10 notable businesses that closed in Toronto this summer
This summer witnessed the heartbreaking departure of many longstanding institutions in Toronto, including the permanent closure of several family-run restaurants, neighbourhood staples, and innovative establishments.
Here are notable businesses that closed in Toronto this summer.
Country Style Hungarian Restaurant
The Annex fixture permanently closed its doors on August 1 after 60 years in business. The family-style restaurant served up consistently delicious comfort food since the early 60s, including schnitzels, cabbage rolls, and goulash soup. The restaurant announced that it would be closing up shop due to retirement.
Yuzu No Hana
For over 15 years, this family-run Japanese restaurant near Adelaide and Duncan served up an extensive lunch and omakase dinner menu full of sashimi and sushi platters. Owners Karen and Bruce Bu announced the restaurant’s heartbreaking closure on June 28, writing that “circumstances beyond our control” resulted in the difficult decision.
Superfresh
This Asian food hall in the Annex opened in May 2022 and was built on the foundation of amplifying Asian-owned small businesses in Toronto. During its short year in the business, the 4,000-square-foot complex was home to several notable vendors. The Superfresh team announced the food hall’s closure on June 30.
Brock Sandwich
One of Toronto’s best sandwich shops officially shuttered its doors on June 24 after a decade in business. Its Bloordale Village shop was met with several challenges during its last years of operation, including rising debt, rent increases, staffing shortages, and a devastating fire in 2018.
Good For Her
After 26 years in business, one of the city’s most inclusive sex shops permanently closed its doors on June 29. The store was well known for its educational workshops, toys, as well as women and trans-only hours. If you’re on the hunt for a good deal, their online shop is still running and offering a closing sale with items marked at 30% off.
Akropolis Pastries
This Danforth mainstay closed its doors for good in mid-August to make way for the Ontario Line subway construction. The Greek bakery’s president, Bill Gekas, confirmed that the business received an official notice of expropriation from Metrolinx in the winter of 2022.
For the Love of Cake
Sweet tooths mourned the loss of this Liberty Village bakery, which served custom cake creations for 12 years. Whether it was celebrating a birthday, wedding, or milestone, the imaginative team at the bake shop was already prepared to turn your dreams into a delicious reality. The bakery officially turned off its ovens on June 25.
Sun Valley Market
Locals were heartbroken to find out that this grocer’s last surviving location in Birchmount Park would be bidding farewell to the neighbourhood on July 29 after nearly 40 years in business. They first opened in 1986 and shuttered to make way for a development proposal to build a 12-storey condo on the site.
Tiny Record Shop
This record shop in Riverside housed a wide selection of new, used, and vintage records spanning all types of genres and decades. In their closing announcement, staff hinted at a possible return in the future after taking some much-needed time to reset, get some air, and evaluate the next steps. The record store officially closed up shop at the end of August.
Black Cat Espresso Bar
This cafe’s two locations in Toronto shut down to the dismay of coffee lovers across the city. The owner revealed that the coffee shop’s Dufferin Grove location closed in June to allow his young family to move out of the city to an area where they could have more space. The Weston Village location was recently succeeded by the Rosemount Cafe.