A beloved Hungarian restaurant is saying goodbye after 62 years in Toronto

Katalin Koltai spent much of her time this week answering phone calls from customers crying on the other end.

The customers were among those who saw her post on social media announcing Country Style Hungarian restaurant is closing its doors for good this summer.

For many, it's the end of an era of Hungarian food in Toronto — a type of cuisine that can be hard to find, with homemade-style schnitzels, cabbage rolls, perogies and goulash. 

"We have a lot of regular customers — I know them for so many years. You know, they love to come here with their kids, grandkids, mother, father, they even come from U.S., all over Canada," said Koltai, who has owned the place for 23 years. 

Country Style Hungarian restaurant was a fixture in the Annex for 62 years. After the Second World War, over 37,000 Hungarian refugees fled to Canada. The Annex was home to many of them, and many Hungarian restaurants popped up.

It was the one of the first Hungarian restaurants on Bloor Street and is the last one standing, said Koltai.

Koltai says while the demand for the food is still high, she wants to retire. 

"For so many years of my life, I did what the restaurant wants me to do. Now I do what I want to do," she said. 

Customers coming for decades

Liz Addison is just one of the many customers who has been visiting the restaurant for decades. 

She says the restaurant was a popular spot even in the late 60's, when she was a student at the University of Toronto. 

"I used to come here because it was, you know, cheap eats and and the food was fantastic," said Addison. 

When she learned it would be closing soon, she said she was "heartbroken." 

"There's nowhere else I get such a schnitzel." 

Sophie McKay came to the restaurant from across the city on Thursday specifically for the perogies. 

"I'm Polish. I know a good perogi when I taste one," she laughed.

Memories made

Koltai says she has seen her customers' families grow while working at the restaurant. 

"They came with their family for years and years and years when they were in university. Now they bring their grandchild, everybody. Sixty two years is a long time," she said. 

Koltai came to Canada in 1971 after graduating from high school in Hungary. After she spent five years working at a bank, she took on a waitress job at the restaurant for years, and eventually, in 2000, bought it with the help of her family.

She then ran it for 23 years, which wasn't easy. She would spend three days cooking at the restaurant, and managing it the rest of the week. 

"I was running and doing everything. My daughter helped me and everything was OK, but now, I'm getting tired," said Koltai. 

Her plan now is to travel back to Hungary to spend some time with her family. Country Style Hungarian restaurant will close on Aug. 1 and be replaced by a Vietnamese restaurant.