This Middle Eastern spot on Roncesvalles Ave is definitely worth checking out. The service was…read moreexcellent, and our server made sure to explain the dishes and specials, which was a nice touch. We tried the variety Darna sampler (dip platter), baba ganoushj, vegetarian fukhara and za'atar chicken and the food quality was top-notch. That said, a few of the dishes could've used a bit more salt, as it felt like the flavors didn't quite pop as much as they could have. The menu has a great variety, so I'm definitely planning to come back and try more next time.

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.

This review is for delivery orders. I didn't quite like the first delivery as had the promo items…read more Second time I did a platter that fared much better. Good seasoning and good dips with decent sides. In addition their garlic sauce packs a much desired punch. Good stuff will order again

came here because a friend wanna try this place. not my…read morepreferred place (after reading reviews) but im open to taste it and have my own thoughts. place has a nice decor and ambience. fast and attentive service. ordered lamb medium rare and yogurt brulee. lamb was juicy but it's a bit tough & hard to cut. the salad that comes with it is overly sour-cannot taste the veggie itself (i have never eat sour salad before. maybe this is how armenian eat it. my friend who tolerate sour better than me also commented the same). yogurt brulee is good. different/unique. but nothing wow. overall it's a good experience but not a place i'll be going back.

Sat at the bar the other night and had a drink, two appies and (unfortunately) was too full for…read moredessert. The food was hot, delicious and served within minutes. The service was top-notch AND next time I'm in TO, I'll definitely be coming back and bringing friends. Gary

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

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!

An extremely disappointing experience on all counts…read more The place is kind of shabby chic, but it is not. We seated at a bench (for the ladies) and at what passed for garden wooden chairs which were obviously home made. They required a minimum spending of $35/person with a time limit of 1.5 hours. Appetizers are traditional middle eastern fare but very small. They were just a bit off taste.Somebody was either trying something or just did not know. Labneh, babaganoush and a tomato/pepper mush all 3rd rate and again very tiny. A sharing order of fattoush was brought to the table. It was more in the order of a small side salad. The ordered main course all had chicken. No matter what was ordered from Molocheya, Shawarma Plate, Chicken with eggplant the chicken was the very same off of whatever grill they use. There were a bunch of tendons in the "de-boned" chicken. The Molocheya was a special punishment. Clumps of leaves sodden tasteless, drowned in a wrong tasting lemon broth. There was not a hint of spice blend or texture that makes this dish unique. To add insult to injury, a table of 4 was served 2 small pita bread to consume 4 appetizers. In addition the labneh came with a small square of a flavoured biscuit that was crumbly. An order of falafel was freshly fried but from its very colour we could tell that there were not herbs in the mix. The inside was not only insipid but was thoroughly of a light tan colour. But they were not through with us yet! A syrian coffee was ordered brought to the table. After letting the grind settle I had the pleasure of drinking from a broken leaky cup. I looked forward to eating in a real Syrian restaurant because Syrian Aleppo food has the reputation as being the best in the Middle East. These guys obviously did not get the memo. For a dinner for we spent about $190.00 which is ludicrous for this type of food. ANY street side shawarma joint on Lawrence would be far far better. Save your taste buds and your money.

Really unique and surprising place... homey yet classy vibe at the same time, with great food…read more Overall: 4.5/5 for the type of restaurant Food: 4.5/5 Hummus 4.5/5 - I loved the hummus here and thought it was one of the best hummus I've ever had. My partner thought it was ok, 3.5/5, but I loved it Mirage Kebab - 4.5/5 - again, for what it is, I thought it was so juicy and tasty. I loved this because it was a mix of beef and chicken in a skewer. Really filling but also really tasty. I'd order it again for sure. Chicken Pide - 5/5 - I'd never had a Turkish pizza before but oh my god. This was delicious and the bread was baked in house. SO good and would come and have it again. My mouth is watering typing this lol. Ambiance - 5/5 - A nice middle eastern feel, yet still small and a family vibe.. loved it! Service - 5/5 - All really friendly employees that are happy to help

It was the service and chill atmosphere that earned this spot perfect stars... because everybody's…read moreopinion is different. We started with an order of falafel and a fatouch salad. The falafel were Turkish style and if you like sesame seeds, you will love them. I prefer more chickpea. The salad was a show and tasted terrific. It came wrapped in fried pita that you had to crack open. Wonderful. For mains, we got super full and just shared a grilled chicken with some cauliflower. The chicken was cooked to perfection, but the rice was a little plain. This was a random stop and turned out to be really good. Worth a visit if you are in the area.

I ordered their combo and additional baba ganoush. Their baba is different from other ones and…read moreisn't as smooth. The sandwich is also pure meat and bread with not a lot of toppings so it ends up tasting a bit heavy as the bread is also thick. Fries were meh.

A really charming, unpretentious Turkish restaurant in the midtown area. The decor was very…read morestriking even at first glance, and everything felt authentic - right down to the plates and cutlery. I quite enjoyed the homey, unostentatious vibe here, and combined with comfortable and spacious seating made for a pleasant dining experience. We ordered one of their pides as well as - of course, given their namesake - kebabs. Both were flavourful and delicious although we didn't find the food to be particularly unique. However, the service was wonderful, warm and friendly - the staff checked up on us several times and no one rushed us. Overall, would definitely recommend if you're in the area! Even if the outside seems unassuming, this local spot is a truly beautiful place that's worth a look.

3.5 stars It is…read morealways great to have food diversity in the city. This Palestine restaurant offers something new to the area. Went here for brunch and was pleasantly surprised. The service was great, and they have a no tipping policy ! And the prices were quite reasonable. Ordered the crepes (Markouk bil Qishta) and the smoked eggs (bayd bil furon) . Do yourself a favour and get the crepes. They are not your typical ones, these are air thin light, with ashta cheese, honey, and then your choice of either coffee syrup or chocolate syrup. One would think with the honey and the syrup it would be heavy, but surprisingly it was light and delicious. This would be my go to order here The smoked eggs were mid - nothing too special. They came with bread, a few spices - sea salt , but save your stomach space for the crepes. Overall a good experience here. It was definitely getting busy by the time we left.

This is a modern twist on Palestinian cuisine…read more My recommendation is to follow the suggestions of your server but also if you have any preferences to let them know so they can help steer you! The standouts for us were all the breads, the moutabal and the must order lamb. Beautiful space and exceptional customer service!

Big portions and very generous with toppings. With a little bit of all the sauces, the flavour…read moreprofile was there. We just wished that the meat was warmer.

I've heard really good things about this place, so decided to order in. I got the chicken shawarma…read morewrap and hummus on the side. The shawarma is humongous and so flavourful! It comes loaded with parsley, garlic sauce, pickles and a smorgasbord of other toppings. It can easily be shared. Food arrived quickly.

Despite having food poisoning my last visit I decided to give it a go again. The food is good at…read morethis Pota Lite, don't get me wrong. What I was disappointed by was the misleading placard. Outside on the sidewalk advertising their classic chicken schwarma for $6.95. I was heading home from an errand. However I was charged $8.95. If it's not offered please take down the special offer. Thanks

This was a delivery order courtesy of Uber Eats. Initial impression I got was they are priced on…read morethe higher side for kebabs (but with all the discounts/promos going on with delivery apps I decided to try them out nonetheless). I went for a Vaziri Kebab combo which includes the trusty old kobbiedeh and a chicken leg kebab. It comes with a portion of rice (meh not a fan) and a grilled tomato. After seeing the packaging I was taken aback a its huge to say the least. I opened the the box to find out there was a lot of food in the box. We are not just talking about rice here. A large kobbedeih and a chicken kebab. They also included a package of sumac (much appreciated) and margarine (not appreciated as butter is the norm). The taste profiles are all there and quality of meat is not your run of the mill stuff. Good stuff here folks if you like this cuisine. I think I will become a regular from the looks of it. Till things get back to normal this takeout spot will do just fine.

This is a new concept restaurant from Paramount Fine Foods. The restaurant is smaller and for more…read morecasual dining. There created Shawarma Pockets and Cones, while maintaining thei traditional Wraps and Bowls. They soft-opened on 2025-06-30. The Pockets and Cones are more affordable and can allow for a quick meal. In this instance, Yalla means "let's go". I ordered the following: 1. Beef Shawarma Pocket ($7.99). 2. Shrimp Rice Bowl ($11.99). 3. Mushroom Bowl ($11.99). 4. Canned Pop ($2.50). 5. Rice Pudding ($5.99). 6. Mouhalabieh ($5.99). 7. Meghli ($5.99). Obviously I didn't eat it all; I was bringing most of it home. The Beef Shawarma Pocket is ingenious since that alone was good for lunch. The Beef Shawarma was delicious! The ingredients for the Shawarma has changed to now use Top Sirloin and Lamb Fat. Lamb fat is tastier and more moist than Beef fat. The shrimps were perfectly grilled with accompanying sauces. The turmeric rice was fragrant and moist. The rice has 7 spices and cilantro in it. The Meghli dessert was an amazing dessert. It is tasty and refreshing. It is said to have very healthy and energetic properties; women who recently gave birth would eat it to revive their energy. It has aromatic rice pudding, cinnamon, caraway, and anise, topped with crunchy nuts. I will report about the other dishes when I try them at another time. There is adequate indoor seating (tables and counters) and outdoor seating (two small tables). The vibe is green and red, their restaurant colours. Paramount features Lebanese and Syrian cuisine. There is free WiFi. The restaurant is wheelchair accessible, but there is no door-open button. There are separate male/female washrooms downstairs, so they are not wheelchair accessible. There is paid neighbourhood street parking. Review 2025-125

Yalla by Paramount is a fresh and vibrant addition to the Middle Eastern food scene, offering…read moremodern touches to the classic flavours. The menu offers great variety of salads, bowls, pockets and sweets. Each menu item is fresh and full of flavours. The space is cozy yet feels lively and the colourful decor makes it welcoming. There are a couple of tables available for dine in; it's also great for takeout. We ordered "Beet Tabbouleh Salad", "Freekeh Salad", "Veggie Cone", "Falafel Cone", "Hummus", "Shrimp Rice Bowl", Chicken Shawarma Pocket" and "Beef Shawarma Pockets". Pockets are creative and one of their kind; definitely a must-try. Every dish was fresh and delicious and presented beautifully. In-house hummus, tahini sauce and tzatziki add extra flavour to every meal. The chef and manager are very friendly and make sure everyone has a great experience.