Parkdale’s iconic burger joint Harry’s Charbroiled is closing

Grant van Gameren’s iconic late night burger bar Harry’s Charbroiled will be closing its doors on Oct. 5. The Parkdale greasy spoon has been a staple amongst neighbourhood dwellers and restaurant industry members since its opening back in 1968.

Surviving the waves of gentrification, Harry’s has remained one of the true haunts of the city, even after the van Gameren takeover in 2016. The classic diner is one of the best places in the city for a drool-worthy cheeseburger or beef-dip sandwich during the wee hours. 

Although this spot was never intended to be forever, it’s definitely sad to see another one of the area’s quintessential diners shut down due to rent increases. As the city grows more expensive and condo and smart centres continue to influx, more and more local haunts are being forced to admit defeat. It’s a sad sight indeed.

The good news? It’s not a goodbye, it’s just a see you later. According to their Instagram post, the team is looking for a new home for Harry’s and hope to be back in business by 2020.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Well folks. The time has finally come for Harry’s to sling its last burger at 160 Springhurst Ave. We always knew it wasn’t forever but there was always a dream of preserving this gem for as long as humanly possible. With recent rent increases, a 6 month demo clause hovering over our heads and unexpected infrastructure costs required to maintain this location, it’s time for us to close this chapter and find a new home for Harry’s. We invite EVERYONE to please join us over the next 7 weeks until our last service on October 5th for a night that you will surely remember! That’s still a total of 51 days to eat burgers, 7 Spaghetti Tuesdays, and 2 remaining BOGO Rent Week Specials. Before opening, people were very suspicious of the new owners. (Very suspicious!!) Rumours of a Margarita bar went viral. Two months after opening, the No Frills roof collapsed. But overtime, the community both old and new embraced us. For that, we will be forever grateful. Thank you to our staff both past and present for believing in Harry’s. You guys are an extension of Harry’s and none of this could have been possible without you! To our OG’s… John, Nadeen, Sandy, Penny, Bobby, Harvey, June, David, Victor, Lawrence, Sue, Stephen, Jimmy, Trevor, Daphne, Marianne, and Mrs Kim. Thank you for believing In Version 2.0. To our neighbourhood guardian, Dave. Thank you for always watching our back. To all our new regulars. Thank you for supporting us and we look forward to serving you again in 2020. To Parkdale for always keeping things interesting. And last but not least, to the original dudes who started Harry’s 51 years ago. George, Tommy and Sam. We only ever met Sam through pictures and George always complained about our beer selection. Tommy…. Behind that ‘hard as fuck’ egg cooking stare and the two years of negotiations finally decided it was time to retire and handed us the keys to three unforgettable years…1/2

A post shared by Harry’s (@harryscharbroiled) on Aug 16, 2019 at 7:25am PDT