THE GRAY OLIVE || A Neighbourhood Cafeteria Serving Up Tasty Sandwiches and Brunch
The menu at The Gray Olive Cafeteria is described as ‘seasonal comfort food with an exciting twist”.
The menu is simple and the details remind you of a school cafeteria from the serving platters to the cups. Nothing fancy but with a touch of nostalgia that makes you feel like a kid again. The space is cozy and decorated with unique details like patterned tile flooring and round-edge, elongated mirrors along one side of the wall. The high ceilings add a sense of spaciousness.
The eatery is definitely popular with the locals in the neighbourhood as we saw many regulars come in to pick up their orders while we sat enjoying our brunch.
Thirst-quenching Thai Ice Tea with coconut milk
The Bacon Breaky - wholesome goodness
What would we recommend from the menu? The Thai Ice Tea is on the sweet side but is oh-so-delicious and creamy when you sub it with coconut milk.
Each of the breakfast, brunch, and sandwich options comes with a side of fries, hashbrowns, daily soup, fruit or green salad. The side actually ended up being surprisingly larger than the main dish(!) As shown in the photos, the tomato bisque soup of the day was served in a large bowl bigger than the Bacon Breaky sandwich. The green salad was served in a large bowl larger than the Pulled Pork Benny.
Pulled Pork Benny with a green salad
There are other options we would love to return and try, such as the Chicken & Waffle and G.O. Classic Platter. Those options seemed a bit heavier for us that day as we were preparing to head out for a hike following the meal. As mentioned, our meals ended up being larger than expected with the generous portion of the sides, but we would say that is a pleasant surprise!
Even though the Bacon Breaky came with a slice of crispy cheese, bacon and scrambled eggs with a lovely pepper truffle aioli on a brioche bun, we didn’t feel it was oily at all.
We would recommend The Gray Olive as a spot for tasty comfort food that is not loaded with oil (which some other eateries tend to do for items referred to as comfort food). If you decide to visit, our insider tip would be to join the waitlist via their Instagram bio link, so you can save some time waiting in line on busy weekends. The first time we tried to visit on a sunny weekend the wait was over an hour long. Another option would be to grab takeout and eat in the sun — either option would make for a great afternoon meal!
We love the high ceiling and rounded mirrors with patterned prints