Iconic Toronto snack window is back after closure some worried was permanent

Toronto locals devastated by the closure of a snack window that had long served as a summer go-to in the Cabbagetown neighbourhood will be happy to know that the independent shop is back.

The 1872-built gingerbread storefront of Park Snacks is iconic for many reasons, from the ice cream and hot dogs it serves up exclusively during the summer months, to the adorably retro aesthetic it brings to the block, to what it stands for as one of the city's few side street businesses.

But, anyone eager to hit up the independent business when spring 2024 rolled around was crestfallen to find it shuttered — which some understandably may have thought to be for good, given that it had been put up for sale at the end of the previous summer.

"With the building for sale, I pulled out at the end of the 2023 season and did not open in 2024," operator Bernard Dunford, who has been involved with the community staple since 1999, explains to blogTO.

With Toronto's zoning regulations known to be particularly strict about these types of establishments, with fewer and fewer of them around and permits having to be grandfathered in from decades past, there were fears about what a new owner could mean.

But, patrons are breathing a collective sigh of relief after noticing that the green-and-pink clapboard shop is back open for business, with Dunford having secured a lease agreement with the property owners for the 2025 season.

Some are already taking to social media to celebrate the unexpected return following its first day back on April 23, which was followed by a busy first weekend that showed Dunford how beloved the spot really is.

One post to a community Facebook group this month stated that "the neighbourhood wasn't the same without" Park Snacks last season. 

"I'm very honoured Park Snacks is so loved in the neighbourhood. The combo with the park and Riverdale Farm make a unique offering in the city. It has the feel of a country town, a customer told me recently," he says.

"I'm happy to be back."

Located at 161 Winchester Avenue, near Riverdale Farm, Park Snacks will be open every day but Tuesdays all summer long. And, now that some City staff are reconsidering zoning with an aim to get more businesses like Park Snacks animating residential streets, hopefully, we will be seeing more like it.