Caplansky's Delicatessen is a

delicatessen Traditionally, a delicatessen or deli is a retail establishment that sells a selection of fine, exotic, or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessen originated in Germany (original: ) during the 18th century and spread to the United States in the m ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada. It originated in 2007 in a room in the Monarch Tavern on Clinton Street which Zane Caplansky rented as a venue to make and sell house-cured hand-cut smoked meat sandwiches and knishes. The venture was successful and in 2009, Caplansky opened his eponymous full service delicatessen located at 356 College Street near

Kensington Market Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canad ...

. Caplansky's opened a food truck, named "Thunderin' Thelma", in 2011, which travelled to various events and locations in the city to sell food on the street. In 2013, Caplansky's launched a line of mustards in grocery stores and specialty shops across

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, and

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. Caplansky's received worldwide publicity the next year when it sponsored the Toronto Palestine Film Festival. In August 2014, Caplansky's opened a franchise at Pearson International Airport. Another location opened in Toronto's Yorkville area. In 2016, Caplansky's sued its College Street landlord after the landlord padlocked the premises after declaring the Caplansky's lease to be terminated due to a dispute over repairs. A month later, the Ontario Superior Court validated the lease and returned "exclusive possession" of the premises to Caplansky's, ordering the landlord to allow Caplansky's to resume operations. On January 3, 2018, Zane Caplansky announced the closure of the College location stating that business had never recovered from the 2016 interruption of business. Caplansky's also faced mounting legal costs due to continuing disputes with the landlord. Caplansky's Yorkville location closed suddenly on January 31, 2018 after, frustrated by only breaking even, Caplansky's partner in the Yorkville location bought out the lease and terminated it. Since its College location's closure, the store was renovated and has become the flagship store for a world famous Japanese confectionery store by the name of LeTAO who sells cheesecakes, chocolates, and cookies all flown in from

Hokkaido, Japan is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

. LeTAO with its tagline of "Nostalgic Modern" transformed the space, refinishing the century old Italian Terrazzo floors and refurbishing the Toronto famous brick walls. LeTAO has since closed as well. The airport location, which is owned by HMSHost and licences the Caplansky's name, remains in operation, while the food truck is no longer operating and has been sold. In 2019, Caplansky's launched a food stand at the

Rogers Centre Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it ...

and re-launched a line of mustards, selling them online.

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Caplansky's Deli
Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Toronto Ashkenazi Jewish restaurants Jewish delicatessens in Canada Restaurants in Toronto Tourist attractions in Toronto Restaurants established in 2009 Jewish Canadian cuisine Jews and Judaism in Toronto Kensington Market {{Canada-restaurant-stub

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