This artist is creating tiny replicas of Leslieville’s lost diners

Andrew Smith spent his career building props and sets for television shows like Royal Canadian Air Farce and Rick Mercer Report as well as awards-show stages for the Geminis, Junos and Genies before retiring in 2010. A decade later, he began using his construction skills to craft elaborate miniatures of lost Toronto landmarks. An avid music fan, he started out recreating legendary concert venues such as the Silver Dollar, the Matador and the Big Bop, and sharing them on Facebook. “The response was overwhelming,” Smith says. “I realized there’s a sense of nostalgia among Torontonians that I need to feed.”

After painstakingly crafting 32 music venues, he found a new project: paying tribute to lost diners in his neighbourhood of Leslieville. Now, he’s expanded across the city, including shuttered stalwarts like People’s Eatery on Dupont and the Coach House Tavern on Yonge. Every time a diner closes, Smith mourns the loss of yet another affordable local place to eat. “We’re losing a part of Toronto that I am sad to see go,” he says. “Diners are community hubs. They each develop their own community and following. Then, when neighbourhood rents go up, family businesses can’t afford to stay. Of all the diners I’ve recreated, half of the owners retired due to old age, and the other half got squeezed out.”

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Smith’s living room wall is now a mini culinary cemetery, adorned with more than 40 tiny hanging storefronts, which he creates in his basement workshop. He also offers miniatures for sale and accepts commissions through his Instagram, @asmith.yyz. Here, he shares the stories behind his favourites.

Collegiate Lunch, 1024 Gerrard St. E. (1938–2014)

“Collegiate Lunch was right down the street from Riverdale Collegiate, which inspired its name. It was my regular breakfast spot for 15 years. I’d go there every morning when I wasn’t working to have breakfast. It was run by Minnie and John, two Chinese immigrants who weren’t able to find work in the professions they were trained in—Minnie was a lab scientist, and John was an accountant. So they bought Collegiate Lunch sometime in the mid-’90s and spent the next 20 years feeding locals. Minnie was a wonderfully warm person. As soon as you sat down, she’d hand you a cup of coffee. Meanwhile, John was working quietly in the kitchen, frying up bacon and eggs. It was also my favourite for its convenience: I could walk two blocks and be at my diner. It closed when Minnie and John, who worked 365 days a year, were finally ready to retire.”

Chino Locos, 4 Greenwood Ave. (2008–2023)

“Chino Locos was a wonderful hole in the wall. They were a fusion Mexican-Asian burrito place, and the restaurant was so small you couldn’t eat in—it had to be takeout. My favourite order was basa fish with noodles. It was a big burrito and tasty as all hell. The first time I walked in, I said, “Hello, sunshine” to the guy who took my order, and the name just stuck. Turns out it was the owner, Victor Su, who lived right around the corner from me. At one point there were three Chino Locos locations: another on Church Street and another on Broadview. Eventually, they were all forced to shut down. Victor tried to save the business with a GoFundMe, but it just wasn’t financially feasible anymore. When he closed shop in 2023, I made two models of the storefront—one for me to keep and one for him as a thank-you gift.”

The Tulip Steakhouse, 1606 Queen St. E. (1929–2020)

“The Tulip was an old favourite for me. Whenever it was a friend’s birthday, we’d head there for dinner. They had the best steaks in town—thick, juicy and well seasoned. It was also the only place I would ever dare to eat liver and onions. I grew up in England, and my mother always turned liver into shoe leather. At the Tulip, I discovered that liver could actually be tasty. It shut down in 2020 over a dispute with the landlord.”

Hastings Snack Bar, 5 Hastings Ave. (1962–present)

“I went to Hastings Snack Bar a lot when it was owned by a guy named John Chong. He worked there as a short order cook and sold the business in 2016. John was an old guy when I started popping in around 2008. He’d open up at 6:30 a.m. to serve breakfast, and he might stay open for lunch depending on how he felt. I went on a fairly regular basis for a while because I was doing carpentry work on a building across the street. When I would walk in, John would smile at me, which was a nice way to start my day. It’s still open, but now it’s a Polish breakfast joint serving pierogis and sausages. It’s damn good—just don’t plan on eating anything else for the rest of the day.”

Jim’s Restaurant, 897 Queen St. E. (1960s–2016)

“The sign outside Jim’s said ‘The Best Westerns,’ and it was right—they served absolutely fabulous Western sandwiches. I would go in and over half the people in there would have one on their plates. They were immense and served up by the owner, George Dafos, with a smile. He was forced to sell the business because developers bought the building to turn it into condos. His brother Angelo had a restaurant called Gingerman, near Victoria Park, so he went there and started making, you guessed it, Western sandwiches. He stuck with what he knew.”

Logan Grill, 807 Gerrard St. E. (1940–2010)

“Logan Grill was run by an old Greek guy who seemed to love serving people food. I’ve lived on the 506 streetcar route for the last 40 years, and I’m pretty sure the faded Lumberking sign has always been there. I’ve gone by thousands of times. I only visited a couple of times, and nothing really stood out to me, but the homogeneity of diners is another thing I like about them. You always know what to expect.”

OK OK Diner, 1128 Queen St. E. (2004-2023)

“The OK OK was a Leslieville institution that had been in operation since 1952. At first it was called Nick’s Restaurant, then it became Tony’s Restaurant after changing hands in 1972. What I remember most about it was the long counter with classic red pedestal diner stools and red banquet booths. There was also a long painting of an old TTC PCC streetcar, which had been there since 2012. It closed in 2023 because the owner decided to retire.”