Beloved Hungarian restaurant in Canada announces closure
Country Style, a beloved Hungarian restaurant in Toronto, is set to close its doors for good on 1 August. The announcement led to an outpouring of emotions from customers, many of whom have been regulars for years.
The closure marks the end of an era for Hungarian cuisine in Toronto, known for its homemade-style dishes like schnitzels, cabbage rolls and goulash, writes CBC.
Long history
The restaurant has been a fixture in the Annex neighbourhood for 62 years. It was one of the first Hungarian restaurants on Bloor Street and the last one remaining. After the Second World War, a significant number of Hungarian refugees arrived in Canada. Many of them settled in the Annex area, resulting in the emergence of numerous Hungarian restaurants.
Katalin Koltai acted as the owner of the restaurant for 23 years. She acknowledged the continued demand for their food but at the same time, revealed her desire to retire. She expressed gratitude for the loyal customers who have been coming to the restaurant with their families from various parts of Canada and even the United States.
Customers,who have been frequenting the restaurant for decades, were saddened by the news of its closure. One regular, Liz Addison recalled the restaurant’s popularity during her time as a student at the University of Toronto. She explicitly praised the affordability and deliciousness of the food, particularly the schnitzel. Many customers have built lasting memories at the establishment, with families growing over the years and multiple generations now enjoying the restaurant together.
End of an era
Koltai, who immigrated to Canada in 1971, initially worked at a bank before joining the restaurant as a waitress. Eventually, in 2000, she purchased the restaurant with the support of her family and has been managing it tirelessly ever since. However, after 23 years of running the restaurant, Koltai has decided it’s time to retire and prioritise her own desires. Her plan now is to travel back to Hungary to spend some time with her family.
Following the closure on 1 August, the restaurant space will be taken over by a Vietnamese restaurant. As the final remaining Hungarian restaurant on Bloor Street, the closure of Country Style Hungarian marks the end of an era for Hungarian cuisine enthusiasts in Toronto.
Source: CBC
I find it hard to believe that a city of Toronto’s size can’t support several Hungarian eateries anymore, or wants them. Hungarians were one of the new immigrant groups who built Toronto. Very early settlers were here for hundreds of years prior to the ‘discovery of the new world’ but there were no roads, no bridges, no cathedrals or hospitals or even schools. Not sure what they did over the 600+ yrs that they were supposedly here since all the raw materials of every type were here anywhere one looked. No famous art or music or anything to bring tourists here like they flock to all other corners of the world for historic sites & experiences. So when British, French then many other countries became represented here the infrastructure started being established. My own father & his friends who came together built the first super tall buildings in Toronto. At the time, in the 50’s, they were a sight to behold! In the early 1960s a highway was finally built across the country, many Europeans were forced to work alongside the Chinese to make that happen. Celebratory meals were eaten at Hungarian restaurants to commemorate the good life that people were creating for themselves & the contribution they made to the country. Hungarian delis were visited for those foods which were too difficult to make at home by hard working families. Those food outlets also contributed to our culture being experienced by the other immigrant groups, mostly living in clusters in neighborhoods that then had their own special flavours of lifestyle. I think that the development of the suburban lifestyle ruined things for people in many ways. Spread close friends & family far & wide.
In my province of NS I have met 2 other Magyar speakers, have heard of a few others, but not in my oceanside community. I often think that had Hungarians, Italians & Chinese people settled here too in the 1950s & ’60s this would not have been a ‘have not’ province for most of it’s existence. We knew how to build, and establish prosperous communities! With much of the province destroyed thru out of control fires during the past 4 weeks we are desperate for the same kind of Europeans now….builders to get people out of tents back into homes! For too long here the ‘trades’ have been neglect in schools. Now, no hands to hold the tools & rebuild.