Bar-B Barn, an institution in downtown Montreal, is closing its doors after more than 50 years.
The eatery on Guy Street, which is known for its ribs, has been an icon of the city’s restaurant scene for decades. Staff confirmed the permanent closure to Global News.
The restaurant, which first opened in 1967, has been shuttered since the novel coronavirus crisis bore down on the city in March.
“COVID-19 pushed me over the limit,” said Bar-B Bar owner Tom McQueen. “It was just not feasible.”
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The West Island location has continued to serve up meals for takeout.
Bar-B Barn’s founder, Manny Barnoff, passed away at the age of 90 in 2019. His obituary described him as a Montreal legend and the restaurant as “his true love since 1967.”
The closure of the downtown mainstay has led to reaction on social media, where Montrealers are lamenting the loss of the eatery.
Journalist and columnist Richard Burnett said Bar-B Barn was as “Montreal as the two-cheek kiss and construction traffic.”
Montrealer Steve Frischman also commented on Facebook, blaming the COVID-19 pandemic for the closure.
“Today I am very sad,” he wrote. “A Montreal institution and restaurant that I’ve been going to since I was a child is no more.”
— With files from Global News’ Brayden Jagger Haines
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