Root Of Beirut is our all time favorite eatery in our neighborhood! The staff is friendly and…read morehelpful and we love the casual vibe! The food is sooo good and tasty and varied! We love the variety of "pies" with tasty toppings like spinach. The platters are great and we love ordering a lot of different things and then sharing. We have been coming here since they opened and we love it and are never disappointed!

We went for lunch with some coworkers! I loved the coffee…read morethat was served as soon as we entered the place! The staff seemed to be friendly! Parking options were very limited around noon! Also when we went inside it seemed a bit chaotic! There were five of us, one order was wrong and the another order came at the very end when the other four dishes were already finished! The food was good and delicious! I would like to imagine it was an off day and would like to go back there again! The quality and value of the food was definitely good!

This little bakery and restaurant has been around for a long time and I've just had a chance to try…read moreit out. The food was awesome. I don't think I've had such good hummus, well ever. And the falafel pita was so flavourful. Even the simple salad was made delicious with the lemon and pita chips. They also have an attached store so if you are for trying to make something at home you can pick up the ingredients right here. But why bother? Just come for a bite!

I visited Al Salam for lunch some time ago. The restaurant had a laid back atmosphere and service…read more In terms of food, I tried the Chicken Shawarma Plate. The combination of chicken, rice, pita, dipping sauce, lettuce, etc. was nice. However, the chicken was a bit dry and the ratio of the food could be better, so I'd give them 7.8/10

This gem in north Edmonton is a treasure of Lebanese food. All day breakfast offerings served with…read morefriendly service is a real treat. Lots of easy parking and outdoor seating (during the warm seasons) makes it a great spot for getting together with friends and family. Highly recommended!

Stopped in while I was in the area and grabbed a Chicken Shawarma to go. Had plenty of seating had…read moreI chosen to eat in. Located in a strip mall. The staff were friendly and the wait wasn't too long. Absolutely delicious!!! The wrap was thin and soft with a slight crunch on the top. The chicken stuffing was juicy and full of flavour mixed with the sauce. So tasty, I'm looking forward to having it again. Highly recommend, you will not be disappointed!

We went here for a quick bite before going to a seminar. It is beautiful inside. I love all of the…read moreIslamic style lanterns inside. Menu has so many different options but it doesn't fall far from grilled meat, rice, fresh salad, fries and warm puffy pita bread with hummus and tzatziki. Food was excellent. My husband went with the Sultan Kafta Plate Five patties served white rice, hummus, garlic, salad, fries, and one pita bread. While I went with the Beef Lamb Shawarma Plate Served with white rice, hummus, garlic, salad, fries, and one pita bread. I always get a tea here, because it is lovely and strong. Food came in a fast manner, and everything was fresh. My husband wasn't too thrilled with the spice profile of the Sultan Kafta plate, and probably won't get it again. He will probably stick with something with stronger notes like the Adana Kabab (my favourite). I enjoyed mine and the meat was plentiful. We are always too full to try dessert, but they look good in the display case. Service was friendly and prompt.

Its good ill say and they are very nice the people who work there and the food is high qualityread more

staff: friendly and hard working…read more service: quick and friendly. Considering we were a large group for a work function - they were fast and efficient. establishment: beautiful decor, big banquet room, nice clean and bright space. Great parking options outside. food: amazing! Great flavour! Generous portions. We had a set menu for a work function. It was all amazing. They do not serve alcohol.

A great place to spend time, events large and small. Today we celebrated a Christmas event. The…read moreatmosphere of comfort and tranquility!!! Clean, beautiful, quiet music!!! The food is delicious, the service is excellent!!! We'll be back! thanks to the owner and his team!!!

Hello friends this is another place I went to have food while in Edmonton. This place was close to…read moredowntown with very limited parking space. A small restaurant run by a middle eastern family. Going inside itself I could see that a vast majority of their business is take out and they didn't have much space for dine in. As usual I ordered for the chicken shawarma platter basically I love that and also for the consistency in reviewing. The chicken on the spit looked boring all freakish white with no colours to it. They had few lemons on top of the spit and I could feel that zestiness oozing down and few tomatoes and bell peppers pinned to the top of the spit with kebab sticks. The elderly lady in the counter was very pleasant and courteous about dealing with customers she took my order (I also requested her to fry my chicken a little bit more which she did without any hesitation) in between she politely said it would take some time which I was okay with cause I had the entire evening free doing nothing. I was going through the counter display and found stuff that I have never seen before all of it Arabic or middle eastern food specialties. I enquired about few items and they gave me samples to try without any kind of hesitation cause initially when I was ordering I casually told them I am from BC and trying out my favourite food to compare with what I get in Vancouver lower mainland. Even after knowing that I wouldn't be a repeat customer they served me with delight and courteous behaviour. Another food that I had ordered for the first time was Kibbe, herd about it but never tried. Finally after 10 minutes waiting and few samples of new items I got my order to go. The next 20 minutes if the drive was painful as I had the aromatic food in my car and couldn't eat it except for the KIBBE I was munching on that happily. Finally I reached my hotel and the receptionist got the smell and asked me what did you get for dinner. I have been staying at the same place for the past 4 days and they were really friendly with me. The hotel I stayed in didn't have a restaurant except for complimentary breakfast which was excellent and will review it later. Reached my room and opened the packaging to dive into it. Wow the food was really good. It was a good portion too. I finished the whole of it without any hesitation. Food was awesome Customer service was amazing Ambience was dull but they are not bothered because they have excellent food, they trust their take out customers. Location is really great as they would get repeat customers due to the proximity to downtown Parking was pathetic. All in all I liked the food but want to give only 4 stars due to other factors.

I used to come here when it had a different name. They sure kept the same quality and included more…read moreitems. Prices are decent for the quantity. They are open Thursday to Sat until 3AM. Provided quick service. Location is great, being on Jasper and across a bar.

The food was fantastic. We got the sultan's feast which was an appetizer, pita with humus and…read morewhipped feta, chicken, ahi tuna, lamb, spicy meat balls and finished off with baclava. Everything was delicious. Service was great. Food came pretty quick, waters were always topped off and the beer and wine selection was good. It was a little loud in the restaurant but at the same time it was fairly busy.

Very disappointing birthday dinner with my son…read more This was our first time having dinner at Sofra yesterday, and unfortunately, our birthday celebration was ruined.We ordered the $110 Sultan's Sofrasi for two. We requested the lamb medium-rare, but one portion came out clearly undercooked. We brought it to our server's attention, and it was sent back to the kitchen and grill. (IMO - unhygienic to re-grill food eaten by customer) Later, we discovered that the 3rd and 4th pieces of ahi tuna were raw, even though the earlier pieces were properly cooked. We showed this to our same server and asked to speak with the manager this time. BTW, the chickens were also very salty. Instead of receiving a sincere apology or having our concerns properly addressed, we were offered a 25% discount by the server. When the manager/owner eventually came over, the conversation became defensive and uncomfortable. We were told we were "trying to make a scene," even though we were simply raising legitimate concerns about the raw food and our experience. Food mistakes can happen at any restaurant. What was most disappointing was how our concerns were handled. We expected basic professionalism, courtesy, and customer service, especially on a special occasion.Unfortunately, we left feeling very disappointed. The food was not worth the price, and the customer service made the experience even worse. The place was small and noisy. We will not be returning for sure, and based on our experience, we would not recommend spending your money here. BTW, you will also need to pay for parking.

Only go to this place if you like flavor. If you want bland, go to Subway or DQ next door.read more

The best chicken shawarma I have eaten in North America. Excellent sumptuous Lebanese style…read moreshawarma. As a person who grew up in Dubai, the shawarma tasted exactly like back home. Service was fast and good. Ambiance was typical mall food court. Everything is Halal! Any shawarma fans out there should definitely visit the West Edmonton Mall for a day out full of activities and have their meals here. Trust me you won't regret it. Ask for extra garlic sauce for ooomph factor - it was delicious!!

I'm someone who will drive to any corner of the city (and beyond) in the name of food and this was…read moreevident when I recently found myself in The Palisades, an area that is just about as far north as you can get in Edmonton (and no where remotely close to where I live). If the Edmonton Journal is going to name Paramount Fine Foods as the Best Lebanese Restaurant 2021, I'm gonna try it! I made the trek across town on a Sunday evening, looking forward to the authentically fresh flavours of the Middle East that Paramount boasts about so enthusiastically. Founded in 2007 by Mohamad Fakih, a Lebanese-Canadian entrepreneur, the first Paramount Fine Foods location opened in Mississauga, Ontario. The company now comprises of over 75 restaurants, becoming the fastest-growing Middle Eastern food chain in Canada. You'll find Edmonton's location in a rather large complex on the edge of town. (Not kidding, you can see the empty fields nearby.) The restaurant's modern exterior and tall stature includes a small patio space in the front before entering into the expansive interior. I was surprised by the spacious, airy dining area designed with taste in mind. Dark wood, tiled columns, and pops of rich colour set the stage for what feels like a higher-end dining experience. I noted some interesting features in the space which included a kids playground (I swear that this place isn't a defunct McDonald's) and a prayer room. Paramount was quite quiet on our visit and our server was gracious and attentive. The menu is a lot larger than I would have expected and I enjoyed flipping through its colourful pages; from starters, to salads, to wraps and mains. Plus platters that are perfect for large groups and even breakfast on the weekends! (I'm super intrigued about the breakfast and would love to try it!) As one does, I started my journey with a drink and zeroed in immediately on something called the "Paramount Special." It sounds like the thing to get! Topped with almonds, crushed pistachios, ashta cream and honey, I really wanted to try this epic beverage! However, our server regrettably informed me that they couldn't make it. It wasn't clear why but I assume that they didn't have all of the ingredients on hand? This was honestly the only low point of the entire meal. Instead, I settled for Strawberry Mango Juice (A blend of fresh mango and strawberries - $8.99). The drink actually took quite some time to arrive, meanwhile almost all of the rest of our food showed up before it did. However, it was worth the wait because this blend of fresh lush mangoes and ripe juicy strawberries was wonderful. You could tell that the beverage contained real fruit and I enjoyed the swirling kaleidoscope of bright colours. The rest of our order was delivered to the table lightening-quick! The feast began with the Mezza Plate (Choice of three: world-famous hummus, moutabbal, labneh, muhammara, or tabbouleh - $13.99) which seemed like a great option to try a variety of Paramount's dips. Served with the most pillowy freshly baked homemade pita bread, straight out of their wood-burning oven! I honestly could've set my head down on one of those pitas and had a nap. In choosing our dips we went for the Moutabbal, Muhammara, and Labneh. (We did not select the hummus because it was included in something else that we ordered and we opted out of the tabbouleh because we were already ordering a different salad.) Circling back to the pita bread, it arrived warm and fluffy. Tearing off pieces and using it to scoop up the various dips was a complete joy. The Moutabbal, made with fire roasted eggplant blended with tahini and garlic and topped off with fresh parsley, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh pomegranate seeds, felt familiar. Very similar to baba ganoush. However, ours was not topped with parsley or pomegranate seeds as described. Regardless, I loved the true fire-roasted flavour of the eggplant which came through in such a bold and beautiful way. Next was the Muhammara, made with fire roasted red peppers, crushed mixed walnuts, zesty onions, authentic spices, and herbs and topped off with extra virgin olive oil and parsley. (There was no parsley.) This was the dip that I knew the least about... And that I loved the most! The flavour was big and exciting and I loved the nuttiness! This one was an unexpected surprise and I would order it every time. Lastly, the Labneh, made with thick creamy labneh (a type of yogurt cheese) mixed with garlic, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, and topped off with their authentic zaatar seasoning, was also familiar. (Shout out to The Happy Camel, who's labneh I often purchase!) The version at Paramount was very enjoyable and I loved the creamy-cool texture. I swear that I could taste some mint in there as well. Some of the best salads come out of the Middle East - think tabbouleh and fattoush - and I had to order the latter to add some greens to the table. Paramount's Fattoush ($12.99) seemed like the way to go. I lov

"Not so elevated Middle Eastern Cuisine"…read more A terrific visit last November was memorable enough to have us crave Paramount Fine Foods while in Edmonton this evening. The big sign has the slogan " Elevated Middle Eastern Cuisine " thus raising the expectations we have had,, stemming from dozens and dozens of previous Paramount visits In Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver over the years... The decor is still very nice, four+ years or so after this Edmonton branch's opening; - modern, fast yet casual with table service. Tonight, the service was at times very slow and curt. We started with the lentil soup ($7.99) which came in a lovely ceramic bowl with deep fried pita chips. The soup was not liquidy; it had a very thick, "pudding-like" consistency and was super salty. It was definitely not fresh and appeared like it could have been reheated after being withdrawn from a cold, refrigerated bucket; not good. Next came the beef pie - which was nothing but a thin layer of ground beef on way too much dough ($6.99). Paramount is famous for its tabuli salad and of course we ordered it! (($10.99). Once it arrived to our table, we were shocked at the look of wilted parsley and the lack of dressing (it needed more tomatoes, lemon juice and olive oil to revive it); total dissapointment. "Elevated cuisine" means that you would assemble the salad as it is ordered for maximum freshness; ours tasted like it was sitting in a refrigerated tub for several days; no! No! No! The main course, the bbq beef platter ($22.99) had seven tiny yet very tender sirloin steak cubes; the remainder of the plate had a lot of filler rice and pickled beets, dill, onions and a 2 oz container of humus; very good yes - but the portion of meat was tiny for the price. The star of the meal was definitely the shareable dessert: The knnaffe Nablusieh ($9.99): It is a subtly sweet baked cheese dessert topped with baklava style shredded filo strips and pistachios; and then, it is drenched in syrupy rose water; this lived up to what Paramount is known for in Ontario - simply delicious!!!!!! With the abundance of similar eateries in Edmonton, Paramount Fine Foods didn't live up to its slogan as, during tonight's visit, there was nothing " elevated " about its Middle Eastern cuisine. Hopefully, they will get it together moving forward - so the quality of the food served at this branch can actually live up to their founding Ontario roots. Here at this Edmonton Paramount, The higher menu prices do not match the overall very average experience offered... we know Paramount Fine Foods has the ability to "wow" us; maybe next time!