Retro restaurants in Toronto are a slice of the city’s history still served sizzling hot.
New restaurants pop up in Toronto on a seemingly hourly basis, while others disappear just as regularly. As a city with centuries of history, we’ve seen plenty of beloved bars, restaurants and businesses close down over the years, but what about the ones that’ve survived?
If you know where to look, there’s actually an impressive number of decades-old restaurants in the city that give a glimpse into the Toronto of yesteryear and, if you ask me, they’re just as deserving of love as the hot-new-spot-du–jour.
Here are 15 old-school and retro Toronto restaurants that have been open for 50 years or more.
Located on the upper border of Yorkville, this golden oldie has been around since 1944, making it a whopping 82 years old.
A classic, old-school diner to boot, here you can sink your teeth into affordable breakfasts and favourites fresh out of the fryer while you admire an impressive collection of autographed celebrity headshots on the wall.
Any self-respecting Beacher knows that this underrated Chinese restaurant-meets-diner is where it’s at — and has been since 1952.
Affectionately dubbed “The Goof,” thanks to an incident where burned-out bulbs on its iconic light-up sign left only the letters G-O-O-F alight, here you can choose from no-frills diner staples or Canadian-Chinese specialties before catching a movie at the even older Fox Theatre across the street.
Hector Vasquez.
Though ownership of this East York diner has changed hands plenty of times over the years, its commitment to embodying an air of 1950s nostalgia hasn’t changed during its 70-year stint.
Originally founded in 1953, this King East diner was taken over by the Papas family in 1967 and remains in the family to this day.
Thanks to its proximity to George Brown’s St. James campus, the restaurant is a staple among hungry college students, but there’s really no one the restaurant’s old-school tufted leather booths and killer chicken club wouldn’t appeal to.
Okay, so, this Leslieville fried chicken spot hasn’t technically been open for 50 years, but 49 is close enough to deserve a mention.
Now operated by its founders’ (adult) children, this casual spot still uses the same recipe from when it first opened in 1977, which just so happens to be the year the Blue Jays were founded: a fact they won’t soon let you forget.
Fareen Karim.
When I say there’s no bad time to visit this 94-year-old diner, I mean that literally. Its biggest claim to fame, aside from having been around for nearly a century, is that it’s open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Perched at the intersection of Dupont and Bathurst, this late-night hot spot looks virtually the same as it did when it first opened in 1955.
Offering stool seating along the counter and open 24 hours Thursday through Sunday, this Annex staple serves up all the diner favourites you’d expect, with a few surprise additions like Greek, Colombian and Mexican dishes.
While the emerald green facade and red sign that simply reads “Chan” makes this Eglinton West institution easy to overlook, those who’ve lived in the area for some time know better than to pass it by.
Serving a comprehensive suite of Cantonese cuisine alongside steak and lobster, this spot, which opened in the late 1950s, is seriously old-school in all the best ways.
Hector Vasquez.
This Danforth burger joint may boast one of the most gloriously retro facades in the city, but it’s a lot more than just a pretty face. Firstly, its interiors are just as committed to staying true to its 1960s origin as the outside, and secondly, it also serves some seriously impressive Greek food, too.
Though there’s some debate as to the real name of this Scarborough breakfast spot (the name changed to Ted’s Restaurant when new owners took it over a few years ago), its status as a bona fide neighbourhood staple isn’t up for discussion.
Open since 1954, this diner has been a mainstay for generations of the neighbourhood’s residents, even making its mark on Hollywood with appearances in Handmaid’s Tale, Lost Girl and Orphan Black.
Tucked away on the far eastern reaches of Danforth, this spot is one of the oldest surviving fish and chips shops in the city, raking in an impressive 97 years in business.
Currently operated by its third generation of Duckworths (the children of the titular Len, whose parents started the restaurant), here, you can expect crispy-crusted fish and thick-cut chips, just the way your grandparents would have had them.
This Oakwood Village pizza restaurant has been proudly family-operated ever since it opened its doors in 1974, still in the same quaint Oakwood Avenue location it was born in.
Here, you can score slices of classic, thin-crusted pizza served to you by the third generation to run the restaurant. If you ask the pizzeria’s fans, it’s some of the best in the city.
Hector Vasquez.
A Yonge and Dundas staple since 1959, this luxe spot is still one of the city’s most celebrated and best-loved steakhouses, dripping with the elegance of the good old days (and the juices of a perfectly-cooked steak).
There’s New York-style pizza, there’s Sicilian-style pizza, but this Danforth pizza restaurant — the longest-running in the city — serves up a style that’s distinctly Torontonian. Perhaps that’s why it’s been a neighbourhood staple since 1964.
Even though it was taken over by the Manikas family after founder Angelo D’Auria passed away in 2013, folks who’ve been frequenting the pizzeria for decades claim the pizza is just as good as it always was.
Located just outside of Kipling Station, this burger joint has been serving hungry commuters since… before Kipling Station existed, actually.
This burger joint, beloved for its retro aesthetic and the bubble of mouthwatering aromas that encases a 1-kilometre radius around it, has been going strong since 1969.
