centre street deli toronto

Popular deli is about to open its first Toronto location

Thornhill's iconic Centre Street Deli is about to open a new location in downtown Toronto, marking the first expansion for the deli institution since it was established back in the 1980s.

Centre Street Deli had been hinting about a long-rumoured Toronto location for weeks and finally dropped its bombshell reveal in late September.

After teasing patrons with a cryptic message, Centre Street Deli announced via Instagram on September 22 that a Toronto location would be opening its doors to the public very soon.

Signage has been installed, and the opening is now just days/weeks away at 995 Bay Street. The restaurant will open within a space previously occupied by Tabriz Persian Cookhouse, which closed in 2021 and relocated to North York.

The restaurant has commented that deli lovers can expect an opening "for mid to end October," and promises that "a more accurate date will be posted."

Though Centre Street Deli has always been a 905 establishment, it is revered in Toronto's Jewish community as an authentic stop for classic Montreal-style deli fare worth travelling to the 'burbs for.

A trip locals will no longer have to make once the very first 416 expansion welcomes hungry diners.

Centre Street Deli's retro vibe and, of course, its delectable sliced meats, have endured a relocation in 1998 and even a change in ownership back in 2015, when former owners Cheryl Morantz and Sam Agelopoulos sold their business to longtime employees Nana Frank, Ganaesh Thangarajah and Thavapalan Nadarajah.

Lead photo by

Hector Vasquez


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