We came as a group of four and the owner greeted us warmly. It was our first time there and we…read moregladly accepted her offer to make recommendations. One of us preferred vegetarian options so we had beet salad and kutab greens as appetizers. The latter are tasty flat dumplings with a Turkish salad type of sauce on the side. The four of us shared three mains - Shah Plov, Cabbage Rolls and Chicken Kebab. The non-vegetarians agreed they'd never tasted better chicken kebab. And, the cabbage rolls were melt in your mouth soft. The Shah Plov was the showstopper from watching the server cut it open to every last tasty bite. It's a large cylindrical pastry with a warm filling including dried fruit. We opted for the version without meat. We ended with a pot of tea and their soft baklava. The service, the flavours, the attention to detail were all ten stars! We will be back with other family and friends.

Always good and satisfying!ambience is true to sight, Food…read moreis delicious and delicious.

Zezafoun Syrian Cuisine located along Manor Rd near Yonge St serves up homemade, authentic Syrian…read moredishes in a cozy space. I've heard many good things about Zezafoun and was excited to finally try the place. The restaurant has about ~25 seats for customers indoors. They do have a small outdoor patio for when the weather gets warmer. Reservations are recommended during busy peak dinner or brunch times, however it is possible to get a table if you do walk in as well during non-peak times. I dined at Zezafoun with a party of 3 recently on a Sat evening. We didn't make reservations but walked in around 6:30 and was able to grab a table. It wasn't too busy that early in the evening but as the night went on the restaurant got busier. Service was great and friendly. Staff gave us plenty of time to decide what to order as well as gave us recommendations as well. The interior is warm and cozy. For drinks, I ordered the pomegranate juice which was unique and delicious. One member of my party ordered the rosewater and lemon juice which was refreshing and light. They also have Syrian coffee and tea as well on the menu which I will try next time! Food wise, we ordered and shared the following dishes: - Falafel plate (chickpeas patty fried and served with a side of tahini sauce) - Hummus (homemade chickpeas, tahini, lemon and garlic with a touch of olive oil) - Fattoush salad (Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, radish with Zezafoun dressing topped with crispy pita bread) - Kebbeh labanyeh (beef kibbeh in a cooked garlic yogurt stew served with side rice) - Maldoum (beef kufta wrapped with delicious eggplants in tomato stew and served with a side of rice) - Makloubeh (layers of rice, eggplants, and ground beef with tomato sauce served with side yogurt or salad) Food was delicious and unique! I've never had authentic Syrian food like this before and it was a delight. The appetizers we shared (falafel, hummus, and salad) were great to start the meal. The hummus was creamy and the falafel was nice and crispy. The crispy pita bread in the fattoush salad gave the dish a textural contrast, In terms of our mains, all the dishes were tasty but I especially enjoyed the makloubeh! Overall, delicious spot in Midtown Toronto for Syrian food in a cozy environment. Service was also spot on as well. Definitely want to return to try their brunch menu!

We enjoyed the Syrian breakfast; everything was so tasty! It's a great dish to share. They ran out…read moreof one of the dishes, but happily replaced it with delicious hummus! Every time I come here, the food is amazing!

Good atmosphere, delicious food. We had a great day at the…read morerestaurant. Service is good

I've been to Tabule's Riverside/Leslieville location and this is my first time at their original…read moreMidtown location. It's just as good! We got a reservation for 6pm on Wednesday. It wasn't too busy at all and we were well taken care. A solid spot where you can dine-out and still get great options to eat healthy too. My friend ordered the fattoush salad with added chicken and I had the Kefta dinner. While my food was great, I wish had more veggies than rice so I think next time I'll ask to sub for veggies or order the salad with added protein instead. I was way too full from lunch so we didn't order any apps this time but I remember their dips and apps being quite good.

I went to Kebab House Turkish Shawarma for dinner. The restaurant was nicely decorated and the…read moreservice was friendly. The restaurant was not very busy when I was there, but got more busy afterwards. I ordered Adana Kebab plate. It came to $25 with a soft drink. The food was pretty good. They have a lot of other plates on their menu. Would I go back? Maybe since the food was pretty good.

Wow we are walking distance from Darna but it took us five years to finally try it. We've been…read moremissing out! Well-lit, slightly modern looking decor, comfy atmosphere that's pretty casual. Lots of different people helped us out, took our order, brought food etc. but it felt like the service while good, was just slightly below great. We got the veggie clay pot and the mixed grill to share between two people, and my son got a fattoush salad and the kebbeh. The mixed grill was great, all the meats were flavourful, and tender/juicy. It came with a lamb/beef kebab, some beef tenderloin, and some chicken. I think there were roast potatoes too, but my memory is a bit fuzzy on that part. The veggie stew was poured onto a plate of bulgur and was really really good. Lots of flavour, all the veggies (carrots, cauliflower, onions, etc.) were tender. the juices ran through the bulgur which made for a great side dish to go with the meat. The kebbeh was tasty but still a bit disappointing -- there were only three, and didn't feel like quite enough to make a meal. Luckily the fattoush salad was huge otherwise my son would have left the restaurant hungry. Compared to some of the dishes we saw on other tables, this dish seems to be an outlier in terms of quantity of food, and it's certainly not worth the $28 price; I wouldn't recommend it. Despite the disappointment with the one meal, all the food was delicious and I still felt like the meal on the whole was good value, and I wouldn't mind going back to try some of their other dishes.

Amazing food. Nice ambience. Friendly service. The chef came to our table to say hello.read more

(This review is for the Yonge and Eg location and not the Yonge & Elm location)…read more Not too shabby! I've enjoyed the chicken shawarma platter twice now...both times with the works, i.e. a smattering of veg, sauces (including hummus), rice and taters. It looks like a dog's breakfast (like every shawarma platter kind of does) but it's filling as hell and very tasty. Tip: if you order for pickup through ritual, the site only allows them to include a limited number of free toppings. I only learned this recently from the fellow behind the counter. So if you want to select all free cold toppings (like I do) then just let them know in the notes section on ritual....or just show up and order it live and in person; is that considered "old school" at this point? Oy, what a world :)

Given that there are so many glowing reviews here, I couldn't help but walk into Ali Baba's with…read morehigh expectations. But those expectations were sadly dashed the second I took my first bite. I decided to try their Chicken Shawarma Wrap, and I asked for it with everything except pickles. Even though I was the only one in there, the guy behind the counter - who was very friendly and nice, admittedly - prepared my wrap so quickly I feared that it would be a sloppy disaster. Indeed it was. The biggest problem here, though, is the lack of bold or even interesting flavors. The concoction's lack of textures ensures that it's essentially just a mushy mess, and it's clear, too, that the stinginess of the chicken results in a Chicken Shawarma Wrap that's distressingly low on actual chicken. (It goes without saying that there were none of those crispy bits that are the backbone of a quality shawarma.) I was baffled, as well, by the decision to put the wrap in the press for less time than it took me to pay my bill, as this only exacerbated the sogginess of the dish and ensured that the inside was mostly cold. (How unappealing!) With the far, far superior Osmow's nearby, it's hard to envision a scenario in which I would ever return to Ali Baba's.

The folks at Shawarma Empire have known me for years…read more This is the real deal Levantine food. How do I know? I lived in the Middle East for over a decade. This place is SPOTLESS, the food is FRESH, the mujadarah rice outstanding. The marinades they use for the beef is addictive. Simply put: the best shawarma, rice and lentil soup in Ontario.

Tried the beef shawarma here and quite enjoyed this style of shawarma instead of the Lebanese style…read moreI'm used to. The wrap was in a fluffy pita pocket and the sauce had more spices that reminded me of Indian food. The wrap was generous and wrapped well with layers of beef and vegetables for well rounded bites. Nice folks too.

***another update june 2026!!!*** ive been back many times,…read morebut its been a few weeks since. they now have an automated pos/self-ordering kiosk/area set up! thats really helpful with the long lines here. this place is always busy, and youll see why! 1 bite and youll be hooked! go get yourself a shawarma saj wrap now! *updated january 2026!!!* love this place so much - had to take my mom here!! she enjoyed it too! you know parents tend to be picky when dining out, im so glad she loves the saj here too! thank you alphas! *updated! dec 2025* 5/5 its our 3rd time here now (safe to say theyre my fav spot so far!) got a falafel saj wrap (3/5) & a lamb kebob saj wrap(5/5) on our 2nd visit a few weeks ago..again the wait times here are long as theyre really busy and all food is prepard/made to order so the wait is expected. seating can be hard - as sit down space is limited. however, diners eat quick and go so you dont wait as long for a seat, or , just cross the street and eat in the mall food court. our 3rd visit i got my usual chkn shawarma saj wrap (5/5) and a beef kebab saj wrap (5/5). we always like how crispy and loaded these wraps are (not just filled with rice/salad) theres tasty protein in every bite! check out alphas and see why everyones going here! cheers! *original review nov 2025* 4/5 great food, service was dreadfully slow and tables were dirty or missing chairs. understandable as they were very busy and short staffed. be patient when you come here - tasty food takes time to make, especially when its made to order! my order (chkn wrap) was missing pickles (asked for extras) and garlic sauce (barely any so it was dry). the beef wrap was perfect though - chunks of tasty beef, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles and pickled turnip. get it spicy if you like some heat!

Alpha's Shawarma is a shawarma restaurant with Syrian and Lebanese roots. With 4 locations in the…read morecity, this particular location is right on Yonge close to Dundas. The menu has appetizers, wraps, plates, platters as well as sides for you to choose from. You can also customize your wraps and have it Arabic style or have everything included; you are also able to choose the level of spiciness you want as well. I've heard many good things about Alpha's Shawarma and have never tried them until recently. Stepping into Alpha's Shawarma you are greeted by a long counter filled with ingredients as well as their shawarma meats which are on a vertical rotating spit. The cashier is towards the middle of the restaurant where there is quite a bit of seating at the back to enjoy your purchased items. There is also a small display of desserts as well next to the cashier. I opted to get a chicken shawarma saj with all the toppings (garlic sauce, hummus, pickles, turnips, onion & parsley, lettuce, tomato, tahini, and pomegranate molasses). I picked a table while waiting for my wrap to be made which took about less than 5 min. Service was friendly and they called out my order number on the loud speaker where I grabbed my wrap. The staff asked me if I wanted extra garlic sauce which I replied "yes!" where they placed more garlic sauce on my wrap. Sitting down, I took a nice bite out of my chicken shawarma. It was delicious - the chicken was moist and tender and the ingredients worked well together. Next time I do want to try the wrap with only Arabic toppings (garlic sauce, pickles, fries, and pomegranate molasses). However, I enjoyed all the toppings on my shawarma wrap which was also nicely toasted. The portion of the wrap was pretty big and I was full after I finished the whole thing. The garlic sauce was great - it was creamy and full of garlic flavour but not too overpowering. Overall, friendly service and a great place for shawarma near the Yonge-Dundas area. I totally understand why everyone's been talking about how delicious Alpha's Shawarma is!

A smaller, but packed to the rafters Iranian speciality food store…read more Lots of pistachios, nuts and dried figs, fruit "leather", drinks and biscuits from Iran. Massive array of Iranian flatbreads of different varieties. Iranian zafran and great spices too. Lots of high-quality Iranian rice inducing smoked rice! I could have spent a bundle here. Nice shop, very pleasant owner.

The food was nice, persian food is one of my favorites. The tahchin had a sophisticated flavor…read moreprofile and i would like to eat it again and again. The worker smiled and had a bubbly personality which enhanced my experience at this market. The decor was very much persian and they contained everything you could want from a cultural market.

Great food and service. Thomas is a great, friendly guy who's always a pleasure to talk to.read more

Wanted to try this old school sub shop and it didn't disappoint…read more The sub was huge, very tasty and reminiscent of subs from the past. On a white bread bun more like a huge hotdog bun than a specialty bun found at Subway, but actually very good. It held together quite well even loaded with toppings. It was later on a Monday night so there was one other customer just leaving as I arrived and the friendly woman behind the counter quickly made my sub and was very generous with the toppings. She was very quick and had me out the door in about 5 mins. There are some booths if you wish to eat in. Overall the restaurant was very clean looking and bright.