Toronto’s curb-side patios shutting down this month

If you want to grab dinner on a Toronto patio, now might be your last chance for the year.

Toronto’s now heavily established CaféTO program is scheduled to wrap up its 2024 season in just a few weeks. 

According to city officials, Toronto’s ‘Curb Lane Cafés’ will be deconstructed on Oct. 15 and will likely not see the light of day until the summer of 2025. 

The program —an extension of the overall CaféTO incentive — is designed to give bars and restaurants additional patio seating during the summer months in Toronto, specifically alongside curb and sidewalk spaces in front of the selected institution. 

Originally launched in 2020, the program was built to help restaurants maintain a customer base while complying with physical distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

While that era has passed, both proprietors and patrons have expressed their desires to keep these supplemental patios in rotation, resulting in their four-year hot streak of consistent operations. 

With these platforms scheduled to be removed in two weeks — and with the leaves changing — there is no better time to enjoy one last curbside drink or meal before the 2024 season wraps up.