The food is tasty and the service is good. Ordered chicken shawarma, which came with fries and grilled vegetables but also has options for roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, and others. The beef tacos and chicken wings were also on point. Pricier than the average restaurant because everything is kosher. If you want kosher meals, this restaurant is a must try read more

So I gave this place another shot (several times actually) since my initial review in 2013. I've at best have had mixed experiences, and there have been some lows. There was one instance where my family ordered a bunch of laffas with different fillings and they just phoned it in by packing them with the same ingredients in each one. But this last interaction really took the cake for me. Long story short, my family or I won't be returning ever again. The largest issue I have with Kosher establishments in the GTA is that they are less focused on the food itself and more on the business side of things. There are times where I've eaten food that is so devoid of passion and care that it's a waste of money for me. That is exactly what happened to me and my family recently. Essentially, we ordered take out and hauled the food back up to where we live in Richmond Hill, it's about a 20-30 minute drive once everything is said and done. The bags were unpacked and we all began to tuck in. However, my mother in law's laffa smelled off as if something had turned. I took a sniff myself to confirm and I wouldn't have chanced it myself. So we called and asked if a credit could be applied as they are regulars to this location. The manager at the time offered little in flexibility noting that it was an hour from closing and that they wouldn't do anything unless we drove all the way back south to prove that something was wrong. We tried to explore all of the options possible that didn't end in eating a questionable laffa and wasting $20 down the toilet. The manager wouldn't budge and even suggested to bring it in the next day if we happen to be in the area. At this point, I had enough and brought the laffa down and made the trek in the middle of a family celebration as my diabetic mother in law was without a meal for the evening. When I presented the laffa to the staff, they themselves smelled the laffa (conveniently surrounded by other food to possibly mask anything they probably should have smelled) and said it was fine and that all the food was made fresh so its impossible. As someone who cooks daily for his family, I know what food that has turned smells like and what food I would possibly take a chance on. This is definitely not the case, there was something there that wasn't fresh. I'm sure they do try to ensure it, but sometimes things happen. I don't kick up a storm over things like this for fun. I also rarely ask for refunds when eating out, but this was a case where it was clear and I stood my ground. After some back and forth, the manager agreed to a refund as the $20 laffa included fries, so I only received $17. At the time, I had agreed to accepting it without knowing that we didn't receive fries with our order, so that was another issue I found out when I got home. In comparison to another restaurant we ordered from the same evening. On my way home from the pick up, I received a call to tell me they missed part of the order and immediately offered a credit the next time I was in. And that is the stark difference I'm talking about where I am beginning to notice that kosher restaurants in Toronto pick the business side of things over quality and the passion for food. I know this isn't a great time for restaurants and I know people are hurting. But customer service doesn't just go out the window because of the hard times we're all going through. Take care of your client base and they will take care of you. In this case, the management chose the $20 over a family of customers that were loyal and opted to go here over other kosher eateries in the city. For that, I am truly upset and could have been resolved in an easier fashion than this experience. Also, you can't label chicken satay on the Sharing Platter on your menu and also list it with Teriyaki in the description. They are two VERY different dishes from two VERY different cuisines. What you were looking for was Chicken SKEWER. Sorry, that was out of left field, but it's bothered me since I saw it and it's lived rent free in my head for a while. TLDR: We ordered, we picked up, one dish didn't smell great, we complained, they said to make the half hour trek down south to talk it over. I came back half an hour later, they said it was fine, it wasn't and I was short changed on the refund. I wouldn't recommend this place for the food or the service and that's kind of the point of going to a restaurant in the first place. read more

horrible Shawarma. served cold and by far the most expensive out of all the shawarma places in town. never go back there again.

I came here with a friend for lunch. I love middle eastern and mediterranean food so I was pretty excited! There was only one other occupied table, though parking took a while because the lot was pretty full from the other businesses in the plaza. There was only one waitress working, which made sense considering the number of patrons in the restaurant. She gave us the menus and brought out the usual side dishes but we had to ask for utensils...but it took a while to be able to ask her because she kind of disappeared after bringing out the sides and our waters! As a result, there were a few minutes where we were just staring at the food, contemplating whether to eat it with our hands out of desperation because we were so hungry, even though the lettuce was kind of wilted. Luckily we were able to hold off until our utensils came, which is when we ordered our food. The waitress was nice enough but the service wasn't particularly friendly or memorable. I got a kebob (beef and lamb) in a laffa with a side of fries, and asked for fries to be put inside the laffa too. My friend got something similar, also with fries inside. Of course, when the food came out, there were no fries to be found inside either of our wraps. We had fries on the side anyway, so we didn't bother waiting for the food to be remade after telling the waitress that there were no fries inside. But seriously, we were two of four customers inside the restaurant and the other customers already had their food. There's no excuse to NOT have the order done correctly. I'm still giving three stars because even without the fries, the kebob in a laffa was really, really good. The laffa in particular was really nice and chewy. The fries on the side were also good, but it's hard to mess up fries. Despite the issues I had, I would consider coming back here one more time to see if this was just an off-day. read more

Ba-Li Laffa - Kebob (beef and lamb) in a laffa. - Mediterranean Near Me - Vaughan, Ontario

We went for dinner on a Tuesday evening. Our friends reserved a table ahead of time which is just as well, because the place was busy. We were seated and menus were brought to the table. They brought water and took our orders. The menu is varied with many choices ranging from typical Israeli food to burgers and even Indian and Mongolian dishes. I ordered the hummus with lamb and pine nuts as my main. It was really delicious. My husband ordered the chicken shish kebab which came with rice and sautéed veggies. He said it's probably the best one he has ever had. Our friends ordered fillet of trout and Mongolian beef stir fry which came with a choice of noodles or rice. They both said that their meals were very tasty. The only reason this does not get a five star rating is that the waitress although sweet took way too long to bring me the hot water I ordered with my meal and the service in general was very slow. However, it was Hanukkah the night we were there and one of the patrons lit a hunukkia and the whole restaurant joined in the prayer which was pretty amazing. read more

Well I don't know where to start, while I read a lot of the other comments I wonder why everyone is it only giving it two stars. I had an excellent dinner at the restaurant and as I looked around I noticed everyone around me was too. My girlfriend and I started by being greeted with an assortment of crackers, pickled vegetables, and lightly pickled beets. As someone who doesn't enjoy beets I found myself finishing off the bowl that I was given. After being served water I began to look over the menu, I read a lot of the reviews on this site about the shawarma in a laffa and I had to say while it wasn't the best chicken shawarma I've had. It was still decent, what blew me away though was the other food being served in the restaurant as well as what my girlfriend got. Taking a look around I noticed a lot of people getting the beef ribs which looked absolutely amazing. (Made me regret my choice of getting shawarma) My girlfriend got the chicken schnitzel which was fairly decent, average fries that are served at most restaurants around the GTA. The Chicken Schnitzel is served with a complete laffa, a salad (decent size), and as well as a side choice along with the schnitzel my girlfriend ended up bringing half of it home due to how much food she received. Lastly what impressed me the most was the owner who dropped into our table (as well as everyone else's) and proceeded to ask if we had been there before and if we lived in the area, after the small chit-chat he offered us free dessert. While we were so stuffed from the meal I was unsure of how I would be able to fit in anymore. Well I managed to as the baklava as well as the other dessert we were brought were fantastic. The baklava is one of the best I've ever had, it was a little sweet but otherwise amazing. All in all a great restaurant i really like the vibe, I don't know if they have recentely stepped up but this has become one of my favourite restaurants in the neighbourhood. read more

Ba-Li Laffa - Laffa - Served with most entrees. - Mediterranean Near Me - Vaughan, Ontario

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Excellent! Very clean and tidy inside. Has a great menu selection. Has 4 different types of salad, sandwhiches, which you can get in a pita or laffa, burgers, hot dogs, home made soups, 6 different types of hummous, numerous appetizers, entrees, that come with a house salad and fries, sauteed veggies or rice. There is also a kids menu which is VERY resonably priced, but a small selection, as well as desserts! read more

Ba-Li Laffa - a menu for a restaurant - Mediterranean Near Me - Vaughan, Ontario

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I tried this place to gauge what another "laffa" restaurant could offer, after eating at Dr. Laffa. This ain't close! Yes they have laffa, but it did not seem 'right out of the oven". The Sabich (a laffa filled with egg and grilled vegetable was just so-so, and their shawarma was tasteless. They did have a tasty soup (perhaps Moroccan inspired). This is not a place I would come back to. You can get better middle eastern food at many many many restaurants in the GTA. At leas I have been. Next time it will be Sababa, Jerusalem or Me-Va-Me. read more

Pricy. Quality and Taste is phenomenal. Would recommend if you're not stingy on price.

We live in an entirely different part of the city, and make a special trip to this spot every few months. Even though it's primarily a meat-eater's milieu, everyone in my family - including the vegetarians - can find something to enjoy. The falafel is topnotch, and the sabich on laffa is the stuff dreams are made of. Plus, like most of the entrées, it's enough for two meals. read more

This is a take-out review. Walked here for some quick take-out and it ended up taking out 45 minutes of our evening--with a puppy and an infant waiting with us for the food this made for a major inconvenience. I think, even under normal circumstances, 45 is a long time to wait for food (two sandwich meals--kabob and shawarma both with salad), even if we were sitting at a table. While we were waiting we saw plenty of people come in to sit and to pick up take-out (already ordered on the phone), we saw customers by-pass waitresses and ask the cooks for things like soy sauce and ketchup and we saw one big group leave because they couldn't be accommodated in the dining area. The food was good. The laffa itself was very tasty (probably prepared on site?) and the shawarma was excellent, the kabob was a little strange consisting of three large balls of meat--but good none-the-less. The salad was salad, i.e. it was green. My advice? Call and order ahead if you want take-out, and if they don't take reservations, call and order ahead and take-out. read more

We visited Sunday night, so of course it's busy. Just took a few minutes to get a table but felt like forever for us to get our order taken (everything seems like forever when you're starving). Food was delicious, we ordered the family special which included 2 beef kabob skewers, 2 chicken kabob skewers, 2 kefta skewers, large salad, large rice and large vegetables. Cost was $59.99 for this which was a little on the high side but was pretty delicious. We also ordered the mushroom chumus which wasn't that great. Fair amount but lacked something. Would definitely go again in a few months. read more

Great dinner experience! Very reliable and consistent menu. They have a very attentive staff with great customer service. Try the shwarma, you wont regret it. read more

This is one of the worst - if not the worst - places to get a felafel in Toronto. I regret having gone there two (2) days ago - and have been pondering since that time to write this review or not. I finally decided to submit this review as a public service. For starter, never have I been to a restaurant, or food counter, or food stall where they reheated the felafel balls before filling them inside a pita. YUP - this is what they did here - right in front of me! As a result the felafel balls were burned on the outside, cool on the inside and OILY! The cardinal rule for preparing and serving felafels is that they should be fresh, NOT heated over. If they can't this step right, what else can you expect. My suggestion; go to Sababa - just down the road on Steeles Avenue - or go to Dr. Laffa just a little further away near Dufferin & Steeles. The food at these alternate locations is ALWAYS fresh and made to order... In sum, Ba-Li Laffa is not a good place. For sure, I know I will not be going back to this place again. . read more

Not bad of a place decent portions and shawarma/ shishkebab is alright for the price. Don't expect fancy or lots of privacy as it's fairly tight/small in there. read more

My wife wanted to take me out for my Birthday and I went here regretfully. We ordered there caesar salad with chicken .. it was awful .. first of all I got a salad consisting of lettuce and limited cherry tomatoes with crappy croutons and a chicken that had zero taste.... when I complained they told me that they forgot the mushrooms .. so the waitress went back to get me some. She came back to tell me they didn't have any .. so here I am with the worst meal and incomplete and no compensation .. never again... I went to shul after and when I told people they gave me a look like .. that place is horrific !!! .. no one told me .. Btw if you see a five star review, it must be the owner or a friend of the owners trying to compensate for all the poor reviews... tasteless and overpriced .. go somewhere else or go to Sobeys around the corner on clark and take it home with you read more

This place has a lot of potential but when I visited yesterday it was clearly still suffering from opening jitters. No fork and knife brought out with appetizers, no napkins either until requested. First thing I ordered off the menu they didn't have...heard them saying they didn't have at least half a dozen different things to the tables around me. On the bright side the food is good! read more

Delicious middle eastern food. Amazing kebabs (especially the chicken) and beef ribs, which are hard to find in other kosher restaurants. Love their appetizer combos and the humus is out of this world. The place has a casual atmosphere and the staff super friendly. We keep coming back! read more

I have a friend who works at Bathurst and Steels area and only eats Kosher food, so we decided to meet for lunch at Ba-Li Laffa. Other reviewers write about friendly service... well, the service we received was very indifferent, or rather emotionless. We ordered shawarma and chicken shish-kebab in laffa and salad combo to share. The meat was bland and dry, laffa was cold, the green salad that came with food wasn't green at all, it looked like it was sitting there for a week. read more

Took my in-laws there for dinner tonight, had the three salad combo to start. The waitress was very busy and we had to ask for everything twice. We ate our salad combo with our main course, and at the end of the meal we noticed a nasty black hair in the hummus. When the waitress came to pick up our plates, my wife politely told her about the hair. She told us she would remove it from the bill, but when she came back with the credit card machine, she told us her manager would not take it off the bill because we waited too long. I was a little shocked but paid anyways. On the way out, my wife went to see the manager to voice her disgust, and he listened for a moment, then told her to shut up and get out of his restaurant. The whole wait staff and management in this place really need to work on their manners and respect. Will never go back again!!!!. read more

I was craving for Shawarma and Laffa, took my bf there to taste what is Laffa about, but they serve a cold Laffa, and when it's cold it has a rubber taste. Very disappointing. They have good chicken shawarma and salads, but if it's wrapped in cold Laffa you will never enjoy it! Too expensive, waste of time, money and huuuuge dissapointment. You just lost 2 more potential clients "Ba-li Laffa". Lo bali Laffa anymore from your place.... read more

My friend and I entered this restaurant as they were closing up after being turned away from a different place, we came in to ba Li lafa, first we were told we can only order wraps (sandwiches to go) which we were more than happy with! After we were in order food the owner offered us to stay and eat there, we were treated in an extremely welcoming Manner by all the staff (i'm sure all they wanted to do is go home but they all smiled at us and treat us amazing!) The food was delicious! I highly recommend this place and I'll definitely be back! read more

Disgusting place and I will never again get anything from there!!! I keep giving this place a chance and every time it's horrible!! I live around the area and I find it easy to get food from there.. the service is terrible and u would wait for a very long to get anything even a salad! Last time I ordered from Uber eats since I hate waiting and got the food but got very sick!!! read more

I have returned to Ba-Li Laffa a number of times since my prior review, and I'm happy to say both the food and the service have improved. The meat is well seasoned and consistently nicely cooked. Wait staff at the tables is still far from perfect, and I've been left waiting for quite a while at the entrance waiting for a table with a half-empty restaurant, but improvements have been made. I have also used the take out- yes, you can pick and choose what goes into your sandwich as it does get assembled at that counter. Great for when it opens late night after Shabbos. read more

Went 2 nights ago for dinner. Had their ribs. Got very sick when I got home. Threw up. My partner ordered a stir fry, also got sick. We will NEVER return. Owner is a waste of time. No customer service knowledge whatsoever. I hope he goes broke. read more

This is an absolutely horrible restaurant. The service is horrendous and they are completely unaccommodating to dietary restrictions unless you buy their higher priced menu items. I have given this place far too many chances and it is just one disappointment after another. I will not be returning again and strongly urge you to stay as far away from this place as you can. There are MUCH better options near by. Good luck to you if you decide to go. read more

Hadn't been there in a little while, but stopped by the other night and got delicous Lamb Chops. Generous portion size, very tasty. Will be returning in the near future! read more

Based on previous review, I must admit I was reluctant to try this place. We went as a large group and everyone was very happy. The food was very tasty all around, and the service was good. The manage was very accommodating of all our special requests. Including wine, tax and tip, prices averaged about $35 a head. Will certainly return. read more

I ordered using Yelp online. It said pick up order in 30 minutes. I came 35 minutes after. All I got was rudeness and that we haven't started your order yet. We cant give you a time but we have orders from the morning and you are behind them in line. I asked then what is the point of online ordering through Yelp? They continued being rude saying it's not our fault we should have turned it off. I calmly said if you didn't turn it off then it is your fault. I asked how long will it be? We cant promise you anything because we are busy. Worst customer service I have ever experienced, too bad I wont go back there because food is good. No customer should ever be treated that way. I cant recommended this place to anyone read more

Ba-Li Laffa is very popular and busy ... for good reason! The food is exceptional, the restaurant is clean, there's ample parking, the service is great - and to top it off, it's kosher. Not only do I enjoy eating at Ba-Li Laffa, I'm pleased to bring others with me. My out-of-town guests are impressed with this eatery. read more

I've only been there once - so far - but it was definitely a positive experience. The food was delicious; authentic middle eastern cuisine. Our main dishes -- beef kebabs and chicken shwarma -- were tasty and the portions were ample. The sides -- rice and grilled vegetables -- were also well prepared, and the kitchen didn't skimp on the servings. A nice setting, not too fancy, but clean, comfortable and friendly ambience. Our server was a personable young lady who was very familiar with the menu, had personally sampled a good part of it (or do she claimed!) and was prepared to make honest recommendations based on her experience and past customer comments. The price wasn't too bad... for a kosher meat restaurant (it can't be cheap, folks. You can't make a kosher beef kebab out of horse meat!). I'll be back. read more

Just finished our reserved group dinner at this restaurant and I found that the food was mediocre. The management definitely needs to improve the ambiance and decor. However, none of this mattered before the staff asked our group of 10 to leave because another group was waiting to sit at our table. There are better restaurants to enjoy an evening in, given the service and the menu. read more

The worst food in the city the most expensive you do not get your moneys worth let's hope they close it down really soon so we don't have to be ripped off read more

I went to ba-Li Laffa yesterday after hearing great things about the great menu and all the available options. When I first got in there I was excited, nice layout, clean and the menu looked awesome! A little pricey but I must say that they give you a bunch of other stuff with ur meal to make it worth it. I ordered a chicken shawarma, I heard great things and I love it also. I must say the shawarma was terrible, possibly some of the worst I have ever had in the city. It was overly crunchy and felt like I was eating pieces of wood while eating it. Also the amount they gave me was not good for the price. To top all of this off, the service was awful. I watched my food sit on the counter for 15 minutes while my waitress was no where to be found. The chef rang the bell 15 times!!!! And then she finally came. The service was so slow and if you sit in the back area of the restaurant. Be prepared to never get your food! And be ignored constantly. I will never go back here, there are way better places for cheaper price and better service! Only good part was the laffa. Besides that, it was awful! read more

Now I know why they say that you should wait a few months before trying a brand new restaurant. We heard about this place while at Mi Va Mi (which I go to whenever I'm in town) and decided to try it. Do yourself a favor and stay away from Ba-Li Laffa. The humus with mushrooms was ok but the lamb kebab with 'special' rice was awful. The lamb was basically pieces of grilled fat. And the rice was overcooked white rice with canned peas and carrots. Not so special after all. The server-Anais-while sweet wasn't all that well trained and kept apologizing. We asked for the chicken Shish Kebab and it was just OK. Nothing special or even good. They left off the potato garnish on this one so I can't comment on what potentially could have been the only edible item. Needless to say, the experience left us cold. And hungry. We gave our feedback to the server but got the feeling that it would fall on deaf ears. While I'm all for competition, I don't think Mi Va Mi has much to worry about. Unless that is Ba-Li Laffa gets a real chef and someone to run the place. I was shocked that no one came over to get a read from us. After all, in this age of customer crowd sourcing they're missing out on not only constructive criticism but a chance for redemption. read more

The hummus is all the time sour and have a bad smell! The vegetables is not fresh .. Seems like the restaurant not keep on a fresh food!

I don't keep kosher so I can happily compare this place to all the good Thornhill Israeli restaurants. Ba Li Laffa ranks highly with Me-Va-Me and Meron. Unlike Meron, the other two offer laffa at no extra cost. To me, the laffa is a major reason to eat here and at Me-Va-Me. I prefer Ba Li to Dr. Laffa because the latter is more cafeteria-style. I didn't like receiving my soup from the waitress and then being told to wait in line at the counter to get my shawarma in a laffa. Table service at Ba Li is very good. Four stars - all magen davids, of course! read more

The shwarma didn't taste that good. I may have gotten sick from here.

When we first got there, around 6:30 pm on a Tuesday, they were so busy they seemed overwhelmed. It took a while to be seated, and we had to flag down a waitress to get our orders taken. But after that, things went much more smoothly. The food came quickly, and was delicious. The portions are somewhat smaller than I expected, but then again so were the prices ($10 for a shawarma laffa, $8 for a kids meal). The fries were amazing - crispy on the outside and soft and potatoey on the inside. And despite the slow start, the service was friendly and very kind and helpful. I fully expect them to get more organized as time goes on and they get used to the demand. Things calmed down by 7:30 and everything seemed less hectic and chaotic then. I would go back again for sure. read more

I read Anat B.'s review and I think she is either mistaken or showed up on an atypical bad evening. I recall that, on opening, the staff was confused. Now that the restaurant has been around for a few years, everything is fine and the laffa is deeee-licious! Anat B is invited to join Steve and Rhonda R anytime she finds herself in Thornhill. And, please bring Rutie B, too! read more