Picton - The Royal Hotel
A historic hotel in a picturesque Ontario town on a beautiful Sunday morning? Nancy Meyers can you hear me?!
Since I missed the last two weeks, I am doubling up on my posts this long-weekend. I am also going to start adding my travel favourites as I clean up my Excel sheets and plot my next get away…
The Royal Hotel is right smack dab on Picton’s Main Street (what we Torontonians still consider Prince Edward County). While its second act (renovated in 2022) is dubbed a “casual-luxury” hotel that caters to city-weekenders, it is easy to picture the former railway hotel in the 19th century, commanding attention as the premier establishment for businessmen travelling across the province. The building is large, the exterior red brick, the front has lush landscaping and seating, the back offers an extensive patio that spills to the street behind. (Where there just happened to be a Sunday Market the day we were there).
Upon entry, there is a casual-cute lobby with a busy espresso bar and cafe. When we walked in, I ran into a friend who had been staying at The Royal for a work retreat. She had her hands full of baked goods and soaps, she said the food and the amenity offering was so great she had to bring stuff home.
Good, honest praise, upon entry - not a bad start, I thought.
Our group was seated in the dining room at the rear of the hotel for a girl’s brunch. Selfishly, I picked the spot because I was desperate to see what chef Albert Ponzo (Canoe, Le Sélect) was cooking up. According to the website, and our waitress, when he is not cooking, he tends to the family farm nearby where some of the food is from. The staff could not have been more accommodating. They opened the restaurant for us at 10 AM (typically only for hotel guests) and served the breakfast menu instead of brunch / lunch (because I knew we would be craving the eggs over the heavier fare).
What We Ordered: Only two meals were ordered in our group and I really regret not getting pancakes for the table. The potato pavé (pictured) had every girl pull out her phone. Apparently it tasted even better than whatever is trending on TikTok.
Royal Breakfast — Two Eggs — Any Style, Sausage or Bacon, Potato Pavé , Sourdough $21 | Mushroom Tartine — Two Poached Eggs, Roasted Mushrooms, Crème Fraîche, Sourdough $20
Address: 247 Picton Main St, Picton, ON K0K 2T0
Recommend For: A weekend away, or a long drive for a nice meal. I wanted to suggest “with your partner”, or “to take your mom!”; but the diversity of the clientele was so great that I am convinced you could have a good time with anyone.
Reservations: Yes, via website.