Say zài jiàn to Mandarin’s oldest Toronto location
Yonge and Eglinton is about to lose a GOAT
Every Mandarin restaurant comes with a similar setup: inside the entrance is a water feature (often a too-small koi pond where ornamental carp guzzle dissolved oxygen around its waterfall) that leads into a central room of buffet tables teeming with Canadian Chinese fare (but also things like Jell-O), all encircled by dining rooms where intergenerational celebrations unfold beneath upturned paper umbrellas. It’s a nostalgic setting for anyone who grew up in the suburbs of Ontario in the ’90s or early aughts.
But, for any city-dwellers who have yet to enjoy an all-you-can-eat meal at Mandarin—which was founded in Brampton in 1979—there’s a fast-approaching deadline to experience it. The chain’s last urban location, tucked into the Canada Square complex at Yonge and Eglinton and accessible by subway, is closing up shop on January 18 to make way for redevelopment of the complex.
It may not seem like a travesty that a thriving restaurant chain is closing a single location, but this particular franchise has survived 35 years on its busy corner. Open since 1991, it witnessed Yonge and Eglinton’s now-hard-to-imagine scrappy era, survived two recessions and a pandemic, and still managed to hold on to pre-inflation pricing, with cocktails around $10 and the all-you-can-eat buffet ranging from $25.99 to $42.99, depending on the day and time. Yet, despite Toronto’s deeply nostalgic diners and kitsch-seeking TikTokers, it won’t survive what comes next.
While details are still emerging, five mixed-use office, civic and residential towers have been proposed for the lot, which would include almost 3,000 apartments.
As for the remaining staff, some servers—many of whom have worked there since day one—say they will likely take a break before assessing their next move. For now, there’s no clear plan to build an alternative centrally located outpost any time soon.
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Mandarin’s appeal has always been rooted in a distinctly suburban idea of hospitality: generous square footage for sprawling parties, ample spots outside to park SUVs, leisurely paced meals and something on offer for every picky eater imaginable, young or old. It doesn’t need refinement or culinary reinvention; it has value and abundance. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the chain’s busiest days are Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Family Day.
For midtown Mandarin fans feeling bereft, locations at 1255 The Queensway in Etobicoke, 200 Queen’s Plate Dr. in Rexdale, 1027 Finch Ave. W. in North York and 2206 Eglinton Ave. E. in Scarborough are still open for all of your all-you-can-eat needs.
The loss of such an earnest, family friendly vestige in midtown raises an uncomfortable question: as Toronto grows denser, sleeker and more productive, who is the city’s dining culture being built for?
Lindsey King is a Toronto-based writer and editor whose work can be found in Toronto Life, Maclean’s, Canada’s 100 Best and more. She is interested in arts and culture, food and drink, architecture, design, and real estate stories
