chick n joy toronto

Toronto restaurant is bringing back a menu item it hasn't served in 20 years

One of Toronto's oldest restaurants is bringing back a legendary menu item they haven't served in 20 years, for one precious day only.

Chick-N-Joy has been around since the 1970s, but it's been decades since they served their famous chicken on a kaiser.

The family-owned fried chicken restaurant at 1483 Queen St. E. is reissuing the menu item in honour of their 45th anniversary. Over the years, they've been visited by celebs like Al Pacino and Chris Rock.

Dimitra Doufekas of Chick-N-Joy says the reason the sandwich was taken off the menu was because "it was a time consuming pain in the ass for the chef to make." However, it's worth it: you won't find any processed patties here, just real chicken. 

Doufekas says she compares the hallowed status of the chicken on a kaiser to McDonald's pizza. She says Canadian artist Norval Morrisseau, who lived above Chick-N-Joy in the 1980s, loved it. She also hints at a story about a Toronto Maple Leafs captain.

"A famous Toronto hockey player came knocking on the door of the restaurant after hours and he wanted five chicken on a kaiser," Doufekas tells blogTO.

"Bill told him he had run out of a special ingredient. The hockey player proceeded to go to the grocery store, bought back the ingredient, and Bill whipped up his order." (Bill is another staff member at Chick-N-Joy.)

For the festivities that day, there will also be special deals, music and contests.

"It will be limited run on that day so I encourage people to come early, we open at 11:30 a.m., to get their hands on one," says Doufekas.

"For us the chicken on a kaiser harks back to a time of quality and skill in the fast food industry. This is a time when food was real. Real chicken, not processed. The chicken on a kaiser makes us rewind back to food that was simple, unfiltered and just around the corner."

The chicken on a kaiser will be available at Chick-N-Joy for one day only on July 29.

Lead photo by

Chick-N-Joy


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in Eat & Drink

There's a huge pickle festival in Toronto this weekend

Toronto man ranked one of the top pizza chefs in the world

Guillermo del Toro shouts out 'favourite' Toronto breakfast and coffee shop

New project by people behind popular Toronto restaurant is shrouded in mystery

Ramen restaurant shuts down only Toronto location

Here's how meat prices compare at four Ontario grocery stores

Dished teamed up with Los Compas Tacos to give away 100 free tacos in Toronto

Toronto restaurant has had enough of crowds of delivery drivers outside