The closure of Vesta Lunch is hitting this Toronto neighbourhood really hard

Shuttered restaurants has become the new reality of Toronto's food scene, but the closure of some of our favourite 24/7 joints are hitting especially hard. 

The loss of Vesta Lunch, the Annex's beloved greasy spoon, is just one of many cherries atop this sad coronavirus cake.

The lights are off at Vesta Lunch... They've been running 24/7 in #Toronto since 1955🙁 pic.twitter.com/xMnj1hJdF3

— blogTO (@blogTO) March 25, 2020

For those who've been frequenting the diner for years, it's especially disheartening since the family-run restaurant has purportedly stayed open all day, every day (save for certain holidays) since it opened 65 years ago. 

everyday I pass a closed vesta lunch, it makes this whole thing sink in.

— essential worker 268193749391 (@mrkurtthompson) March 22, 2020

Owned by Miriam Reinoso, Vesta put up signs last Monday that it would be closing down temporarily, at the request of public health officials. 

Have lived in the hood for a long while. Vesta Lunch has always been there for us, from 3 am grilled cheese to a guilty PA day lunch with wide-eyed kids. Shocking to see it dark. pic.twitter.com/1tG7yZ1Nal

— Matt Galloway (@mattgallowaycbc) March 19, 2020

Although signage says Vesta is accepting takeout orders over the phone, calls to the restaurant's number have gone unanswered since last week. 

The legend of 24 hr Vestas Lunch in #toronto is that they have never needed to lock the door since 1955.

As I walked by tonight, it looks like they are installing a lock #Covidtoronto pic.twitter.com/vXIRrID5C2

— Brendan Haley (@br_haley) March 17, 2020

The shuttering of this seemingly perennial purveyor of grilled cheeses has shaken some Torontonians to the core, and people have since taken to Twitter to wax poetic about memories of vanilla milkshakes and grilled cheeses in the early a.m.

Sad but now they can have a small vacay those people work really hard and always friendly.

— P. Nepo (@LuckyElmo) March 26, 2020

On the bright side, maybe the owners can finally take a break from serving the latenight, sloppy masses for a quick vacay.

Like all the other dine-in restaurants in Toronto, the closure is supposed to be temporary, so let's keep our greasy fingers crossed that Vesta can ride this one out.