I have been coming here since a few years now but somehow haven't posted a review before so here it goes! This place is located in Markham and serves halal Italian food. The service is always very warm and the interior is quite pretty for a small restaurant. Their prices are also reasonable - they have a pasta with steak option for only $23.99, isn't that a steal?! I also LOVE their fettucine alfredo - it's delicious! But what I keep going for is their incredibly creamy saffron sauce pasta! This is their classic saffron sauce penne pasta with chicken, mushroom and bell pepper and it's one of the creamiest pastas in town. You'll love this if you love a good creamy pasta. read more

Kara Mia - Penne di la casa - Halal Near Me - Markham, Ontario

My first time trying a halal italian spot and it was solid. Tried the saffron chicken with rice and salad and the salad was great but the chicken was just average. Portion size was good. Service was extremely friendly! My only qualm was that it wasn't really italian at all. read more

Kara Mia - Saffron chicken - Halal Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Kara Mia is where we had catered for a wedding in the family in the past. At the time, we had a horrible experience (this was 6+ years ago), but at the same time, at the time, management was different and location was in Mississauga. From that one bad experience before, I said I'd never want to try Kara Mia again - but I changed my mind when I learned it was under new management (and has been for a few years now). The owners are very welcoming, friendly and nice. Interiors are nice and comfy. Love the fact that they're following the covid protocol. From checking your temperature on arrival, to getting your info down for contract tracing, to placing shields between the tables & also offering booths. The food was great and well seasoned. There are a lot of items to choose from on the menu, including kid-friendly items too. The only suggestion I would make is to have more variety in sauces offered, as I found sauces mainly offered were dishes with a saffron sauce. There was also rosé and Alfredo, but I would love to see some more. Loved how cheesy the saffron poutine was. The steak was well done and chicken wasn't too dry which was great. The highlight for us was the breaded shrimp. read more

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Never heard of saffron poutine before but it was delicious! We got the regular size (as per the recommendation of the waiter) and it was more than enough to fill as an appetizer split between 3 people. Next up I tried the Penne Siscillia (I think that's how you spell it?) and it was good! Tons of sausage and the rose sauce was delicious! Very well worth the price of $12.99. A dish like this would cost almost $20 at the usual pasta places I go to. Atmosphere was very cute. Small place but food came pretty quickly and servers were very friendly and helpful. I'd be back to try more of the menu for sure! read more

Kara Mia - Saffron poutine - Halal Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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3.5 I remember Kara Mia waaaaaay back in the day when it was at Vaughan Mills - and I haven't had a chance to visit again since. So when it was my family wanted to go out for dinner - Kara Mia was a contender and we all agreed. Made reservations on a weekend and was seated right away. They have a pretty decent sized menu with lots of steak and chicken options. The restaurant ambience is nice too. I wasnt in the mood for steak, but that is my one regret. The steak dishes look really good - everything else is not bad. I decided on the peppercorn chicken - it came with rice and salad. The food was prepared quite quickly and the service was friendly and attentive. I was eager and hungry to try to food the minute it arrived from the kitchen. The chicken was cooked through and was juicy and the peppercorn sauce was flavourful...but I wouldn't say it was my favourite dish. The steak pasta dish looked quite appetizing I think I would opt for that next time. In all at its price point, it's a solid spot for dinner. read more

Kara Mia - Halal Near Me - Markham, Ontario

We have come from out of town two times in the last 4 weeks for sports tournaments. We have ordered food for pickup to feed 40 ppl. Garlic bread, sausage and penne, chicken Alfredo, saffron burger. Portions are huge, food was tasty, large order was done and ready on time for pick up, hit and tasty. Great comments from all parents and kids. We will order from here any time we are close to this place. We order from at least 15-20 different places every season. read more

The ambiance is good. But the food is simply amazing. Craving something completely different from the norm then this is a place to be. Poutines, Steaks, Burgers, bbq Ribs & Pasta and it's best! Simply delicious You'll keep coming back for more. Rich tasting sauces and ample quantity for the serving. read more

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We were craving for some halal Italian and we heard a lot about Karamia from friends and family so we decided to try it and we were so glad that we did. We ordered the ribs, spicy cajun chicken pasta and hot spot burger. All three dishes turned out to be very delicious. Their fries and saffron sauce is a must try. There was a little bit of a wait between the time we ordered and got our food but the server was kind enough to keep us updated. We would recommend this place. read more

Kara Mia - Halal Near Me - Markham, Ontario

FOOD: 3/5 - Not entirely sure why other reviewers said their steaks were great. They really weren't that great of a quality meat and you could really tell the difference by its texture. They were quite tough and chewy, almost like chewing on bubble gum. However, I did enjoyed their sauce, without the sauce, I'd find it very hard to consume. I tried the peppercorn steak in rare and the steak with spinach, tomato and saffron sauce in medium rare. Although, the steaks were cooked to our desire doneness but the rare peppercorn steak was actually chewier than the saffron steak and I couldn't finish it. I upgraded the fries to the Saffron poutine (for $3.99 more) and I loved it. The sauce and melted cheese were a great combo, I actually like it better than gravy since gravy tends to be salty. With their dinner special, the entree comes with an appetizer, soup or cheesecake and a piece of Italian sausage for $27.99. Value-wise, it's great since the portion is large and filling. Quality-wise, you really get what you paid for. If you really want a quality steak, I'd recommend to go elsewhere. There's a reason why a piece of steak with so many sides cost less than $30. SERVICE: 4/5 - Very friendly, attentive, accommodating and cheerful. Although, our server forgot to mention to us there was a dinner special in the beginning, but he offered to make the adjustment for us later on after he told us about it. ENVIRONMENT: 3.5/5 - Contemporary family-style type setting with booths for smaller parties and tables for larger group. Great place for conversation. We went on a Friday and saw groups of people carrying their worships in the corner of the restaurant. read more

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[LOCATION] - 4/5 This place is located on Markham Rd. and 14th Ave. in the plaza with Boston Pizza. Ample parking spots in the parking lot because this plaza comprises of a bunch of restaurants and shops. [SERVICE] - 2/5 The host/main server was the only person who knew how to manage this place. He was friendly, but this place was severely understaffed for the full house that night, and the wait-time was approx. 45 mins when we arrived without a reservation. [DÉCOR] - 4/5 Upscale decor, but there were a lot of tables with large families and kids, so it seemed like more of a casual-to-upscale, yet family-friendly spot. [QUALITY] - 3/5 Quality was average, and I feel like they drowned their dishes with a ton of cheese, cream, and other heavy ingredients. [ORDER] - 3/5 - Fettuccine Kara Mia: chicken breast was average, alfredo sauce was very thick, but the noodles were cooked very well and perfectly al dente - Chicken Parmesan: one of the few pasta dishes that isn't drenched in a heavy alfredo sauce. Instead, you get a hefty layer of cheese. The chicken parmesan itself was cooked pretty well, but the sauce masked the natural flavours of the chicken. [OVERALL] - 2.5/5 Food was average, but honestly, the service was horrible and completely ruined my experience. I wanted to relax and enjoy some Italian food. Instead, after we waited 45 minutes for a table, I felt stressed out as we flagged down waiters for the most essential things like water and utensils. read more

Kara Mia - Fettuccine Kara Mia - Halal Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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A small restaurant with great potential and much needed improvement. First of all, this humble establishment is tucked away right next to Boston Pizza in the corner of the plaza. For a place that uses primo pricing, I expected much MUCH more refinement. The space itself wasn't the most well kept, not quite visually stunning. The sky roof seemed to struggle to light the room without much help from interior lighting. The tables are set with a napkin and a fork, which has visible water stains. My friend and I got two forks of two sizes, a small technical mistake of consistency. At the time of visit, there was only one family seated at the restaurant prior to us with a loud crying child which no one attempted to silence and was left to howl through half our meal. For the meal, I ordered the steak penne piccante. The pasta had great flavour and just the right amount of heat, but I found the vegetables drowned away the taste with such powerful acidity (peppers and tomatoes). I would've loved some mushrooms or corn to balance my palate. The penne is a nice andante, but there are small tears in the pasta, which signals a rough cook and asks for a more gentle stir in the pan. The steak was tough with parts of the fat not rendered down properly. A great dish, but not worth $18.99. My friend ordered their steak penne lunch special and actually received small bits of fettuccini in his dish, small technical errors that bring down the quality and image of the dish. I also tried their peach drink which was no where near a worth of $5.99. One element of the drink had surely gone stale with such a weird taste. My friend has their pina colada which tasted quite nice, but it seems the drink wasn't mixed from scratch which is disappointing for another $5.99 drink. Their apple crumble cheese cake also tastes quite nice but we were informed that it was store bought. The server had a friendly attitude, but seemed quite absent to our service for an almost empty restaurant at the time. I expected much more professionalism in my service. Simply a disappointment for the type of restaurant Kara Mia has set itself to be. There were some high points and some low points, but so much improvement is needed to match their primo pricing. read more

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Made a reservation for 2 people. Seated at a spot with no cutlery and watched staff place cutlery on empty tables before us. Tables who came after us were served water and had their order taken before us. We have been sitting here for 15 minutes and no one has even approached us for water or food. Absolutely terrible service. Got up to leave before we were even served. We had to get up to go speak to them and tell them we were leaving due to the horrible service. When confronted they had nothing to say and just stared blankly with their mouth open. Would give 0 stars if possible. read more

Food is not upto the mark. Especially when you call it an Italian restaurant you expect the quality and flavour both are missing and ambience is a big joke. Service is ok. read more

This is the only halal Italian restaurant I know of so I knew I had to give it a try. I came here on a Friday evening with a friend after work and it took sometime to get seated as the place was quite busy. The decor and atmosphere of the place was nice and it was very clean. I ordered a hot spot burger with saffron poutine and my friend got the penne picante rose (hope I typed that right) with Italian sausage. Initially I wasn't sure what the saffron poutine would entail but it was one of the best decisions I made, that poutine was amazing I really loved the cheesiness and crispness of the Fries. The burger itself was cooked to perfection and all of the toppings blended really well together. I will definitely be going back for more as there really wasn't any downside to this restaurant at all. read more

Kara Mia - Halal Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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Their Groupon deal was very enticing; for $33, we got food of a $60 value! I came here with my family for the first time this past week and it was delightful! We started our dinner with the saffron poutine which other Yelpers have recommended. It was served hot with nice gooey melted cheese! It is hard to describe what saffron tastes like but there was something subtle yet unique about the dish! My brother had the special of the night which was steak and chicken in a peppercorn sauce, pasta in rose sauce and a delicious cream (of mushroom?) soup. It was a lot of food for $27 and the steak was cooked perfectly - a nice medium rare which he asked for! My mom ordered the penne in saffron sauce and I ordered the saffron burger ($11)! My mom enjoyed her meal, the pasta was al dente and the sauce was flavorful and rich. My burger was okay, the patty was juicy, however the bun was a little dry and plain. The prices are comparable to Kelsey and Boston Pizza nearby but the food is way better in my opinion so give this place a try and definitely get the saffron poutine! read more

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Lots of sizzle. Not a lot of steak. This place has great ambiance. The chef even wears one of those fancy hats. It's the kind of place you go to and think -- wow, this is about to be legit. I had the Chicken Parmesan. It was super, super, super meh. Somehow lacked any flavor. Honestly didn't know how it could be possible for something so beautiful to taste so uninspired. This restaurant is proof that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. read more

This is my favourite place to be for pasta. Never disappoints. Offers a range of pastas, flavourful, not oily, hot and fresh. I usually order their Kara Mia pasta, it always comes out very creamy, flavourful and just absolutely delicious! I think all of them are worth trying just because they all sound yummy! Their poutines are a must try, especially the saffron poutine! Their peppercorn gravy is also delicious, offers a savory taste with a light kick, goes great with fries. They offer a daily special which usually comes with a lot of sides such as soup, salad, dessert and drink. Be sure to check what their daily special is when ordering! It is usually written at the front, by the front desk/kitchen area. read more

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Peppercorn steak and saffron steak was the best and a first timw for us. More than generous amount of fries and salad is served with your steaks. Nice little cozy location friendly staff. Hihgly recommened. read more

Kara Mia - Peppercorn steak - Halal Near Me - Markham, Ontario

This place is delicious, serves halal food, the service is fast and friendly, and the ambience is pretty nice! We came on a Saturday for a late lunch and, surprisingly, it was empty but don't let that deter you from trying this place out - based on other reviews, this place can get pretty busy. Since we all weren't that hungry, as a group of three, we got the peppercorn steak special - striploin steak (medium well) with peppercorn sauce, mashed potatoes, salad, a sausage, and a pecan caramel cheesecake slice - for $27.99. The steak was so good - I don't know what's exactly in the peppercorn sauce but it was delicious and the mashed potatoes and salad were nicely paired with it. The sausage was a bit random of an add-on for me but it was good too - not as good as the steak but still something to help fill us up. The cheesecake slice was good to end the meal but not the best I've had for cheesecake. I'd say the price you pay for all this is worth it. Since we were three, we decided one steak special wouldn't be enough for us so we ordered a saffron poutine to eat on the side ($7.99 but a larger size exists for $11.99). This dish was amaaazing - fries in a saffron sauce with mozzarella cheese. If you come here and had to order one thing - this would be it. I'd come back (and am planning on doing so) JUST for the poutine. Saffron isn't a common ingredient in dishes and I am not 100% sure how to describe it - sort of bittersweet... (obviously in a good way) you'll just have to experience it yourself. All three of us loved it. No questions. Kara Mia is a great restaurant in the area - great service, nice environment, a good variety of options, and yummy yummy food - it's a recommend from me! read more

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Would highly recommend the saffron chicken and the steak here. Amazing food and moderate prices as well. I always enjoy my experiences here. read more

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The food is too good and fresh and the customer service is amazing too. Check out my tiktok for their food video @khateratarzi read more

I have always had a good experience at this Resturant. My family and I go there every other week. I have also been here with my friends and we all always always have a good experience with food and service. I would definitely recommend going here with family and friends. read more

perfect food & service I definitely recommend this restaurant for friends. my kids like steak and pasta. Italian cuisine with a touch of chif is definitely delicious read more

Kara Mia - Halal Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Bbqribs Steak with saffron sauce Rose pasta Saffron poutine and cesar salad..Steak was soft like butter and ribs were outstanding...even side were so good...Excellent Food quality read more

Kara Mia - Bbqribs Steak with saffron sauce Rose pasta Saffron poutine and cesar salad.Excellent Food quality - Halal Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Ordered the chicken tray for 10. the amount of food was enough for 5 people. The website advertises the catering tray as 10 servings. When I called back to speak to the restaurant was told that its an approximation and it's meant to be ordered with sides. Was given an apology. The website is misleading and the portion and quality are not worth it. Will not support this business going forward. read more

the only dish i order here is the saffron chicken because its saffricking good. even the saffron poutine is delicious. I would literally just eat that saffron sauce. I did try the black pepper chicken before, and it just didnt compare. So if you're ever here just do yourself a favour and stick to the saffron chicken. read more

Kara Mia - saffron chicken - Halal Near Me - Markham, Ontario

I guess, being the first to review, what I write will influence anyone looking this place up! If you're reading this then Karamia is a place to try and will not regret. As for how much you like the food, you be the judge! The location is new, clean, bright and pretty. It was not crowded nor noisy. They have booths and plenty more space than their old location. The waiter was very friendly and smiley, however, they lost half a star in this category. She didn't check up frequently enough to refill our waters or ask if we needed anything. We found ourselves looking for her on a few occasions (when my friend couldn't take the spice from her plate and needed water!!). I can't complain too much here because it wasn't THAT bad. Their service was very quick. We had our plates in about 15 minutes, but like I said it wasn't busy. Our plates were hot and delicious. I had the peppercorn chicken plate and upgraded to the saffron poutine. I was hesitant but my friends told me to try it and I'm glad I did. It was different...creamy and savory and the flavor was not overbearing in any way. The chicken was very tender and flavourful and the salad and dressing were good. My friend had a saffron sauce pasta plate with steak and she said it was kind of dry but otherwise delicious. Bottom line if you're looking for a good new halal 'italian' place to try out, definitely come here, eat and be merry :) read more

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I have to give them 5 stars in that I'm comparing them to other halal family meal style restaurants with contemporary Canadian menu items. When I compare to other notable options Kara Mia is just better on all accounts - * food quality and flavour - excellent * service - so friendly and prompt and attentive * comfort - great - enough space, not too loud or too distracting * portion size and value for $$ is excellent. We had two appetizers and 3 main courses (one was a children's entree at $14.99) and the bill was $70 and we had a hard time eating it all. The chef always comes to say hello and ask how the meal was. And they are so personable like family - we have been going for 5 years and they see how my son has gotten taller and has now graduated from chicken fingers to steak. What more could you ask for? Highly recommended We ate - chicken parm, a spicy pasta of some sort and the kids steak and fries. read more

Kara Mia - Saffron poutine - Halal Near Me - Markham, Ontario

This place is great! The atmosphere is warm and inviting. And if it wasn't for yelp, I don't think that my girlfriend and I would have found it because, we've been to this plaza multiple times and neither of us remember seeing this gem of a Halal place. It's located right beside the Kelsey's restaurant. The staff were polite and the food taste great. Come on an empty stomach because the portions are large... we weren't able to finish it all =] All in all, it's my girlfriends new favourite Halal spot. read more

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I hear this Kara moved from the Vaughn location. I could be wrong?!? I like the fact they are now in some what of a bigger place, ambiance is still the same, decent decor, contemporary classic vibe. This place would be good to take a date on, without spending more than $50. some dishes are up there, but pasta dishes are okay price. Quantity and flavor is still the same. Italian style but Halal. This place attracts a lot of young crowd, so it gets noisy. The steak isn't thick, like some of the steak houses. But it's cooked to your liking. I like the pasta dishes, but I find them too heavy for my appetite. Salmon is tasty and love fresh sautéed veggies. It's not a cheap place to dine. A family of 12 can cost about $200-$250 read more

Went here for a friends birthday. We were very pleased!. Service, food, and prices were excellent. The cook is amazing, food had flavour, qulity and good portions. We will definately be back. I felt bad becauae our group was soo loud and still the server was nothing but kind and professional! read more

Kara Mia - Halal Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Kara Mia was the first restaurant I went post covid and during Ramadan. The place is very nice and clean and the servers were great. I didn't know this before going there, but during Ramadan they have their Ramadan menu and don't serve all the regular food they usually have. We ordered steak platters and chicken platters. Each of these options came with soup, salad or rice, pasta, and either two chicken breasts with two different sauces OR chicken and steak (both) as the meat. It was a lot of food! But they were willing to serve smaller portions when asked. I hope to go there again after Ramadan and try a few other things. Overall, it was a good experience and was happy to be there with the people I had with me. read more

Meh. Don't see what all the fuss is about. The place is nice.. Since it is new.. But the food and atmosphere is meh .. If you like screaming children and mediocre wanna be Italian then this place is great. Pasta was alright at best, I had the chicken saffron meal and it was also just alright. Caesar salad is chopped lettuce with tomatoes and croutons topped with ranch sauce. Yup, ranch sauce and tomatoes. 2 stars for the atmosphere and nice server. I've had way better "italian" food for the same price. This place shouldn't even call itself Italian. read more

Amazing food very nicely prepared steak everything was on point great service by Falif he is the manager there he takes care of everyoder personally will recommend to go for halal strak read more

This place has really great food and excellent service. They have continuously met my expectations. I mostly order the BBQ ribs and would really recommend it! They fall right off the bone and have this nice slight acitidy to them. So far my favourite place for halal BBQ ribs. I love them so much I seldom order anything else. The price is very reasonable too - I paid $25 for a rack! read more

I came here with a reservation. The interior is quite nice, although smaller than I expected. The website and the menu look spectacular. The problem is the disappointing food. I ordered the "Mushroom Mission" burger, and it came with one slice of tomato, one piece of lettuce, soggy buns, and a flavourless, gray patty that tasted and felt like mush. Nothing was fresh, everything was lukewarm, and everything tasted like it was frozen. My friend ordered the chicken saffron, and the yellow sauce tastes like cheap mac and cheese. The steak was mediocre at best. Nothing tasted fresh. Prices were affordable. read more

Fantastic halal restaurant. I had the ribs/steak/chicken combo on Falif (the waiter) recommendation. Awesome choice. Had my steak medium. Many halal restaurants tend to overcook their steaks. This was done to perfection. Great value for money The portions are well sized. read more

Food was fresh and tasty! I loved the variety of options they were serving. I had one of the pasta dishes, I don't remember the name but it was excellent. I'll be returning when I'm back in town! read more

Always a classic go to for a nice dinner, their service is usually good but the only thing is their price is a bit high, I've had almost everything on their menu except anything with Saffron. Their poutine is nice and cheesey, their steaks are cooked exactly how you want and all the sauces (peppercorn/bbq) are made in-house, fries aren't that good though. I have been coming here for years and their pasta is a bit richer than your normal Italian joint but I like that. Their penne picante rose, fettuccine kara mia, cajun steak pasta and bbq steak are among my favourites. Their presentation and taste is always consistent. *If your getting a pasta ask for baked cheese for an extra $, it takes the pasta to a whole new level read more

Went there last evening. We had been to the one in Mississauga and it was terrible. Since we were in neighbourhood, thought we would give Markham location a try. The saffron poutine was absolutely delicious. When we got our main meals however, it was really disappointing. My pasta al carne had very little flavour and sauce was very runny. Probably could have used a bit of thickener. My husband's pasta dish was devoid of flavour and watery. The service started out really good, then went really bad. I was used to the poor service at Mississauga location, but was hoping this location would be better. Perhaps it was the dishes we chose I don't know. Since location is far from where we live, probably won't be going back. read more