Carlaw doughnut shop

The Jamaican beef patty is a Toronto staple food. I have many fond memories of how it played a big part of and enriched my life.

I grew up during the ‘80s and ‘90s in Leslieville/ South Riverdale before it got gentrified. My go-to place for beef patties back then was Donut Express on the northwest corner of Carlaw Ave and Gerrard Street East, just a few blocks from my childhood home (and where my parents still live). Unfortunately, it closed many years ago, but I still fondly reminisce about their patties.

I left Toronto in 1999. When I go back to visit, the Jamaican beef patty is on my list of obligatory Toronto foods to indulge in (along with ketchup chips, butter tarts, bloody Caesars, and siu mei (Cantonese BBQ)).

Donut Express was an unpretentious 24/7 doughnut shop that was popular with working-class folks and sleepless youths looking for a place to pass the night. Most notably, the establishment had a video poker machine adjacent to their food counter (where the patties were made/served), and a jukebox with a selection of music from that era.

As a teen and young adult, I worked late at a restaurant job. Therefore, I often would be hungry after work as I had laboured through the traditional mealtime. On those nights I would take the 506 Carlton streetcar home. Donut Express was one stop before my own. Their bright lights and the dearth of food options elsewhere in the area initially drew me in; their beef patty made me return.

Donut Express served an upgraded version of the Jamaican beef patty known as “beef patty special”. The pastry was butterflied open and topped with a choice of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and pickled hot peppers. Then it would be finished with a combination of ketchup, mayonnaise, and oil & vinegar, and then seasoned with salt & pepper. Then the creation would be folded closed and wrapped in paper to make it easier to eat by hand.

The hot treat instantly boosted my energy after a long shift at my job. And the poker machine was a fun way to destress and disengage from work back before smartphones were around.

I toiled at my restaurant job a lot as a teenager; therefore, I did not get a chance to hang out much. Donut Express (which regulars referred to simply as “Carlaw”) filled this gap by being my social spot during my restaurant years. It had a welcoming vibe, and their beef patty special was served with a smile from the friendly staff. Carlaw was my “Cheers”, a place where “everybody knew my name”, and the ladies behind the counter served my patty exactly the way I liked without me needing to say a word.

There are too many crazy stories to share, but suffice it to say that Donut Express had a funny cast of characters coming and going during the “zombie” hours.

I miss those nights where I would refuel my body with a beef patty special, sitting in front of the poker machine and listening to Stevie Wonder or Jennifer Rush on the jukebox, and chatting with the regulars. It was more than a beef patty. It was a bygone era of smoke-filled doughnut shops, affordable real estate, and $1 coffees (no lattes or specialty blends).

With the current construction of the Ontario Line, the intersection of Carlaw & Gerrard is likely to be taken over by subway infrastructure, or soon to be populated with upscale shops.

Sadly, I am not aware of any other places that still serve the beef patty special. Alas.