On a Saturday afternoon, my brother and I were hungry. We didn't really feel like having McDonalds, or other burger related food, and we didn't particularly feel like spending a lot of money for a meal at a dine in restaurant either.
In the past I've frequently seen this place just off 72 Ave, nestled in behind the fairly new development that is known as Center of Newton. Was unsure of what to expect, but as I mentioned, we were dying for some shawarma. A quick internet search noted they served shawarma, so it was quickly decided upon that this would be our dining destination. In the past, this place used to be known as City Donair, but it appears to have changed ownership in the last year or two.
Most of the menu items are very reasonably priced. I believe they have a happy hour special, where after 5pm you can get an original donair for $5, or two for $9, which I think is quite a good deal.
When you enter the establishment, you will notice it is warm (but what shawarma/donair place isn't?) and it is clean, which in my books is a must. The lady working there was more or less nice to us, though a little on the quiet side.
The menu items are your standard fare for a donair place, though shawarma dishes are just labelled as "plates" and there are some different options you can select from, such as Greek, Turkish or Lebanese. Of course, you have your choice of chicken, beef or lamb.
We each opted for the Lebanese dish, which cost $10 plus tax.
Food comes served on your typical Styrofoam plate with plastic cutlery, which is fine. Yes, it would be nice if they had actual plates and cutlery, but what you get transcends such trivial things.
Where do I begin to describe the flavours that just danced in my mouth? The one downside was we might have come near the end of the day, so we didn't get as much rice as we would have earlier on in the day. The lady told us as much that she had just run out of rice. Of course I was a little disgruntled at the time, but by the end of the meal I have to say if I ate any more, I would have been overly full. That being said, I'm fairly certain she gave us some extra chicken to make up for it. Quality customer service.
The dish that was served to us was very fresh, and while it didn't really look like a lot, it was quite filling. The hummus itself has a very good taste to it, and is quite thick (doesn't seem store bought) and creates a nice texture and flavour when mixed in with the rest of your meal. The chicken was flavourful and well cooked (though not overly cooked mind you). The beauty of the shawarma dish is you mash everything together and create a flavourful orchestra on your plate that has a succinct, delicious flavour each time you take a forkful.
This place is severely underrated and I was sad to see that no one had rated it on Yelp.
I will say, I do with they served thicker pitas, but I suppose they go with the thinner ones to accommodate those that want pitas. Honestly, this place has so much more value than Pita Pit (which I enjoy, but not for the prices they sell for) which is just across the street.
Do yourself a favour if you enjoy shawarma and visit Meditalia. I know that I will be going back to get myself another Lebanese dish since it was absolutely fantastic. read more