A Korean restaurant known for its stunning small plates has quietly closed in Toronto.

The reason forMezu's closure is simple: like many, they unfortunately just couldn't weather the pandemic. The restaurant confirmed to blogTO that the restaurant closed when lockdown began in March and never reopened.

The octopus at Mezu. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

Fans of Mezu will surely miss their ssam lettuce wrap meals and fun cocktails, as well as their elegant plating of other Korean tapas-style dishes and moody interior. People were especially big fans of their octopus and galbi. The restaurant was named for a traditional Korean fermented product.

"We had been closed since the middle of March," a representative of the restaurant told blogTO. "We couldn't get by and closed permanently now due to the same reason, COVID-19 pandemic."

Renovations have been going on in the corner space at Dundas West, which is currently pretty much gutted, although there's no indication of what will be taking Mezu's place.