The culinary scene on Queen Street East is going to look a little different at this time next month as three restaurants in the Leslieville neighbourhood are closing their doors for good.
Barrio Cervecería, Greta Solomon’s and Frankie’s Italian — all located within three blocks of one another — are saying goodbye to customers after serving the community for a combined 25 years.
For nine of those years, locals enjoyed Barrio Cervecería — a once popular Mexican restaurant run by brothers Oscar and Howard Welsh. Their last day of service will be April 1.
In business together for most of their adult life, the siblings had owned eateries in Mexico before moving to Canada years ago. Not long after Barrio opened, the owners said their space was quickly recognized among locals for its colourful dining room and authentic fixtures around the space that “takes you back to Cancun.”
Howard, the director of operations at Barrio, told TorontoToday his team was never able to fully recover from the pandemic. Three years later, the owners decided now was the right time to call it a day “before it’s too late.”
“It’s heartbreaking — we’ve always worked together,” he said. “But the whole restaurant industry changed a lot. People aren’t going [out to eat] as much, so that’s how things started to go a little bit downhill.”
“Then, when people were coming, they were pretty much sharing meals, having an appetizer, or having one drink instead of two or three. We noticed regulars who would come two to three times a week were only once every other week.”
According to their most recent quarterly report, Restaurants Canada said its members are struggling with high costs and a diminished labour pool, and now, threats of tariffs from the United States.
Restaurants Canada surveys found more than one-third of Canadians aren’t eating out as much as they used to. One in four Canadian households earning under $50,000/year didn’t eat out last summer at all.
Like most restaurants, summertime was traditionally the most profitable for Barrio as patio season meant the drinks were flowing while their marquee dishes like empanadas, floutas and quesadillas were consistently coming out of the kitchen.
But there wasn’t enough service in the warmer months of 2024, according to Welsh, which led to a difficult decision this winter.
“If we don’t have a strong summer, it obviously affects the winter for us because we try to survive the winter,” he said.
While he’s not sure what’s next, Welsh’s immediate focus is to give the restaurant and his customers a nice send-off over the next three weeks. The owners are even giving away their glassware, among other restaurant items, so customers can take “a piece of their story” home with them.
The brothers may consider starting up another eatery, but if they do, it will be on a smaller scale, they said.
“We had an idea to maybe start with a takeout joint as opposed to a full restaurant,” Welsh noted. “But we don’t really know at this moment.”
Two doors down, Frankie’s Italian closed its doors nearly two weeks ago after serving an assortment of pizzas, pastas and wines in the heart of Leslieville since 2018.
While TorontoToday was unable to speak with the outgoing owners on the restaurant’s closure, the business is listed as “permanently closed” on Google. The Welsh brothers, who had close ties to Frankie’s, also mentioned they had already shuttered their doors.
As BlogTO previously reported, four friends comprised of two couples lived out a lifelong dream and purchased the Italian eatery near the end of 2023.
Shortly after taking over, the ownership group changed up some of the menu by adding new pizzas and other Italian fare. They also introduced a daily happy hour on weekdays.
The restaurant’s website is still up, but Frankie’s phone number is inactive and their Instagram page is private.
Several blocks down the street, Greta Solomon’s — an intimate 26-seat French restaurant near Leslie Grove Park — alerted their customers on social media they’d be closing on March 15.
The establishment, which aimed to give locals the vibes and tastes of Paris, nearly eclipsed the ten-year mark in Toronto’s culinary scene.
“What an absolute glorious and crazy time it has been,” the team wrote on Instagram. “Just shy of a decade, a lifetime for a restaurant. We are so proud of this little gem. She served us well and it was our pleasure to serve you.”
Named after the owner's late mother and grandfather, Greta Solomon's prided itself on making all of their dishes in house, while ingredients were sourced from local and family-run suppliers.
In addition to offering French classics like Pâté de Foie, Magret de Canard and escargots, Greta Solomon’s boasted an exclusive French wine list. The owners made an effort to work with small vineyards that were certified biodynamic, organic and sustainable.
“The deepest thank you to all of you that has honoured us with your patronage, stories and laughter,” the team told customers on social media.
