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Xawaash

4.1 (162 reviews)
Open • 10:00 am - 10:00 pm

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XAWAASH ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Classy
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Xawaash

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Muufo (Traditional Oven-Baked Somali Bread Made with Semolina Flour)
Sel Z.

Somali food is heavily influenced by Middle Eastern / Arab, Persian, Indian, and Italian cuisines. Xawaash's menu depicts this mishmash of cuisines well. It advertises itself as a "Somali Mediterranean" restaurant, and the food here is excellent. It has strong Middle Eastern tastes with all the dips (hummus, mutabbal, falafels), Indian influence with the chapati bread, and Italian-like dishes such as pasta with tomato & ground beef sauce and alfredo pasta. We tried the following dishes: 1) Salmon Kebab with Rice and Salad - Very tasty salmon kebab... seasoning was top-notch. Salad was simple lettuce and tomato, but the white dressing was great (not like your typical store-bought ranch dressing... they used some secret ingredients in their salad dressing). You can substitute the rice with a mixture of dips (hummus, mutabbal, tzatziki) if you want it to have less carbs. 2) Mbogga & Ful Mudammas with Rice and Salad - If you're looking for a vegetarian dish, order this!! This was my favourite dish in the restaurant, especially the Mbogga (spinach, potato, carrot, and tomato stew). It was SO delicious and satisfying... the blend of vegetables and potato in a stew just went so well with the seasoned basmati rice. It's also good to eat with one of the breads. The Ful Madammas is a nice blend of fava beans and vegetables - similar to the Egyptian ful, but I found this Somali version to be more "blended" / smooth. 3) Hummus, Mutabbal, Tzatziki - Can't go wrong with the typical Middle Eastern dips. Great with either rice or bread. They also go great with the salmon kebab. 4) Falafels - A disappointment... very dry and bland. But all their other dishes (noted above) are really good. 5) Muufo - We got this because we wanted to try "traditional, oven-baked Somali bread made with semolina". It had a very hard, dense, and heavy texture. Taste had a very subtle sweetness (perhaps because of the semolina flour). It was too hard and dense to my liking (preferred the sabaayad instead). 6) Sabaayad - This soft, flaky East African-style chapati was better than the Indian version of chapati! It came out warm and crispy in the outside, with some charred marks. Loved the texture and taste of it. It went really well with everything else we ordered, especially the vegetable stew (mbogga) and dips. It also made for a great self-made wrap of falafels, dips, vegetables. Service was pretty good. We ordered take-out and they offered free samosa while waiting for the food to be cooked. They also had date cake on display as their cake / dessert of the day, which looked very decadent. For take-out, they put the main dishes in good-quality, sturdy containers (not those flimsy paper-thin containers, or styrofoam containers that don't breathe very well and create a lot of condensation when the food is hot). So you can eat straight out of the containers for take-out meals.

Chicken Kofta dinner with rice and salad.
Matt S.

This place is great! :) So I was browsing UberEats late one evening and Xawaash caught my eye. I noticed they served Kofta, which I love, so I decided to give them a try. I ordered the Beef and Chicken Kofta dinner with Rice and Salad. The portion was great. Lots of rice and the Kofta was great, but the chicken Kofta I thought was outstanding. Maybe the beast I've ever had. Since that day I have gotten take out (both from UberEats as well as picked up in person) many many times. I even did a large order to bring to work to share the awesomeness of Xawaash with my coworkers. They loved it as well. I highly recommend the Chicken Kofta, the Eggplant Stew and the Pineapple upside down cake. Their Ice Cream is pretty good too :)

The most amazing Lamb Mandi dish ever! Incredibly tender and flavorful. Cooked to perfection. The jeweled rice was a real...jewel!

I came here for Iftar and ended up having one of the most memorable meals in a long time. The star of the meal was the Lamb Mandi. I don't remember the last time I had a lamb dish that was as tender and as flavorful. There was no need for a knife! It came with jeweled rice that was perfectly seasoned. I could have that rice on its own as a meal every day. The shorba, samosa, mahamri were tasty as well. The date cake with toffee sauce is not to be missed. The service was friendly and attentive and the ambiance was warm and welcoming. Thank you for a memorable experience! Did I mention that the Lamb Mandi was out of this world?

Spacious
Owen R.

Food gets 5 stars Some of the best chicken and beef Rice is great, need more salad and less rice on platters. 4 stars for price; almost 20 for pictured platter. Great food!

Nelson J.

Hidden gem! Surprisingly good! Went in with a few friends 10 mins before closing. They still let us dine in. Friendly manager, didn't kick us out and let us eat our meal. Even offered us some free dessert!! Recommend highly!

Tea
Monika K.

This place has everything you need: good food, fast service, and it's clean with endless parking ! Location is hidden but easy to find. You walk in and order at the counter. The screens display all the options with clear prices. I went for lunch. For two platters it came to $13!! And when you check in, you get some extra stuff. The food can take a few minutes to come to your table but well worth the wait. It's fresh !! I got the chicken platter: you get rice and salad. Pita is extra for 50 cents and I don't mean the rapper! The owner came to Our table and asked how everything was. He noticed we checked into yelp. He gave additional sampling of the kofta and some dessert. Koftas were amazing. Rice is flavourful. Pita was light and fluffy and warm. But you need to ask for extra sauce and they are more then happy to serve it. This place is brand new and squeaky clean!! Bathroom are super clean with automatic everything: toilet, dispenser and all. Make sure you go and get your food on !

Chicken and Beef Kofta, pasta salad Entree.
Richie A.

Sorry its been a while, before I posted. I was in the west end Etobicoke and was hungry. Ended up at Xawaash. Tried the Chicken Kebab and Beef Kofta. Side was the pasta instead of rice. Food was great and atmosphere is nice like a family restaurant. Come over and try the food. Will come back again. Nom Nom~!!

Beef kabob rice platter
Jonathan W.

A perfect example of Yelp(ers) coming through. I was in the area and quickly needed a bite to eat before an appointment and Xawaash came up on my search. First, upon entry, the place is quite impressive and very large. It's nicely decorated, including the mural of a Somali proverb near the front. The meal prep area is massive, so you know there's selection galore. I know little of Somali food, or whether the vast amount of familiar Mediterranean items are ones a part of their cuisine, or if this is simply an aspect of this restaurant. In any case, I went with the beef Kabob on rice platter. The cashier was very friendly, and great bonus of a free tea or americano with a Yelp check-in. The kabob is cooked to order, and done on an open-flame. The food looked to terrific when it was brought out and they gave me two different hot sauces. The food was fairly simple - but in a good way, with fresh quality ingredients. The star of the plate was undoubtedly and unsurprisingly the beef. The pic can't quite do it justice, but I received about a half-dozen well-proportioned and perfectly cooked pieces. Excellent quality too. My basic formula for most 5 star reviews is generally: taste + value. Xawaash met that standard with flying colours, with the free and tasty Somali tea (like a chai) knocking it out of the park. I believe the platter was about $12, and most places would (justifiably) charge around $5 more for the same thing - and it's debatable whether it would even be as good. It really is as good as advertised, since it's very difficult to tell in the Yelp pics which are submitted by a user or the owner. So much to choose from, but even if the beef kabob was the only item on the menu, it would warrant return visits.

Suqaar Beef, pan-fried beef strips with peppers and onions (no peppers??) Served on Somali rice
Louis I.

Stumbled upon Xawaash on our way back home from another place that did not work out. Walked in to a large dining area with multiple tables and booths. The order counter could be described as cafeteria style, pay at cash and walk down the line, however, if you dine in, they will serve it to you at your table. While in rome (somalia in this case), I wanted to try something authentic, I ordered the Suqaar Beef with somali rice as an extra side. It was quite tasty and the portion size was very generous. One thing I realized afterwards was the dish is described as pan-fried beef strips with peppers and onions, but there were no peppers anywhere in the dish, the pictures do show green and red bell peppers. Despite the mishap, it was still very good and I would go back and try more dishes, this time I will pay attention to what should be included. On the downside, the dining space is large and very open, with the coffee machine going, it was extremely noisey to the point where I could not hear myself talk. You don't realise how loud it is in there until you get outside and your ears are ringing! Gave me memories of my ears adjusting outside after a rock concert.

1 layer of Chicken Shawarma.  Came with a literal side salad and a pita.  Smaller portions in comparison to competitors!
Stephanie S.

TIP: FREE tea/coffee with Yelp check-in! Xawaash has been "bookmarked" for a while, but it's nowhere near where I be (or where I wanna be UNLESS I'm flying out of YYZ), so I finally got here last night. Maybe I should've gone earlier, when it was more poppin'. On a Wednesday night, around 5-5:30pm, it was pretty dead. No one in the large restaurant. Maybe I was hungry/in a hurry, but the menu just looked like your typical shawarma / ME / Afghani restaurant. I did a quick scan, but didn't see any pastas or whatever else that sounded "different" from their online menu (re: anjero, mutabbal, sabaayad). So think: kabobs, shawarma, kofta instead. Prices were also pretty comparable to say Watan Kabob. It was $10+ for a salad/naan dinner platter and about an additional $2-3 for a protein with the rice/fries along with the salad/naan. However, when I got home, portions were much smaller than any shawarma place that I've been to. Although it came in a square styro, it was literally 1 flat layer of chicken shawarma and then a row of salad. Mind you, I didn't finish the whole thing, but portions were still notably smaller than competition. Tasted fine, sauces were very standard white/red. Chicken probably wasn't the best quality as it was a bit grisly and somewhat on the drier side. Customer service was apathetic. I stood in front of the counter for quite some time, staring at the menu, then standing right in front of the cash register before I was approached in a non-chalant manner. All in all, food was decent, portions were on the small side, and it seems as though customer service isn't their strong suit. Nothing really worth driving into this 'hood for...

Shawarma lunch special
Jaspaul B.

Verdict: I won't be back --- Went here during lunch last week since they'd been on my list for a while. I ended up getting the Shawarma special, and it was alright. The rice in the Shawarma plate was pretty good, I think their secret is using a broth base to flavour the rice - probably chicken. Great idea, and good execution. The included salad was nothing to write home about. the plate was pretty lack luster and I missed classic Shawarma toppings that are typically included like pickles, turnips, onions, tabouli, hummus, etc. The star of the show, thankfully, the chicken was cooked nicely. They trimmed the chicken and then threw it into some kind of fire oven that I would normally expect to see at a pizza place. Whatever it was it charred the chicken nicely. Unfortunately the ratio of rice to chicken was disappointing, but I get it they're trying to keep costs down for the special. Overall the food here is ok. The flavours were nice (likely due to the added sauces) but the lack of toppings is difficult to forgive. Maybe my expectations for Shawarma plates is too high, but this place didn't meet my bar. I don't think I'll be coming back any time soon.

Braised Goat Meat platter

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4 years ago

Good quality food. The Chicken shawarma was great! Very good flavor and good value! Wife and I had a good meal.

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Palmyra Mediterranean House - Mixed Grill platter

Palmyra Mediterranean House

(96 reviews)

$$

Etobicoke

We had the falafel platter, I went for the mixed grill. Everything was fresh, aromatic, and full of…read moreflavor. I even saw the staff (super friendly!) prepping kofta by hand on metal skewer. We highly recommend if you're in the area!

I'm visiting Toronto and wasn't sure what I wanted to eat for dinner so I headed to Yelp, read…read morereviews, and chose Palmyra. I'm so glad I did. This is a small, family owned establishment. The family was actually sitting down to dinner at the end of the day when I arrived approximately an hour before close. It was wonderful to see them eating together. I was immediately greeted by one of the employees. He was very friendly and allowed me to take my time. I wanted to try a falafel because I love to try several menu items. He accommodated that and allowed me to order a single falafel patty to try. I was stuck between choosing the Palmyra Platter or the Mixed Shawarma plate because, as I said, I like to try several items. I ended up choosing the mixed shawarma plate and ordered it as is. The falafel was crispy and I could taste the herbs mixed in. The sauce drizzled over the top was the perfect addition. I was so glad I tried it. I was so eager to taste it that I forgot to get a photo. I chose the mixed shawarma plate thinking it would be a more manageable serving for me to finish than the Palmyra platter. I was sorely mistaken. It was easily enough food for at least 2 people. This was well worth the price point. The salad was fresh and crispy with a good variety of vegetables in it. I really enjoyed the vinaigrette they used for it as well; just tangy enough. The chicken and beef were crispy on the outside and tender inside. They had good flavor and were not dry at all. The spicy potatoes were a tad spicy for me but I still ate them. The rice was ok in my opinion. I had enough left over to eat a second time. I will definitely visit here again on a subsequent trip so I can try more of their menu items. Overall this was a good experience for me.

Osmow's Shawarma - Storefront

Osmow's Shawarma

(19 reviews)

Etobicoke

My rating is 3.5 stars…read more I have been eyeing Osmow's for a while. There's a location at a plaza by my workplace. This location in Etobicoke recently opened in the same plaza that I get my Burger King fix. The other night, I felt like shawarma and decided to pay it a visit. This part of the plaza gets busy and there are folks who do not want to park far away. Instead, they clog up the parking lot by waiting outside the front door. I did score a decent parking spot within steps of the front door. I backed in and went inside. You order on the left side of the counter. I was looking at all the menu items and settled on a chicken shawarma wrap. Osmow's has ordering down to a science. On the screen, all topping options appear. You simply say what you want in your wrap (I got turnips, lettuce, tomatoes, and tahini) and you see your wrap in what looks like a panini press. As far as heat goes, I went with mild. I also ordered a Diet Coke in a bottle. Your order total clearly displays on the screen. This place accepts credit and debit cards, as well as cash. I got my wrap and Diet Coke. I sat down. There were plenty of seats. I was hungry. I can take spice. However, I only went with mild and it was spicier than I had anticipated. The heat lingering in my mouth stayed with me for a good fifteen minutes after I had left the eatery as I drove home. If you can't handle spice, you are better off passing on this option. My wrap was good. My problem, and it's a good one, is that I already have a favourite shawarma place -- Pita and Grill. Osmow's tastes like a westernized version of shawarma in comparison. My wrap wasn't as good as that from Pita and Grill. However, I was impressed by how friendly staff are there and how quickly I got my food. If you are tired of Subway, which happens to be in the same plaza, Osmow's gives you a decent option on getting fast, healthy food. (340)

Wow have these guys really expanded. I remember when there was only 1-2 locations in the entire GTA…read morearea, they in the last 3 years they seem to have gone into franchise hyper mode and their locations are as widespread as Macs Milk and McDonalds - ok maybe not THAT much, but there's never an Osmow's far from where-ever you are (over 40 according to their website). Honeslty when in the hell did this happen. I've actually never dined/eaten at Osmow's before, despite their popularity and their famed "chicken on the rocks" dish (open faced shawarma on fries with sauce), so when this was the closest option for food today I figured - Meh, what the hell. For those not aware, Osmow's is like the Pizza Pizza of middle eastern food - except you know, palatable and actually tasty. The Finch location was a little bare bones but the menu board and front were all digital on flat screens. I ordered a beef shawarma and a chicken shawarma with everything but hot peppers and medium spice level of sauce. Pro-tip, they've actually created a visual for spice level by the number of lines of sauce they draw on your shawarma before the wrap it up. Medium = 4 lines and it's got a bite for it. I highly recommend you check out their idiot proof guidelines to spice, it's genius. It's easily one of the best prepared shawamas I've had in the GTA as they've mastered the actual toasting of the sandwich so that the bread is crispy. The meat and toppings are plentiful and so is the sauce - maybe a little too much as several bites were overly sauced to the point where my shwarmas exploded out the bottom from being saturated in sauce. It's no frills, it's reasonably priced and when you look at calorie counts not that bad for you tbh. For me it's a strong 3.5 star....not quite a 4 but I'll round up. Eatcrest Out

Pita and Hummus - Chicken Platter.

Pita and Hummus

(5 reviews)

Etobicoke

Located nearby the Kipling station this middle eastern place is really good! Never been before and…read moreI decided to try it and was not disappointed. I got the chicken saj and the mixed saj with potatoes as a side and enjoyed it. My favourite being the chicken saj. It is a fairly small restaurant with limited seating options but the coziness and the pleasant workers make up for it. Overall, if I'm nearby and craving some shawarma and saj will definitely be going here.

I was a little sad when the Chinese restaurant that was in this spot closed a few months ago, but…read morethen I was excited when I discovered it would be replaced by Pita and Hummus. It was a really cold and unpleasant night and I figured the time was right to give Pita and Hummus a try. I knew I wanted a platter of some sort, so I eventually decided to go with the Chicken Platter, which comes with rice, salad, a bunch of chicken, pickles, onions, hummus, and several sauces. I took it home and was quite impressed/intimidated by the sheer amount of food. Thankfully, everything tastes really good. The rice is more flavorful than I might've anticipated, while the salad complements everything very well. The hummus and various sauces are also tasty, while the plentiful chicken has been seasoned well and isn't too dry. My only complaint is that the chicken didn't contain any of the crispy bits one craves from a joint like this, but hopefully that's an issue that'll be worked out in the future. (I think the place had been open for about a week when I showed up.) I'm excited to try more of Pita and Hummus' other offerings in the future, and hopefully they'll be around for a while to come.

Olio

Olio

(68 reviews)

$$

Etobicoke

Stayed 4 nights at Sheraton and Olio just so happened to be the restaurant/bar in the lobby. We had…read morebreakfast here everyday and it was lovely! They had an awesome breakfast omelette station with a very nice chef. The options for breakfast were plentiful and some items changed every day. On our last night, we decided to try their dinner menu. I had the Seafood Fettuccine & my mom had the grilled mahi mahi. Wasn't much of a fan of the grilled mahi mahi but it was a very healthy and well-balanced dish. The seafood fettuccine I had was so good though. So creamy with hints of tomato and perfectly fused seafood flavor from the generous amounts of seafood they put in the pasta. Mussels, salmon, and shrimp is what I recall was in there. The food isn't cheap but it's what you'd expect from a hotel restaurant. The place is really spacious; tons of seating. The workers are nothing but friendly as well.

My sister and I had a long layover in Toronto before we headed off to Vancouver for our cruise. We…read moredecided to hit up the dispensary close to the airport, and this place popped up for food recommendations. It was very good, and Phil, before our long flight across the country, I ordered the mussels to start out with and then had a salad Mussels: 8.9 Salad: 8.9 Scale system 10/10 would be what I want for my last meal 9.9-9.3 driving out of my way to get this 9.2-8.0 like the place and would go back 7.9-7.0 I would come here again if it were presented and don't have anything bad to say 6.9 and below - thanks but no thanks after trying once

Xawaash - mideastern - Updated May 2026

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