New barbecue restaurant in Toronto opening in ‘destroyed’ historic building

A new barbecue restaurant is gearing up to open its doors in Toronto, moving into a historic building that was once deemed unsalvageable. Will this finally be the tenant it deserves?

The beautiful (if you can look past the layers of graffiti and whitewash) building at the corner of Dupont and Christie has been quite the point of contention in the Annex over the past few years.

A former bank building which, according to online rental listings, still contains its original vault, 657 Dupont is a truly breathtaking landmark in an area otherwise largely populated by new builds with its red brick exterior, domed awnings and, perhaps most unique of all, curved shape which positions its front door at the apex of the intersection.

At least, it would be breathtaking, if it weren’t for the issues of vandalism — followed up by shoddy fixes — that have plagued it over the years.

Once a Starbucks location that closed down around 2021, the building sat vacant for over a year, collecting a concerning amount of graffiti tags, which troubled locals to no end.

Later, it was taken over by Popeyes, who took it upon themselves to deal with the unsightly graffiti by giving the entire exterior a third-rate paint job, coating the entire thing in white paint and calling it a day, which plenty of locals claimed ‘destroyed’ the building.

That Popeyes location proceeded to shutter after less than two years.

Now, there’s a brand-new life for the building on horizon, and it might just be the tonic needed to get the building back on its feet.

After years of running a series of successful pop-ups at breweries around the city, Pitmaster Andrew Golden will soon be opening a permanent home for his barbecue business, Golden Horseshoe Barbecue, in the building.

“It’s still very, very early for us, we signed our lease on Monday,” Andrew tells blogTO, noting that their permitting and design plans are already in the works, but there’s still a lot in the air.

“What I can say confidently is that we love the building in the neighbourhood,” he adds. “It’s truly a great pocket of the city.”

And, it bears mentioning, they “don’t have plans to do anything drastic like Popeyes,” so Annex residents can rest easy knowing that the building could quite possibly be restored to its former glory — or even better.

In terms of the food that’ll be entering the area once the restaurant opens, it’s an equally exciting story.

Andrew’s reputation already precedes him when it comes to truly Texas-style barbecue in the city, serving up juicy brisket, ribs and sausages that’d please even the most discerning of palates, and it’s that exact notoriety that’s gotten Chef Kris Hansen (The Carbon Bar) signed on to the project as a partner.

While there’s no opening date set for the restaurant quite yet, with a powerhouse pairing, an incomparable location and a bank vault that’s the perfect size for an industrial-sized smoker, this is one restaurant that can’t open its doors soon enough.