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The Noshery was a popular restaurant in Toronto during the 1950s and 1960s that served Jewish Cuisine.

Etymology

To quote from the menu:

A "Nosh" rhymes with "gosh" and means a "goodie" — a "treat."
A "Nosher" means a person
Who is fond of good things to eat.
So — for all our friends — gourmets, forsooth —
The "NOSHERY" reserves a booth.

The restaurant described here is named after the snackbar attached to the recreation hall of the Tides Hotel, owned by the same family, which operated in the 1940s on the shores of Lake Simcoe, in Southern Ontario.

History

It opened in October, 1951 at 388 Eglinton Avenue West near Avenue Road, and was notable as having an enormous menu offering a wide variety of ethnic foods — which was unusual in Toronto at the time, being more of a meat-and-potatoes town. It opened with 38 seats, one chef and two waitresses, but within a week was employing thirty staff.

By the end of its first year it had expanded to 65 seats. In 1954 the two stores adjacent were incorporated, bringing the number of seats to 200.

In 1959, the Toronto Forest-Hill chapter of the Rotary Club moved its meeting place to the Penthouse room (top floor) of the restaurant, where it continued to meet until the late 1970s.

In 1966 Yorkdale Shopping Centre opened, which was then the largest shopping centre in the world. The Noshery obtained the restaurant rights, and opened a 450-seat establishment called the "Noshery Encore," including a steak house (called "The Corner Room"), a coffee shop, and a 400-seat banquet room. At the time, it was reputed to be the largest restaurant in a Canadian shopping centre.

Patronage

Visited by residents from all over Toronto, its major patronage was by ethnic Jews, many resident in the surrounding neighbourhood of Forest Hill.

Bespoke Table Settings

Fork, knife, and spoon with custom-designed handles

Custom-designed mugs for Irish Coffee

Although small, the restaurant was designed to be casually elegant. The owners commissioned the design of complete table settings: plates, cutlery, coffee cups, specialty coffee mugs, and even serving pieces.

Many of these items are kept today as collectibles by various patrons and friends of the restaurant.

Menu Items

Many of the items on the menu were original creations of the founder, Thomas W. Brown.