Golden Star Restaurant

Flash back to 1964. That’s when Justin Doria’s grandfather, Frank, made the move from employee at a popular hot dog chain to restaurant owner. “My grandfather, my father and my uncle decided to go into the restaurant business,” Justin explains. “This place came up for sale, there was an opportunity, and 52 years later, here we are at Yonge and Doncaster!”

In those days, Golden Star was a four-table diner. “They used to call it a drive-in because you would literally drive in, order your food and go eat in the car,” says Justin. “That’s why it’s called Golden Star Drive-In. I guess in the sixties that was pretty popular.”

The restaurant’s dining hall was built in 1979, but aside from that, a quick look around reveals that not much has changed since the early days. And that’s the way this burger joint’s customers like it. “As far as our decor, a lot of our regulars don’t want us to renovate; they want to keep that old nostalgic feel and look to it,” Justin says. “It’s a fun place. There aren’t too many of these places left.”