Memories of the Queen Mother Cafe

I don’t recall the first time I ever walked through the doors of this unique Queen Street West Cafe and I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve returned, but the Queen Mother Cafe (208 Queen Street West) is one of my favourite local Toronto landmarks.  So many memories of enjoying a cozy lunch, raving about their Pad Thai, asking if they had that special pie, rendezvousing with friends and remarking on the interesting selection of wall art.  It’s the kind of place where we Torontonians like to talk about how great our city is.  It’s often times a stop when shopping on Queen Street and it used to be a regular lunch spot for my wife and I when I was working downtown.  

My wife just read a great article in the Toronto Star about their history and surviving through this year’s pandemic times.  A wonderful coincidence we found out through the article is that the restaurant opened 42 years ago today, which was the day after I arrived in Canada from England. 

I’ve always loved the way the cafe is situated on the street with the large welcoming windows.  I actually used it as my cover photo for my photography book Urban Colour and Contrast: Toronto.

The last time I was there was with my Australian cousin and her husband on a bitterly cold January lunchtime in 2019.  I think I’ve taken a few visitors and family members there over the years and as it turned out, my cousin said I’d taken her there during one of her previous visits years before.  No worries, we all enjoyed our lunch - again.

I recall that the cafe was always busy and we often worried we wouldn’t find a table.  I’m not certain of the magic, but we always did get a table and was always served by its friendly staff.

Hoping to visit again when we get past these pandemic times.