I've lived in Scarborough all my life and so many Greek restaurants have come and gone. I have been craving chicken souvlaki and a GOOD Greek salad. A friend mentioned the Esquire to me last week and tonight it was time to try it. Excellent service, friendly staff, very fresh ingredients! For what i had I didn't think $13 was over priced .... I'm stuffed! Sure, I had to wait for the chicken to grill and it was well worth the wait - DELISH! Tzaziki was awesome - definitely fresh garlic in this thick, creamy sauce The Esquire will be my weekly cheat night from now on, for sure!! read more

Esquire Restaurant - Chicken souvlaki on a pita and small Greek salad - Greek Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Esquire Restaurant is a family run Greek restaurant located in a plaza on the southeast corner of Victoria Park Ave and Sheppard Ave East that has been serving the Scarborough area since 1981. Esquire Restaurant and Johnny's Hamburgers have been staples of that area for a long time. You wouldn't know it by looking at the current ethnic demographics but years back, upper Scarborough use to have a very large Greek community and from my understanding this use to be the go to place for Greek food in upper Scarborough. I decided to drop in on a weekday around late afternoon to grab a late lunch and I decided on the chicken souvlaki dinner ($12.25 plus) which seemed to be their most popular item since I noticed everybody dining in eating it. You place your order and grab a seat and when your order is ready, you would grab your food from the front and bring it back to your table. The chicken souvlaki dinner was reasonably priced ($12.25 plus tax) and the portions were very generous. The dinner came with rice, potatoes, a Greek salad, a skewer of chicken souvlaki and a few slices of toasted garlic bread. Everything was fresh and nicely done but the chicken while nicely seasoned and nicely charred was a tad on the dry side and lacked the tenderness and juiciness a great chicken souvlaki should taste like. It was okay but definitely not great like some of it's counterparts on the Danforth which are priced a few dollars higher but the quality is better overall. The decor is really old school with paintings on the wall and the outer part of the restaurant is lined with tables and the inner part of the restaurant are lined with booths. The place was quite clean from what I could see. It's hard to comment on service since there are no waitstaff and essentially you pay for your order at the cashier and when your order is ready, you pick it up from the front which results in less interaction than a full service restaurant. Overall, it's not a bad choice for Greek food in upper Scarborough and if you're looking for a hearty meal at very reasonable prices than you should definitely check out Esquire Restaurant. read more

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This is one of my go to Greek restaurants. The food is always hot and fresh. The staff is wonderful and extremely efficient considering they are busy all the time. The one complaint I have is that on the website it suggests calling ahead to order but you can never get through. I called 11 times in the span of 30 minutes one day and 8 times on another with no success. read more

Through the years, I've consistently heard many rant and rave about Esquire's Souvlaki. Our order tonight included a Chicken Souvlaki Dinner, Chicken Souvlakis on a Pita and Bun, Greek Fries, and a Greek Salad. The truth of the matter is that though the portions are generous, they are kind of lacking in the flavour department. The Greek Salad was overly dressed, and sour to the point that my face started doing all sorts of facial gymnastics to cope. I would definitely ask for dressing on the side the next time. The Chicken Souvlaki lacked the zing of fresh lemon and oregano. By the volume that they're cranking out, I wouldn't be surprised to know that they don't have time to marinate it. Moreover, the hallmark of any great Greek meal is Tzatziki. And unfortunately, unlike all the amazing Tzatziki I've had on the Danforth, etc, this was runny and lacked flavour. I don't think they use Greek Yogurt as the base, and there were no signs of garlic or cucumber to be found. The portion was generous, but not appetizing. The highlight for me were the Greek Fries. Drizzled in a Lemon/Olive Oil/Oregano mixture, and topped with Feta. Though it could have used more feta. But truth be told, there can never be enough Feta ;) Square Boy and Hunter's Pizza still have my #1 spots for affordable and speedy Souvlaki on the east end. read more

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Awesome food. Love the burgers and Greek fries!! I get it usually on uber eats and the food is perfectly packed. Definitely recommend :)

Based on the exterior and decor of this restaurant it doesn't look very appealing, but I have to say it's one of those 'hole in the wall' places with surprisingly good food! I got a gyro dinner for about $12. The gyro pieces were huge, and it was fresh and delicious. Similar to Jimmy the Greek chains, but the portions are even more generous, including the tzatziki! Overall, good service, bang for your buck in terms of portions, and great taste. read more

Esquire Restaurant - Gyro dinner - Greek Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

As someone who's worked in the service industry for many years, I'm highly offended. I only gave 1 star because I had to. A friend and I came in 30 mins before closing (they close at 10pm on Sundays) and we both ordered the steak dinner. FOOD: First of all, I ordered my steak rare and it came out well done. I didn't ask them to fix it because I already waited so long for my food to be ready. I also realized they forgot my drink so I walked over and got it from them. I was ready to dig in until I noticed they forgot my garlic bread as well. When I asked for it, they gave me normal bread. I got up again and requested for them to put garlic on it, and I received burnt bread that was still garlic-less. Great. Lastly, I had to ask for my tzatziki sauce which they also never gave me. By the time I realized I never got my steak sauce, I was too lazy to get up for the millionth time to ask for it. SERVICE: At 10:02pm, one guy asked if we were done because he needed to close. There was clearly still food in front of us. Maybe if there hadn't been so many issues with our orders then we would've finished faster, but anyway... 5 minutes later they rudely told us we had to leave. I finished what was left of my overcooked steak as fast as possible just because of how uncomfortable they made us feel. Then as we got up to leave, a worker pointed at the garbage and told us to clean our table. My friend and I were pretty upset already so we left the mess behind. As we were waking out, we could hear the same guy giving us attitude and kissing his teeth. I would never return to esquire, let's get that out of the way. As a server, I know what it feels like for a table to stay longer than they're supposed to, but we were out the door by 10:10pm... Nothing too excessive. They should have let us stay long enough to finish eating our horribly serviced food in peace at the very least. read more

The home burger is awesome here. But the service is super slow and if you want to pay with plastic, it's not happening. The boys working are awesome and I have nothing bad to say about them, but seriously, it's 2016 and they still don't take credit/debit? Wow! 4 stars for food and 2 stars for operation. Averaged to 3 stars. Accept debit and get more staff to serve rush hour and this place is an easy 4 stars. I'll come back in a year and see if things have improved. They spend money on LCD menu but not on staff. People fall asleep in line waiting for food. Hopefully things change. Good restaurant though. I waited 30 minutes for my burger and it wasn't crazy busy either. Update: Went in again for a homeburger and fries. They still don't accept debit or credit, cash only. Seems like a scam for tax purposes, no paper trail. This time I had a horrible experience. An older gentleman, appears to be the owner or a manager of some sort calls my order. I walk up to the counter and he said "ok ok I called you twice what do you want on your food?". With a full restaurant I told him he can't talk to his customers like that and that I wanted a refund and I no longer want my food. I younger well mannered employee came up and very calmly gave me my refund back and that was it. I will not return ever again! read more

I've been reading some of the other reviews and I totally agree that this place is really UNDERRATED. I came across Esquire by accident about a year ago and I have to say it's one of those hidden gems in Scarborough. Huge fan of their Chicken Souvlaki Dinner - for about $13 they stuff it with so much food (Chicken Souvlaki, Fries/Rice, Potatos, Salad, Garlic Bread, tzatziki sauce).It's also one of the only stores that are open really late on the weekends (I believe its still till 2 am). Service is also really good, typically your food will be ready within 10-15 mins. However, they only take CASH! So don't make the mistake of going with visa/debit. read more

Esquire Restaurant - Chicken souvlaki dinner - Greek Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Use to go here all the time. They've fallen off & gotten sloppy. I don't even write reviews this is my first & sad that it's a place I'm actually familiar with. Ordered a vegetarian dinner & got this slop thrown together - disgusting. read more

Esquire Restaurant - Veggie Dinner - Greek Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Generous portions of food, always hits the spot for my Greek food cravings. Only thing is that it's missing that tomato sauce on rice/potatoes I usually get from other Greek restaurants. Workers are always friendly and welcoming. Food is 4 stars; chicken is never dry, rice and potatoes well cooked; salad is amazing. Price is reasonable and I never leave hungry. Tzatziki sauce; big portions but too much garlic in my opinion, still yummy. I love to mix it with my rice Only reason this place doesn't get a full 5 stars is the cleanliness.. this place gets so busy that the workers don't have time to clean. Would recommend this to hungry people who are down for Greek. read more

Not bad. Good for what it is. Quick and informal dinner setting. Order at the bar. And sit down until you hear your name called. I would give it a 3.5. But no such option here. If you get the dinner it's plenty food. But for the same price and for service I'd rather goto hunters. read more

Esquire Restaurant - Chicken souvlaki dinner. Plenty of food for one. And a huge amount of Tzatziki sauce. Potatos are very soft. - Greek Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I agree that the portions are huge. Came here for a quick lunch after a meeting, the system they use for calling out orders could be better considering everyone orders the same thing and they just call out what you ordered. I order the chicken souvlaki dinner which comes with either fries, rice or rice and potatoes + Greek salad and beard. I opted for the the rice and potatoes. The quality of the entire meal was mediocre at best, the best part of the meal was the chicken. It wasn't dry but it wasn't THAT juicy. The dressing they used was lemon based and it overtook the salad as well as the rice as it spread over. The price to portion ratio was good. I would come again but maybe for a late-night dinner as there are many more choices during the day. read more

The food is very good and very tasty! Portions are huge!! Boy, this place does get very busy at times. I think it is much better to call ahead to order, because if you don't, you will probably end up waiting at least 20-25 minutes for your food. Cleanliness is not so good at this place, though. Some tables I feel a little anxious to sit in, I just don't feel the seating area is clean enough. I would recommend this place for a good take-out place, would probably not dine in as the place gets really loud, and the TV is very loud as well. But I have no complaints about the food - very tasty and the portions are huge.. read more

I've been coming here for years and mostly in weekends and around dinner time when the place gets busy and the food is fresh. Since the new owner has taken over and installed the new TVs as menus.. I've stopped for sometime because the food went downhill. Now the food is good again but they've replaced tzatziki sauce with plain sour cream!! Are you kidding me??!?? read more

Came here on Friday night October the 22nd, and the service was very bad. Someone I was with noticed that the guy wasn't wearing a mask, while speaking over the food and laughing over the food. While it is normal to laugh on the job and usually encouraged... during a pandemic it is just common courtesy to wear your mask. They proceed to talk about us and laugh at us and one of the employees jokingly sticks up the middle finger at another employee to try and signify his frustration with us. We are paying customers and just wanted to have a good experience. Will never visit again, and it's sad because I love the food. Very disappointing. read more

Great food for great price!! only con is it takes forever for your order to get ready. read more

This place is an absolute joke. Don't believe anyone that says this place is a good late-night spot - because it's not. I ordered the Chicken Souvlaki Dinner and the chicken was flavourless and more dry than sand paper. The salad was extremely soggy due to all the dressing and the potatoes were not fully cooked or even hot for that matter. And prepare for an earful if you want more than the 1 napkin that you've been given. The worst part of the experience was with the staff. To say they are rude and unprofessional would be an understatement. They act as if it's some huge honour to be eating there. Yet, they take their sweet time in serving patrons (even during busy periods!) and show a total disinterest in you as a customer. Overpriced, poor quality, and a total lack of customer service - You're better off going next door to Johnny's Hamburgers. read more

We ended up at Esquire due to the unreasonable late night lineup at a nearby burger joint. The place was quite packed and seems to have a steady group of regulars. Service was pretty quick despite the number of customers and you have a chance to customize your sandwiches which is always a plus. The atmosphere is not the greatest but the rest of the experience compensates well. We tried a few items including the burger and chicken souvlaki. The burger really was not great, but the chicken souv is good enough to earn this place 4*. Definitely one of the best I've had in Toronto and the closest thing to my favourite Greek spot in Astoria! Overall, if you want a cheap and delicious souvlaki then this is it! read more

Esquires is one of the best Greek spots you'll find in the gta, I have been going here for years and I always leave full and satisfied. I bring all my friends here because I rave about it all the time, and they always seem to like it just as much. Sometimes when your really hungry the wait for the food might seem like forever, but it's honestly worth it and you know its fresh because they cook it right in front of you. I also like the concept of the place, you walk in, order and pay, and find a seat. You don't exactly have to tip them because no one is serving you. And everything you order comes all at once. Would recommend this spot to everyone and their brother. read more

You walk up to the counter, and place your order. They feature delicious souvlakis and a basic assortments of other combos of Greek origin. Their combos all feature an abundant order of rice or French fries (delicious). For the lighter eaters, they have a nice Horiatiki, but the Feta is grated (I much prefer it in chunks). The service is fast and cheerful, and all items are prepared while you wait. Your number will be called, and you can dive into your order. They are open fairly late, so for us, its a good place to go for a late nosh. Reliable, tasty and garlicky tzaziki......What else does one need? read more

I don't know too much about Greek food, and don't often visit Greek places but Esquire sure is at the top of my list!! Whenever I get that rare hunger for Greek food, I always choose Esquire. Big portions and extremely savory food, sometimes I'll finish the whole dish with regret, but it's just so damn tasty! My go to dish is always the chicken souvlaki dinner. It comes with souvlaki (obviously) and your choice of fries, rice, salad or potatoes. Mind you though you already get a salad with it but I guess if you want to double the salad portion. Also a side of two or three slices of garlic bread. Marinade on the meat is spot on and got that certain grease to it that you will love. Everytime I order my usual, the chicken is ALWAYS juicy, ALWAYS. Salad and side choices are also great, super delicious flavours that never let me down. I can't say any bad things about Esquire because for the price you pay it sure is worth it. A tip to keep in mind though is to call ahead of time, it can usually take a good 20 - 25 mins to make your order as this place is always rammed with people. Even on a slow day it takes that long. I'll always call ahead, and I live roughly 25 minutes away and sometimes my order isn't even ready. So give them a bit of a grace period. Really friendly people here, the Chef you will love and really does enjoy talking to customers, makes me wonder how long that guy has been working there. I've never dined in so my review is solely based off of take out. read more

They don't wear gloves or hair net. The guy who was going to make my food decided to sweep the floor and then restock the toppings. It was so gross. He didn't put on any gloves and had bandages on his fingers. Ewww. I asked for my money back. Didn't not stay and eat. read more

Nice place, like the booths. Seemed clean, staff was friendly. Open extremely late. Cash only, by the way. We each ordered the Chicken Souvlaki Dinner - Chicken was very good. Moist, juicy, well seasoned -- whatever marinade they use is great - Side greek salad was quite yummy, albeit small - Rice was decent although could have had more flavour... we ended up putting salt/pepper on it, then when it still didn't feel flavourful enough, we rubbed it around in the salad dressing - The potato chunks were huge. 2 big blocks. But they were tasty - The 3 slices of bread were really yummy, well seasoned too - None of us really found their tzatziki sauce that good... it had too much lemon. They give you a good quantity, but the taste was only average. I'd prefer a more garlic-oriented tzatziki, personally - We also tried their poutine which was average at best. All in all, it was a good souvlaki dinner and filling, but also rather expensive at $12.25 (no drink) I give it 3/5 because, one, I don't think the value is there. I think that chicken souvlaki plate is well worth it for maybe $9.... but $12.25? You're talking $14 with tax. Plus one of my fave parts of a greek dinner plate is dipping everything into the tzatziki... potato pieces, chicken, the bread, everything... so if your tzatziki sauce is your weakest link, it scores a bit less. Also, I found the service fairly slow considering it wasn't that busy. Otherwise, we quite enjoyed it. I'd go back but because I'm frugal, it would be a rarity. It's a bit steep for me. Sure I felt full, but the components weren't enough to justify the price. read more

Okay I am not really a fan of Greek food myself, this is also pretty standard fare. However, it is pretty close, cheap and of acceptable quality therefore I declare this place my "default Greek restaurant" right now. The portions are okay, it's a bit smaller than Zet's at Mississauga. I've only been here once and got their Chicken Souvlaki Dinner for $11.75 + taxes (no tip needed). Their chicken is moist and tender and their Tzatziki sauce portion is good enough for what you get. They provide potatoes and sweet potatoes in their dinner dish. Next time I go there I'm just going to get the Pork Souvlaki in a Pita. The nice part about this is you have a place to sit down if the weather outside isn't good and they have a lot more selection than Johnny's which is right beside them. I'll need to try this place out a few more times to see if it can dethrone Johnny's. read more

Tried this out on a friend's recommendation, the food here is good , good portions and a - ok for the price. Had the NY Steak Dinner with rice and potatoes. This I would recommend to everyone who loves meat (medium-rare of course) . A must -try and staple . I'm starting to love greek food! At first , I thought "mmm.. eh ok" I admit the presentation isn't exactly 5-star, its like salad to the side with feta cheese and dressing dumped on top of a mound of lettuce, the rice in the middle of the plate baked potatoes and 2 slices of garlic bread just dumped on top and the huge steak to the side. (*whew! typing that was a mouthful already!) As soon as you start eating, its good! Oh they give you fries as an option, rice for me just adds flavour and a kick to the steak! (herbed fragrant rice O_O) Diner type Self-serve restaurant - I suggest you go early as the place can get easily filled up with their patrons. Is there a line-up, YES! definitely, but the line stays indoors. There's a line in cash, and another waiting time for food to be ready so be prepared for some pre-dinner entertainment for you and the kiddos. Will definitely be coming back for their gyros and steak of course! They open till 2AM on regular days Friday Saturday 4am and 10pm on Sunday. read more

It might be OK if you go into the restaurant but not if you order it like I did tonight. It took for ever and when I got it from a bad driver, the food was ice cold and the fries were soggy. The greek salad was mostly tomatoes than anything else. Also the tiniest piece of baklava I've ever seen, especially for the price. It was gone in 2 bites. Will never be ordering from them again. The biggest disappointment I've ever had. There is nothing like a real cold meal! read more

Great Greek restaurant! It was my first time and I was impressed. Got the Pork souvlaki dinner which came with Greek salad, fries (you can opt for the rice & potatoes instead) and garlic bread. Pork was moist and very flavourful. Portions are a great size, easily can feed 2. A must try!! read more

This is a great place to for a flavourful dine at any time... The tzatziki dip is really garlicky, therefore it might be a bad idea for a first date. I used to go here a lot more often (when it was under the old management), but the somewhat slow service and the unfriendly staff sort of turn me away from this place. But never the less, if you can put up with that, the food still tastes great, and is very affordable. The gyros and the chicken souvlaki are really flavorful. Around 2-3am on Friday and Saturday, this place is packed, and the wait times are sometimes too long. They often run out of gyros too. read more

I come to this place at least once a week and get 2 chicken dinners, well that's done now...I'll never come back to this place! They have trouble confirming orders and when they make the mistake, they blame it on you then hang up on you face! The worst customer service ever!!! Only came here because it's close to me, but this place is cut off for good now! Rude kids read more

I went there twice and left. REASON: I have heard from numerous people that Esquire's gyro's are to die for. I went there the first time thinking I would order it at approximately 9p. They were sold-out, it was understandable. We ended up ordering pork souvlaki pita. I am not a big fan of pork but I enjoyed mine - it tasted like chicken. Second time I went there, it was at 1p on a Saturday. A few individuals were there but not a huge crowd. Gyros are sold out. I haven`t been there since last month. I am still waiting to go there as soon as they open for gyro. Overall, I like their tzatziki sauce and pork souvlaki. It was pretty good and it also came with a salad. Order your salad separate from the dressing. Not sure if they use canola oil or olive oil for their dressing so I tend to have it on the side. It tends to be overwhelmed with dressing. read more

I've been here a few times when I was in high school. Just finished help my buddy move and we wanted a quick bite. This place was always busy and now is way busier. We had the Gyros on pita, nothing special anymore. We wanted more sauce but the cook was such in rush he didn't listen to what we asked for. Service is one star. Food can be really good if they take a little bit of time caring for it. We always end up going back anyways for a quick bite. read more

This is definitely a Greek-staple by choice of many including myself as you can see by the reviews - pretty self explanatory. Exactly that; only order the chicken souvlaki entrée w/ a beer preferably.. And you're nestled in on a delicious, fresh & satisfying experience (every time).. without fail it's comfort food at your best! . Everyone that's been here craves it and comes back. The portions are proper, the quality is great also considering it's a fave for everyone so therefore freshness is inevitable. The only extra portion is the garlic bread and let me explain.. wrap a souvlaki chicken inside that and dunk it into their in-store tzatziki dipping! Greek salad is fresh and standard.. Rice & potatoes or fries, whatever you choose it's all good! Don't forget to ask for hotsauce on the side lol.. Go enjoy :) classic joint for some classic goodness. read more

Esquire Restaurant - Pictured here: Chicken Souvlaki w/ fries instead of Greek rice pilaf/Greek potatoes. Not pictured: 2 beers, tzatziki dip & hotsauce. - Greek Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Good food but loses plenty of stars due to the lack of service you receive. Employees are not friendly at all and can't even bring themselves to crack a smile. Would not recommend due to the lack of service you will receive, plus the super long wait times. read more

This family run restaurant has long been a favorite of mine. With reasonable prices and generous portions, its hard to go wrong. Id make this a solid 5 if the service was a little friendlier. I think many years in the food industry has left them tired and without passion for their business. Its a good thing the food hasnt suffered as a result. great for take out or dine in. get the gyros dinner and you wont be hungry for a long time..... read more

This is now my go-to Greek restaurant and I've tried several others within a 10km radius. Okay, service isn't the fastest in the east end, but I'm never in a hurry when it comes to eating - I don't think 10 minutes is unreasonable to wait for a meal - the fresher the better in my opinion - The chicken souvlaki and greek salad is absolutely DELICIOUS and FILLING - I have it once a week now - Staff is friendly, restaurant is clean - prices are reasonable - what more can you ask for - I love this place :) read more

I've been going here for years and always get the chicken dinner, it's perfect! Chicken is always so juicy and the salad with their signature dressing is amazing. Always freshly made. read more

I've been going here for many years and the food quality has always been consistent. It's by far one of the best souvlaki joints in town. The tzatziki is amazing. I love their fresh Greek salad. They've renovated the decor over the recent years to make it more modern. It looks great. This is the place to try! Enjoy. read more

I have been enjoying late night Chicken Soulvaki Dinner's here for over 30 years. Open very late on weekends and great place to eat when you are heading home from a nightclub . Extremely generous portions and the food is always delicious . It is hard to choose between the fries or the potatoes and rice .. as you have the option of either with this dinner and either option is so good . . The booths are a bit tight to sit in , there are a few tables with pull out chairs ..The place can get quite busy on late Friday and Saturday nights .. The food is made as you order it and it usually takes about 20 minutes to get your order , but well worth the wait . read more

Always call prior usually takes 10-20 minutes for your dish to be made. Worth the wait... Every single time, might be overpriced for some people but the amount of food given is delicious and filling. Would recommend this to anyone who loves Greek food. read more