Customers heartbroken as restaurant closes after more than 25 years in Mississauga

A longstanding restaurant in Mississauga has closed its doors and customers are heartbroken.

Lion City Restaurant, known for its authentic Singaporean food, announced its closure on Instagram on the Canada Day long weekend. The restaurant has been at Golden Square plaza on Central Parkway for over 25 years.

“There is no easy way to announce that we have decided to retire from the food business and tomorrow will be our last day of operations,” the post on July 1 reads.

Elle Sim and her husband Greg Woon who were born in Singapore, took over ownership of Lion City in early 2018.

The couple focused on dishes from their homeland and they quickly gained recognition from well-known food writers such as Suresh Doss. They even got a mention in the New York Times in March.

Despite surviving the pandemic, Sim and Woon found the business tough even though seeing customers enjoy their food brought them “much joy.”

“We put everything behind making this a truly authentic Singaporean restaurant. Some serious pressure halfway around the world! But 5 years in this business legit felt like 10 human years…” the post continues. “Today our hearts are full and we are proud to have authentically represented Singapore and her food.”

They thanked their customers for their friendship, kindness and love. And the customers responded with an outpouring of love.

“When my parents and I immigrated to Canada from Singapore 24 years ago, Lion City was a staple for us whenever we craved the taste of home. This is so devastating to hear. Always in our hearts,” one customer wrote.

“This is so heartbreaking but wishing y’all the best moving forward. Y’all are some of the kindest people I’ve ever met,” another wrote.

In response to the many messages, Lion City wrote a follow-up post explaining their decision.

“Many are concerned about us so we just want to say we are ok. In a nutshell, the margins no longer make this a viable business so we decided to stop,” they wrote.

They also said they want to focus more time on family.

But they hinted at a small-scale return at some point, and they are keeping the social media accounts open for future announcements.

“Many asked if we might do pop ups and we’re not sure but maybe. We will announce here if we do,” they wrote.

 

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A post shared by Lion City Restaurant (@lioncitytoronto)

1. Lion City Restaurant – now closed