An early morning croque-monsieur at L’Express is a real power move. The favoured French bistro opens at 8 a.m. with a classic and pretty affordable morning menu.

The old school Saint-Denis bistro is open Monday through Friday as of 7:30 a.m. with a standard eggs ’n’ sides breakfast spread. The street-side terrasse makes it a favourite for warm weather breakfasting.

The Old Montreal hotel restaurant has a nightclub-ish lounge vibe, but opens early for weekday breakfast, with all the egg-heavy classics.

Le Cartet does one of Old Montreal’s more popular weekend brunches. The weekday breakfast menu, served from 7 a.m., is more concise but you’ll find many of the same favourites, like gussied-up scrambled eggs, and duck fat roasted potatoes on the side.

Note: The Fairmount Hotel is currently closed for long-term renovations, as is Le Montréalais. It is scheduled for partial re-opening in mid-2017,
Located inside Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, Le Montréalais is a go-to for elegant Sunday and holiday brunches. For the weekday warriors, there’s a breakfast buffet, plus à la carte, until 10:30 a.m. N.B. The fabled hotel property is about to undergo a costly refurb, and just hired Baptiste Peupion, a protégé of Alain Ducasse, to serve as executive chef.

The luxe dining room of Le Renoir in the Sofitel hotel does a high-end daily breakfast from 6 a.m. Chef Olivier Perret recently described how he approaches the first service of the day. “Breakfast is the heart of Le Renoir, and the most important meal of the day. We get a lot of business clients, so we orient the menu to be healthier, with more fruits, grains, and fish. We've slowly eliminated sugar, hollandaise, and bacon, as a result.”

Breakfast at the plush Ritz-Carlton restaurant falls in line with the rest of its refined menu. Options include a breakfast buffet, a classed-up American-style breakfast and à la carte options, plus sweets.

The Loews Hôtel Vogue's La Société Parisian-style bistro, now under the tutelage of Executive Chef Jean-Philippe Miron, has a few rich breakfast offerings. See: lobster Benedict with Champagne by the glass.