Beloved Toronto bar back in business after a five-year closure

A Toronto bar that's been closed since 2020 has finally reopened after a long five years off the scene.

We've all grown a bit too accustomed to receiving bad news about our favourite restaurants in Toronto, whether it be notification of price increases or closure announcements. Sad as it sounds, I've grown accustomed to delivering that news, too.

Luckily for us all, today I'm here to deliver a less-common bit of good news on the local restaurant front.

After a whopping five-year-long closure that many (including myself) feared would be permanent, Brockton Village's beloved local watering hole, Wallflower, is officially back in business.

It's appropriate timing, given we're in the height of spooky season, that an old standard should, at long last, be raised from the dead.

The aptly-named bar had been something of a hidden gem in the neighbourhood for nearly a decade before the pandemic forced owners to shut the establishment's doors indefinitely.

While other restaurants reopened as life returned to normal after lockdowns, Wallflower's did not, leaving its devoted former patrons to wonder whether they'd ever have the chance to sip craft brews amid its romantic interiors again.

'Better late than never,' the saying goes, and, five years later, it looks like the Wallflower team has found a way to turn a potential 'never' into just a 'late.'

A post in a Brockton Village Facebook group confirms Wallflower's comeback.

The news was first shared by a source close to Wallflower's owner, Jane, in a neighbourhood Facebook group, and was immediately met with an onslaught of excitement from the bar's patient — though weary — fan base.

"Good News!! Wallflower is opening its doors tomorrow (October [8]) at 5.00 pm.!!" the post reads.

"Amazing!!!! My favorite resto bar happy place!!!" one community member comments.

"Yay!!!! Best news!!" writes another.

At the time of publication, the Wallflower is open Wednesdays through Saturdays at its original location, 1665 Dundas St. W.