For more than a century, the United Bakers restaurant has served quintessential Jewish home cooking.

When I told my Jewish friends I was heading to the United Bakers Dairy restaurant, tucked away at the southern end of Lawrence Plaza in Bathurst and Lawrence, they all said the same thing: “You have to get the green pea soup. He’s the best in town! “

A staple in the Jewish community for nearly 110 years, United Bakers might be known for its flavorful and buttery pea noodle soup, but it also gained iconic status among bagel and smoked salmon brunchers thanks to the simple family motto: “We are the restaurant that makes you feel at home. “

And that starts with getting to know customers and their families, says Chief Operating Officer Nathan Ladovsky, Aaron Ladovsky’s great-grandson, who opened the first iteration in 1912 at what was then 156 Agnes St. (now Dundas Street West). That area, known as Ward, was where many Jewish immigrants from Poland and other Eastern European countries settled. United Bakers moved to Spadina Avenue in Chinatown in 1920, before finding its current location in 1986.

During our conversation, five customers came up to Nathan to say hello. “What’s important to us,” he says, “is creating real connections and interacting with everyone in the most meaningful way possible.” On any given day, United Bakers remembers a kiddush, the reception that follows a synagogue service, where parishioners socialize over Danish dishes and chocolate babka.

As friendly as the staff can be, it’s the food that makes any four-generation restaurant draw crowds. The menu features a mix of meatless Jewish classics, such as gefilte fish (a ground white fish dish made on site), cheese blintzes, potato latkes, herring fillets, and cashew baklava. The restaurant has always been meat-free to observe the traditional Jewish separation of dairy and meat.

Nathan and his father, Philip, maintain the family business, while Philip’s sister, Ruthie, took a step back during the pandemic after decades behind the register or greeting customers. Nathan says his brothers, Adam and Jacob, help out during the busiest times of the year, like Easter, while Adam also developed his online Shopify store when the pandemic hit. His Aunt Simmy also helps with deliveries during the Rosh Hashanah rush.

Philip’s parents, Herman and Dora, oversaw the rise of United Bakers in Spadina, where, he says, “you were going to see someone or be seen” at the 60-seat restaurant. “It became an island in a sea of ​​uncertainty for immigrants.”

Being so close to Kensington Market allowed Herman “to scour the market for what he needed, from tomatoes to cabbages to eggs,” says Philip. But in the 1980s, the Ladovskys decided to follow the Jewish community north along Bathurst.

Shifting operations to Lawrence Plaza felt like the right move, Philip says, and the Ladovskys made some key design adjustments to the new space. “We got rid of a waitress station under the mirrored ceiling that blocked the view,” says Philip, “because we knew people wanted to see who was coming in, to see if they recognized their friend, sister or cousin.”

And the famous pea soup remained a favorite, says Nathan, who spent his teens working as a line cook. “I would come to school after my morning shift smelling of onions and potatoes,” he says. “As challenging as it was, it was also a good way to get some pocket change.”

United Bakers has also forged deep connections with other organizations in the Jewish community, such as the Noshfest Jewish food fair, which worked with the restaurant to distribute more than 1,000 free meals to frontline workers last year. The restaurant also partnered with the humanitarian group Ve’ahavta to distribute free soup to the homeless in the center.

When asked if they have had notable clients over the years, father and son reply, “Mel Lastman!” Philip continues to praise the late Toronto Mayor and his wife, Marilyn, for always supporting United Bakers.

After a pause, Nathan adds, “You know what, these are not remarkable people walking through our doors, because our everyday customers are fascinating to us – the stories they share, the lives they have lived. Our clients don’t have to be famous to be rock stars. “