It was adequate at best. The falafel has a weird taste, but the pita was delicious. The eggplant carpaccio was great and the kofta, too. Portion size is small for the money but very fresh and presentation is nice. Sunday they have 50% off wine which is always nice. I'd go back but like, not gonna rush to do so. read more

Amazing food. Very reasonable prices for the level of cuisine. Authentic Israeli and middle eastern flavours and preparation. Their hummus is delicious and creamy, and can be served with several different preparations. The salads are all incredible and quite different than most salads. I usually add an organic grilled chicken breast to my salads here; it's quite good. The falafels here are probably the best falafels I've enjoyed outside of the actual Middle East. They're fluffy, extremely herby (which I love), and they have a great crisp. They're served with fresh tahini. I've tried a few of their changing mains over my several trips here and they get better each time. I'm not even going to speak about the different Halva they sell. Just get it, and get more for home. The design and flow of the restaurant is worth a trip to this restaurant alone. It's in a high-ceiling large industrial unit with an full open kitchen and prep station as well as a gigantic tahini press for people to see them make their fresh and delicious tahini. (It's one their products that they bottle and sell by the way!) There seems to be an herb garden with lights in the middle of the restaurant, but I feel like with falafels like theirs, the herb garden is way too small to even supply a single days worth of herbs for their recipes. Still, it looks cool. There is always a crowd, lots of noise from the kitchen and guests, and an atmosphere of a lot happening at a fast pace. I highly recommend trying this place out. read more

Ordered the parallel salad - kale, walnuts, beet tahini, walnuts, lentils and goat cheese as well as the falafel. First of all, the portions are MASSIVE! Those two dishes could easily feed two people. The salad was sooo satisfying and had lots of interesting textures and flavours. I also love the vibrant colours of the beet tahini and green in the falafel. Overall very tasty and I would definitely order again ! read more

I wanted to love - and gush about - Parallel, but I can honestly say that my experience, in its entirety, was underwhelming. While the food was good, it wasn't overly memorable, and there were too many kinks to give our dinner more than two stars. Parallel is set in an industrial space and, though it's "hipster cool", the restaurant is very, VERY loud. It was difficult and, at times, impossible, to hear my dinner companion. Our conversation consisted mostly of "Sorry, what did you say?" Tables were also painfully close together. To add to this, the service was rushed. We shared a few items (the hummus, a salad and a main), and asked that the hummus be brought first, as an appetizer (be warned, by the way, that the hummus, at $9, comes with one small pita TO SHARE. ONE. Seriously?!). We barely had time to dig in before the salad showed up on our (tiny) table, very shortly followed by our "hot" main dish. It was impossible to work our way through the hummus and salad without the main getting cold, which it did, and very quickly, I might add. This is NOT fast food (as is indicated by the prices), and yet it felt like it was "fast food" service. It wasn't enjoyable to be hurried through our meal, and any establishment that understands good service understands that this is a big no-no. I won't be running back to Parallel. There are better establishments in Toronto, in my opinion, serving similar food. read more

AMAZING meal, service, location, layout and atmosphere! We loved all the food we tried. We shared the parallel salad, humus and lamb with polenta. Parallel exceeded our expectations!! Fantastic experience. A must try. read more

Went here because my friend said it was the best falafels you have ever had... Lol high bar to beat but they were pretty damn good. The prices are higher but thwir quality of food and dedication to being sustainable is more than worth it. Both their hummus and falafels were delicious. My friend has their lamb shawarma and the other lamb dish and both were highly rated and enjoyed! Would love to head back again to try more off their menu! Staff was friendly and consistent, ever let us try their delicious dessert when we first walked in. read more

This restaurant is in a cool industrial building, very hipster if you're into that, but even if you're not the food is fantastic! We came for dinner on a Wednesday evening at 630PM. There were 4 of us. We were seated right away, which was great. There's parking on the side streets in the area, but it can be difficult to get a spot. You have to circle a couple of times. We ordered the truffle hummus (3.5/5) - I wish it had more truffle and was less watery, but overall it was delicious wish mushrooms and an incredible green mint sauce and labneh. We got the special of the evening which was roasted cauliflower (4.5/5), drizzled with tumeric aioli and beet tahini - incredible! There were also walnuts in it, which added a nice crunch. The lamb shawarma with polenta was delicious (5/5), with Brussel sprouts and melt in your mouth lamb. The mafrum was also nice (4/5); it tasted like a meat moussaka, with couscous. The eggplant was delicious (4/5) - good tahini taste to it and served with challah bread. Service was great as well! read more

Food is great. SERVICE ALERT Many of the servers here are on the ball, however there are some who should be working at a bank with the rest of the challenged employee pool. Did I mention the food is terrific, if you can get what you ordered. read more

The food here is amazing. So glad I ate here when I was in the area. I am sorry that the owners are having to endure baseless hate because of where they were born. The food is authentic and delicious. Please ignore posts from people that are making false claims about the ownership as these people have never been to the restaurant and are only trying to spread hate and lies. To the owners, keep up the awesome food! read more

Delicious food! I love the Israeli culture and the Mizrahi food! Will come and recommend that all my friends go too!

Parallel is a great spot for a Mediterranean-style brunch. I went with a group of four and we all really enjoyed. Prices are reasonable, good atmosphere and items are all very flavourful. We shared all of the dishes below: Parallel salad Fattoush salad Masabcha Hummus Shakshuka Arais The standout items were the parallel salad, the shakshuka and arais. All the of the pita was so fresh too and perfect for dipping. We had the sesame butter latte as well and it was really good. Service was also great and our waiter was hilarious. We will definitely be back! read more

This is my favourite restaurant! I love their lamb Ragu and Parallel Salad. Everything is extremely fresh and you can tell how much the owners really care about their customers and the quality they serve. I'll keep coming back and yes.. already got a handful of my friends to make their own visits and they are now in love with it as much as me! read more

My new go to place. Delicious food. I like all the hummus I've tried. Don't skip the falafel. You think falafel is boring but these falafel are the best I've ever had. Love the parallel salad, labaneh and the halva is to die for. Music is really loud but I can live with it since the food is so good. Service is usually attentive and nice. read more

Ok, 3rd update. I've gone twice, recently, and with some trepidation, but had really good experiences. They've rearranged the restaurant a bit, no more electronic system, service was excellent, and the food was really good. The place is still kind of loud, but I think a function of the of kind of space it is and how busy it gets, but otherwise nice to see they've adapted since opening. read more

Disappointing takeout food and assistant general manager at the cash was pretty hostile. Probably won't return. read more

This restaurant is terrible for several reasons. 1. Food The food is disgusting and not authentic Middle Eastern. I have grown up and Middle Eastern food my whole life and there is nothing authentic about it. I should have known i was in trouble when all i found eating the food and working at the restaurant we're young Gen X, hipsters. I ordered two Shakshuka's and two E-Ja they were absolutely terrible. It was hardly edible. 2. Service We were seated at a communal table and warned prior to seating that we only had an hour and fifteen minutes to eat as the table was reserved shortly. Once we were seated our server then proceeded to ignore us for almost 15 minutes. I had to remind him that we ordered coffee since we would soon be asked to leave our table. Then when we got our food the server started to hover in an effort to get us to hurry. Leaving on time was not a problem as the food tasted so bad. 3. Price The terrible taste aside the price for the small amount of alleged food you receive is a total joke. They charged an additional up charge for a piece of pita bread. This establishment is a total joke. I felt like i was in an SNL skit as i sat there. Do yourself a favor and eat somewhere else. read more

First time here earlier this week for Sunday Brunch. Food was pretty good, definitely cannot argue that. However serving staff was a bit off for our group of 4. When we arrived we were asked if we made a reservation (we called 4x that morning with no answer on the phone) and then we were told that they are fully booked up so it would be a 45 min wait. So we said we would eat at the bar then after asking another waitress about the table of 4 she said we could sit at a table. I think its mainly a communicating thing... but then when we sat down our groups orders were missed (which we let pass) but they also forgot to bring out a dish and in the end still charged us for the items never brought. We spoke up at this point but they made it seem like it was our mistake. Making us uncomfortable, not once did anyone apologize for any of their errors. Pretty distasteful experiences overall. read more

We have ordered from here a few times through Ubereats and the food is unbelievably delicious. We love middle eastern food but these guys take it to the next level. I particularly love the soups they are doing. It's a little bit pricey but with the quality and love that goes into this food is worth it. read more

So, the food is good but the place is a major headache: bad service, poor organization, and a general hostility toward clientele that borders on contempt. Truly one of those places that is riding out its hype in bad form -- we are popular so can get away with crap service! Seriously: don't be a sore winner! It won't last! That combined with its inconvenient location and very strict 1.5 hour seating policy irrespective of how late they get you started make this place a non-starter. My last reservation, made 3 weeks in advance, produced a seat in front an unprotected door in the middle of Winter. Freezing. Wait staff could not have cared less. Manager tried to accommodate but no real alternatives save upstairs bar seating. Fortunately Toronto has no shortage of fantastic spots and we were just a quick Uber away from a delightful dinner at Mamakas on Ossington (always worth a shot for a spot at a walk-in high table). Toronto is restaurant city! Look elsewhere! read more

Can't think of a reason why but they refused to sell us takeout "during brunch hours". We got there at 12:10 p.m., that's lunch time! I understand if we were trying to order some special items but all we wanted were falafel and the beef/lamb sandwich. Weird policy Parallel. read more

Really impressed. When the chef came over with the falafels he said they'd be the best we'd ever tried. His confidence was well founded! They were the perfect texture: light, soft, fresh tasting, and with a dark, crisp exterior. Also had labneh and a lamb pita, both of which were excellent. Really nice, airy space and a solid americano to boot. Great addition to an up and coming strip. read more

Love this restaurant. All the food is delicious. So fresh and so yummy yummy. I would recommend everyone go and check it out, treat your self to some take home tahini and Halva too. Their insta is wonderful to get an idea of all the fresh ingredients and beautiful plates. read more

Their food is very special and delicious :) The tahini is made in store,it's nothing like you've ever tried before! Absolutely recommend! read more

Parallel - Parallel Salad - Mediterranean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

See all

The staff were incredibly rude for no apparent reason, and as if that wasn't enough, I just could not stomach the food - it was just uninspired and all around bitter and not fresh. I can't believe the good ratings - it's completely absurd based on my experience at this restaurant. read more

First visit and nothing but rave reviews. Each sharing plate was excellent. The hummus was silky and divine and the green falafel were infused with mint and the best since eating in Tel Aviv. The kofta and the lamb with polenta were well seasoned. Finally the service by wait staff and the owners are amazing in describing every dish. Leave room for the halva. Far and away the Best Middle Eastern experience I've had in Toronto. read more

It's truly a wonderful thing to eat elevated simple foods like this. Fresh . Tasty. Falafel balls are more flavourful than any other I've eaten. Hummus so creamy. I only had a couple of items but I'll be back. First impressions were very good. read more

Quite disappointed as I had heard good things. Very expensive, especially for take-out - $34 for 9 naked falafel balls and a "tabbouleh" salad. Salad was just ingredients - a bowl almost completely full of undressed flat-leaf parsley with lots of stems, with a few bits of red onion, pickled beet and pomegranate seeds tucked on the side. Then there were a few plastic containers of various dips/sauces that I suppose we were meant to figure out what to do with and mix our own salad. Seriously? Nothing tasted bad but you could find a much tastier, more authentic and fully put-together meal at any of a number of other middle eastern restos. at one-third the price. read more

the place looks awesome but the price is way too high for below average shakshuka, my husband does it much better and he's no cook! it wasn't complex or interesting tastewise, seemed like plain tomato sauce with semi boiled eggs. nothing to write home about, specially not for $13! bread was thick and doughy, not really pita and salad wasn't tasty, seasoning was really weird, lemon-y, we both disliked it. is worth maybe $10 although its just a brunch item. not worth returning although we loved the space, maybe for some other dish! read more

Food sucks and service sucked too. Absolutely rude staff and terrible rip offs of genuine good middle eastern dishes.

Food is tasty but over price ($20 basically for some take out hummus?) I've been there twice and the staff is the rudeness I've ever encountered. Settle down and get off your high horse, your selling mediocre food. read more

Very disorganized service. Music was way too loud and made it difficult to place an order. We had the parallel salad, falafels and hummus. The hummus was very enjoyable and I would go back for it. However, their pita game is beyond weak. 1 pita for a large hummus and they opted to bring in the wonderbread of pitas. Their falafels have a great texture, but the herbs really do dominate, but the menu does say herb falafels. Lastly, the salad was a waste of money. There was no balance between the ingredients. There might have been 6 fingernail size pieces of sweet potato, 4 walnut halves, a tablespoon of cheese and lentils to top 5 cups of greens. Just take the hummus home and get your own pitas. read more

During the pandemic you can call the restaurant to place a take-out order, and also pick up a lot of to-go items from their coolers right inside the front door. We just had a social distance picnic with friends: hummus, babaganoush, felafels, pitas, and tabouli salad, and it was fantastic. There's also nice beer just east of the restaurant, and a park located close by - Geary Ave. is our home, and we are so happy to have such tasty food nearby. read more

Great food. Always delicious. Friendly service. Always crowded though. Define a must try

My husband and I went to Parallel for brunch yesterday after coming across a positive review by a newspaper critic and Yelpl! It was packed and very disorganzied. We walked in to find a lineup, where you then order your food and pay at the front (ala fast food), then if you're sitting in the very loud upper level, they'll bring it to you. Otherwise I think you have to pick it up yourself. You also have to get your own cutlery (there were no forks upstairs), napkins, water, etc. When our food came it was one dish at a time with at least 10-15min between each. Not ideal if you're not sharing, but we were. We had the Black Sabbath, which was a huge piece of spongy, untoasted bread, with eggs and 'black tahini' sauce which tasted more like overly choclatey mole. It was gross. The salad that came on the side was a laughable portion in a small bowl, maybe three bites and nothing special. Then we had the Shakshuka, which had a nice spice level, but the eggs were hard and overdone. Lastly we had the falafel that everyone raves about and couldn't eat more than a few bites which tasted liked grass. I've had many falafal and this was not good. Then you are expected to bus your own table. So basically they have a fast food setup at bistro prices for food that falls way short. I have no idea why there were so many people there, but I'm guessing this is a fad that will fade sooner rather than later. read more

Such a wonderful atmosphere and food. The flavours are balanced and full. Haven't been to a restaurant this good since we moved from Vancouver. We love their lunch and can't wait to go for brunch and dinner! read more

This place is so yummy. Causal open space, good service and great food. Hummus and parallel salad were standouts but all delish

Would come here everyday if I could. The falafels are the best I've had outside of Israel.

Just waited 30 mins to learn that they were no longer taking orders until they could fulfill all the people's orders who were currently waiting for food. I understand it's family day and the restaurant was busy but this wasn't a great first impression. read more

I had the Arais, Parallel salad and hummus to go. I was illegally parked. Long, long wait. Buzzer thing didn't work. Food somewhat overpriced but all delicious and fantastic! Loved it. The pita is thicker than typical pita and it seemed very filling. Beautiful space. Noisy, chaotic though. No parking anywhere. Very stressful experience - which food and eating should not be. I hope Geary Ave. gets more accessible. read more

Great food, great vibe. Unique options and flavors among restaurants. Highly recommended!