A family-run Toronto restaurant is slated to close permanently later this month, bringing to an end a nearly 30-year-long legacy in the city.
It’s been ages since Luna Cafe, once a neighbourhood staple at the corner of Dovercourt and Argyle, closed its doors — it’s now home to a little pizzeria called Badiali, ever heard of it? — but the family team behind the cafe has been hard at work in the Junction.
Run by husband-and-wife team Bernie Matos and Tom McMurtry, the original Dovercourt Luna Cafe location was an institution that operated for more than 21 years before closing.
In 2018, while their original cafe was still in business, Matos and McMurtry opened Luna Junction, a sister location to the cafe on Dundas West, which expanded the business with a more well-rounded food program and, not for nothing, a liquor license.
Even after Luna Cafe closed its doors, the Junction spot remained in business, alive and well, churning out a droolworthy rotation of Mediterranean cuisine for dinner and, on weekends, a particularly popular brunch.
Now, though, after nearly 30 years in business across Luna Cafe and Luna Junction, Matos and McMurtry are ready to hang up their aprons for good, taking to Luna’s Instagram account to announce that the restaurant will be closing permanently in December of 2025.
“The sun is soon to set on our Luna adventure,” the caption of the post reads. “We will be closing at the end of December with the last dinner December 20th and the last brunch December 28.”
The caption goes on to thank all of Luna Junction’s devoted patrons for 28 years of support and, luckily, you’ve still got a few more days to swing by and show that very same support one last time before Luna is gone for good.
Luna Junction is located at 2800 Dundas St. W.
Dining and Cooking