After 73 years in the heart of downtown Toronto, the Patrician Grill is finally ready to bid farewell. The restaurant will be closing on May 9, 2026.
Opened in 1967, the diner on King Street East has been a neighbourhood staple for the city’s early risers, steak sandwich lovers, George Brown College students, and those just looking for a quality plate of bacon and eggs.
For owner and operator Terry Papas, the Patrician Grill has been his whole life.
Papas’ parents bought the restaurant in 1967 and by 10 years old, Papas was already working summers. He started working full-time in 1986 and is coming up on his 59th year.
20-year regulars
In a city where it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to find an affordable plate of old-school diner food, the Patrician Grill still stands tall. From the steak sandwich to the daily soup, customers keep coming back, some for over 20 years.
Take friends Jay and Adam, who have been getting breakfast together at the Patrician Grill for what seems like forever. Jay’s nearing 30 years as a patron and Adam, 15 years. Jay always orders the steak sandwich and says it’s his “favourite steak sandwich in the city.” Adam is more of a Hollywood Special and a large orange juice guy.
“This is a beautiful place. You come in here, not everyone sits on their phones. People still read the paper. They call the orders out old school style and [there’s] no checks. It’s great,” Jay says.
Tim is also a regular who has been frequenting the Patrician Grill on and off for 20 years, since he was a Toronto Metropolitan University student. He enjoys ordering the chicken salad and the daily soup.
Papas relishes in getting to know his customers over the decades. He says he’s met all kinds of people and created friendships with customers.
“I love the customers and talking to people, getting to know [them], hearing different stories, different lives, networking and healthy banter,” Papas explains.
“We knew their lives. They knew my life, like ‘Terry, what are you doing on the weekend?’”
Cash only
The Patrician Grill is one of the few remaining establishments in Toronto that’s still cash only. Papas wanted to keep business simple and to “keep the big industries and corporations out of our pockets.”
“Some people love it and some people don’t. But you know, people certainly are talking about fighting the power or whatnot. So I try to keep the costs down by not feeding into the ‘there’s a fee here and a fee there,” he says. “Let’s just stay cash. Let’s keep it simple.”
What’s next?
After almost six decades running the Patrician Grill, retirement is on the horizon for Papas. He’s not quite sure what to do with all of the extra free time, except to finally get some good rest.
“Sleeping in is a priority because the 5:30 a.m. mornings are very, very draining.”
Papas says he’ll probably golf, travel and maybe do a bit of woodworking, but he’ll take it one day at a time.
“I run a restaurant. The Patrician Grill is more home than home. We’ve been here now coming on our 59th year. It’s only part of my identity.”
