mid afternoon, so to avoid spoiling my appetite for dinner, I had the chicken poutine for $5, which was the perfect price for the yummy guilty pleasure. My group and I had a table on the top floor (partially-opened) patio, that kind of resembled a greenhouse. My only complaint was the lack of air conditioning or fans cause we were all very warm (it was 26 degrees outside). They do however have this cool, intermittent misting that is released from pipes in the ceiling to offer a cooling (and mystical effect). read more

Fran's Restaurant - Chicken Poutine, $5 menu - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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3.7*** I have been going to this Fran's location on College for years! If you want a hearty meal for an affordable price, Fran's will never fail you. They are often busy yet always manage to have attentive service (I have never waited long for my food). The premium breakfast is a steal for less than six buckaroos you can enjoy two eggs, some big delicious and slightly greasy sausages, two slices of toast, and a generous helping of their crispy seasoned home fries. I can always count on Fran's for a dependable brunch option and even late at night. They have a pretty extensive menu and I enjoy their wraps as well. If your not into the carb scene you can sub in a side salad and they have a whole page of the greens too. Try their rice pudding :) read more

I did a mass order from Fran's last summer when I was organizing breakfast for the office (life of an intern). Think ~100 pancakes, waffles, and french toasts. They were super cool with it. Confirmed my order with them the night before and gave them the time that I would swing by. When I got there in the morning, everything was already made, boxed, and bags were at the cashier ready for me. They even offered to help me load the bags into the cab. The whole process probably took less than 3 minutes, which was great because I took a cab there and told the driver to wait outside for me, letting him run the meter. The food was actually really good, especially considering the bulk order nature. There were a few pancake/waffle/french toast breakfast orders from various places that summer, and I'd say the order from Fran's was the best. read more

Fran's is amazing in every way. They have food for any time, for whatever you're feeling like: breakfast, lunch, dinner, stumbling home from the bar looking for some food, been studying for 12 hours straight and need some food and nowhere else is open, or just grabbing a coffee. Everything is good here! This time here was my first time having pancakes. AMAZING. I had chocolate chip banana, but I'm sure they're all good. The portions are also huge, for $7 you get 4 pancakes 20cm wide. The sandwiches are also amazing, the California wrap, BLT, chicken avocado club, western and grilled cheese are great. Another amazing thing about this restaurant: the fries! I don't think they're fresh made, but they're really nice and fluffy. If you haven't been here yet already, stop by Fran's next time you're in the neighborhood. You won't regret it! read more

Fran's Restaurant - (half-eaten) banana chocolate chip pancakes!! Yum!! - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This place needs a good makeover! The restaurant is well know by the locals...nonetheless it requires some freshness to the place. The food was ok... watch for the add-on of items... everything is a plus to the bill. Where I sat, I could see clearly into the kitchen... what a mess! Plus I noticed uncooked food on the floor near the passage for staff to go through. The floor was dirty... No one pics up after themselves! Not only that... I noticed staff pick up stuff from the floor and continue to serve people... WASH YOUR HANDS! Overall the food was ok... it would be hard to make a mess with bacon and eggs... read more

Fran's done changed. I used to go here a lot in high school. Partly because it was cheap and you could sit for hours and drink coffee and smoke, and partly because I was addicted to their home fries (which are more like tater tots than fries or potatoes). I just went back again today and was pleasantly surprised to find that although the old diner charm is pretty much identical to my youth, the menu has been significantly upgraded. It's still a greasy spoon with tater tots for home fries, but what other greasy spoon offers vegetarian breakfast sausage? In fact, there's a lot of vegetarian options added to the menu and formerly banned delicacies like fruit run rampant throughout the menu. read more

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. read more

Ordered the banquet berger and it was very good. Like mom used to make. They gave me a very large amount of fries which filled me up pretty good. Only with the table they put me in was a little bigger, felt a bit scrunched up in the seat being a big guy. Staff was very friendly. read more

Went here with my boyfriend after shopping at the world's biggest book store. Service was quick and friendly. I had the deep friend pickles - so yum, I'm a sucker for them though, and the open faced beef sandwich which was huge, the gravy was perfect and the fries hit the spot. My boyfriend had the broccoli soup which he said could use more chese on top but I think that's being a little picky as it is BROCCOLI soup but he said it was good. He also had the sheppards pie which was huge and he could only finish 3/4's of it. He said something lacked in the ground beef though, maybe some spice?? He got a vanilla milkshake which he lovvvveedddd and I tried and was super yummy. Overall the price was over $50 with tip which my boyfriend (And I agree) thought was a little too steep for diner food. However we did leave feeling overly bloated and full, so I guess it's objective. read more

I am a huge fan of dinners and 50s style restaurants! So I really like Fran's. The food is very typical of any dinner, don't expect anything special. It's a great place to go after a night out at the clubs downtown. The atmosphere is very much a dinner feel to it, I enjoyed my burger, strawberry milk shake and cheese cake. read more

Starving after a night of dancing, I made my way to Fran's with a group of friends. In all honesty, I wasn't thrilled about hitting up this greasy spoon joint but alas I was pleasantly surprised! The menu is actually several pages long and includes a wide range of items from breakfast to wraps, burgers, appetizers, quesadillas,sandwiches, entrées, etc. We all found something we enjoyed and the prices are decent too. Hmmmm...looks like Fran's has made it to my roster of places to go for late night eats. read more

Calling all Drunkies! This is the place to go for those post-clubbing nights. If you're plastered and looking for a greasy spoon - this is your place to go. I got here at 4am on Sunday morning and I had to wait for a table - you would've thought it was broad daylight outside with the amount of people in this place. After a night of drinking I personally like to have a full on Brekkie. I got the 2 eggs, sausage, home fries, toast for $6.99. Can't go wrong especially when you're paying $4 for street meat in the downtown core. Service is fast and food comes quickly when you have your cravings and then start thinking about wanting your bed. On a sober note - I do like this place just believe it's your classic diner with your classic comfort food. They don't have many diners anymore in Toronto which is unfortunate. However Frans is great and glad it's still around. My dad remembers coming here when he was 18 which was AGES ago. An original is bringing in the crowds... give it a try :D read more

So foodie-snobs hate Fran's. Let me tell you why I like it: - booths. - the service is always pretty damn good. Sometimes, you have to remind them you want water. But overall, it's fast, and the servers are friendly. - they show CP24 - if you order CORRECTLY the food is really good. I think the coffee is great, surprisingly. Stick to breakfasts and sandwiches; don't order pasta or salads. The big breakfast is great. Ask for your bacon extra crispy. The onion rings are good. read more

Went here for lunch with my friend yesterday. It's a cute, diner-like place, which reminded me of being in an old movie (in a good way). They have a pretty large breakfast menu, along with the traditional soups, sandwiches, wraps and salads you would expect to find at a diner. Their home fries are probably one of my favourites. read more

Fran's Restaurant - Cute Latte from Fran's restaurant. I love the glass cups! - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I've been to Frans twice. The first time was awful the food was soaked in grease (yes I realize its a diner but come on - I shouldn't be able to scoop spoonfuls of grease off my food). After complaining we received no discount and no response from management. On the second trip I had to be dragged kicking and screaming with friends. I must admit the food was *better* the second time but nothing I'd write home about. The service was mediocre so I've given them 3/5 stars. The food was also somewhat expensive. read more

I'm a little biased towards this location because 80% of my visits have been during late nights (when McDonalds after drinking didn't seem like an appetizing option) drawn mainly by their "adult milkshakes" and my experience then has been 2-3 stars but my breakfast trips here have definitely been at least 3 star experiences. I must say that their location is amazing, so amazing in fact that sometimes the line up at night is annoyingly long, so if you're very hungry on a peak time, expect to wait longer or go somewhere else. They have a full breakfast menu that will be sure to fill you up to the brim for a greasy start to your day (although you can change things around to eat healthier) and I must give it credit for totally giving off the diner vibe. Staff experiences for me have been up and down, most of my night visits were impaired by below par service while during breakfast time it has on average been better. For a breakfast place this is a good bet, and depending on what you want late at night they could fill that need too, don't expect very high quality or consistently great service. read more

I've experienced that same Fish & Chips before and unfortunately it was during a BAD experience with Pickle Barrel. I thought it would be nice to get a FRAN'S Fish & Chips which is a part of Fran's Favourite category. If that was one of Fran's Favourite than I think I have to question Fran's taste. Have you ever tasted DRY Pollock before? Simply look at McD's Fish O' Fillet and cut inside then you'll understand how dry it was. I was home around an hour after and realized that a piece of the Fish was stuck to my TEETH like floss. GOOD side of the dish was that there was definitely enough to feed a FULL grown Adult because there's a warehouse load of Fries. I liked the Cole Slaw side which was the most flavourful part of the meal much needed to offset the BLAND Fish & Chips. The Rice & Raisin Pudding was a better CHOICE that took the flavour of Fish & Chips meal away. I do realize this is an Eggs & Bacon place where people chat over a hot cup of JOE rather than a dinner place, but I wished that Fran's Favourite could have been one of mine as well. read more

Fran's is a typical diner that's right by Yonge & College and close to College station. I went once for a buddy's birthday. They have a bar which is nice with Mill St. PBR and I think Heineken on tap. Unexpected for a diner. They have an all day breakfast and I had breakfast for lunch, I ordered the pancakes which were nice and tasted pretty good but the price was pretty steep. I paid $10 including tip for pancakes, seemed a bit expensive. I'm not a diner person and typically avoid them but for what it is Fran's isn't bad. read more

Came here with a friend after a night out. Ordered the western omelet breakfast. Egg was cooked very fresh. It had a fluffy texture which you could easily tell that it was not overcooked. Their breakfast portions are definitely worth your buck. I was only able to finish half of it and had to take the rest to go. We had a pretty energetic waiter who I swear has one of those smiles that would warm up your day. Would love to try their famous milkshake next time! read more

Fran's Restaurant - Western omelette breakfast - Diners Near Me - Toronto, Ontario