Award-winning restaurant permanently closes after 18 years in Toronto

A Toronto staple for vegetarians craving reasonably priced Asian food that was once a fixture on annual Best Of lists has permanently closed after 18 years in business.

Cafe 668 was known for their comforting menu of fried rice, noodles, rolls and fruit desserts. The restaurant appears to have closed under murky circumstances.

Cafe 668 once had a back vegetable garden. Photo by Lauren O'Neil.

The cafe currently has for lease signs in the window, and a personal trainer operating nearby confirmed that the owner of Cafe 668 had told him the building had been sold. He said he's unsure if they are "building condos or restructuring the property."

It was originally located near Queen and Bathurst a few blocks away, where Hon Quach and Ngoc Lam opened the restaurant in 2002. It was the first restaurant for the pair.

While the restaurant did cater especially well to vegetarians, meat eaters loved it too, and the space is yet another that will be sorely missed.