Toronto's most iconic Caribbean restaurant faces unclear future after suddenly shutting down location
A location of the city’s most famous Caribbean restaurants has suddenly closed, while the future of another hangs in the balance.
Toronto is, rightfully, crazy about our Caribbean cuisine. So much so that no small number of institutions serving island eats have risen to legendary status in the city.
Few come close, however, to the level of iconicity enjoyed by Leslieville’s The Real Jerk for the better part of the past four decades.
Sure, it likely has its celebrity fans to thank for a large part of its notability, but, at the same time, its jerk chicken is some of the best in the city. Both things can be true.
Open since 1984, the restaurant has had its fair share of expansion efforts and moves over the years. In 2012, it moved from its Riverside home at the corner of Queen and Broadview (now Duke’s Refresher) to its current flagship in Leslieville at Gerrard and Carlaw.
A few years later, a somewhat short-lived location in the Upper Beaches landed on Kingston Road. When that closed, the business set its sights westward and, in 2023, opened a new spot, dubbed Real Jerk Legacy, in Little Italy.
While the restaurant’s literal legacy endures, it seems as though the restaurant version was fated for a short and sweet run, as it took to its Instagram account on Monday, Sept. 1, to announce it would be closing permanently, effective immediately.
View this post on Instagram
“Thank you to Little Italy, our staff and the Real Jerk family for supporting us,” the caption of the post reads.
“Unfortunately, we are closing our doors at the College Street location. Stop by if you can, have a last drink. And say goodbye.”
At the time of publication, The Real Jerk Legacy has not responded to Dished Toronto’s request for further details about the reasons behind the closure.
The closure comes at a seemingly precarious time for the chain, as its Gerrard East flagship — made particularly famous by its starring role in Drake and Rihanna’s 2016 “Work” music video — recently went up for lease.
Dished Toronto reached out to the restaurant to find out what this means for the future of The Real Jerk in the east end, but, at the time of publication, has not received a response.
While a closure of The Real Jerk’s Gerrard East location isn’t confirmed, it wouldn’t be entirely unexpected. The site sits across the street from the recently demolished Riverdale Shopping Centre, which will soon be the site of a lengthy Ontario line construction project, so wanting to get out of dodge would be understandable.
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It’s not gone yet, though, and maybe it never will be. We’ll keep an eye out for you and let you know as soon as we do.
In the meantime, The Real Jerk’s east end location is alive and well, and ready to serve you all the island vibes.
The Real Jerk
Address:Â 842 Gerrard St. E.
Phone:Â 416-463-6055
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