rose sons toronto

One of Toronto's most popular brunch spots is shutting down

Toronto chef Anthony Rose has announced that he will be closing his beloved restaurant Rose and Sons after six years on Dupont.

Not only that, he'll also be closing his BBQ joint Big Crow as well, according to an Instagram notice he posted this morning. 

The news comes just a few days after the announcement that the bagel spot Schmaltz Appetizing, another Rose project, will be shuttering its Ossington location on October 6. 

The string of closures comes as a shock to fans of all three establishments, which all fall under the umbrella of Wilder and Rose, which is run by Rose his business partner Robert Wilder. 

Hi Guys It is with heavy heart but excited spirits that I tell you today that Rose and Sons and Big Crow is closing. This is not goodbye however. After 18 years of business it is time for change. From the beginning we have poured our hearts into these restaurants. From Pork Fried Rice and Patty Melts, to DR. Pepper Bacon and JW Chicken, we have seen the gamut. There is a story in here, and it is a deep story of the dining scene in Toronto. Restaurants are closing left right and centre. We are closing but we are reinventing ourselves to something bigger and better and more interesting to us and for you. I am a lover at heart. A deep and sensitive, generous and caring lover. I fall in love, I go through the thralls of immersive glorious good times, followed by hard times and heartbreak and then I do it all over again. Some people never have Love or Heartbreak. I have it all and then more. How very lucky I am. All my restaurants are my loves. Through the inception to the running of them, to the successes and constant ups and downs. It is all so very personal. My greatest loves are those that fail. I learn so much more from the heartbreak than anything else. I will love again and it will be deep, I know no other way. I have more love to give and Robert and myself are not even close to done. Don't you ever get tired of doing the same thing everyday day in and day out. Don't you get tired as an artist of painting the same nude or landscape or portrait constantly? Well we certainly do. As Rose and Sons and Big Crow closes we make room for a new restaurant, a sweeter lover and a more spectacular piece of art. I am heart broken again, but only for the chance to love again. I will wait patiently to be in the energy of your sweet embrace and the presence of your smile once more. And I bid you goodnight. As of this Thursday the 3rd of October. To celebrate 18 years of Rose and Sons we will be recreating the classics - ours and your favourite dishes. Please come in over the next month or so and enjoy a bite and a martini with us. The last service of Big Crow will be this Sunday October the 6th. We could not have loved with out you, our glorious patr

A post shared by anthony rose (@chefanthonyrose) on

"There is a story in here, and it is a deep story of the dining scene in Toronto. Restaurants are closing left right and centre," wrote Rose in his Instagram post. "We are closing but we are reinventing ourselves to something bigger and better and more interesting to us and for you." 

Rose and Sons first opened in 2012 at 178 Dupont Street, with Big Crow opening the year after in the space right behind it, where both establishments quickly became local staples for Jewish deli food and daily cookouts. 

According to Rose, another project will be taking both their places. 

"As Rose and Sons and Big Crow closes we make room for a new restaurant, a sweeter lover and a more spectacular piece of art." 

It's unclear exactly why these Wilder and Rose establishments are closing this month, though Fat Pasha and Fet Zun remain up and running on Dupont. 

Rose and Sons is slated to close on Oct. 3; Big Crow will run until Oct. 6. 

Lead photo by

Hector Vasquez


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