Toronto diner adds Oscar-inspired dessert to storied cinematic history
Toronto’s historic Lakeview Restaurant is open to all kinds of characters, from a cocktail-slinging Tom Cruise to John Travolta in drag and Sally Hawkins as the mute paramour of an escaped merman.
Known to locals for its late-night comfort fare, the west-end diner has racked up an impressive number of film credits over more than 85 years of service, including a cameo in “The Shape of Water,” which was awarded the Oscar for best picture on Sunday.
Co-owner Fadi Hakim said film crews descend on the Lakeview Restaurant about once every month or two for movie, television and commercial shoots, temporarily shutting down the all-hours eatery.
“It is an iconic diner in the sense that it is a landmark in Toronto,” Hakim said in a phone interview this week. “A lot of film scouts really like it because … they don’t have to do a lot to it at all, except maybe rebrand it.”