A community favourite, doors closed at the end of August

By Zoe Mason & Gleaner Staff

When Amir Benedikt left Israel for Canada in 1980, he didn’t dream of working in the restaurant business. But after almost 40 years at the helm of By The Way, running a restaurant gradually became a labour of love.

By The Way closed its doors at the end of August. It’s not the end that Benedikt wanted— conflict with the City of Toronto pushed him to his breaking point. He hopes future restaurant owners in the Annex won’t face the same bylaw enforcement issues that led him to walk away.

The loss of By The Way marks a major change in the neighbourhood where it operated since 1978.

“We’re the last restaurant standing from the ’80s,” said Benedikt. “Everybody else came after us. So many things change, but By The Way has been here.” 

In fact, the restaurant’s presence on Bloor predates its owners. Amir and his wife met on a kibbutz in Israel and were married in her hometown, Mexico City. On their way back to Israel, they stopped in Canada to visit Amir’s sister, Esti Filar. Esti was running the restaurant, then called the Lick’n Chicken, with her husband Dubi. She invited the newlyweds to join the venture.

“It was an opportunity to change my life. To try something completely different,” said Benedikt. 

In 1980, the Benedikts immigrated and partnered with the family on their restaurants. In 1986, they split their holdings—the Filars took the Rosedale Diner, and the Benedikts took By The Way.

The work was gruelling. Benedikt often put in 15-hour days, seven days a week. “I cooked, I did dishes, I even served sometimes; I did everything,” he said.

But his hard work didn’t go unnoticed. By The Way quickly became a beloved neighbourhood haunt.

The restaurant’s early quirky nomenclature is remembered fondly by regulars. In its early iteration as the Lick’n Chicken, it inherited the name and décor of the fried chicken joint that preceded it, even though it served up a vegetarian menu. To dispel confusion, they displayed a cheeky sign that read: “Sorry, out of chicken.” When it was renamed By The Way, the chicken signs remained.

By The Way was also known as an early adopter of vegan offerings and yogurt-based smoothies. “Middle Eastern cuisine features a lot of vegetarian and vegan options like hummus, falafel, and babaganoush, and even in the ’80s, it quickly became apparent that there was a real need to provide these options in Toronto,” explained Benedikt. 

The restaurant was perhaps best known for its weekend brunches on the patio that featured their infamous dill sauce that smothered the cheekily-named Eggs Benedikt and French toast sandwiches that were stuffed with brie and apples.

In the ’80s, By The Way was frequented by University of Toronto students. It was one of the first patios in the area, and its young clientele would sit outside on milk crates. It was a casual dining establishment, but the Benedikts were committed to providing healthy, high-quality food. Everything was made in-house from scratch, including the French fries, the falafel, and the hummus. 

Over the years, By The Way became a favourite spot for locals. “We’ve heard from so many of our customers that they had their first date at By The Way and that their children grew up coming to the restaurant,” said Benedikt. “Couples got engaged to be married here, some got divorced here too, but not the same couples.”

But clashes with bylaw enforcement were frequent throughout the restaurant’s operation. In the late ’80s, a noise complaint from an upstairs tenant led to patio restrictions, prompting Benedikt to hire a lawyer and appeal to city council. He eventually regained patio hours but was troubled by the city’s approach. He hadn’t known about the complaint until the restrictions were levied.

“The attitude was the city deciding things instead of engaging the parties,” he said.

A few years later, a bylaw officer came knocking again, complaining about the canopy and other elements that had been installed on the patio. This time, Benedikt brought his case to the city councillor who provided assistance.  

That was around 1990. For 30 years, By The Way flourished. In 1993, its signature mural was painted. In 2014, a new set of renovations revitalized the aging restaurant and ushered in an era of finer dining. 

But in 2023, Benedikt was charged with infractions concerning the same patio issues from the ’80s, as well as issues relating to patio heaters he installed during COVID-19. Despite receiving support from City Councillor Dianne Saxe, it took two years to reach a conclusion, and under the advice of his legal team, he felt compelled to settle with the city and pay substantial punitive fines. 

“I survived it, but it could have had [the effect of] me going bankrupt if it was a different business,” he said.

And the principal cost was not financial. In November 2023, Benedikt suffered a breakdown that left him hospitalized. 

“I reached a point where I couldn’t take it anymore,” he said. “What came to my mind is: is my city my friend? Or my adversary? It felt like one half of the city, city council, wanted to support small business and work collaboratively, while the other half, municipal licensing & standards (MLS), was aggressively punitive. I hope that this culture changes for future small business owners.” 

In 2025, he made the call to close. It’s a bitter end to a business that has meant so much to not only the Benedikts, whose three children have grown up living and working in the restaurant, but to the community. 

Just before the restaurant closed, Wensley Ng, a server at By The Way since 2014, reflected on the Annex community. “Our regular customers are loyal. They keep coming back. I think we provide amazing food, and we provide amazing service.”

The staff at By The Way also became like family, with many employees working there for over a decade. One longtime employee, Don Dolan, worked there for 26 years until his passing in 2023. A memorial was held at the restaurant in his honour.

“There are regular customers that I got to know over the years, and watch their kids grow up. I watched all [Benedikt’s] kids grow up,” said Ng. “They share things with me. I share things with them.”

“It’ll be a sad day when we close. I’ll miss the restaurant. I’ll miss the customers. I’ll miss the staff.”

Looking back, the Benedikts are proudest of the people.

“I had such a good team here. It wasn’t just a place to get the best food in the world. I never wanted to be Michelin. I want to be myself, down to earth, and make good food for good people,” said Benedikt.

The Gleaner reached out to the head of MLS, Carlton Grant, for comment.  

Grant was provided a complete summary of the events leading to Benedikt’s decision to close By The Way’s doors when he did. 

The summary chronicled both Benedikt’s persistent efforts to become compliant with the patio regulations and the relentless enforcement by bylaw officers to punish him while he tried.

In a written statement to the Gleaner, Grant did not acknowledge any failure on the part of the city: “City staff worked closely with By The Way Café to support their efforts to meet these requirements and appreciate their collaboration and commitment throughout the process…. Businesses operating in Toronto can now report their experiences with red tape or regulatory burdens encountered at the municipal level such as permitting delays and duplicative or outdated bylaws.”

The publisher of this newspaper is also the general manager of the Bloor Annex BIA. In this capacity he advocated for By the Way Café. The art director of this newspaper also advocated for the restaurant as a consultant.

READ MORE:

• ON THE COVER: By the Way to close on August 31 (Aug. 2025)