Iconic Toronto burger shop Lick's is back in business at the 2026 CNE

Five years after the last remaining Lick's Homeburgers location in Toronto closed, the nostalgic burger chain is getting a second lease on life at the CNE.

It's been a long time since Toronto could experience the joy of Lick's sizzling grills and music-filled kitchens firsthand, and an even longer time since the homegrown burger chain was at the peak of its reign — boasting 30 locations province-wide — in Ontario.

In April 2026, Ontario's last living Lick's location closed its doors, bringing to an end a charcoal-scented, Guk-soaked legacy more than 40 years in the making. Though Lick's burgers are still available on a limited wholesale basis, they scarcely come close to the real, fresh-off-the-grill deal. 

You can't keep a good man — or, in this case, burger joint — down forever, though. Visitors to the opening weekend of the 2026 CNE noticed that, among the wild offerings in the fair's Food Building, Lick's has been revived.

The stall, situated in the heart of the building, will operate for the entire 18-day run of the Ex: the only 46-year-old restaurant (that I've heard of, anyway) that operates for just two weeks out of the year.

At the Lick's stand, you can get your hands on a full suite of Lick's staples, from the staple Homeburger to the vegetarian Natureburger to the all-Torontonian Back Bacon on a Bun. The prices might be a shade steeper than you remember from the 80's and 90's, with most burgers priced at $14, but compared to the rest of the food at the CNE, even that seems like a great deal.

Believe it or not, this actually isn't the first time Lick's made a momentary comeback at the CNE. In 2022, the year after Toronto's last Lick's location closed, the business also operated a stall in the Food Building.

Here's hoping that, if we can't have permanent Lick's restaurants back, Lick's presence at the CNE becomes an annual tradition that nostalgic visitors keen for a taste of their childhood and the uninitiated alike can look forward to every August.

The 2026 CNE runs until Monday, Sept. 7.