Island Foods is closing after over 30 years in Toronto
The time has finally come to bid a woeful goodbye to the restaurant that’s been supplying Toronto with some of the best goat roti in town for over 30 years.
— Karon Liu (@karonliu) June 27, 2019
Island Foods at King and Dufferin is having its last day on Saturday, June 29. The closure has been a long time-coming for the fiercely loved Caribbean restaurant, with the XO Condos replacing it initially proposed around 2015 (now one of the most hated developments in Toronto).
My last ever jerk chicken dinner from Island Foods in Parkdale - another Toronto institution shutting down to make way for condos. 😥 pic.twitter.com/M0Jnfobo2N
— Greg Clow (@beerboozebites) June 26, 2019
It's not the first time Island Foods and the Sawh family that runs it have had to regroup in their 45-year-plus history, with an original location in Dufferin Mall as well as spots in Grange Park and Mount Pleasant all closed at this point.
Ate my (delicious as always) roti through tears this aft. I get that people need places to live, and condos are necessary, but is nothing sacred Toronto?? First Honest Ed’s, now ISLAND FOODS?? What’s the point of growth if it destroys the flavour of the city?! #IslandFoods #RIP pic.twitter.com/9GVk3wHBdz
— Abdominal (@MCAbdominal) June 20, 2019
The other chain businesses surrounding it as well as the notorious McDonald's across the street will also be closing down to make way for the condos.
Don't abandon all hope, though, Island Foods will still be selling their delicious roti and patties at their Don Mills location, so head there to keep one of Toronto's most cherished family legacies going.
"Thank you for your tremendous loyalty over the years and we hope to have your continued support while we prepare for the next chapter," reads a notice posted in the restaurant by Island Foods family and staff.
There doesn't seem to be much planned for the last Saturday in Parkdale other than maybe a few T-shirts, but odds are you can expect lineups.
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