Toronto’s loudest chef just made a quiet exit. Less than a year after opening, Matty Matheson’s Dundas West restaurant Bar Clams has closed its doors. The seafood-heavy diner, which launched in November 2024, is now listed as permanently closed on Google. Its OpenTable page no longer accepts reservations, though its website and Instagram remain live — the social media equivalent of a light left on.
When it opened, Bar Clams was billed as one of Matheson’s most personal projects yet — a nostalgic maritime diner inspired by his grandfather’s Blue Goose restaurant. The menu was a love letter to East Coast comfort food with its lineup of raw oysters and clams, donairs, Jiggs’ dinner and diner staples like grilled cheese and crab dip.
@barclamsbarclams/Instagram
It’s not the first time one of Matheson’s Toronto spots has closed — his early restaurant Parts & Labour helped define the city’s indie food scene before shuttering in 2019, and his Michelin Bib Gourmand–recognized Fonda Balam followed suit in 2024 — but it’s still a surprise. The Bear star, cookbook author, YouTuber and co-owner of multiple Toronto restaurants (including Matty’s Patty’s and Rizzo’s House of Parm) has built one of the city’s most visible restaurant groups, Our House Hospitality Co., turning his brand into an empire that ranges from fine dining to fast food.
And while Bar Clams may have gone under, Matheson’s next move is already underway, this time, outside Toronto. The chef recently announced plans to open The Iron Cow, a full-service restaurant inside the new Hamilton arena. Billed as “protein-forward” and featuring everything from Sunday roasts to hot dogs, it’s expected to open in late 2025 alongside several Matheson-designed concession stands.