Perhaps it was the endless construction? Or maybe too much competition? Either way, the Communal Mule on Dundas West has gone deadpool. The space has been emptied out, the windows have been papered over and the for rent sign has gone up. Unlike so many closed businesses in this city, this wasn't a case of the landlord locking the doors for nonpayment of rent. Instead, owner Peter Primiani is going to focus on building his recording studio.

And that's a shame.The Communal Mule had good coffee but great style. It was simply one of those cafes - with its large front windows, wooden tables and movie posters - that was easy to spend time in.

Ackee Tree, the Caribbean restaurant near the corner of Queen and Spadina, has closed. The windows were papered over this morning and a note posted that gave little explanation for the closure. Ackee Tree started as a food court staple in the depths of the Eaton Centre before opening a swankier location here. Readers once voted it number one on our Best Jerk Chicken list but it didn't stop there, also serving up a tasty ackee and saltfish and oxtail among other specialties.

Ackee Tree will be missed and creates something of a void of decent Caribbean options downtown with the nearest alternative now being Pat's Homestyle a few blocks west.

Toronto has embraced the frozen yogurt trend like ice cream is going out of style. In the Annex alone, Menchie's, YoYo's Yogurt Cafe and Mon Berri all arrived on the scene in the past year or so to join a fourth option - Cefiore - which as of this month is now deadpool.

Even though Cefiore is a global chain with franchises in the US, Australia and China it perhaps never stood a chance, opening in 2009 on Walmer Road just before the self serve FroYo trend started to take over. I don't think too many people will mourn the loss of Cefiore - it wasn't unique enough to stand out from the pack, but it will certainly raise the question whether the frozen yogurt trend had gotten too far ahead of itself.

China House served its last meal in its red, black and gold dining room last Monday, which left proprietor Jonathan Wise with a room full of stuff he either needed to store or get rid of on Tuesday morning, the legacy of over 50 years of business for the Eglinton West landmark. Which is why almost everything is up for sale, starting this Saturday morning from 11am, while China House will continue to serve takeout and delivery indefinitely out of a side entrance.

China House, the iconic midtown eatery with the signature retro interior and neon sign, is closing its dining room after over 53 years in business. When the repaired neon sign was re-lit last April, after it was reopened by new owner Jonathan Wise, he told me that he just considered himself the "custodian" of China House, its history, menu and memories. Now he's going to have to pack all that up and find a new place to put it.

Right on the heels of Sonic Boom's announcement that it's being forced to change locations this summer, Queen Street's Criminal Records has revealed that it'll be closing its doors for good. At last check, the store had renovations planned, but a note on its MySpace page explains that "due to failed negotiations and reasons of a very personal nature, Criminal Records will be canceling our plans to renovate and instead will be closing our doors."