Iconic Toronto restaurant The Rosedale Diner set to close its doors after 45 years

After 45 years of serving the community in midtown Toronto, the owners of The Rosedale Diner say it’s time to move on and they’ll be closing the doors for good.

The Rosedale Diner, located on Yonge Street near Summerhill station, will be closed for service after Dec. 31.

“It just happened. Somebody approached us. It was the right time and we are ready to go,” Esti Filar, the diner’s co-owner, told CityNews.

Esti, along with her husband Dubi Filar, opened The Rosedale Diner in 1978 after meeting three years earlier.

“It was in a party, a Hanukkah party, at a friend’s house,” Dubi said.

“We were both not invited,” Esti noted while laughing.

“We were in the kitchen. I am cooking. Esti came in and the rest is history … [we’ve been] cooking together since.”

The couple, who are now in their 70s, said they have many memories at the diner, including raising their children at the restaurant and being featured on Guy Fieri’s show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

Through ups and downs, and even the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple said they never imagined they would make it in business until 2023.

“We never thought about it,” they both said.

“We just went with the flow, everything was OK and our son joined the place 10 years ago. He really gave it a … young spirit boost, and since then we’re doing so well.”

The couple reflected on what they would miss the most once the business is closed.

“The people,” they both said, referring to their interactions with customers and their employees.

Louis Carreira, a customer at The Rosedale Diner since he was 18 years old, made it a mission to return to the restaurant before it closed.

“It’s cozy, it’s homey, the people were always very welcoming and the food was always really nice,” he told CityNews.

“I wanted to see the owner for the last time and wish him a happy retirement, and just to kind of reminisce a little bit about all the memories I have here.”