Regency restaurant in Toronto has permanently closed after 23 years
Regency restaurant in Toronto has permanently closed after 23 years
by beef-supreme
4 Comments
beef-supreme
> Regency Restaurant, formerly located at 1423 Gerrard St. E., served up traditional Indian dishes in a buffet-style setting, with plates like chicken biryani, mutton curry, and chicken tikka masala. > > In an announcement to a community Facebook page, the restaurant’s owners revealed that they would be closing their doors following over two decades in the neighbourhood. > > “Although we are happy to be closing on our own terms, we will miss all our loyal customers,” the restaurant’s owners told blogTO.
I saw mention from one of the Star’s food writers that Udupi Palace across the street would be vacating their larger space to move into Regency. I wonder if we’ll see someone new in Udupi’s space or if its ripe for redevelopment.
chanigan
little India resident here, the property has been for sale for a couple months now. If they own the building, they probably sold the building, or if they rent, the landowner probably sold it and they have to vacate. Also, I had never seen more than 1 customer in there. At times, it’s completely empty. In general though, more and more Indian businesses are moving out, probably because of higher rent or gentrification.
Fast_Listen4589
Not just this restaurant. I am sad to see so many restaurants killed by the pandemic or reduced to a shadow of their former selves. Just visited a local gem that used to be 5 stars in terms of food, value and local charms (not by food critics’ high brow standards). The restaurant is a shadow of its past. The chef is still marvelous, but he couldn’t do that much when the ingredients quality has skimmed by so much.
Crazy_Ad4505
I used to live in this hood 2009-2014 just as gentrification was starting and am canadian-born South asian. A few things:
– I saw the home of the owners of this restaurant and it made me not want to eat at the restaurant, and Regency was always empty for the most part. No idea how it survived this long.
– not sure why so much of the strip had fallen into disrepair, but its true a lot did, seems many old families were not up for change and this left it ripe for blandifying/gentrification. regardless…
– the new business owners in the strip at the time I lived there who were trying to transform it were very ignorant about race and downright awful in the way they spoke about South Asian residents and business owners. I did join GECO the neighbourhood org but didnt have the words at the time to even name much of what i was seeing. It factored in my decision to move out of the area bc i did not want to raise my kids there. It didn’t feel welcoming.
– the area could be so much more but it won’t be , the gentrifiers have and will continue to turn it more and more bland as only those who can afford to set up shop there will. its a shame, for an area that had a lot of personality once upon a time. Blandtoronto!
4 Comments
> Regency Restaurant, formerly located at 1423 Gerrard St. E., served up traditional Indian dishes in a buffet-style setting, with plates like chicken biryani, mutton curry, and chicken tikka masala.
>
> In an announcement to a community Facebook page, the restaurant’s owners revealed that they would be closing their doors following over two decades in the neighbourhood.
>
> “Although we are happy to be closing on our own terms, we will miss all our loyal customers,” the restaurant’s owners told blogTO.
I saw mention from one of the Star’s food writers that Udupi Palace across the street would be vacating their larger space to move into Regency. I wonder if we’ll see someone new in Udupi’s space or if its ripe for redevelopment.
little India resident here, the property has been for sale for a couple months now. If they own the building, they probably sold the building, or if they rent, the landowner probably sold it and they have to vacate. Also, I had never seen more than 1 customer in there. At times, it’s completely empty. In general though, more and more Indian businesses are moving out, probably because of higher rent or gentrification.
Not just this restaurant. I am sad to see so many restaurants killed by the pandemic or reduced to a shadow of their former selves. Just visited a local gem that used to be 5 stars in terms of food, value and local charms (not by food critics’ high brow standards). The restaurant is a shadow of its past. The chef is still marvelous, but he couldn’t do that much when the ingredients quality has skimmed by so much.
I used to live in this hood 2009-2014 just as gentrification was starting and am canadian-born South asian. A few things:
– I saw the home of the owners of this restaurant and it made me not want to eat at the restaurant, and Regency was always empty for the most part. No idea how it survived this long.
– not sure why so much of the strip had fallen into disrepair, but its true a lot did, seems many old families were not up for change and this left it ripe for blandifying/gentrification. regardless…
– the new business owners in the strip at the time I lived there who were trying to transform it were very ignorant about race and downright awful in the way they spoke about South Asian residents and business owners. I did join GECO the neighbourhood org but didnt have the words at the time to even name much of what i was seeing. It factored in my decision to move out of the area bc i did not want to raise my kids there. It didn’t feel welcoming.
– the area could be so much more but it won’t be , the gentrifiers have and will continue to turn it more and more bland as only those who can afford to set up shop there will. its a shame, for an area that had a lot of personality once upon a time. Blandtoronto!