Toronto just lost an award-winning restaurant —along with a slice of Drake history. The Real Jerk, the Caribbean restaurant immortalized as the backdrop of Drake and Rihanna’s steamy Work video, has suddenly closed its College Street location.
The news broke on September 1 in a brief Instagram post.
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“Thank you to Little Italy, our staff and the Real Jerk family for supporting us,” ready the caption. “Unfortunately we are closing our doors at the College Street location. Stop by if you can, have a last drink. and say goodbye.” By the time customers got the message, it was already too late.
The west-end outpost only opened in 2023, a move that indicated success and a strong move for a brand rooted in Toronto’s east end. Founded in 1984 by Ed and Lily Pottinger, The Real Jerk spent 30 years at Queen and Broadview before being pushed out by development and relocating to Gerrard and Carlaw in 2013. A Kingston Road location followed in 2015.
It was the Gerrard Street spot that became a cultural landmark in 2016 when Drake and Rihanna filmed Work there, instantly putting the restaurant on the global map. Fans swarmed the street during the shoot, and eagle-eyed viewers later spotted owner Lily Pottinger in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo as flames flare in the background.
But Drake and RiRi aren’t the only stars to show love to The Real Jerk. Over the years, the restaurant has welcomed everyone from Samuel L. Jackson to Steph Curry, along with musicians like T.I. The food — jerk chicken, oxtail, roti — has always been the real draw, with recipes inspired by the Pottingers’ Jamaican roots.
The closure of the College Street location ends a short-lived westward expansion, but the family’s legacy isn’t going anywhere. For anyone chasing that Work nostalgia or just a plate of oxtail, the original Real Jerk is still open at 842 Gerrard St. East.
