When you walk into Daisy May’s, the new all-day eatery at 968 Bathurst Street in the Annex, it feels less like a restaurant and more like a storybook of family heirlooms and neighbourhood memories. The wood countertop at the bar, once a beloved family tree. The church pews lining the wall once patiently waiting in storage at co-owner Theo Laan’s family home. Even the cheerful hand-painted signage and the wine bottles tucked behind the bar — many from friends’ vineyards in Prince Edward County — have a tale to tell.
As we walked through the space, Laan pointed out each detail with pride — salvaged, restored and thoughtfully placed to honour its origins and the people behind them.
Laan, originally from upstate New York, grew up in a family of blue-collar handymen. When the former Grapefruit Moon space became available, it felt almost fateful that he and co-owner Charlie Gabriel, longtime friends with a shared history in hospitality, would take it over. They rolled up their sleeves and transformed the space with the help of friends and family.
“The bartop here comes from that old tree at my family’s home in upstate New York” says Laan. “We milled it, sanded it, sealed it.” The same wood appears throughout the restaurant in smaller accents, part of a deliberate effort to reuse and repurpose wherever possible. Even the space’s former life as Grapefruit Moon isn’t forgotten — a picture frame on the wall holds a piece of its original patterned tile, a small tribute to the building’s history.
History is at the heart of Daisy May’s, not only in the furnishings but also in the story that brought the two owners together. Laan and Gabriel met as students at the University of Guelph, both working restaurant jobs to pay tuition. Laan had been cooking since he was a kid—“my dad couldn’t cook, so someone had to,” he jokes —teaching himself with cookbooks and cooking shows before working in several Toronto kitchens, including the neighbouring Mexican favourite El Pocho, where Gabriel worked front of house.
When the Bathurst Street spot became available, Laan initially planned a project with El Pocho’s owner, who later stepped back after realizing the extent of the renovation required. That twist of fate brought Gabriel fully into the picture. Today, their roles have flipped: Gabriel now runs the kitchen, while Laan oversees front of house alongside his fiancée Julia McDowell and Gabriel’s longtime partner Dubravka Zivkovic.
The restaurant’s name honours Laan’s grandmother, the original Daisy May, whose classic taste inspired the menu’s approach: humble diner staples with a slightly elevated twist — the kind of dishes Laan imagines would make his grandmother teasingly remark, “Oh, that’s fancy.” For now, Daisy May’s focuses on brunch and lunch, with dinner service on the horizon. And if the daytime menu is any indication, evenings will be worth the wait.
The food is unpretentious but elevated in all the right ways. The breakfast sandwich looks simple at first glance — eggs, bacon and cheese on an English muffin — but the details set it apart. Soft, custardy scrambled eggs are layered with thick-cut smoky bacon and sharp cheddar, while the addition of house-made pickles and pickled jalapeños delivers a briny, zesty kick reminiscent of Toronto’s cult-favourite Gold Standard.
The tater tots are another standout: crisp, golden bites with a shattering crust that gives way to fluffy potato, generously drizzled with garlicky aioli. And the challah French toast — thick-cut slices of pillowy challah are seared to a burnished crust, then topped with tangy whipped crème fraîche, a drizzle of maple syrup, a scattering of candied hazelnuts for crunch and a jewel-toned berry compote that pools against the toast.
The dining room reads like a collage of the community that helped bring it to life: bird paintings gifted by friends, curtains sewn by co-owner Gillian McDowell, even memorabilia from the now-closed Honest Ed’s. That sense of connection extends beyond the restaurant itself. Midway through our tour, Laan ducked out to the neighbouring floral shop, MayJune Flowers, eager to highlight their work. “Our friends and neighbours are incredible,” he says. “We just want to make sure everyone knows it.”
For the team behind Daisy May’s, it’s not just about eggs Benedict and mimosas — it’s about creating a space where diners linger, swap stories with strangers and maybe leave with a tip about a garage sale down the street. If you’re looking to become a regular at a neighbourhood spot — and explore a community that gives as much as it gets — Daisy May’s is a good place to start.
