People in Toronto are obsessed with a hidden gem of a 1960s diner with incredibly low prices and a real old-school atmosphere.
When you walk into Gale’s Snack Bar, you might feel like you’ve stumbled upon a movie set, but don’t be fooled. The Leslieville establishment is actually a diner and has been owned and operated by the same family for sixty years.
Originally a snack bar founded by Gale, the business was bought by David King Sun Chan in the 1960s and converted into a diner. It is now owned by his daughter Eda, but the signs of the 1960s are still literally on the walls.
Above the restaurant’s counter, you’ll find hand-painted signs displaying the restaurant’s menu, which includes still-popular classics like hamburgers, fish and chips, French fries, and BLTs, as well as yesteryear favorites like spicy liver, sardine sandwiches, and chopped ham.
A recent post in the Leslieville community Facebook group had people marveling at how affordable the restaurant was.
However, it is not just the design of the signs (and some of their content) that seems like a relic from the restaurant’s early days; the restaurant’s prices have also barely changed in the last sixty years.
To date, the cash-only restaurant does not have a single item on its menu that costs more than $5. Sandwich prices range from $1.25 for a fried egg sandwich to $4.75 for a hot beef, turkey or chicken sandwich.
Another premium menu offering is fish and chips, which costs a whopping $4.25.
For dessert, you can treat yourself to a slice of cake for $1.50 (seems to be another diner tradition that has been forgotten in recent years), and you can order a scoop of ice cream for an additional 50 cents.
At Gale’s, the focus is on old-fashioned diner classics.
There are doughnuts and cupcakes for 50 cents, sundaes for $1.75, and every kind of non-alcoholic beverage available, all for less than the price of a TTC ticket.
In fact, little has changed since the place’s early days. The old-fashioned establishment still only offers seating along the counter, which is lined with four bright orange vinyl stools, and a cozy booth where you’ll probably have little luck snagging a seat ahead of the place’s loyal regulars.
You can still come in and expect to be served by Eda Chan, too, which has been the case for the past four decades since she started helping out at Gale’s at age ten.
Although unassuming from the outside, Gale’s Snack Bar is a true gem.
If you’ve never heard of Gale’s but are drawn to its unique facade, you may have just seen it on the silver screen. The ultra-vintage eatery played the role of Christopher Walken’s joke shop in the 2008 film. Hairspray.
Although the place doesn’t have strict opening hours these days—the times listed on Google are more vague suggestions than hard and fast rules—it’s still worth trying your luck at a visit if you have a penchant for cheap, simple food (who doesn’t?) and are interested in Toronto’s deep history.
Gale’s Snack Bar is located at 539 Eastern Avenue.
