A beloved Hungarian restaurant is saying goodbye after 62 years in Toronto

Katalin Koltai spent much of her time this week answering phone calls from customers crying on the other end.

The customers were among those who saw her post on social media announcing The Country Style Hungarian restaurant is closing its doors for good this summer.

For many, it's the end of an era of Hungarian food in Toronto — a type of cuisine that can be hard to find, with homemade-style schnitzels, cabbage rolls, perogies and goulash. 

"We have a lot of regular customers — I know them for so many years. You know, they love to come here with their kids, grandkids, mother, father, they even come from U.S., all over Canada," said Koltai, who has owned the place for 23 years. 

The Country Style Hungarian restaurant was a fixture in the Annex for 62 years. After the Second World War, over 37,000 Hungarian refugees fled to Canada. The Annex was home to many of them, and many Hungarian restaurants popped up.

It was the one of the first Hungarian restaurants on Bloor Street and is the last one standing, said Koltai.

Koltai says while the demand for the food is still high, she wants to retire. 

"For so many years of my life, I did what the restaurant wants me to do. Now I do what I want to do," she said. 

Liz Addison is just one of the many customers who has been visiting the restaurant for decades. 

She says the restaurant was a popular spot even in the late 60's, when she was a student at the University of Toronto. 

"I used to come here because it was, you know, cheap eats and and the food was fantastic," said Addison. 

When she learned it would be closing soon, she said she was "heartbroken." 

"There's nowhere else I get such a schnitzel." 

Sophie McKay came to the restaurant from across the city on Thursday specifically for the perogies.