Toronto restaurant known for its Middle Eastern food has permanently closed
A homestyle Lebanese restaurant in Toronto's Bloorcourt neighbourhood has permanently closed its doors following nearly seven years in business.
Little Sito, formerly located at 840 Bloor St. W., was well-known for its traditional Lebanese menu, featuring small plates topped with baba ganoujh (creamy eggplant dip), taboulleh, falafel, and labneh za'atar.
Aside from its cozy appetizers, the halal restaurant also served up large plates featuring mjadra (lentils and rice), beef kafta, and shish tawook (marinated chicken shish kebab).
In a statement to blogTO, the restaurant's owner and chef, Michelle Bouzide, said that not renewing the business' lease following seven years in the neighbourhood was a tough decision.
"The rent increase combined with the new terms of the lease, on top of ever-increasing food costs and the uncertain economy prompted me to leave. I would have had to raise prices so much that I couldn't see a way forward," Bouzide said.
Despite its heartbreaking closure, the intimate restaurant has several years of birthday celebrations, anniversaries, weddings, and family reunions to look back on.
"Little Sito meant so much to me and to our customers. Over the last month I've heard from so many people how much this place meant to them," Bouzide told blogTO.
"Many of our customers were from the neighbourhood and they really valued having a warm and welcoming restaurant close by. As well, many people from the Middle East made a point of letting me know that our food was the closest to home that they have had since being in the city."
Following the bittersweet announcement of its closure, loyal customers flocked to the humble restaurant during its final weeks of service to get one last bite of its savoury dishes.
"My love of Lebanese food was inspired by my grandmother's cooking. She was taught by her mother and that's why we named the restaurant Little Sito (after my great-grandmother). The chance to share this with the community has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had," Bouzide continued.
The restaurant officially closed its doors on Oct. 15, just shy of its seventh anniversary.
"Our little stretch of Bloor has changed quite a bit since we opened in 2016," Bouzide said. "I'll miss everyone, customers, employees, and the magical feeling of a full restaurant."
Hector Vasquez
