Seven new diners for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night drinks

As we approach the season of year-end reflection, one thing is clear: the city is elbows deep in its throwback era. You can’t throw a club sandwich without hitting a new—but, at the same time, nostalgic—diner.

Could it be a coming-of-age tale for newly minted millennial chefs and restaurateurs? Perhaps it’s an analog-infused rejection of our march toward ubiquitous AI, or simply another outlet for generations’ worth of this-could-be-useful knick-knacks. Whatever the catalyst, a good number of new diner-inspired restaurants and bars across the city are harking back with passion.

Related: A Queen West cocktail bar is rebranding itself as an all-day restaurant with a “diner-ish” menu

“After the pandemic, a wave of older establishments closed,” says Shivani Lakhanpal of Archive Hospitality, the team behind newly opened Cassette at the Gladstone. “I think there’s a lot of eagerness to bring the energy back into those places that remind people of a simpler time. Those places that have always made Toronto special and unique and quirky. Places where people are off their phones and engaged in a space where you feel comfortable enough to just hang out. It’s affordable and accessible, and it doesn’t feel like an unreachable luxury to go out.”

We rounded up seven new throwback diners across the city to satisfy your need for nosh and nostalgia, from breakfast to brunch to lunch to dinner to late-night drinks.

Daisy May’s

968 Bathurst St., @daisymays_to

Picking up where the very popular Grapefruit Moon left off, Daisy May’s brings brunch, lunch and boozy daytime drinks to the Annex. Named for co-owner Theo Laan’s grandmother and inspired by his blue-collar upbringing, it’s diner fare that’s a little bit finessed but still comfortably familiar.

Well-worn wood floors, hand-sewn vintage curtains and a gallery wall of eclectic vintage decor set the scene for a carefully considered, community-driven collection of dishes. Prior to opening, the team actually canvassed the neighbourhood to ask what people wanted to see on the menu. There’s an egg-and-mushroom tartine with grilled sourdough, whipped ricotta, three varieties of sautéed mushrooms, poached eggs, pine nuts and herbed oil. A crunchy plate of bite-size corn fritters is made for sharing, drizzled with poblano-infused hot honey and served with ranch on the side. For anyone with a sweet tooth, there’s house-made key lime pie, a bright and zesty dessert with a moreish graham crumb and brown butter base and whipped cream on the side.

Tea and coffee are served in hand-painted vintage ceramic mugs sourced from garage sales. Similarly eclectic glassware sets the tone for a creative cocktail list designed by Laan’s wife, Julia, who used to work at Aunties and Uncles, another gone-but-not-forgotten neighbourhood brunch spot. “It was this beautiful, cozy restaurant full of vintage tchotchkes where everybody was happy,” says Laan. “When it closed, we felt there was a gap in the Annex for that kind of experience. We just wanted to make the type of restaurant that we enjoy eating at.”

Tatsuro’s

1378 Queen St. E., tatsuros.com

This unassuming Japanese Italian diner in Leslieville serves up breakfast, brunch and lunch via a curated menu of coffee, pasta and toast. Modelled on a traditional Japanese kissaten—a mom-and-pop-style tearoom with fast, no-nonsense service and a simple menu of light meals—Tatsuro’s is bright and casual, with a few pieces of nostalgic memorabilia and a soundtrack rooted in Japanese pop.

Related: Toronto can’t get enough of Italian fusion

For Hong Kong–raised chefs Oscar Lau and Maggie Wong, the focus is on simple yet precisely executed food. Doing away with the usual flourishes that make for showy Instagram posts, Wong instead spent years perfecting his mochi waffle recipe for the Karaage Moffle, a signature dish of Japanese fried chicken, a crisp and lightly chewy mochi waffle, and miso syrup. The Wafu Carbonara is bacon and eggs in a breakfast-y pasta, and the house spaghetti pomodoro swaps out basil for nori. Don’t miss the section dedicated to light and fluffy shokupan toasts with toppings like blueberry compote, house-made ricotta and yuzu. New to the fall menu is carrot-and-hummus toast with mushrooms, a shrimp katsu sandwich and a tofu tiramisu.

“I think people want that feeling of nostalgia that you get from the vibe of a diner, but they want a fresh take on the food. We wanted to keep it simple and light but intentional. We focus on the foundational elements, like the quality of the bread. I think people are pleasantly surprised that something so simple can taste so good. Diners really cut through the bullshit,” says Wong.

Cassette

1214 Queen St. W., cassetteto.com

The much-anticipated successor to the Gladstone’s legendary Melody Bar has opened its doors for dinner, late-night snacks and plenty of live entertainment. Leaning on its storied past as a pillar of Toronto’s music and arts community, Cassette cultivates an unfussy nostalgic vibe that aims for staying power. Among a creative lineup of local DJs, bands and diverse acts, a monthly dinner-and-drag show with Tynomi Banks of Canada’s Drag Race brings big bubbly energy to this historic Queen Street corner.

“The Gladstone has been here since 1889. We wanted something that didn’t feel too trendy—something that would have felt as natural being there 10 years ago as it would 10 years from now,” says Shivani Lakhanpal of Archive Hospitality, the group also responsible for reinvigorating the Broadview Hotel. “The stage in that front corner is a quintessential Gladstone thing that many people were happy to see return. I remember living in this neighbourhood in my 20s and walking by those big beautiful windows. You’d see the back of someone’s head performing on the stage and get a sense of real warmth from the street. It always looked so inviting. We wanted to bring back that feeling.”

A menu of diner-esque plates, including cornflake-crusted chicken tenders with house aïoli, meet nostalgic childhood flavours, like the dark chocolate budino, a rich flan with salted caramel, whipped cream and candied orange peel that tastes like a mashup of Snack Pack pudding and a Terry’s Chocolate Orange.

Lonely Diner

432 College St., @lonely_diner

Once home to Mars Diner, open from 1951 until 2021, Lonely Diner is an Asian-inspired cocktail bar that pays homage to its long-standing predecessor while dialling up the coziness for the late-night crowd. The space pairs casual comfort in the form of dimly lit ’70s rec room vibes with a polished, creative cocktail menu and richly layered snacking plates.

Floor-to-ceiling wood panelling, terrazzo floors and retro McDonald’s booths set the tone for an unpretentious evening. That said, the cocktail program is among the city’s most innovative, led by veteran Toronto mixologists Kaleb Hansen (BarChef) and Sasha Siegel (Bar Banane, Overpressure Club). Nostalgic Asian flavours like durian and haw flakes punctuate cocktails that evoke strong memories for some and invite others to make new discoveries. The Forbidden Fruit, an ode to a specific durian cake once sold at Chinatown bakery Furama, balances the fruit’s buttery funk with hints of cantaloupe. Punchy snacking plates include a sandwich with twice-battered cod, yuzu tartar sauce, osetra caviar and a side of chips. A plate of creamy stracciatella is topped with Lau Gan Ma chili oil, blistered tomatoes and crunchy roasted soy beans.

“Coming up in the hospitality scene, opening a cocktail bar has always been on our minds, but we pictured something more homey, clean and simple, where both our staff and patrons can feel comfortable. That theme was our guide to creating a cozy retro walnut interior and a flavour-first cocktail menu that we can price comfortably,” says co-owner Andrew Pham.

Watch for playful antics behind the bar, like ice cube tossing and fire breathing, and cute details like a commissioned series of nostalgic miniatures by local artist Richard of Studio Six—an old Toronto phone booth, subway car and newspaper box—displayed on a shelf near the door. “You can tell by our over-the-top floral vintage shirts that we’re aiming for a relaxed atmosphere here. We want to be silly and fun but execute on a high level,” says Siegel.

Bonito’s

180 Ossington Ave., @boniiitos

This laundromat turned late-night diner feels right at home among Ossington’s trendy neighbourhood conversions. The menu is anchored by casual bites to pair with a wide-ranging cocktail list inventively informed by owners Adrian Montesdeoca’s and Mikey Kim’s respective Ecuadorian and Korean roots.

Visitors enter off the street into a fluorescent-lit convenience store of sorts. The deceptive storefront is all part of the concept, lending speakeasy vibes to a diner-meets-dive-bar night out. A healthy dose of rounded chrome corners and retro sports memorabilia is given a warm glow with backlit banquets. A beguiling roster of bar snacks plays off a quirky cocktail menu of tropical thirst quenchers (pisco punch, watermelon marg), retro classics (Amaretto sour, Long Island iced tea) and frat party throwbacks (shotski, anyone?).

Escape your culinary comfort zone with the Tang Tang E, a Korean-inspired tartare of raw beef and cooked octopus sprinkled with perilla seeds, pickled daikon and celery. Or try the Flautas de Cantina, a shredded-beef taquito with creamy cabbage slaw and mustard. As Kim previously told Toronto Life: “Not every dish on the menu is Korean or Ecuadorian, but all of them are nostalgic in one way or another.”

Susie’s Rise and Dine

539 College St., susiestoronto.com

Awash in retro-futuristic ’60s diner vibes, Susie’s brings warm welcomes and buzzy energy to Little Italy with its hearty brunch plates and—starting recently—dinner too. Curvy chrome, tiled walls, globe lights, neon signage and a curated playlist of timeless nostalgic tunes set the tone for a menu of reinvigorated diner classics with Asian flavours here and there.

High school friends—and big fans of diner culture—Adam Lore, Tyler Tanabe, Matthew Chow and Liben Bihon are behind the warm dynamic. “Part of the DNA of a diner is straightforward, easy-to-love food that’s affordable,” says general manager Bihon. “But I think the nostalgia comes less from the concept of a diner than from the emotions that they evoke. Those feelings of warmth and hospitality that we were surrounded by growing up. That’s what we’re trying to capture.”

Related: Little Italy’s favourite new brunch spot now serves dinner

The breakfast plate is a true greasy spoon classic, with two eggs, hash browns, a grilled tomato zhuzhed up with chermoula, and rye toast, to which guests can add bacon or sausage. The tuna melt features Japanese tartar sauce, malt vinegar–pickled celery and American cheese, and it comes stuffed with Miss Vickie’s sour cream and onion chips. Desserts, like the malted chocolate milkshake made with Ovaltine and the banana pudding with Biscoff cookie crumble, deliver continent-crossing nostalgic flavours.

Dinner holds on to some of the brunch menu staples but extends the comfort-food repertoire with hearty dishes like a creamy seafood alfredo that loads udon noodles with shrimp, scallops and crab. Cocktails with names like Keep Em Coming and I Deserve This join a tongue-in-cheek list of tipples stretching from brunch to dinner.

Stefano’s Diner

1265 Dundas St. W., stefanosdiner.com

Toronto’s first plant-based diner started life as a pandemic sandwich pop-up that attained cult status when Dan Levy gave it two thumbs up. Helmed by the team from Michelin-recognized restaurant Gia, Stefano’s latest brick-and-mortar evolution took shape last year, branching out to plant-based Italian classics.

Those staple Italian sandwiches, the ones Levy called “the best I’ve ever had,” still anchor an ever-changing menu (if you try just one, make it the fried “chicken”), joining other handhelds like a signature smash burger. Heartier mains span satisfying comfort classics like lasagna, a “chicken” filet with creamy mushroom marsala wine sauce and a cutting-edge plant-based salmon with béarnaise. Pair them with a curated menu of cocktails, spritzy mocktails, beer, cider and wines by the glass (or bottle).

Brunch features a chef’s-special breakfast sandwich, brioche French toast and a couple of flavourful egg-alternative dishes: a Benny and eggs purgatory.

“My grandparents owned a diner in Nova Scotia,” says owner Jennifer Coburn. “My grandfather cooked very East Coast—think corned beef hash and everything done in four inches of grease. I always used to tell my partner that I would love to own a diner.” With design elements partly influenced by throwback interiors around the city (like the green banquets of Doc’s Green Door Lounge), a refined take on the familial diner felt like the natural sit-down extension of Stefano’s sandwiches.

Beyond Coburn’s love of animals, she believes the future of food production will have to pivot for practical reasons, and vegan foods will be seen as less of a science experiment, more of a staple. “A diner is an easy reach for converting people to what vegan food can be,” says Coburn. “It can be everything you already know and love.”