Local diners marked the end of an era with the closing of Dorothy’s, a well-loved café tucked away in Chancery Lane.

Its hamburgers were the stuff of legend, and the atmosphere everything guests could expect of a family business run for 40 years.

For Dorothy Emery-Middleton and her niece Claudette Trott, the time has come to hang up their aprons and take a break.

“It’s amazing that a place known for the best burgers on the Island has closed its doors,” said Kendaree Burgess, the executive director of the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, echoing the sentiments of many. “Dorothy’s represented that old-school brand of Bermuda’s mom and pop eating establishments, a place where the food was as real as the people. You knew what to expect and you were never disappointed. I wish them well and hope that the closure was a choice, a retirement of sorts.”

Businesses close by said there had been no shortage of crestfallen diners, but the closure was voluntary and a welcome breather for the establishment’s owners.

In a notice in The Royal Gazette, Dorothy’s loyal customers were thanked for their years of support — along with voting the venue the home of Bermuda’s Best Burger for more than 18 years.

Film critic David Poland, who used to visit the Island for the Bermuda International Film Festival, said yesterday that Dorothy’s was one of the things he loved most about coming here.

“I’m so sad to hear that Dorothy’s is gone,” he added.

“There are many things I love about Bermuda but Dorothy’s was always right there at the top — best burger anywhere.

“I would tell people about Dorothy’s and how good it was and they would invariably laugh at me. Then they would have the burger and, with few exceptions, agree with me completely.

“None of us could understand why this burger was so much better than others, it just was. How many times did I look at all the ‘Best of Bermuda’ signs and wonder what happened in the few years in which they didn’t win ‘Best Burger in Bermuda’? I courted my wife at Dorothy’s. When we brought our three-month-old to Bermuda, one of our first stops was, of course, Dorothy’s.

“The ladies who worked there were known for not saying much but, over the years, I could see the look of familiarity in their eyes when I returned each year. They were nice to me.

“After many years of Dorothy’s, Dorothy’s, Dorothy’s, we added Art Mel’s to the lunchtime schedule, but Dorothy’s owns my heart.

“The closing of Dorothy’s is the end of an era. A good friend who I visited whenever I could, never to be seen or tasted again.

“Film festival guests from around the globe will join me in mourning.”