A Toronto restaurant that's been a community hub for the past 8 years just announced it'll be closing down this February.

When it comes to hospitality groups in Toronto, there are few more ubiquitous with some of the city's most buzzed-over and long-standing restaurants than Oliver and Bonacini, the team behind everything from the new(-ish) Queen's Cross Food Hall at the Eaton Centre to longstanding classics like Auberge du Pommier.

While the prevalence of the group on the city's culinary scene could, quite possibly, imbue a person with the notion that any of their Toronto properties have it permanently made — but the reverse can also be true.

Sometimes when the roster is particularly fruitful, one restaurant has to go, whether that's in order to make room for new ventures or simply because it's reached the height of its potential.

Unfortunately for residents of Liberty Village, it appears as though Liberty Commons, O&B's pub concept and collaboration with Big Rock Brewery, has succumbed to the changing tides, as founding member Ryan Lister makes the announcement that the restaurant will soon be closing for good through a video on Instagram.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Liberty Commons (@libertycommons)

Founded in 2017, the restaurant, which was the frequent site of special events from sports game screenings to their annual Ribfest, was a well-loved spot in the neighbourhood which served a menu of elevated comfort food classics from around the world alongside a large selection of Big Rock brews.

The restaurant became so relevant that it quickly came to define the neighbourhood, earning Liberty Village attention for being the heart of barbecue culture in Toronto, with Liberty Commons right in the centre.

"This is a very sad moment for me," Ryan Lister says in the video. "I was here in 2017 when we opened this place."

In the video, Ryan goes on to recount his favourite memories from the restaurant's run, which include TFC home games, concert nights and, perhaps most memorable, the 2019 Raptors Championship win.

He also takes the time to thank the numerous chefs and staff who've kept the restaurant running over its eight-year run, alongside their suppliers and, of course, their devoted regulars.

While the restaurant itself is closing down, its legacy will surely live on as the team works to preserve the traditions that made it a favourite.

The eatery's widely-adored Ribfest tradition, for example, where some of the city's top chefs (including, appropriately, delegates from O&B) went head-to-head annually for barbecue bragging rights will live on, Ryan says in the video, with a new location yet to be determined.

At the time of publication, blogTO has not received a response from the Liberty Commons team on the reason behind the closure.

It's not quite yet the end of the road for Liberty Commons, either; the restaurant will continue to serve its menu of elevated comfort foods until Saturday, Feb. 16.

Liberty Commons is located at 42 Liberty Street.