2 Merritt St, St. Catharines, ON L2T 1J3, Canada
Breakfast and Lunch Restaurant/Diner
Lots of great food options. Exterior and Interior is dated, but that kind of adds to the interesting atmosphere. Generous portions. Great friendly staff.
I bought a vegetarian omelette, but the egg was overcooked and I think it was cooked in a dirty pan. There were tiny burnt residues in my omelette. This bothered me and my egg was hard. My family enjoyed their plates. Only I liked it. The tea we wanted for breakfast was very nice.
Alexis is very kind and cheerful! I was welcomed with a big smile and immediately knew it was going to be a great morning. Both servers working made the restaurant feel so welcoming and created an overall joyful atmosphere. Food was also amazing but I would return for the service alone! It was a lovely experience.
Tasty homemade food and great service. We ordered the Monte Crisco and homemade cream of mushroom soup. Also ordered French Toast with fresh fruit. The sandwich was perfectly toasted with melty cheese. The soup was creamy and delicious. The French toast was yummy, and the fruit was ripe and set. The server was friendly and made sure that we were taken care of. Wish I lived near by so I could eat here more often.
First time here and now I think I found my new favourite spot! Very friendly server and welcoming atmosphere; menu options were amazing and the prices are very fair. I will definitely be returning!
Good food, nice ambiance and great service . A must visit breakfast place if you are in st Catharine’s or thorold area.
A lot of good options here. Very considerate for allergies. Early bird special or all Inn, pulled pork poutine, and the burger on lettuce are my favorites. Some of the options are a little heavy (greasy) but the flavors are good.
Good size portions, reasonably priced, and friendly service. It's an older diner so don't expect a modern decor. Had the 2 egg breakfast with ham. I was surprised when I asked for onions on the home fries and was told it would be $1.50 charge. Seems a bit much for onions when the whole breakfast is priced at $6.99. The food came out quickly, and everything was hot. Didn't like the coffee very much, but everything else was good. Definitely come by for breakfast!
SENIOR ALERT - EARLY BIRD! Great food and service here. Priced right for Seniors Food : 5/5
Went with a friend for breakfast. Good food...good service with a smile!!!
Food was great. Very big portion of fish and chips. Very fresh. Service terrific.opens at 7am daily. Great hours. Large menu choice. Goibg back soon. Dietary restrictions: My wife has crohns. They bring foods she can digest when asked. Theyre great that was Parking: Handicapped and free parking available Kid-friendliness: Booster chairs available Wheelchair accessibility: Easy access to restaurant for a guest in a wheel chair or using a walker
Small place. The staff is super friendly and helpful/ Food is good, and the overall environment is great. Parking can be a bit iffy early mornings, other than that is a great place.
This was a great breakfast stop on a visit to Canada. Walking distance from our hotel. Plenty of food for breakfast. Super friendly service. Would return without hesitation. Food
Food and service were excellent as always. Its one of our favorite places to go for breakfast!!
Early bird is a classic breakfast spot, good food, families, friends. Even at their busiest the servers were kind and conscientious, special thanks to Christa(sp?) our server, she was lovely and she put fun stickers on our bill which made me happy. Thank you early bird crew!
Was doubtful when we walked in and saw the colour scheme... but wow. Fast service, despite being super busy, and phenomenal food for great prices. I highly suggest you come here if youre in the area. The food was AMAZING!!!! Thank you Early Bird staff for such an amazing experience. Ps. The home fries here are the best in town!
Honestly go anywhere else for breakfast. The staff can be unfriendly and seem to have conflict with one another, and the food quality isn t great (also tastes/looks different depending on the day & who s cooking I assume).
Great, prompt service. Good food. Great prices.
Your classic Sunday brunch spot
Ordered the clubhouse sandwich my bread was burnt super dry, the home fries half of them were burnt couldnt eat them you try to pick one up with your fork it went flying. The service was terrible our server walked by our table 3 separate times before she took our order. Took forever to get a refill on one single cup of water I dont know what happen to this place it used to be good. my husband and I havent been in quite a while so we thought we would give it go and that was a terrible mistake. I dont recommend.
All around good food at resonable prices
We stopped at this restaurant on the way to Niagara. Very good and honest. Excellent service. We recommend!
Great breakfast options! Delicious food, fantastic service!
A nice place for breakfast. Coffee is great, too.
Great food friendly service
Amazing Breakfast and amazing Staff!
Great place for Breakfast !
Pretty average breakfast diner with lunch options as well. Weve found it best to avoid busy times (after church times, etc) as product quality dips if it is too busy. There is nothing to really knock your socks off. However, many items are reasonably priced and the serving staff is very, very nice. Decor, table coverings, and glassware could use an update. The plastic tumblers are always a turn-off for me.
Good local diner. Friendly staff. Fair prices. Kid friendly, with coloring sheets, crayons, high chairs, and stickers on the receipts. And... bottomless coffee cups for the parents of said kids.
Great breakfast, awesome. Parking: It was busy,but I did park on the lot. Food : 5/5 |
Excellent fruit filled crepe.
Delicious
Great place, great food, wonderful service and lots of bacon
My favorite place for brekkie. Amazing friendly helpful staff. Large menu. Very good portions. Food is delicious!
Great selection of pancakes & waffles :)
Good breakfast, friendly staff.
My husband and l went there for the first time last week. The food was great, and you get a lot. The waitress we had both times was so friendly and kind. The last waitress we had was Crystal, but the first one l couldnt remember she had long dark hair with glasses. I had the Earlie bird is going all in with the crepe. It was delicious. We will be coming back. This is our new to go place. The prices are great. The only thing l have have bad to say about it the first time l was there l has long hairs around my home fires and the cook didnt have a beard net on he should have one on. The second time we went was better. We gave it another try but if it happeneds again we wont be back. The cook was out talking to a table playing with his beard. Please get beard nets for him.
Okay.
SHAKES ARE AMAZING
If you enjoy bacon thats deep fried and welded into a tasteless, inedible,mass....this place is for you.ive been a cook 35 yrs...deep frying bacon sucks all the flavor out.... frying in bacon fat doesnt do that,and 3 slices welded into the shape of a monkey paw...that doesnt happen unless youre deep frying it...i could go on but you get it....scrambles eggs were ok..... homefries 50/50.....will not return
Fantastic
One of the favourites in town. Great prices. Great portions. Great Tasting food. Keep an eye out for their specials. Fast Kitchen and amazing staff. Clean facility and clean washrooms. Neat interior design. Like the table designs. Menus is vast and tasty. Free WiFi. Parking can be limited.
Stopped in to get takeout, server was super nice, food was great! Love breakfast places like this.
Breakfast was great, cook came out of the kitchen with 18 of pubic hair hanging from his face. Talking and playing with his beard, no net on it. I was nauseous.
Excellent food. Relaxed atmosphere. Favorite breakfast spot ever.
Awesome service! Even better food!
We had a great breakfast! Chicken and waffles are amazing. The eggs Benedict was perfect. Can t wait to come back.
Great prices. Excellent service & delicious food. We had scrambled eggs. Me with sausage & my son with ham.
Very good food and service.
I was very dissatisfied with the fact that, I am assuming they cook more than just one persons eggs at a time, as my 2 eggs only had yolk. No white part around the yolk. I could see where the other eggs were cut off, and those people got the rest of my egg. Personally I would like my eggs cooked separately so I get what I pay for.
Great breakfast spot
Great eggs Benedict (steak), home fries and coffee. Staff was superb.
Food is good but avoid the scrambled eggs . They will be wet cut up fried eggs. To make scrambled eggs you need to scramble....cutting a fried egg in tiny slices still does not scramble the yolk and white.
Food was great and lots of it. The waitress was very kind and attentive. The only downside is that I found it kind of cool. I noticed the staff wearing jackets. So just wear a sweater and enjoy
Great food and service. We will be back
Great food, yet easy on the wallet.
Good service, the servers are really nice. Food is tasty, coffee is good as well.
Stopped in today, waited 1 second to seated, another second to have our drink order taken. Coffee arrived seconds later. Our food come out quick and was delicious. i would go back if in the area.
Terrible food
Great breakfast! Often good service.
Absolute best casual breakfast spot around. Best chicken and waffles Ive ever had. Friendly staff and speedy service even when busy ! Little rough around the edges but food and service makes up for it and then some
Great food and very friendly staff..definitely will go back
Service was great
Great food wonderful service
Food was good.
meh
Great service, large portions, friendly waitresses and tasty food.
Food was delicious... Nice big portions... Prices were reasonable
Been coming to Early Bird for breakfast since moving to the area about a year ago , after trying several spots we found early bird to be the best .. the friendliest servers , great quality/quantity of food .. and not to mention the quick quick service even when they re busy busy ! Keep up the great work!
Great staff, delicious food, fast service!
Everything you would expect to be good was GREAT
A perfect breakfast restaurant.
Every single time I order from this restaurant I cross my fingers that they will get it right, but they never do. They completely ignore any special or dietary requests, and constantly miss items completely. Maybe if you dine in-house they will listen but literally 5 out of my last 5 orders have been completely messed up. Do not recommend and I won t be giving them another try. I was hoping things would improve since they have decent prices but nope. Go to eggsmart if you want accuracy and good prices. Dietary restrictions: They do not cater to any requests, they completely ignore you and then they tear the chit off of the bag before they hand you the order. Obviously they are very aware that they are choosing to ignore any requests.
My favorite breakfast place and great prices
Early bird is an awesome old style diner with big portions and good coffee
I booked the restaurant to surprise my husband for an early 60th birthday breakfast as we will be away on the actual day. The staff...amazing...service...amazing...food....amazing. Thank you....all 22 of us will be back Vegetarian options: Lots of options for all food groups
Great food with super nice staff! I come here often and have never been disappointed! Dietary restrictions: Always willing to make changes for my diet restrictions Parking: Large parking lot Kid-friendliness: Large restaurant suitable for families! Wheelchair accessibility: Easy access
Excellent service, excellent food, very reasonable pricing, whats not to like!
Sooo good!!!
Fun eclectic place with friendly service and good food and great prices. I wasnt sure when we drove up bc its attached to a motel but it was really good. Dont eat down by the falls. Go a bit out and you will get way better quality and cost.
Parking: Attached parking lot Kid-friendliness: My special needs grandchild was greeted warmly Wheelchair accessibility: Restaurant easily accessible from the attached parking lot
Large helpings, you wont leave hungry.
Hashbrowns were UNREAL
We went for breakfast this morning...I belive our waitress was Ashley.... She was amazing..very friendly and happy. She made our day
Interior has a fun colour scheme with vibrant decorations and the menu is gigantic. I came here twice during my trip in the area and both days the food was great and service was quick and friendly. The only issue I had with the place was the parking at the location. The spaces were a little cramped and there werent many available, but after that was solved everything went great!
Excellent Bennie
Love this place!
Always great food and customer service. Been a regular for a while now. Servers know my name and order. My favourite place for breakfast by far. Try the apple fritters, they are awesome. Update: came in again today with my family. Wonderful food as always. Great price. Friendly staff. It was a busy Sunday morning and food was served quickly and accurately. Update June 4th, 2023: great price for great food as always!
The service is excellent and attentive. Theres a nice selection for breakfast with great taste.
After my 2 visits for the breakfast menu the service was prompt and attentive. Choices are standard compared to other places. There isn t a distinguished dish like a signature plate that s brings interested. Although, price is reasonable around $30ish for 2 persons and they offer coffee refills. The decor is outdated, however has very cozy/homie atmosphere. Note they are very limited with dietary options such has salad instead of potatoes or gluten free bread but we were still satisfied with our overall experience.
great staff. friendly staff. food is served pretty quickly but hot which is great. it can get busy but the staff remains friendly and the food is still served hot.
Parking: Small lot Parking space
Great breakfast place. Service is top tier!
Horrible!!!
Favourite breakfast place while I went to Brock. Had the Eggs Benedict with a side of toast and peamal bacon. Not the best Ive had. Eggs Benedict: 7.4/10. Toast: 7.3/10. Peamal Bacon: 7.1/10. July 8, 2023 Came again with same friends and tried the apple Cinnamon crepes with ice cream and a side of bacon. Didnt get the bacon unfortunately. The Apple Cinnamon Crepes (7.5/10). I think if I was to improve it Id have the apples inside be cooked a little more to be softer. I dont think Im a crepes person, so theres my bias.
Great service. Very friendly and attentive. Tons of menu choices, including gluten free bread. The food came quickly and cooked perfectly. The decor is old diner style. LOVE IT! I couldnt have asked for a better breakfast. It was better than the breakfast at the 4 star hotel we were staying at.
Never can go wrong here
A perfect breakfast diner-style. Will be back again.
Boring and tasteless food especially crepes that I really wanted to try. Big disappointment! Waitress seemed not interested what they were doing...never again!
Great place just on the border of St. Catharines and Thorold. The old Crossroads. Excellent food and service. Parking: Easy access for disabled
Salina is not only beautiful but very generous server , she gave me everything and i was absolutely satisfied
I really liked this place. I m surprised the rating isn t a bit higher. I got the three eggs with wheat toast, home fries, and fruit. It was good and filling. Being that I was on a bike trip, that s important to feel fueled up! Would recommend.
Very nice meal. Perfect for breakfast with friends.
So I ordered the fish and poutine and paid extra for the haddock. The fries were VERY stail and I only got one tartar sauce and a very tiny coleslaw that was the size of the tartar sauce which tasted awful anyways. The only good thing was the fish. This was my first time trying them and also my last. When I pay almost $30 for my meal I expect the quality to be much better and at least a second tartar sauce considering how small it was and a bigger coleslaw. This is just sad...
Great place for breakfast Friendly staff quick service. Amazing food. Highly recommended. Food
Best place for breakfast ever . Makes you feel like your at home and the waitresses are beautiful and food is amazing
The food here is so delicious and yummy! For their affordable prices, their portions are big. I would bring my family and friends here and they all loved their experience here. The servers are all incredibly sweet, polite and welcoming! This has been my go to breakfast spot and I highly recommend Early bird to everyone
Excellent breakfast stop; lots of variety, great value, and have never been served anything less than great food.
Always a great experience.
Value for the money. The place is super crowded and busy - a sign that lots of people like it.
The food here is fantastic. Time and time again, im impressed. The service is normally very good but not always... It really is just a great little breakfast spot. And its affordable ;)
This is my go to spot for amazing food!
Always great food. Always great service and very well priced.
great food, great prices and great staff
Been coming here for Breakfast every December since 2020. Never had a bad one. Breakfast Special is excellent as is the coffee and omelettes.
Had cold home fries with my breakfast and I didnt want to send back for more and I would have liked them to offer to take it off the bill but they didnt. She also didnt even come over to offer a refill of coffee. Had to go get her. Not impressed with the service.
A quaint little place. Ive only ever been for breakfast, but its always been excellent. Good prices, its always the same waitress when we go and she is very friendly. I really enjoy an early morning breakfast at the Early Bird. Parking: A good amount of parking, but it can fill up quickly. Be an early bird.
My wife and I decided to come to the early bird for breakfast The decor is a bit wacky and quite out dated, they obviously havent updated the place much which isnt really a bad thing as it is clean and gives it that old family feel and charm. The food wasnt bad but had room for improvement. The portions were good for the price My only complaints are that the eggs they use are quite small but were cooked perfectly The home fries tasted old The coffee tasted old and my second cup was from a fresher pot but wasnt much better. Now the servers The service we received on our visit was quite pleasant our server greeted us with a great smile and was very attentive. She checked on us quit frequent to make sure we had everything we needed. Over all we had a great experience and will be visiting again I would recommend the early bird For the great customer service and good atmosphere.
Excellent service with good food . They gave us free bacon on our burgers.
This place at one point was awesomeness for breakfast that day is GONE orange juice tastes like sunny D my omelet had chunks of onions in it that were much bigger than the one in the photo bacon was over cooked pancakes were flat and lifeless and somehow even the scrambled eggs were not cooked properly The one saving grace is the wait staff and they are the only reason I would give anything more than one star I will try again in a few months And update but at the moment this place is not worth eating at
Fantastic service! Ashley was such a joy
Love it. Classic breakfast spot. Everything you love....
Excellent service, food and best prices for breakfast in town
We go here alot. Food is good. Sometimes when it is busy the servers get a little disorganized and you have to wait a while to pay, but it rarely happens before you get your food so you are usually able to have minimal wait for food.
I was a little skeptical of this diner at first as it looks a little run down from the outside but I was happily mistaken! The food was yummy and came out quickly, and our server Ash was so friendly and welcoming. Will definitely be visiting again.
Was worried at first due to the look of the entrance. Looked a little rundown. As soon as you step inside, just gorgeous, great service, great food!
Great food amazing staff
Live down the road from early bird. Great service , food is great portions . Not fantastic food but a great basic breakfast. I will say the chicken tenders are huge ! Great price for them
Very friendly staff ,Good breakfast!
Great food and service. Fun start to any morning
Nice and quick for a hot breakfast! Friendly service with lots of fresh coffee!
Came here with friends for brunch on a Friday afternoon. It wasn t too busy- maybe 3-4 other tables of 2s in the restaurant. The service was friendly. The visit started off strong however it went sour once the food came out. The food took 35+ minutes to come out. My friends waffle with Nutella and berries looked like it had been sitting under the heater for a while. Berries were warm and mushy. The waffle was deflated and soggy. We asked for a remake which didn t seem to be a problem at all. The server forgot to punch in one of our group members meal. So on top of waiting 35+ mins already, our two friends had to wait another 20 mins or so for their food to come out. We had to constantly bother our server for little things; butter, maple syrup, jam/PB, more coffee etc. *I think it would be helpful if condiments mentioned above were just placed on the table for guests* Overall the food was good. Our server was nice and apologized for the inconvenience. They gave us a voucher to be used for our next visit which was a nice gesture. I know this wasn t just on the server but an overall performance of the restaurant. Hopefully this was just an off day
They have good food and clean inside friendly staff
Love this place staff make you feel like family good variety on menu the portions are huge food is delicious my go to place for breakfast keep up the great work
Good place 4 breakfast b4 9am for 3.99
I always adore it here Kid-friendliness: Always super nice staff
Nice spit better to support local small rather then the chain style spots
Went there on a Tuesday morning with a small group, restaurant was very busy and overwhelmed .
Good Food great prices only down fall took over half an hour when there was only 7 tables to get our food and they only had to servers on
Excellent breakfast with excellent service
Weve been regulars for awhile and it used to be fantastic. Last few times its been less than pleasant. The last time was so bad that I actually asked the waitress if they had a new cook and she said no. We gave it another chance and today was just horrible. The bacon was so over cooked and the food was just gross. Its unfortunate to say, but we wont be coming back. Only reason Im giving it two stars is because the waitresses are always great.
Cute mom and pop type breakfast resto. The interior offers a cute vacation feel with the colours and furniture. The breakfast menu offers quite a bit of variety. There is something for everyone here.
Great food. Great place and price for early breakfast
Amazing food !!! Best place to go after the bar!!
The food was great as well as the tree
We enjoyed Our breakfast at Early Bird. The friit crepe with custard was excellent, fruit was fresh with generous servings provided and service was excellent!
Love it here! A perfect place to bring everyone for breakfast the $7.99 special is amazing. Parking: Plenty of room to park here Kid-friendliness: Many families
Always enjoy the $7.99 breakfast here! Great food, great fast service!
Located at the corner of Townline Road E. and Merrit Road. There is plenty of parking with a short walk to the front doors. The restaurant was 25% filled and was told to choose any table I wanted. Was presented the menu and asked if I wanted anything to drink. Coffee came fast and was an ok taste. Selected the Early Bird Special to see how their name sake special was with Sunny and rye bread. The presentation was ok... but the home fries were a little crunchy for my liking. The bread was lightly toasted and could have spent an extra 30 seconds to get a light crunch. The coffee refill was slow... first cup came likity split but the 2nd arrived when the bill was presented... for 2.75 I would expect a little more service. This is targeted as a diner and would have enjoyed the bar top setup than this restaurant style setup with diner level food. Will try out other restaurants for their offerings and make a final decision
This is the quintessential breakfast spot. Good prices and portions, friendly staff, and clean. Dont let the small parking lot fool you, even if its filled there is often street parking and still a lot of room inside.
Amazing food great spot
Excellent breakfast. Reasonable prices and the food was delicious.
Excellent service. Excellent food The staff is very friendly and welcomes you with a smile and hot cup of coffee.
Great food and service. Huge Breakfast menu. Dietary restrictions: Waitress worked item I ordered from menu to fit my needs.
Good place for a tasty breakfast, good prices as well.
Best breakfast ever!!! The staff are amazing, and the food is always delicious! Weve been going for years - great prices and delicious food as always!
I ordered poached eggs, soft bacon and a side of hollandaise. My eggs came broken and in too much water, it was a soup. Bacon was crispy. And homefries cold and barely cooked. I called the restaurant and the girl who answered laughed and said Im not sure what you want me to do. I will tell the kitchen. You have to contact skip the dishes. Terrible service. I couldnt even eat anything but a piece of toast.
Average at best. A Spanish omlette is NOT a western with a small cup of cold salsa! Very dissapointed on that front. Did not enjoy my cold omlette!
My partner and I loved ordering from here, always great food. Unfortunately the last few orders have been very disappointing to the point where we couldn t even eat it. My pancakes were almost black with pieces of charred food residue from the grill on top. My partners waffles were way over cooked and black on the bottom. Highly disappointing and we will not be returning.
Best breakfast restaurant in the area!! Real exciting menu!! My favorite is the eggs benedict, love their options to this classic!! Early Birds steak and cheese wrap is such a yummy lunch choice!! Friendly and prompt service every time!! :)
If you like hair in you food this is your place. Not only did i give it another try after the first time i go back and same thing this time I told the lady that I paid over $80 for my first bill and that this time I was only paying for my drinks and she looked at me like oh this is weird that happened twice to you I said yeah it is very weird and she lied and said that the cooks that she has are bald and I seen a young gentleman come out with his hat backwards with hair place
Beyond Great Foods and Services I have to say this is a the place to Eat and actually enjoy one s self . I have reviewed countless places this is the Top 5 . Bravo. Martin Sarkisian .
The food was amazing and the restaurant was spotless. My server was excellent Kid-friendliness: My nephew thought the food to b delicious
Best eggs Benedict I ve ever had, portions were good and so was the coffee definitely recommend. I will be back.
Fast and Friendly Customer Service! Open until 3 pm for not so Early birds lol. And Awesome Yummy Food. Highly recommended if you are in Thorold Ontario Canada
This is the spot for breakfast and lunch went one morning the food blew my socks off promptly promised the staff I would be back went every day for a fortnight for breakfast and one day did the lunch time fish special which was awesome, we will be back soon
One of my favorite places to come for breakfast, the staff are always amazing , the food is phenomenal, dont let this place fly under your radar!!
Ive been here several times now, as my daughter went to school down in this area. Every visit has been great. Yesterday I took my daughter and parents and they all loved their breakfast. We had an amazing server whos name is Ashley. She was kind, had a lot of patience, was fast and very attentive. She was always smiling and kept checking in on us to make sure we were content. With the way things are today in the customer service industry, I can tell you first hand how difficult it is as of late. Customers seem to always be angry and the negative comments seem to outweigh the good ones. I felt the need to come on this platform and express how amazing our experience was and it was Ashley who made it so. As a manager in the customer service industry, I would take Ashley in a heartbeat. Great job finding this amazing young lady. You better hang onto her or someone might scoop her up!! Please pass this on to her as its so important for these servers to know that they are doing a great job and that she made our visit sooo enjoyable!!
Service was great but the crepes were too doughy, would definitely not recommend them but their other food is great.
Our servers name was Ashley and she s amazing!! She s always so happy and nice!!
Now this could be because of how busy they where but my food was really gross and my eggs where under cooked. The staff on the other hand where absolutely amazing, they go above and beyond for you.
Old school diner portions! Food was delicious, they have a huge menu with so many choices. Our server Ashley was lovely. I will definitely coming back. Highly recommend this place.
One of our goto Breakfast places. Prices are good, the food is delicious. If its a really busy time, the quality of the food could be a little less than normal, but they always do right by the customer. Food
Beta breakfast spot around!
Visit here often. Good pricing, fast friendly service, reasonably priced. UPDATE: Coffee even better than I remember! Eggs, bacon, and home fries with a coffee with refills, including great breakfast and friendly service all under $25 for myself and my wife. Parking: Lots of parking Wheelchair accessibility: Front door - 2 spots. Ramp. Wide doors. Chairs and tables & booths
Great breakfast spot. Staff are friendly and the prices are reasonable.