Known for its mile-high plates of scratch-made comfort fare, Langley's beloved little Hilltop Diner is now permanently closed.
Under its most recent ownership for the last four years, Hilltop's website notes the closure and now-defunct plans for a new owner to assume operations next month. Many customers were told earlier this summer about an impending change of hands for the business, which appears now to have gone awry.
Diners report a handwritten sign posted in the window confirming the closure and citing tension with the landlord. Images of the sign are being shared online. The notice reads: "It is with heavy hearts that we announce the diner is permanently closing due to unforeseen landlord issues. Thank you for all of your support."
The diner's local paper, The Aldergrove Star, confirms the closure.
The Hilltop Diner opened in 1946 and has been a local favourite for decades.
Located at 23904 Fraser Highway, when the diner first opened the road it was on was just five years old, and relatively remote.
You may have seen this tiny, quirky diner on TV on shows like Food Network's You Gotta Eat Here, but the no-frills little cafe was also used as a location for plenty of productions -- enough for the restaurant to have an entire section of its website devoted to all the shows and movies filmed there.
Dishing up the goods daily until 2:30 p.m., Hilltop's massive menu ran the gamut from basic a.m. egg dishes to signature eats like their French Toast made with super-thick cinnamon swirl bread, a breakfast sammy with an Apple Fritter "bun," plus platters of sandwiches, burgers, and fries.
Among Hilltop's epic eats were the Mountain (double) and Everest (triple) burgers, which redefined "whopper."
Customers were always urged to save room for pie; the diner was beloved for its famous slices.
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