Yasi's Place: Kid-Friendly Restaurant

October 18, 2009 - 6:59pm — vic

On Friday, the Globe and Mail posted an article about Kid-friendly restaurants in Toronto. One of our local favourites, Yasi's Place at Wallace and Campbell, received the top honour complete with a Five Happy Face rating. The full article is online (though with an annoying page viewer), and here's the text for the specific Yasi's Place review:

YASI'S PLACE
(299 Wallace Ave.)

Tucked away on a residential street in the up-and-coming Bloor and Lansdowne area, Yasi’s has become a favourite for neighbourhood parents and kids thanks to the quality menu, smoothies and patience of staff. It’s a go-to spot for anyone who wants a great lunch or brunch withor without kids in tow.

Kicking and screaming:
Owner Yasemin Zorlutuna takes everything in stride, including kids crawling around on the floor and banquettes. Note: Ms. Zorlutuna insists there is rarely such a thing as a misbehaved child, only misbehaved parents.

Kiddy classics:
Crowd-pleasers include grilled-cheese sandwiches, “silly sticks” (French toast), and something called a “hungry monkey.” All meat comes from Vince Gasparro’s Quality Meats and other ingredients are local and organic when possible, while bread is from Ace Bakery.

Most notable adult item:
The burger, made from scratch with organic beef, is considered one of the best in the city. They also serve a two-person Turkish brunch Saturday through Monday, along with standard brunch offerings.

Comments

January 20, 2011 - 12:11pm — Scott D

Message From Yasi's

Yasi's Place would love to thank the community. Without the support of the JT for the past 5 years we never would have made it this far. Unfortunately, we've had a string of bad luck over the past few months; sales are down, the building is in quite the state of disrepair and required massive work just for us to stay operational and we had to foot the bill for all those repairs, and the neighbourhood is changing drastically. Sadly, all of the money that had to be put into the place was not coming back at a rate that was acceptable for the owners and they didn't see a way to recover.

The decision was not mine. If I had been able to do anything to save the place, I would have.

We've had amazing support, made wonderful friends and are all happy to have been a part of something that we feel was very special.

If it makes you feel at all better, we donated everything that we could of our surplus goods to The Stop...so in a way, we'll still be helping to feed the community for a while.

Thanks,
Laura Gallivan, Yasi's Place

January 17, 2011 - 9:20pm — Anonymous (not verified)

So sad to lose Yasi's Place

Having lived in the neighborhood for one year, I am so sad to lose Yasi's Place. It was a gem and a special find.

January 16, 2011 - 1:47pm — Anonymous (not verified)

Is the building for sale - space available for lease?

What are the conditions of the close - doesn't anyone have any more detail on this? Obviously, I would love to see another neighbourhood oriented business there - but maybe there are building / landlord issues than make that location challenging?

January 14, 2011 - 12:13am — vic

Yasi's Place - Final Day photos

Martin Reis (AKA Tino) has a photo set on Flickr of the final day at Yasi's, plus some older photos, including a few pre-Yasi pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinreis/sets/72157625689025311/

January 12, 2011 - 9:49pm — sharon (not verified)

total bummer

it's such a great place, great mood, fantastic and welcoming staff.... laura is totally cool. i will miss the coffee for sure!

January 12, 2011 - 1:58pm — rbkool (not verified)

sad indeed

I wonder why they are closing just after they completed renovations? This is a major loss to the community, for sure!

January 12, 2011 - 11:37am — Anonymous (not verified)

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!?!?!?!??

January 12, 2011 - 10:46am — Scott D

Yasi's Place To Close

Posted on Yasi's Place FB page this morning:

"deeply regrets to announce that we will be closing our doors for good by the end of the month. Thank you to all who have supported us through the years, we will miss you immensely."

Sad as Yasi's was a sign of the area coming back to life and helped create a community vibe.

January 13, 2011 - 1:07am — JS (not verified)

Terrible news

Yasi's is (was) my favorite brunch spot in the area. Far superior to all those new Bloordale spots and closer to home. I will miss the Benny's cousin and the frenchie special. I don't get it.

January 12, 2011 - 12:17pm — vic

Also on Facebook: "we're

Also on Facebook: "we're heartbroken...but it's out of our hands," and, "last day of business will be Thursday January 13. Thank you all so much for 5 amazing years."

So sad. The food there was delicious (Benny's Cousin!), and the staff always friendly. Awesome coffee and ice cream too. I wish them all luck.

Wonder what will happen with that building?

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