blogTO:Deadpool Feed

Zippie Cafe Enters Deadpool

Roger — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:30:00 -0500

The Zippy Cafe, the quaint little Parkdale cafe at 1718 Queen St. W. (just east of Roncesvalles) has closed.

It's a shame the cafe had to close, although there's no indication on the door why the place had to shut down. The store'sname and elaborately etched sign were among my favourites in the Parkdale neighbourhood, although I didn't get the chance to dine in there.

It now has a sign on the door saying "cafe furniture equipment for sale," so if that's what you need and feel charitable, you can arrange to take a piece of West Queen West away by calling 416-524-2034.

Photo by Roger Cullman.

Sandwich Box Location Slips Into the Deadpool

ellstar — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:59:47 -0500

Just to make things clear, this isn't exactly breaking news for the Dead Pool, as this closure occurred over two weeks ago and to a franchise with other locations, but here goes! It seems that after a disagreement with landlords over issues such as the overall cleanliness of the market and, oh, heating, the St. Patrick's Market location of Sandwich Box, has been forced to close up shop. Here's the notice they left for their customers:

Siddhartha Enters the Deadpool

Tim — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:12:48 -0500

This may be old news for those frequently around King West, but Siddhartha has officially entered the Deadpool. Sort of.

I first noticed that Siddhartha had closed a couple weeks back, and fearing the worst I made a pit stop in Little India to see if their original restaurant had been shuttered as well. Luckily for Siddhartha fans, it's still in business and continues to be one of the busier spots in the east-end neighbourhood.

Lakeview Lunch Enters the Deadpool

Tim — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:03:40 -0500

The Lakeview Lunch may be finally closed for good. The iconic diner on Dundas West which has seemingly hosted more film shoots than satisfied customers had its doors locked last week and the building is now up for sale.

The Town Grill Enters Deadpool and Omi Steps In

Tim — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:33:20 -0500

It's not new news that Cabbagetown's The Town Grill has closed its doors. The somewhat popular spot experienced a bit of a renaissance back in 2007 when chef Colin Gallacher assumed control and churned out expertly prepared steak frites, black cod and potato rosti.

Opal Jazz Lounge Enters the Deadpool

Tim — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:18:39 -0500

It looks like Opal Jazz Lounge's brief run on Queen West is now over. I noticed a For Lease sign today inside the front window. The restaurant and jazz bar which featured live music every night Tuesdays through Saturdays only opened in 2006 but received generally good reviews and was named one of the best new restaurants that year by Toronto Life.

Daddy O's Enters the Deadpool

Tim — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:03:22 -0500

Daddy's O's, a once popular milk-bar on Roncesvalles which we reviewed back in April 2007 has closed its doors. They actually shut down back at the beginning of the summer, but there was some confusion about whether or not it would re-open.

Little Tokyo Enters the Deadpool

Tim — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:54:36 -0500

The revitalization of the stretch of Augusta south of Baldwin won't include Little Tokyo. I noticed the For Rent sign this week as I passed by the now vacated Japanese grocery store and culture shop in Kensington Market.

Little Tokyo was always a bit of a mystery to me. I liked that they used to offer me free green tea as I cruised around the store, but I always found their selection and prices much inferior to Sanko on Queen Street.

House of Vintage Closes on Queen, Tentatively Enters Deadpool

Tim — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:42:07 -0500

It has only been four years but already the House of Vintage is calling it quits at 571 Queen Street West. The deceptively large and award winning vintage store is now shuttered - and added to the growing list of local businesses opting out of escalating rents on this stretch of Queen West.

Garden @ Eleven Enters the Deadpool

Tim — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 23:03:53 -0500

You'd think scoring a corner location for a restaurant right across from St. Lawrence Market would be akin to printing money. But if the past two incarnations at 11 Jarvis Street are any sort of measuring stick it looks like this spot hasn't done much to pad anyone's wallet - except maybe the movers.

The latest victim, following on the footsteps of the underrated upscale Korean resto Ninth Gate, is The Garden @ Eleven. Formerly know as Eleven (or to regular readers of this site the place that burnt Kelvin's friend's croissant), this restaurant's lifespan was short lived. Open for only a few months, it first changed its name, then its chef and finally shut down earlier this week.

Noon Restaurant Enters the Deadpool

Tim — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:46:47 -0500

Noon Restaurant has entered the Deadpool - our new section dedicated to chronicling, celebrating or otherwise remembering some of our favourite (or not so favourite) Toronto places that are no longer with us.

Noon was popular for their Build Your Own Breakfast, a great concept I expect to catch on at other spots in the city. It was busy for brunch on weekends but sadly couldn't bring the business it needed during those slow Mondays and Tuesdays. In a message posted a while ago to their web site, the owner had lamented they were having problems but would seek to turn things around come the Spring and Summer.