People keep discovering Toronto's 1960s-era diner and can't believe how cheap it is

People in Toronto are obsessed with a hidden-gem 1960s-era diner that has unbelievably low prices and a true old-school vibe.

Aug 20, 2024 - 11:26
People keep discovering Toronto's 1960s-era diner and can't believe how cheap it is
Image Credit Daily Hive/Hector Vasquez

You might feel like you’ve accidentally stumbled upon a film set when you step inside of Gale’s Snack Bar, but don’t be fooled. The Leslieville spot really is an operating diner, and it’s been owned and operated by the same family for the past six decades.

Originally a snack bar founded by the titular Gale, the business was purchased and transformed into a diner in the 1960s by David King Sun Chan, whose daughter, Eda, owns it now — but the signs of the sixties are still, quite literally, written on the walls.

Over the restaurant’s counter, you’ll find hand-painted signs decreeing the diner’s menu, featuring still-popular classics like hamburgers, fish and chips, french fries, and BLTs, alongside bygone staples like hot liver, sardine sandwiches, and minced ham.

To this day, the cash-only restaurant doesn’t have a single item on its menu above $5 — with sandwiches ranging from as low as $1.25 for a fried egg sandwich to $4.75 for a hot beef, turkey or chicken sandwich.

Their fish and chips are another top-shelf menu item, coming in at a whopping $4.25.

For dessert, you can opt to sweeten things up with a slice of pie (seemingly another diner tradition that’s been fading in recent years) for $1.50, to which you can add a scoop of ice cream for an additional 50 cents.