Simply, the food was fantastic. Our breakfasts included wonderful multigrain toast, tasty (but deep fried) potatoes, and tastily greasy bacon. They had good, strong coffee and even had Frank’s hot sauce, our favourite.
Perhaps it is due to the people who live in the area, the Winnipeg term being “Locals”, that it is necessary to pay for your food before they start to cook it. Wait, never mind. Stella’s on Osborne makes you pay first too. Those Osborne locals are fine upstanding citizens so just stop it!
The ECT offer take-out, and the only containers they use are Tater Ware; literally made of potatoes. Highly compostable! Good job ECT!
This is an excellent place for breakfast, fit to rival our 2008 Breakfast of the Year award winner, The Black Sheep Diner. Coincidentally, the two restaurants are within just a few blocks of each other.
March 19 2009
Ellice Café & Theatre
587 Ellice Avenue
Hours of operation:
Mon - Fri 8AM - 8PM
Sat – 8AM - 2PM
Sun – Closed
Breakfast Special:
$5.75, with two coffee refills
(Student Saver discount available).
Served until 11 AM
I was blown away by the ECT as soon as I entered. The floor is made up of recycled concrete chunks and the whole place has a nice rustic feel to it. Lots of wood. Plenty of natural light came in through the south-west facing windows. The walls were replete with photos of historical Winnipeg, and the tables were named after Winnipeg people/streets. We were at the McMillan table.
To quote from their website - “The Ellice Cafe & Theatre is a non-profit community development initiative of New Life Ministries to support their transitional housing and other community work.” Harry Lehotsky had the vision for the ECT, and he helped it open on February 05, 2005. Lehotsky, who died in 2006, was an activist who wanted to make the West End a nice community to live in. He would, because he lived a block from the theatre.
There used to be an old pharmacy / souvenir shop on this spot up until about 2004 when they renovated it into what you see now. There was a long counter with little round stools where locals would get breakfast served to them by a chatty lady who “unofficially” cooked bacon and eggs on an average kitchen stove. I guess the pro grill died and they couldn’t afford to replace it, so they just went with whatever they could get.
The pharmacy in the back was dark and blocked off by stacks of boxes. The aisles were similarly treacherous because of other piles of junk. The birthday cards and coffee mugs with CANADA on them were supposedly for sale but the layer of grey dust would indicate they might belong to an art installation.
The breakfast as I remember was good and looking back it reminds me of BowTies and Bagels.
Leif Norman
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