cherries breakfast bistro

nomnomnom. food was delicious and quick, atmosphere and setup was a bit weird at first. definitely worth a go if you're looking for a goodeggsbenny.

wish i could rate them higher- showed up around 12 after the big new years brunch rush and the kitchen was still killing it, going above and beyond. the food was amazing and on top of that, they brought us extraeggswe didn't even ask for because they thought they *might* have overcooked them; the originaleggswere fine, but the ones they sent us were the most perfectly mediumeggsi have ever had in a restaurant. perfectly runny yolks but absolutely no snotty-ness! every aspect of our meals were amazing; perfectly spicy corned beef hash, beautifully seasoned sausage, the amazing eggs, and perfectly balanced pancakes. on top of all that, the portions were huge! amazing place, couldn't recommend more!

we had breakfast here last saturday and were pleasantly surprised. a short walk from our home and we hadn't tried it despite living in the neighbourhood for a few years now. it was awesome. i hadeggsbenedict to which i added bacon and caramelised onions. it was delicious. the english muffin was so crispy and theeggswere perfectly poached with beautiful orange yolks. the potatoes were nice pan fries seasoned with rosemary. my husband had the corned beef hash which he really enjoyed. we'll be returning

5 strikes and cherries is out.. i have been to cherries on more than a couple occasions. it is nice to have a breakfast cafe in the area as there isn't much else in the neighbourhood. however, they have not fully impressed me to date. i seem to keep going there expecting changes but leaving disappointed every time.

the service: the counter service order system bothers me a little as you are still paying full brunch/lunch prices and tipping the full gratuity yet not receiving the same standard of service you would had you just gone across the street to somewhere like the crooked goose. last time i went we waited in line to order for 10 minutes then were given our disgusting and chewed up plastic fruit marker (to signify your order) for the table and had a seat. it then took over sixty minutes to get the food (after my friend complained about the wait twice) we watched other tables getting frustrated with the wait times and sending back food or having one meal brought while everyone else waited. i see from other reviewers that this is a consistent issue there as well. the server didn't apologize for the wait and said only that we should have been told there was a 40 minute wait for food. fair enough, but first, we weren't told and second, i feel that to be an inappropriately long wait time for a so called restaurant. the kitchen seems as if it's not properly equipped to handle the volume of patrons that the restaurant fits.
the food: well. the first time i went, it was good. i goteggsbenedict and hashbrowns. we enjoyed the hash with the fresh herbs and veg and the bennies were good. from there it got worse and worse, greasier and smaller. i have ordered the same thing a couple times and the grease from the hash is outrageous. on one occasion my partner ordered the "mennonite sausage on a bun" and it was a sloppy mess. it was a big greasy sausage stuffed in a hamburger bun. picture trying to eat a hot dog in a hamburger bun. how ridiculous would you feel? another occasion we tried the duck sausage which were two small, dry, hard, flavourless patties with a side of greasy sweet potato hash. it's quite a feat to suck all the fat from duck by the way, and thats not really a good thing. another time i ordered the burger which was, you guessed it, overly greasy. it was stuffed with cheese and then cooked in grease and mounded up on a greasy bun with bacon and veg.
so why do i keep going back? like i said, its the only place in the area that has the same type of diner feel. plus i like to give places a fair shot and not just write them off after one visit but honestly its no longer worth it. not worth the time waiting, the money spent, or the grease indigestion later.

omg. try the pulled pork quesadilla - i found this big enough for 2 people to share depending on how hungry you are. i can't wait to have it again. my next thing to try is theeggsbenny - every table had someone ordering it. don't forget to try the cinnamon buns too, yum!


-----19 apr, 2014-----

great breakfast. i thoroughly enjoy cherries breakfast bistro - the menu has lots of options, scrumptious muffins, and great coffee and lattes. i find the prices very reasonable and have no issue ordering at the till (they are a bistro/café). the staff are wonderful and food comes really quick. i was surprised at some of the comments - i say give cherries a try and judge for yourself. i think you will enjoy!

best brunch bistro we've eaten in. the four of us all agreed that this was the best brunch bistro any of us have ever been to in victoria. the portions are huge, the prices reasonable, the atmosphere quirky, and the whole experience just the best. cherries breakfast bistro is a bit out-of-the-way, but definitely worth a visit.
i orderedeggsbenny with ham but received bacon by mistake. when i mentioned this to our server she offered to go get me a replacement with ham. i declined, she persisted, i again declined and thought that was the end of it. i was only a few bites into my meal when our server returned with a full 'new'eggsbenny with ham!! what a surprise! she apologised profusely, smiling the whole time, and said "our customers are important to us and we want to make sure they are always happy with the service and their meal". what a refreshing attitude.
we'll definitely return and bring others with us.

fresh, yummy, delish & charming. stopped by here on our way out of town... yummy to say the least. self serve... which is fine with us. hadeggsbenny & pulled pork poutine (yes you read that right). theeggsare farm fresh. they thought they had done them wrong (when they hadn't, they were perfection) and brought us two brand new deliciouseggssmothered in some of the best hollindaise i have ever had. the pulled pork is fabulous, sweet & a little spicy. oh, and the coffee is fantastic. top notch food & sweet servers.

wouldn't recommend. we had heard this was a good place to try. the prices seemed a bit high for self serve but we kept open minded. the staff at the till are very friendly. the food was in general not good at all. collectively we thought everything was "mushy and sloppy". i had the turkey saandwich, granted i didn't get the cranberry sauce which may have added flavour however the bread was "wet" and was greasy not with butter not sure what, the turkey was plentiful but had not taste, must say the salad it came with was good. my daughter orderedeggsbenedict witheggssoft and they came hard, so the server asked if she'd like them soft so we said yes, she said do you want hollandaise sauce and we said yes (whats an egg benney withoutsauce) the sauce was cold, and the potatoes were burnt, the english muffin didn't seem toasted. my husband ordered the pulled pork hot dog which was fine however his potatoes were also burnt. we wouldn't go back.

underwhelmed by service and execution. i've rated here several times and service and food is is seldom consistent. one thing that is consistent is their inability to toast english muffins so they change colour ie are in fact toasted! i sent mine bank and waited over 10 mins for its return in pretty much same state, slathered with butter and cold.eggswere perfect. way too much "seasoning" on hashbrowns.
not a fan off service model.

terrible. we had visited cherries once before and after getting the gist of the service model and experiencing a good breakfast we thought we'd go again.

i ordered the big boss brekky and my partner ordered the special xmas benny. i'll start with the 'boss', worst breakfast i've had in victoria. the toast was rock hard and obviously cold, how the cooks didn't see that is beyond me, it was so cold the butter didn't melt and so hard my mouth vibrated when i bit into it. the order was pieced together with different things arriving at different times, sausage was lukewarm and had no taste to it at all. one egg arriving, then another arriving 5 minutes later, no explanation from the service staff at all. i left 80% of the food uneaten on the plate, for what we paid, and compared to our first visit it was horrible.

my partner had the xmas benny,eggstotally under-poached, one english muffin toasted, the other sort of toasted. we both had americano's, my partner approached the counter person for a bit of a warm up for the coffee and was informed that "we don't do that here", she actually argued with my partner, we were blown away. we spent $35 for breakfast, had to ask for a cloth to clean the table, and then we have to argue with the counter person fior a coffee warm-up?

i understand this service model, but essentially what cherries is doing is passing the buck to their customers when things don't go right. i read a reply from the owner which stated they operate under a different model of service which is fine if the food is good, but unfortunately this time it was horrible, and the limited interaction with the staff provided absolutely no comfort or resolution to any of these issues. a heartily sarcastic "bon appetite"! oh, and the person working the counter - your in the customer service business, look it up if you don't know what that means.

outstanding breakfast!!. i'm a hugeeggsbenny fan; this was hands down the best one i have ever had!

sadly, disappointing.... with the promising reviews of cherries’ food, and tired of long waits to get in for brunch in victoria, we decided to give cherries a try. in hindsight, we should have visited one of our regular spots...

cherries does offer an inviting atmosphere, with tasteful décor, up beat music, and friendly staff that makes you feel welcome. then, they take your order and that’s where the welcome feeling stops.

generally, i’m a fan of the “café (ie. cafeteria) approach,” having frequented such places in my hometown of seattle. where cherries differs is that water, beverage refills, cutlery service are self-service, and you have to wait in line with other customers for your refill of coffee. you can make reservations for full table service a day in advance, where those services are provided for free. would it be that much of a hindrance and an increase to fiscal overhead to have someone circulate with a pot of coffee?

i ordered the bacon pancakes with ruhrei (mennonite scrambled eggs), and my partner ordered the breakfast poutine (pulled pork, poached egg, on a bed of pan fried potatoes with poutine).

it took just a little over 50 minutes for our dishes to make their way out of the kitchen... and only after we noticed that customers who had arrived after us were being served their food, before us.

the bacon pancakes were sadly very disappointing. they were very heavy, almost the consistency of a biscuit, soggy bacon, and no flavor. the ruhrei were not the typical mennonite scrambledeggsthat i’m familiar with. instead, they were normally fluffy scrambledeggswith butter and maple syrup... somewhat tasty, but not what i had expected.

my partners breakfast poutine also had similar results. while the pulled pork had a good taste and the potatoes were seasoned well, some of the potatoes were burned and the poutine had a slightly burned flavor, which overpowered the rest of his dish. the hollandaise on the poached egg was cold.

no one checked in after our meals were brought to us to see how we enjoyed the food. rather, instead of risking further delays by complaining, we ate and left. back to our regular spots for brunch

make your own omelette, breakfast poutine,eggsbennie. this is the place to go to. you will never be disappointed. i can't tell you enough how much i love this restaurant. the staff are some of the friendliest out there! the food is delicious, coffee is amazing and the casual atmosphere is perfect and its quick! order at the counter, grab a seat, get a piece of plastic fruit to mark your table and wait for your delicious food to arrive.

excellent presentation and quality food. my husband had the bison burger stuffed with goat cheese and i had theeggsbenny. couldn't decide which i liked better as they were outstanding. i highly recommend cherries breakfast bistro and can't wait to go back to sample other items from their amazing menu.

my boyfriend and i are visiting victoria for the weekend and decided to venture to cherries. i hadeggsbenny and he had an omlet. the food was awesome, great portions for both of us. at 10.95 each theeggsbenny was quite a bit smaller, i would have priced it 1-2$ less, but for his omlet it was definitely worth it. the staff were polite and friendly, and the owner (i think) was adorable. very passionate and loves her business. the decor was a little scattered, urban, but bistro styled... we liked the bistro style of serving, we would go back for sure :)