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| - The Bedford Park neighborhood is a funny one. Family friendly, but without a lot of family restaurants. Upscale, but every Ontario-wide pizzeria chain is represented within a two-block radius from each other.
When Hazel's was going up, I got excited. Could there really be a solid diner opening up with a good all day breakfast?
Needless to say, my wife and I were amongst their first customers. Service was predictably a little shaky when the doors first opened, but inside a couple of months things were running tight with a friendly wait staff, a cheap before 11:00am breakfast special ($3.99 for toast, breakfast potatoes, a couple of eggs and bacon/sausage) and some truly delicious burgers and sandwiches.
I'm happy to report that Hazel's is the real deal.
Weekend mornings are busy, between the special and the fact that a family can go somewhere comfy and get a no-fuss meal in between shopping stops. It definitely took a little longer for the weekday/lunch crowd to take notice, though. Fine by me--watching the more entrenched denizens of the 'hood try to figure out Hazel's provided great entertainment.
I'd be eating some of their crispy fries or slurping up a killer milkshake as they'd press their noses to the windows examining the menu. It's like they'd never seen a $7 sandwich in print before.
Perhaps I'm being a bit harsh. The owner of Hazel's also owns Chega a few doors down the street--an upscale joint (with no sign!) that I'd have to study the menu's pricing posted on the door carefully before committing to. Maybe they just wanted to verify that it's a lunch/breakfast place.
One thing that will surprise them: the pedigree means top quality food, regardless of how the table is dressed. The ingredients are always fresh, the cooking is never sloppy. This place is consistent for all day breakfast or lunch and this neighborhood just got a whole lot more desirable still.
Something to note: over the winter, they shortened their daytime hours from 6pm to 4pm. I suspect when things warm up they'll stay open later.
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