CLOSURE: Asian restaurant shuts its doors after barely a year in Toronto
Published April 16, 2026 at 1:53 pm
An izakaya restaurant serving up Asian food has now closed its doors just barely a year after they originally opened them in Toronto.
Cheongju Izakaya took up residence around February of 2025 in a location in Toronto that has somewhat of a cursed reputation in Toronto. Whether it’s because the area is very competitive with lots of other restaurants located around it, or there’s just something about the space that keeps various businesses from succeeding, many other restaurants have closed their doors permanently at this address before.
The restaurant served up a range of Asian-inspired snack foods izakaya-style, meaning they were intended to be paired with drinks and eaten in a light, social fashion. Just some of the items they served on their menu included sushi, fried chicken, grilled yakitori skewers, rice cakes and sandwiches, and they also served a range of typical izakaya cocktails such as lime mojitos and sake bombs.
Cheongju Izakaya took to social media to let everybody know that they were now closed down.
“Thank you for all your love and support,” reads the social media post from Cheongju Izakaya.
“This isn’t a final goodbye! We hope to see you all again at Sushi in Sushi in Mississauga. Thank you for being part of our journey!”
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Sushi in Sushi also appears to have opened not long ago, around fall of 2025, and serves a similar menu to Cheongju Izakaya with sushi as well as Korean dishes like fried chicken and rice cakes. They’re currently still open at 2310 Battleford Rd. in Mississauga.
A heartfelt comment on the social media post from Cheongju Izakaya reads, “Noooooo! We’ll miss you guys! My son and I would mark all our celebrations at Cheongju and always had a memorable meal!”
The semi-cursed location at 598 College St. where Cheongju Izakaya used to take up residence until just recently has not only been home to many other restaurants which have opened and then closed in record time, but is also located right next to another longstanding izakaya that has been popular in the Little Italy area for years.
Maybe the next concept in line for the space will be able to make a go of it, possibly by offering something a little different that’s never been seen before in the bustling neighbourhood known for its restaurants and nightlife.
The last day open for business for Cheongju Izakaya in the neighbourhood of Little Italy in Toronto was April 8.