Toronto’s iconic Lakeview Diner reopens — with steak and seafood on the menu

Few symbols have come to represent Toronto’s beloved Lakeview Restaurant as much as its signature “Always Open” neon sign out front. Though it wasn’t glowing on the day CityNews visited the recently reopened restaurant, inside there’s been quite the glow-up.

“Opened 24 hours a day for 15 years straight, this place has gone to war many times,” co-owner Fadi Hakim said.

The iconic west end diner’s black and white hexagon tiled flooring (which is not the original from 1932) and wood-panelled decor remain the same. But the wallpaper has been replaced with mirrors, and the entryway bar is now framed by mint green ice cream machines.

“When you walk in, you see the ice cream, it hits you back to the old milkshakes and the old times at the Lakeview,” said head chef Adam Zimmerman.

Eventually the joint will be retrofitted with a takeout window for ice cream and those famous milkshakes, which, yes, are coming back.

Smoked Salmon, Scallion Cream Cheese, Tomato, Capers & Pickled Shallots. Photo courtesy of Lakeview Restaurant.

When building the new menu, which has evolved to include smoked meats, brisket, and a smoked salon tower that Zimmerman believes they will be known for, he drew from his family’s history in the food business.

One side of the family ran malt shops and lunch counters in New York’s garment district.

“It’s New York, right?” said Zimmerman. “So a lot of smoked fishes, cream cheeses, the patty melts, the turkey clubs.”

Zimmerman’s grandfather on the other side worked in a pickle factory as a newly landed immigrant in Toronto before opening former Kensington Market mainstay Zimmerman’s Discount.

For reimagined dinner at the Lakeview, whitefish terrine, Miami ribs and chicken paprikash are now options.

“Dishes you would see on most Jewish European tables,” Zimmerman said, “but done in a way that’s very diner.”

“The chicken is a whole chicken on a plate with some sauce and there’s nothing else to it. The Miami ribs dish, you get some ribs on a plate, some sauce, and vegetables.”

Adam Zimmerman’s grandfather Zoltan Zimmerman at Zimmerman’s Discount in Kensington. Photo supplied.

As steady as business has been during the wee hours of the morning as well as for lunch, declining dinnertime sales made a shakeup necessary.

“A lot of people when they want to go out for dinner, they have many more options on Ossington or Queen or Dundas, so our idea was to make dinner more exciting,” Zimmerman said. “You can’t have a business open 24 hours and people not coming for half the day.”

According to Restaurants Canada, about 34 per cent of restaurants in Ontario right now are spending more money than is coming through the doors, as operating costs rise faster than revenues.

“Everyone who’s been to the grocery store can see the cost of food is increasing,” said Tracy Macgregor, Ontario vice president for Restaurants Canada. “You have to tweak things, bring in new experiences. It’s just getting more difficult to operate under these conditions.”

But Macgregor said restaurants are conscious consumers are also feeling pinched and aren’t passing on the whole costs to customers.

“Diners are the hubs of neighbourhoods. That’s where people know your name, they know what you order,” Macgregor said. “As long as consumers keep going out and remembering that those hubs are there and that they need your traffic and your patronage, that’s something that’s really important right now.”

Beef Tartare with Bone Marrow on the dinner menu. Photo courtesy of Lakeview Restaurant)

So what’s the appetite for a dish like beef tartare at Lakeview?

“Everything is approachable,” said Hakim. “You can’t really say anything until you try it.”

The last time the diner revamped its plates was when Hakim took over the space 15 years ago. They added dill to the tuna salad, and apple pie to the milkshakes.

“We did eggs benny which [at the time] was never a diner thing. So funny thing is there were a lot of people saying ‘Oh the diner was dead’.”

Hakim said the restaurant will continue to pay homage to its long history serving the community by offering your favourite fare with a twist, or a simple cup of coffee. Everything else is extra.

“Getting steak and seafood in is kind of just a nice addition to the tapestry of Trinity-Bellwoods.”