The Toronto rent crisis continues to chew its way through the city, claiming a number of casualties in the already-cutthroat restaurant industry. But many of this year’s restaurant and bar closures also happened due to retirements or a simple changing of the guard, with several spots being shut down to make way for new concepts. Here’s a sampling of some of the places we lost in 2019.

Cadillac Lounge

After several near–misses, the long-running Parkdale watering hole (home to one of the best patios in the city) shut down over the summer.

Rush Lane

Winding this down early in the year was this Queen West cocktail bar, now home to a spot called Daisy Social.

Omaw

The Food Dudes’ Southern inspired snack bar folded early in the year it’s now home to Bar Koukla as well as a location of Blondies.

Chimac

This fried chicken spot on Queen West closed to make way for Cauldron Ice Cream.

Odile Chocolates

The long-running Dundas West chocolate shop lives on as a wholesaler.

Home Of The Brave

This American spot on King West shut down to make way for Laissez-Faire.

Kaboom Chicken

The Riverside Korean chicken spot said they’d be looking for a new location, but one hasn’t surfaced yet.

Ku-Kum

Joseph Shawana’s modern Indigenous kitchen shut down early this year, reportedly due to unpaid rent.

Copetin

Claudio Aprile’s replacement spot for Origin is now home to sports bar Score on King.

Brooklynn

The beloved Queen West club closed after a 10-year run.

Atlas

The French-Moroccan spot from the people behind Chabrol shut down after two years.

Rosen’s Cinnamon Buns

Amy Rosen wound down her cinnamon bun bakery this year to focus on a line of ready-to-bake buns.

Through Being Cool

After nearly a decade of slinging some tasty vegan baked goods, this Bloordale bakery finally called it quits. A moment of silence for the vegan pizza buns, please.

Katz’s Deli

The family-run deli in North York shut down in May after 50 years.

Natalia Manzocco

CutiePie Cupcakes & Co.

The originators of the unicorn latte (you heard it here first, folks) shut down their Chinatown brick and mortar earlier this year.

Dumbo’s Snack Bar

Formerly Raca, this Parkdale joint (which gained some notoriety for its check-your-phone-at-the-door gimmick) is now Today/Tonight.

Jugemu

A favourite among Cabbagetowners in the know, this omakase spot shuttered in June.

Arepa Cafe

After 10 years on Queen West, this beloved Venezuelan spot called it quits over the summer, to be quickly replaced with – surprise! – another arepa place, Maiz.

Ematei

Coming in on the dawn of the Toronto sushi trend in the late ’80s, Ematei stuck it out downtown for 30 years before finally closing down this summer.

Julie’s Cuban

Another long-running Toronto institution, Julie’s (and its charming front patio) called it quits in August.

Lisa Marie

Matt Basile’s Queen West eatery helped usher in an era of global snacky small plates and indulgent brunches now, it’s a location of Hogtown Smoke, and the chef has moved on to focus on other projects.

Cosmic Treats

Kensington locals were outraged when this atomic-themed vegan cafe was forced to shut down due to a triple increase in rent.

Awai

An upmarket vegan tasting-menu joint previously helmed by Atlantic chef Nathan Isberg, Awai closed to make way for Avelo, a downtown kitchen built on a similar theme.

Camarra’s Pizza

One of the oldest spots to call it quits this year, Camarra’s spent half a decade as a North York icon before finally hanging up their pizza peel for good.

Gerrard Pizza

Over in the east end, another 50-year-plus institution shut down this year after its owners decided to move on.

Natalia Manzocco

Bacchanal

One of our fave restaurants of 2017, this sleek, colourful French joint called it quits quietly this fall.

Brownstone Bistro

The 25-year-old Yonge St. spot shut down quietly over the summer.

Shamone

The Junction hangout closed its doors over the summer, but west-siders in need of a cocktail can check out new tenant Hush Hush.

Kanga

Those craving an Aussie meat pie on Queen West are out of luck: The takeout spot closed this summer after five years.

Urban Herbivore (Eaton Centre)

There’s one less place to get veggie eats in the Eaton Centre, with one of the city’s longest-running veggie eateries shutting down their mall location.

Provo Food Bar

This spot across from the AGO is now home to Lucca.

The Pie Commission (Dundas)

While the Etobicoke location of this pie bakery still lives on, the former Dundas West location has become home to Sisters & Co.

Superpoint Parkdale

The hip pizzeria has closed their Parkdale takeout location, though something new appears to be in the works from the same team.

Shook

Just a few weeks after opening, this Israeli restaurant from INK closed due to a fire in September, with no sight of a reopening date yet.

Porchetta & Co. (Dundas)

It was a sad day for sandwich lovers: The original location of Porchetta closed down due to a lease expiry in September.

M’Eat

This Leslieville “resto-butcher” called it quits in the fall.

Vegetarian Haven

The long-running Baldwin Village veggie spot shut down over the summer.

Red Tomato & Fred’s Not Here

Fred Luk shut down his pair of restaurants over the summer after 30 years to make way for a condo development.

Harlem Underground

Harlem Underground

The soul food joint, arts hub and live music performance space closed down its last remaining location this fall.

Zocalo

Formerly Dolly’s, the Bloordale outpost of the Playa Cabana restaurant franchise shut its doors over the summer.

Schmaltz Appetizing Ossington

The satellite location of Anthony Rose’s bagel joint has already been converted into taco spot Gordy Smiles.

Rag Doll Eatery

The rock-themed, vegan-friendly eatery shut down at Yonge and Eglinton.

Unlovable

The popular Dundas West basement bar wrapped up its run with a series of parties.

Uncle Smoke

The Roncy BBQ joint shut down after two years.

South Indian Dosa Mahal (Bloor)

After being locked out by their landlord days before they were supposed to be open, the family behind this popular Indian spot fought to get their space and equipment back. In the meantime, they’ve since relocated the business to Roncesvalles.

Away

Two locations of the vegan cafe — on College and Queen West — both went under this year.

Sorelle & Co.

The Yorkville location of the vegan bakery shut down, but the location in Maple remains open.

Portland Variety

The restaurant, bar and cafe will soon be home to Ruby Soho, a new project from the El Furniture Warehouse team.

Campagnolo

Craig Harding wrapped up his Dundas West date night spot to make way for Shant Mardirosian’s new pizza spot Fourth Man In The Fire. (Meanwhile, spinoff La Palma is still going strong across the street.)

Track & Field

Toronto’s original lawn game bar shut down over the summer sister spot Bangarang is still open for all your drinking and board game needs.

Steambox Dumplings

The inventive all-dumplings, all-the-time spot closed down over the summer.

Animal Liberation Kitchen

This short-lived vegan spot at Broadview and Queen East is searching for a new home.

The Gabardine

After nearly a decade in the Financial District, this popular gastro-pub shut down over the fall.

Kitson & Co.

The Parkdale sandwich spot closed, but the business lives on as a catering operation.

Rose & Sons &ros Big Crow

Anthony Rose hit the reset button on two of his most popular properties this year, transforming Rose & Sons into The Grand Elvis (the new concept for the backyard space is TBD).

Prohibition (Eglinton)

Citing the drop in traffic brought on by the Eglinton LRT, the pub closed its uptown location (though the Riverside location is still going strong).

Gloria

The popular Roncy cafe shut down suddenly in November.

Aniq

Also in November, this Asian snack bar on Roncesvalles announced it would be closing.

Myato

The Bloor West Asian gastropub closed quietly during the fall.

Grinder Coffee

Despite a number of celebrity visits thanks to some savvy social media plays, this Gerrard cafe shut down over the summer.

Overbudget Inc.

Harry’s (sort of)

Grant Van Gameren and co. wound down their reboot of this Parkdale community staple diner this year, taking the original name with them – but some of the staff from the pre-Gameren era have since bought the place and rebranded it The Originals.

Island Foods (King West)

The popular roti joint closed down their Parkdale location in June the North York location is still open.

Yeah Yeahs Pizza

The uptown pizza joint shut down to become an expanded section of Clocktower Bar.

Yitz’s Delicatessen

After 47 years, the iconic Jewish deli finally called it quits.

Doma

Paul Kim’s upscale modern Korean spot has been converted into a street food-inspired spot called Boonsik.

3 Brewers

The Quebec-based brewpub chain shut down most of its downtown locations, except for the Yonge and Dundas pub.

La Societe

INK is closing down its two-floor French restaurant at the end of December to make way for a new concept.

T&T

The Loblaw-owned Asian grocery chain is about to shut down its Cherry Street location as part of the Port Lands redevelopment.

Schnitzel Queen

After decades of dutifully serving schnitzel, this Corktown spot will be turning off the deep fryer for good.

L’Unita

David Minicucci and Rob Rossi are shutting down their Yorkville kitchen at the end of the year.

Thompson Diner & Wildflower

The late-night diner (home to one of the city’s best macaroni and cheeses) and its adjoining lobby bar Wildflower are both shutting down at the end of the month.

Mythology

The diner arm of Vegandale will be serving its final meal at the end of the month.

Bean & Baker

After five years, Christie Pits is losing its retro malt shop.

Tequila Bookworm

Early next year, one of Queen West’s longest-running and most beloved pubs is set to pour its final pint.

@nataliamanzocco