The Miller Tavern, on Yonge Street near York Mills Avenue in the Hoggs Hollow neighbourhood, is now an upscale country-club-style restaurant with few reminders of its gritty past.
Just after midnight on May 23, 1935, police with sledgehammers smashed through the doors of the Jolly Miller to conduct what was then the biggest raid on illegal organized gambling in Toronto history. More than 100 people were arrested, each fined $50 .
“The energy and vibe of the old Jolly Miller from the 1930s — and even from the ’70s and ’80s when it was more of a bar — is something we wanted to move away from,” says Hanif Harji, co-owner of Scale Hospitality, which operates the restaurant, retained by the City of Toronto and designated a heritage site in 1998.
In those days, and even decades earlier, the spot appealed to drinkers and sports fans seeking a pub north of downtown, as the Yonge and York Mills area has long been known as a nightlife desert. With the second floor, terrace and patio redone, Toronto design firm Block Plan Studios will soon transform the TV-heavy sports-bar-like ground floor to reflect the more polished look of the rest of the Miller Tavern.