The RIP list: 50 Toronto restaurants that didn't make it through spring 2017

Jun 19 2017, 7:15 pm

Summer is finally here in Toronto and while most of the city survived another winter thaw, there were naturally a few casualties. Fifty Toronto restaurants shuttered this spring.

Pour one out for these eateries, pubs, bakeries, and cafes that wont have another day in the sun.

Ace & Ale Taphouse, 566 Queen Street West, Toronto
Januar 2015 to May 2017.

Against the Grain, 87 Laird Drive, East York
The location at Corus Quay remains open but the Leslieville pub will soon be replaced by the Barrel House from Amserdam Brewing Co.

BakeryHaus, 238 Queen Street West, Toronto
The “bakery and kaffee haus” located inside the Queen Street Market is no more.

The Baro, 424 Queen Street West, Toronto
The chopped salad shoppe on Queen West had a hard time making a go of it through serious and obstructive construction during its first year in business.

The Beaconsfield, 1154 Queen Street West, Toronto
The venue across from The Drake Hotel suddenly shuttered this spring after 13 years on West Queen West.

Bent, 777 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Susur Lee’s Dundas West restaurant closed at the end of May.

Bestellen, 972 College Street, Toronto
Chef Rob Rossi’s College Street steakhouse announced its upcoming closure after five years. Last call is June 30.

Bill’s Lobster, 599 Gerrard St E, Toronto
The fish monger and source for fresh seafood closed this spring after two decades in Toronto’s East Chinatown.

Clockwork Coffee, 36 Toronto Street, Toronto

Come & Get It, 676 Queen Street West, Toronto
The Queen West snack bar quietly closed this spring and is soon to be replaced by Soufi, Syrian kitchen specializing in maneesh and knaffeh.

The Commodore, 1265 Queen Street West, Toronto
Shuttered March 27 after a year and a half serving seafood in Parkdale.

Dangerous Dan’s, 714 Queen Street East, Toronto
The Riverside burger joint of 18 years served its last Coronary Burger in May.

Flaming Bull, 378 Bloor Street West, Toronto
Thisshort-lived Taiwanese spot didn’t even last a year and has already been converted into Vietnam Lovely Noodle.

Frank’s Kitchen588 College Street, Toronto
The bastion of fine dining in Little Italy closed in April and has since been replaced by Abbiocco.

Frida, 999 Eglinton Avenue West, York
The Mexican restaurant has closed its doors but Executive Chef Sergio Maldonado is now accepting catering inquiries.

Goodlake2976 Lake Shore Boulevard West, Etobicoke
New Toronto lost a solid dining option with the closure of this three-year-old restaurant in April.

Golden Cafe, 35 Golden Avenue, Toronto
This hidden coffee counter and catering operation shuttered in June.

Hard Rock Cafe, 279 Yonge Street, Toronto
Toronto’s iconic Hard Rock Cafe at Yonge-Dundas Square closed this spring and is slated to become a drugstore.

Harlem, 67 Richmond Street East, Toronto
After over a decade, this pioneer of chicken and waffles in Toronto shuttered its location on Richmond Street East restaurant. Harlem Underground on West Queen West is still in business.

Houston Avenue Bar and Grill, 33 Yonge Street, Toronto
The chain of grill houses remains popular in Quebec but shuttered in May after a decade in Toronto’s Financial District.

Hush, 303 King Street West, Toronto
This King West restaurant was recently replaced by a new source for light bites and hard drinks.

The Kathi Roll Express, 692 Yonge Street, Toronto
The Indian street hawker closed its Yonge Street outlet and has announced plans for a new location (TBA) in addition to its food truck.

Kobo Nobu, 786 Broadview Avenue, Toronto
The Japanese cookhouse closed in May after a three-year stint on the edge of Greektown.

Lee Garden, 331 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
The Chinatown institution since 1978, the restaurant abruptly shuttered this spring leaving longtime customers in mourning.

Jesse mourning…

A post shared by Gabriel Au (@gremlinzdj) on

Worst day ever 🙁

A post shared by Gabriel Au (@gremlinzdj) on

McGugan’s, 1058 Gerrard Street East, Toronto
The Scottish pub just recently closed and is currently being converted into Chula, a multi-floor Mexican spot with a rooftop tiki bar.

Milagro, 3187 Yonge Street, Toronto
The Yonge Street cantina may be shuttered but you can still find Milagro operating outposts on West Queen West as well as on Mercer Street.

NAO Steakhouse, 90 Avenue Road, Toronto
The Yorkville steakhouse has been replaced with upscale Mediterranean grill, Estia.

Noble Seafood, 530 Dundas Street West, Toronto
The dim sum spot in Chinatown has served its dumpling.

Noodleholic, 2210 Dundas Street West, Toronto
The pan-Asian noodle house closed in June.

The Passenger, 2968 Dundas Street West, Toronto
It’s lights out for this speakeasy in The Junction.

Pastissima, 2633 Yonge Street, Toronto
The Italian stalwart at Yonge and Eg shuttered this spring after four-decade run.

Pho Rex, 658 Bloor Street West, Toronto
The Vietnamese eatery in Seaton Village has been replaced by Sejong Restaurant, a Korean diner serving up fried chicken.

Pizza Thick, 536 Queen Street East, Toronto
The pizzeria devoted to Regina-style pies shuttered its Leslieville location in April and has taken up residency in the space shared with Death in Venice Gelato at 536 Queen Street West.

R Squared, 668 Queen Street West, Toronto
The West Queen West Cafe ended its six-year run this spring and will soon reopen as a Tokyo Smoke.

The Red Bench, 611 Yonge Street, Toronto
The frozen yogurt joint closed up shop suddenly at the end of March when it chose not to renew its lease at the eleventh hour.

Red Castle, 531 Danforth Avenue, Toronto
The Mediterranean restaurant on The Danforth raised the white flags this spring.

Rione XI, 672 St Clair West, Toronto
The novel Jewish-Italian restaurant on St. Clair West closed just a year and a half after its debut.

The Rolling Pin, 3429 Yonge Street, Toronto
The Yonge Street bakeshop has relocated to Avenue Road leaving a doughnut-shaped hole in the hearts of Yonge and Lawrence locals.

Rose City Kitchen, 36 Toronto Street, Toronto
First, the food truck vanished from Toronto streets, then the Queen West outlet, and now the food court stall at 36 Toronto is dunzo too.

Ryus Noodle Bar, 33 Baldwin Street, Toronto
The noodle house in Baldwin Village is closed until further notice following a five-alarm fire in early June.

Silo 13, 4750 Yonge Street, Unit 107, North York
You missed breakfast Toronto! The short-lived cereal cafe was barely open a couple months before suddenly closing its doors.

Sky Blue Sky Sandwich Company, 605 Bloor Street West and 333 King Street East, Toronto
Both locations of this Wilco-inspired sandwich shop shut down this spring following the sale of the business to new owners. As NOW reports, the new owners likely didn’t even know who Wilco was.

Smash Juice Bar, 36 Toronto Street, Toronto
Along with Rose City Kitchen, the juice bar and former food court resident is also shuttered.

The Standard, 667 College Street, Toronto
After 25 years, this pizza and pasta joint in Little Italy has closed its doors for good.

Super Noodle Express, 358 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
You can still get noodles at this Chinatown address only now it’s called Fudao Noodle House.

Tilde
The taqueria on The Danforth closed in late May and is soon to be replaced by NōMads Restobar.

Tommaso’s Trattoria, 400 Eastern Avenue, Toronto
Once home to an AYCE Italian hot table, this Leslieville restaurant retired on March 31st.

Wonder Chicken, 96 Harbord Street, Toronto
The short-lived Taiwanese chicken joint lasted just over a year in Harbord Village.

See also
Liora IpsumLiora Ipsum

+ Dished
+ Restaurants & Bars
ADVERTISEMENT