We found this place while wandering the area in Ottawa, and had a great dinner! I had the…read morecombination dinner which included stuffed grape leaves, kibbeh, spinach pies, hummus and salad. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and delicious. The kibbeh was seasoned beautifully as were the spinach pies. Even the salad was really good. The pita was fresh and perfect as well. I had the rose water iced tea to drink which was quite good and the rose water was not overpowering. One person was serving and cooking. I am assuming this was Omar the owner. I have no idea how he was managing all of that! He also did the art around the restaurant which was beautiful. Definitely a great option in this part of Ottawa!

Food and service are wonderful in a beautiful restaurant! You won't be disappointed if you love…read moreLebanese Cuisine. If you're visiting Ottawa, this is a must dine! Thank you Mr. Omar!

Doesn't look like much when you walk past it from the outside but upon entering! It's a whole other…read moreworld, the decor, the atmosphere. It's like I entered a portal and was teleported to another part of the world. This is a family-owned Syrian restaurant and delivers very authentic Syrian food ; I came here with my middle eastern friends, and they loved it. There is gorgeous buffet too! The buffet is timed so make sure to come appropriately.

I only took off a star because the prices are higher than I would normally pay for this type of…read moremeal. Based on other reviews, especially Keith T.'s, I ordered the half grilled boneless chicken plate with Bokhari rice. The plate also comes with turnips, salad, hummus, and garlic. I decided to upgrade the salad to a fattoush salad, get an additional 2oz hummus and garlic sauce (I didn't know how big/small the ones would be that came with the platter), as well as 2oz of Ali's Hot Sauce and an additional Kabab Halabi skewer. The chicken was cooked perfectly, great char but still super moist. the hot sauce was very spicy. The fresh herbs and vegetables on the side were such a great pairing. The fattoush was good, especially with the extra crispy pita chips on top. I do wish, however, that plain rice was an option, as I actually didn't need flavoured rice and would've preferred plain. My husband ordered a chicken taouk wrap with garlic, lettuce, onion, and tomato, plus batata hara and a Coke Zero. I've never had fateh before and also wanted to try it because of Hadia G.'s review. I got a single order. It had freshly cooked chickpeas with a mix of yogurt and tahini on a bead of pita chips and topped with pine nuts. This was by far my favourite and I could eat it ALL DAY. My husband and I were obsessed. OBSESSED! It was warm and delicious, creamy but not super rich, and very flavourful rather than just salty. I swear it should be illegal to eat this many pita chips, but we just couldn't stop. This is a bold statement, but I think it's one of the top vegetarian dishes I've ever had. It's on the breakfast menu but is available all day. I got knafeh for dessert, also for the first time. It was nice and cheesy, and I expected it to be sweet, but maybe just a little too sweet for me. Since this was my first time trying fateh, I can't compare it to anywhere else, but I would absolutely order it again and again!

We love this place for breakfast.. they have the best fatta in town.. dinner is so so! But the…read moreplace itself is spacious and comfortable.. service is nice but not very attentive! Today the appetizers were very good but main dish was ok.. Kunafa was not that great ... over all good meal but I'd rather come here for breakfast

Came to Shawarma Palace after shawarma came highly recommended by a friend and generally this meal…read moredid not disappoint! The portion sizes are RIDICULOUS. For us modest appetites, this is easily 3 meals - easily! We ordered 2 plates and a sandwich for 4 people and still had enough leftovers for a small breakfast the morning after. My personal favorite was the mixed shawarma plate. I love how it comes with pita made specifically for Shawarma Palace, rice, potatoes, salad, pickled veg, and the meat. We also got the mixed kabob plate which featured tender beef but the chicken kabob was just a hair bit dry. The falafel sandwich was actually very dry and I would not recommend this. We also picked up some baklava for dessert after and I liked how it was just sweet enough! You can taste the pistachios and I thought the kiss of rose water was just enough to make the bite memorable!

Happened upon this restaurant one evening. I saw a shawarma place on the north side of the street,…read moreso I prepared to turn off and go back, but here was another shawarma place. Quickly looked at Yelp and saw a fantastic number of reviews. So this place looked to be the real thing. I stepped up to the counter and ordered the beef shawarma platter to eat in. The guys just kept piling more and more on the platter. It was absolutely ridiculously huge by the time they were done. It was stacked with beef on top. As I paid, I asked for a take-out container. There was no hesitation. So obviously, this is the way they do it. I sat in the super clean dining area and started in on this massive dish. Then I saw a young family carry their plates to a table adjacent to me. And they all had these massive plates too. So after stuffing myself and hardly putting a dent in this pile of food I had to load up the take out clamshell. It would hardly close and weighed 2-3lbs (after filling myself). So if you want to buy one dish and eat a tasty healthy meal for a week. This is your place. It seemed very clean in the restaurant (signs say leave your dishes on the table - so they are obviously bussing the tables regularly). The washroom was also exceptionally clean. The staff that built my meat mountain were super friendly. I would certainly recommend this place!

This review is exclusively for their meat pies (Pide) that they sell on UberEats under the name…read more"Manqousheh." It's the exact same store though. They sell Pide under the name Ottawa Kabab too, but bigger and more expensive, the ones I got are smaller. I got the meat one ($4.99 BOGO ) and the cheese and sausage one (also $4.99 BOGO). Both were delicious. The meat Pide was filled with ground meat. It was flavourful and smelled so good. The cheese and sausage Pide had lots of cheese and little cubes of sausage. It was tasty, but I preferred the meat one. Although my husband liked the cheese and sausage better, so I guess it depends on your tastes. At any rate, we both agreed that they were delicious. I ordered on UberEats for pickup. Staff were friendly and efficient. They even wrote "Thank you" with a smiley face on my takeout box, lol. The restaurant itself has some seating inside as well as a patio. The parking situation is the only downfall. There is free parking in front of the restaurant, but there are not too many spaces and it's very tight. Difficult to maneuver around. Street parking is available but not the easiest to find nor convenient. Glad this place popped up on my UberEats deals :)

This is a decent find especially at this price point. I…read moretried the 3 kebab mix and added the hummus and toum option. They don't hold back the spice so a pleasant thing IMO as one gets to enjoy the food it is supposed to be. Priced very well so impressed was I that I ended up making a delivery order the following day. With a dearth of decent food for this cuisine in this city I would even give it a half star bump. Give them a try if you like this type of food.

It's a great new spot in Kanata.. finally we have something in the west end. The decor is cute and…read morewell thought of. The food was nice but I see a lot of room for improvement! Their dough could be thinner, the falafel needs to be more fluffy, the mini kaak was not fresh, I see the place has lots of potential. Service was nice but as soon as they got crowded they forgot one of our orders and were overwhelmed! Again it's a new spot so and I completely understand.

Had brunch with my in-laws here and we had a lovely lovely time! The restaurant is in a strip mall…read morebut don't let that fool you- it's really cute, spacious and well decorated on the inside! The menu is authentic mix of Lebanese Syrian and Turkish options. Everything we had was delicious! My father in law is allergic to sesame and they took extra care to make sure nothing was cross contaminated and the chef came out after to make sure everything was ok. Staff and service was awesome! A little far for us to come from downtown but overall a great experience!

Have ordered delivery twice and both times the Meat Pies w/ Cheese have been incredibly. Great…read moreflavour. Ordered extra so I intentionally had leftovers. Still great the next day. Will definitely order again. One of my new favorites!

Me and my nephew's favorite cheese pies…read more me and nephew Moody always goes here after his rugby practice he usually orders a little more than normal people but because he is special. My brother Nathan who is Moody's dad always goes here as well and he loves it as much as me and Moody. my order is usually one cheese and one meat with cheese. Moodys is 8 zaatar pies and three cheese. I highly recommend fewer pies for Moody because it is starting to get more expensive and that is why it is only a 4-star rating.

We came for a birthday party. Food was great! Would be 5 stars if the server was able to come by…read moremore often for drink orders. She seemed to be upset when we went to the bar to get our own but didn't come by often.

I went to El Mazaj from a friends recommendation. The food and service (ask for SueSue) was…read morefantastic! We dined for three hours. It was a truly amazing evening. Make sure you go hungry, and take each course slowly, or they'll be rolling you out of there. We topped the meal off with a little baclava (yum). Best Lebanese food in the city. It served family style with appetizers and then barbecue. With choice of meats. Try it you won't regret it.

Finally tried Yemen Gate in Orleans, and wow--what a gem! The cozy, elegant dining room with warm…read morelighting and traditional vibes made it feel special right away. Perfect spot for a relaxed meal. We went all-in: ordered the Lamb Mandi platter and Chicken Mandi platter separately. Both were outstanding. The rice is fluffy, golden from turmeric and spices, infused with smoky richness and topped with raisins, almonds, and onions--seriously addictive. The lamb was melt-in-your-mouth tender, fall-off-the-bone juicy with deep flavors that just kept getting better with every bite. Chicken was perfectly marinated, succulent, and full of that signature Yemeni spice kick. Portions are huge (we had plenty leftover), and the fiery sahawiq sauce on the side brought the perfect heat without overpowering. For dessert, the Ma'asoub was a delightful surprise--creamy banana bread pudding vibes with mashed ripe bananas, honey, cream, and a touch of sweetness. It's comforting, not too heavy, and such a nice traditional finish after the bold mains. Paired it with a strong Adani chai to round things out. Service was friendly and welcoming--staff happily explained everything for first-timers. Everything feels homemade, halal, and full of care. If you're in the area craving real Yemeni food in a cozy setting, this is the place. Already planning my next visit! Highly recommend.

TL;DR/The Short Version: Excellent Yemeni food. Had the…read morechicken Mandi and it was fantastic. The Long Version: I have had Yemeni food several times before, including at Yemen Gate's original location on Bank St (this one in Orleans is their second location). However, my parents have never had Yemeni food and they love trying new cuisines, so I got them some Chicken Mandi to try. As luck would have it, they were having a special on UberEats. The quarter chicken Mandi was $15.95 buy one get one free. So I ordered on the app and went to pick it up since it's not far from my parents' house. Pick up was quick and efficient. Staff were courteous. The restaurant is nice inside with lots of seating. It looks like in the summer they have a patio out front. I was thrilled that one of the quarter chickens was a breast and wing and the other was a thigh and drumstick, so we got a mix of white and dark meat. My parents shared their food with me because sharing is caring, lol. So I had a little taste. It was even better than what I had at the Bank St location. The chicken was a bit on the small side but it was very moist, tender and fell off the bone. The rice was fluffy and flavourful and I loved the raisins, slivered almonds and fried onions in it. My parents also really enjoyed it. My dad loved that the flavour profile was different from anything he's ever had. I'll have to introduce them to the oat soup next time and maybe we can try the lamb Mandi. There's free parking on-site that's shared with neighbouring businesses. (209)

I love trying out new cuisines that I have never had before, so I was really thrilled when I heard…read morethat a new Yemeni restaurant was opening up a short drive from my house. Overall, I thought the food was ok. Even though I wasn't wowed, I'm willing to go back to try other items. Since I know nothing about Yemeni food, other than there's a dish called Mandi that is very popular, I had lots of questions for the server. She was very nice, but didn't really "sell the food" as the descriptions she gave me were "it's chicken with vegetables," "it's meat and vegetables in a sauce" and "it's lamb with rice." I mean, she could have been describing Kung Pao Chicken, Irish Stew, and Lamb Biryani, right? Lol. She was really nice, so I won't fault her, but the owner really should add some descriptions to the dishes, or some bigger and clearer pictures on the menu (the server did mention that they are printing new menus and will be adding the menu to their website). Anyway, I went with the Chicken Mandi meal ($15), because I figured it must be popular for a reason. I also asked for some water, and was a bit surprised when they brought me a bottle of water ($1) as I was expecting just a glass of tap water with some ice, but oh well, the water was cold, and I feel that $1 is an acceptable price for a bottle of water. The Chicken Mandi meal was half a chicken on a bed of basmati rice with some almonds and fried shallots sprinkled on one corner. It also came with a soup that was mostly broth with some tiny pieces of vegetables, and a salad that consisted of romaine lettuce, cucumbers and a wedge of lime. The soup came out first and it was very hot, which I appreciated. However, I prefer chunky soups with little broth, and this soup was mostly broth with little chunks, lol. The broth, was also a bit greasy/oily, which is not to my liking. It had mostly carrots, onions and bell peppers in it, which were very soft. The salad was fresh and I liked that it came undressed. It did have a sprinkling of spices on it, perhaps some sumac (?) I'm not entirely sure. There was a sauce on the side that looked like a salsa that was really spicy. I'm not sure if it was for the salad or the chicken. The chicken itself was so moist and tender. The meat pretty much fell off the bone. The flavour was mild though, I was expecting more punch to it. The rice had a cinnamon/nutmeg warm spice element to it. I enjoyed the chicken and rice, but expected more of a flavour zing to it. I don't know what these dishes are supposed to taste like, so I'm just basing this review on my own personal preferences, so take it for what it is. I took home the leftovers, as the meal size is more suitable for big hungry guys, lol. Bukhari Restaurant is where Pita Bell Kabab used to be, but Pita Bell now moved down the street to where Pocketz and Robz used to be (it was a 1000 Sushi Islands before that). Anyway, I have noticed that ever since Bukhari opened up the parking lot of the strip mall that they're in is a lot busier! So I think they are doing well. I'm glad to see that Ottawa has an appetite for more diverse food options. My suggestion for the owner is to have more descriptions of a dish on the menu and bigger and clearer pictures. Also to advise the staff to guide customers a bit more if the customer appears to be new to Yemeni cuisine. I'm looking forward to trying other items on their menu.