The restaurant that was at the forefront of the massive changes on Sterling Road has called it a day.

The Drake Commissary, an offshoot of the Drake Hotel that opened in 2017 beside Henderson Brewing and a number of new projects that changed the area forever, announced today that they have closed for good.

It's been a tough year for the Drake with all the lockdowns. Amid a long-awaited hotel expansion on West Queen West, the company faced temporary closures of all of its properties including two in the Financial District.

The Commissary was the first of its many ambitious new Toronto projects. It was a sleekly designed space that was both a revelation as well as somewhat out of context on the industrial street of Sterling Road that is still home to artists studios and the Nestle Chocolate Factory.

With numerous condo developments now in the works in what is now referred to as the Lower Junction, The Drake Commissary seemed primed to take advantage of increased foot traffic and the reopening of MOCA.

In a message posted to social media the Drake Commissary gave very little advance notice of today's closure. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Drake (@thedrake)

No reason was given for the decision and no word yet whether the Drake Hotel has something else planned for the space.