It was another year of Toronto saying goodbye to its favorite restaurants, cafes, shops and other businesses. We’re getting used to the cycle of openings and closings in the city, but it’s still sad when a store closes, whether due to retirement, rising costs or a dispute with the landlord.
Here are some notable businesses that closed in Toronto this year.
Carriage house
This Yonge and Wellesley classic has been a favorite for diner-style breakfasts and greasy spoon meals since it opened in 1958.
BJ Supermarket
After 40 years in business, this Little India supermarket closed its doors this year. Locals and regulars believe the reason for the closure was the owners’ retirement, but this has not been confirmed.
Dove
An iconic Corsio Italia ice cream shop had been open since 1967 until it closed its locations due to rental disputes.
Probably General
This Roncesvalles store and gallery, which closed after a decade of existence, was known for providing a space for queer and marginalized artists to exhibit and sell their work.
Black Cat Espresso
It was a loss for coffee lovers across the city that the owner closed both the College St. and Mount Dennis locations of this popular coffee chain to move his family out of town so his children could “have a little more room to grow.” high.”
Pat’s Homestyle
This spot was a staple of Jamaican cuisine on Queen West for 23 years before permanently closing in September.
Crazy Chinese
This 15-year-old Leslieville staple was known for its unique burritos that combined Chinese and Mexican flavors.
Golden pizza
The pizzeria permanently closed the doors of its Broadview Ave location in November. and sparked cries of disappointment from long-time fans of her creative pizzas, panzos and Greek dishes.
Regency
Little India mainstay announced its closure after two decades of serving buffet-style Indian food in the neighborhood.
Little Sito
This Bloorcourt gem was known for its traditional Lebanese cuisine. In their closure announcement, they cited rent increases, rising costs of living and new rental conditions as reasons for the closure.
Maverick’s Burger Co.
This waterfront spot, a go-to spot for plant-based burger favorites like double-stacked burgers, chicken tenders, and stuffed fries, announced its closure via Instagram in November.
Cora Pizza
This annex was a favorite among U of T students and a strong rival to Papa Ceo’s, which moved to the old Cora location immediately after closing.
Brock sandwich
This Bloordale Village gem, known as one of the city’s best sandwich shops, has had to permanently close its doors after nearly a decade of existence. The owner cited rising food prices, rent increases and the aftermath of a major fire in 2018 as reasons for the restaurant’s heartbreaking closure.
Ok, ok, diner
This Leslieville landmark was one of the neighborhood’s most popular restaurants. The restaurant’s beloved owner, Tom, announced his retirement and sold the space to new owners who will replace the restaurant with a new concept.
Hungarian country house style restaurant
This family-style Hungarian restaurant is popular with the Annex community and has closed for retirement after 60 years.
Yuzu No Hana
After 15 years in business, this sushi restaurant permanently closed its doors, with the owners citing “circumstances beyond that.” [their] Control,” it said in its announcement.
Good for you
An inclusive sex shop in Harbord Village known for its women- and trans-only shopping hours (and a huge selection of fun stuff) closed over the summer after 26 years.
Acropolis pastries
This Danforth institution served delicious pastries to the community for over 40 years before being expropriated by Metrolinx to make way for the Ontario Line.
Tiny record store
Popular with record collectors and music lovers alike, this riverfront gem was “not your average record store” for five years before the owners decided to close it.
Super fresh
This once-hyped food joint only lasted a year before announcing its closure last June. Luckily, some of the restaurants that had space at Superfresh have other locations in the city.
Lin Garden
This Scarborough eatery specialized in Indian-style Hakka Chinese food for 27 years before closing due to the retirement of its owners.
People’s Pint
This Stockyards store was known for helping home brewers learn the basics of making their own beers and even serving them in the taproom, which closed in early 2023 due to rising operating costs and a massive rent increase.
Lai Wah Heen
Located in the Doubletree Hotel in the Financial District, this restaurant was one of the city’s most respected dim sum restaurants until it closed its doors on February 26th.
ease
This restaurant is owned by renowned South Korean-Italian chef Marino Song, who is said to have cooked for the Pope while studying in Turin. From the day it opened in 2009 until its closure in November of this year, this restaurant was a favorite on Corso Italia.
salon
This venue was the city’s premier house music club from its opening day in 2011 until its final day at the end of January 2023.
Thai at the park
This High Park Thai restaurant closed without much explanation and was quickly replaced by family-run Vietnamese restaurant Pho T & T Express.
Shaken
This Middle Eastern vegetarian restaurant opened in the city in 2019 to great hype. The King West space has already been replaced by Maxime’s, a Parisian-inspired restaurant for upscale steaks and seafood.
Venice Bakery
This iconic Portuguese bakery operated in Ossington for 43 years, serving classic custard tarts, donuts and other sweet treats until it announced it was closing permanently via a printed sign on the door.
Smith Restaurant
This Church Street restaurant was known for serving some of the nicest brunch dishes in the city. Despite its permanent closure in April, the owners continue to operate the 24-hour pub and restaurant 7 West.
Pow Wow Cafe
This restaurant was one of the few restaurants in the city to serve local dishes before it was announced that it would be closing permanently in Kensington Market after seven years.