A favourite old-school diner in the heart of Leslieville will be serving up its last three-inch-thick western sandwich this weekend.

Jim’s Restaurant on Queen St. E., just east of Logan Ave., is closing its doors for good Sunday.

Known for its roast chicken, peameal bacon sandwiches, egg scramblers, Greek specialties, and classic all-day breakfast among other things, Jim’s has been an east-end staple since the mid-1960s. George Dafos, a long-time Scarborough resident, is the diner’s third owner.

The no-frills family eatery — which many customers attest really does serve “The Best Westerns” — along with a former auto garage-turned-gym called Anchored Social Club, will soon be replaced by a six-storey, mixed-use condominium development.

“I’ve been here since 2000. It’s hard to leave,” said Dafos. “After 16 years, I know everybody on the street. It’s not easy.”

Dafos said he looked into reopening at another location in the neighbourhood and saw five or six places but in the end leasing a place in this part of town was just too pricey.

Known for its fast, friendly service, Jim’s, which has counter seating for about eight and enough tables to seat around 30 people, is an unpretentious, cash-only place where anyone can come to grab some decent, affordable grub.

As the sun set over Leslieville on Friday evening, many locals stopped while the restaurant was closed to peer in the windows and reminisce.

Tom Recke got the news in a text from his son Samuel in Montreal. Recke said he and Samuel have a long history with the restaurant.

“When I got the text from him, I thought it’s a shame,” Tom said. “I’m going to pay for him to come down from Montreal so we can have one last breakfast there together.”

Three-year-old Lola Slight peered in the window, looking for the owner and clutching a goodbye card she wanted to give him.

“We’ve had a really good relationship with the owner,” said Lola’s mother Alison.

“He has this sort of tough guy persona, but he would always be hanging out here outside, and he loves Lola. He would cook her all the eggs and pancakes and bacon, and she loves it. She’s really going to miss this place,” Alison said.

She said for her family, Jim’s closing is a mixed bag of emotions.

“The neighbourhood is gentrifying, which is kind of good for us because we’re property owners, but it’s also sad to see the area losing these longstanding institutions,” she said.

More than a year ago, Daniels Corp. purchased the property from local real estate lawyer Mitch Korman.

In an interview, Niall Haggart, the company’s executive vice-president, said since then they’ve had productive meetings with both the city planning department as well as Ward 30 Councillor Paula Fletcher. A community consultation was held back in March.

The plan is to construct a six-storey, 69-unit development with roughly 3,400-square feet of retail space at ground level and one level of below-grade parking.

Haggart, who said the goal is to start construction by the end of this year, said he’s confident city council will approve any zoning amendments for the development when it resumes this fall.

“We think it’s a good fit with the neighbourhood. It’s a very boutique, little building,” he said, adding they’ve also been working with the Leslieville Historical Society to erect a plaque outlining history of the site.

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For Dafos, the future will be a little further east. He and his brother, Angelo recently purchased the Gingerman diner on Victoria Park Ave., just south of St. Clair Ave. E. They’ve already started setting up their new restaurant, which is slated to officially open for business under their ownership in early August.

Dafos assured they plan on bringing that same relaxed, friendly atmosphere to their new home.