toronto restaurant flops

The 15 biggest restaurant flops in Toronto from 2019

The biggest restaurant flops in Toronto this year show that while great new restaurants may be popping up in town all the time, there's always a bunch that don't make it. Some of these spots even generated a fair bit of excitement when they first opened, but unfortunately it wasn't meant to last.

Here are some of the biggest restaurant flops in Toronto from 2019.

Tsujiri Patisserie

When this famous matcha brand tried to pivot to pastry at Yonge and Wellesley, it seems it wasn't met with such a warm reception.

Pho Pas Social Bistro

Who would have thought a Vietnamese food, raw bar and live music concept wouldn't make it? This Cabbagetown restaurant didn't last the year.

Adelina

Turning this tiny corner spot in Harbord Village from a French restaurant into a Russian one apparently didn't help the place to survive.

Pixels and Pints

Despite the general popularity of arcade bars in town, this one near Broadview station didn't make it through the year.

Away Kitchen

The people behind this Queen West spot as well as other vegan restaurant Avelo shut down this location this year to make way for a new Italian project of theirs.

Mount Pleasant Rose

Turns out Mount Pleasant wasn't the place to open a new live music venue, despite tempting customers in with brunch.

playa cabana zocalo

Despite the popularity of the Playa Cabana brand, the Zocalo concept couldn't make it on Bloor. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

Bootleg Smokehouse

Maybe upscale smokehouse cuisine wasn't the right mix at this King West area, multi-level restaurant that's already turned into a new snack bar.

Call A Chicken

Perhaps the somewhat racy nature of this place's name in its original language is to blame for the demise of this Queen West restaurant that fried whole chickens.

Rag Doll Eatery

Crosstown construction claimed many victims this year, but this rock-and-roll-themed restaurant barely got a fighting chance.

Playa Cabana Zocalo

Converting this restaurant at Bloor and Lansdowne that was once Filipino place Dolly's into a Mexican concept didn't end up paying off.

Myato Gastropub

It seems this Korean pub project steps from Bathurst station wasn't able to last in the bar-heavy Annex.

nacho bar toronto

The Danforth could have used a really great bar with nachos but Nacho Bar apparently wasn't it. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

Nacho Bar

Questionable cocktail names and a pretty full-on bro vibe may have been a bit alienating to some customers, seeing as this Danforth bar closed down quickly.

Billy's Diner

This Leslieville diner closed its current incarnation and is being turned into a burger joint.

Wu Jian Dao

Soup buns are super, but something just didn't click for this Scarborough restaurant on McNicholl.

M'eat Resto Butcher

This combination butcher shop and restaurant in Riverside was quite novel, but will be heading in a new direction in the next decade.

Lead photo by

Hector Vasquez at Away Kitchen


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