One of Toronto's most iconic Chinese restaurants is closing after 59 years
One of Toronto's oldest restaurants for chop suey Chinese has announced that it's closing for good at the end of the month.
Sea-Hi Famous Chinese Food, which has been serving egg rolls and chicken sticks for 59 years, will be closing up shop on February 29.
A staple of the Jewish community, the original Sea-Hi first opened in Chinatown more than 80 years ago before moving up to Bathurst and Wilson under the Chui family.
The restaurant was even the backdrop for the documentary Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas, which featured musicians like Steven Page performing holiday songs in the space.
"With a very heavy heart, we announce that Sea-Hi Chinese restaurant will be officially closing on February 29, 2020," wrote the owners in a post.
Locals who have been visiting the restaurant for decades are taking to Sea-Hi's social media pages to lament the loss of the neighbourhood institution.
As far as North American-Chinese food goes, few remaining restaurants in the city with hard-to-find yaka mein, or Sea-Hi's deep-fried chicken sticks, served with their famous plum sauce.
According to the Chui family, many of the restaurant's furniture and memoribilia (including their iconic golden Buddha, perhaps) are now being auctioned off.
All proceeds will be donated to the Baycrest Hospital and North York General Hospital, where all the owner's kids were born.
