Independent Toronto grocery store closes permanently after over 30 years

A local independent grocery store that served the neighbourhood for more than three decades has officially stocked its last shelf.

Since 1993, Pascale Gourmet has held it down at the corner of Yonge and Broadway, fielding all of locals' Italian cuisine needs, whether they were in the market for pre-mixed pizza dough (and all the accoutrements needed to bring it to life) or imported olive oils.

Doubling as a deli, the grocery store also gained a following for its prepared foods, like homemade breads, pastas and baked goods.

Come the summer of 2025, though, and it looked like the end might just be near for Pascale Gourmet, as a real estate listing went up for the property, advertising it as a "32-year legacy family-run business!"

When the store was listed, there was still some hope that the new owners would take it over as a turnkey operation, keeping the Pascale Gourmet name in the mix.

Now that the space has officially been taken over by a new venture, we can say for sure that Pascale's Gourmet has, like Elvis, left the building.

On the bright side, Pascale's usurper is still keeping la dolce vita alive, albeit through different culinary means. The Yonge Street retail space is now home to La Baciata, a sandwich shop specializing in 48-hour fermented focaccia, which is baked, folded and stuffed with all manner of traditional Italian toppings.

And, though La Baciata itself is a new concept, the family behind it has a history in the food business that rivals Pascale Gourmet's own tenure. Dacasto, the family-run baking business behind the sandwich shop, has been in the bread business for over 25 years — so you can rest assured that your sandwich is in good hands.

Pascale Gourmet was formerly located at 2393 Yonge St.