Mandarin buffet location in Toronto closing after over 30 years
Toronto's first location of the iconic Mandarin buffet will soon close its doors permanently, as its address inches closer to a sweeping redevelopment plan.
Is nothing sacred anymore? The dust has only just begun to settle on institutions like the Imperial Pub and San Francesco Foods, both of which shuttered in late 2025, and we're already kicking off the new year with a real heartbreaker.
The Mandarin location at Yonge and Eglinton is set to close down permanently this month, bringing to an end a 34-year legacy of serving the city its fill of everything from Canadian-Chinese classics to pizza, sushi, and even steak.
Opening its doors in 1991, the Mandarin location at Yonge and Eglinton was the first to arrive in Toronto proper after the chain was born in Brampton in 1979.
In the decades that followed, the Chinese buffet chain continued to spawn more locations across Ontario, but the Yonge and Eglinton location remained a central beacon in the city, a go-to spot for celebrations big and small and, in my own family's case, the odd Thanksgiving dinner when no one could be bothered to host.
Soon, though, in the same vein as its longstanding neighbour, the Famous Players cinema, which closed in 2021, Mandarin is about to close its doors for good.
In a post on Mandarin's Instagram account, the chain confirms that the location is closing "Due to area redevelopment."
For the past five years, the Canada Square complex that the Mandarin called home, has been the subject of redevelopment proposals that, as of its most recent revision, will see the two office buildings that make up the complex totally revitalized.
"Since opening in 1991, Mandarin Yonge has been proud to serve the community. Like all our locations, Mandarin Yonge has been a part of numerous customer celebrations, special moments; it will live on in the memories of many," the caption of the Instagram post goes on to read.
The Mandarin at 2200 Yonge St. officially closes on Sunday, Jan. 18, so you've still got time to swing by for one last plate of... well, anything and everything you want.
Mandarin continues to operate a swath of locations across Ontario, including Toronto locations in North York and Etobicoke.
Mandarin
