steak queen toronto

Toronto restaurant Steak Queen made famous by Rob Ford has permanently closed

Rexdale's Steak Queen, made famous by late Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, has closed its doors for good.

The 24/7 Greek diner, which served late-night fast food for almost five decades, made headlines back in 2014 for a secretly filmed cellphone video featuring then-Mayor Rob Ford swearing in Jamaican patois near the front counter.

Ford later admitted that he had been drunk in the video.

The long-running restaurant went up in flames on Nov 8, 2016, causing 11 firetrucks and 44 firefighters to rush to the scene to put out the blaze.

Luckily, no one was injured or in the restaurant at the time of the fire. The precise extent of the damage is still unknown. An investigation ensued as to the cause, which has yet to be determined.

Owners Gus and Toula Housseas opened the 24/7 late-night old-style Greek diner back in 1979. The greasy spoon was known for its signature $3.25 domestic bottles of beer served from noon until last call.

Customers loved its red vinyl flip-down chairs, four-person booths, old-school arcade games, burgers and the makeshift shrine of Rob Ford newspaper clippings on the wall.

The 345 Rexdale Boulevard restaurant location in Etobicoke was put up for lease and has already found new tenants. There's no word from Steak Queen on why they closed their doors.

Lead photo by

Jesse Milns


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