I went to the danforth location of Zaad for their grand opening! They have a grand opening special for their classics, so I tried the chicken and shawarma platters- this had flavourful meat and sauce and salad. The rice below was flavoured with a slight sweet spice that was super unique . I loved the baklava, it was sweet with honey and crunchy, super great ending. the only thing I wished they improved was more sauce, I love garlic mayo and wished for more. For a video review, watch @hb.eatstoronto on instagram! read more

Zaad - Beef and chicken shawarma plates - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I ordered the Shawarma fries with chicken and chose garlic and tahini for the sauces on it. Highly recommend it. It was really good and tasted really authentic! I also liked the atmosphere of the place and the decor. The people that worked there were also super nice. Will definitely be coming back as I wanted to try their Saj wraps! read more

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Came here late night after an event at Danforth Music Hall as it was one of the few places still open around 10pm. The staff were very nice, and the restaurant was very clean , and the food was solid with good portions! My only thing would be that I thought the chicken shwarma was a bit saltier than I would have liked, and salad was a bit more sour than my preferences. Other than those small details, I could see myself coming back! read more

Zaad - Chicken Shwarma with Greek Salad, Kebab Platter - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

My visit to Zaad for a weekday lunch was a satisfying experience. The student specials advertised outside were a great deal, and the restaurant's spacious seating areas provided a comfortable dining environment. I ordered the chicken shawarma platter with fries and biryani rice, and was surprised by the generous portion size. The tender meat and flavours were delicious. The service was prompt and the staff created a welcoming atmosphere. The one setback was the few horseflies on the veggie station. Accessibility: some neighbourhood parking, close to subway station. No automatic door opener, washroom is large and individual. The restaurant is located on ground level. Lots of space to maneuver around. No wifi access. read more

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I was excited to have lunch here, since there were so many positive reviews. I don't always have the chance to eat Jordanian food. I had the lamb and beef shawarma saj, and I'm not a fan. The shawarma meat was on the dry side, with a powdery/mealy texture, and not much flavour. The veggies in the wrap were good, but I wish there had been more of them. The saj flatbread that was used was fine and the sandwich had been grilled nicely. In general, however, the wrap was dry, lacking in flavour, and not enjoyable to eat. I would not get this again. Service was okay, considering that there was only one person working there. That person was helpful & fine; however, I think that there needs to be more than 1 person working there to handle the weekday lunch rush. read more

Zaad - Beef lamb saj - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Food was mid, nothing special. A bit over priced. Not great service. My order was forgotten completely and I waited nearly 35 minutes only to be told that my order was taken by someone else, even though my number was not called. I was refunded $5 short of what they owed me. Not a great vibe. Would recommend other shawarma spots in the area. read more

I ordered tabbouleh, grape leaves, and a beef pita "stuffie." I've had much better at many other restaurants. The grape leaves were dry and chewy; the tabbouleh was overly acidic and tasteless (how can parsley be tasteless?!?); the stuffie was decent and saved this from being a two-star review. Nice cinnamon notes. read more

I don't know what this is actually called but it's spinach and cheese pie. Freshly baked to order. So awesome. And the guys working here very nice and gave a little leek soup sample. Highly recommend. Very clean too. read more

Zaad - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

The shawarma is pretty bad - completely dry, possibly reheated multiple times. Nice staff, though.

Had the shawarma stuffies, with one chicken & one lamb & beef. They were a bit small - half a pita each - but the variety was good. There was quite a bit of tasty meat & the sauces were tasty. Lamb & beef was better read more

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I came here on a Monday afternoon and it was not bustling like it used to be, I felt a decrease in the staff's spirit but that did not take away from the amazing food. Food: You can't go wrong with the Saj platter (either choice of meat is good) and hummus appetizer but I wanted to try something different. I was looking into getting a rice platter to share and was recommended the Kofta Kabab (minced beef and lamb) platter. It comes with basmati rice, hummus, garlic sauce - toum, and a side of salad or fries. All kebabs are cooked over a fire grill to transform the well-spiced seasoned meats into something that makes your mouth hum mmmm. The platter was flavourful and delicious indicating to me that the quality of the food here has not gone down due to the past year's events. Service: The staff here are one of the kindest and friendly I have encountered. Pricing: Great value and worth it! With proof of vaccination, you can dine in. There are washrooms available for customers. read more

Zaad - Kofta Kabab Dinner/Platter - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I'm a repeat visitor. Their portions are big and their plates are well put together with a good mix of flavours. I was tipped off by another loyal customer of the kofta, and I think it has a luxurious blend of spices that go great with the spicy rice and accompaniments. Not that you would be disappointed by any of their other items either. Only downside is that it is a little bit expensive, I think. read more

Zaad - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Located near Spadina station, this place is so cute and the food is great! I liked the falafel (crispy on the outside, soft on the inside) and the serving sizes are generous. We had the falafel bowl and a single chicken kebab and it was more than enough for two! Staff were super friendly, too. Will definitely be back to try more dishes! read more

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Oooo I love this place ... the food was so good! It's also conveniently located near Spadina ttc station ! Lots of great dessert places nearby as well ! Food- We ordered the Kebab platter with a salad and balsamic rice ($14). A side of fries ($4). A side of falafels (2 half sized ones for $1.99). The protein in the kebab platter was chicken lol .. but they didn't list it as chicken so it kept us wondering what it was while ordering online ! It was really delicious though .. meat was juicy and really flavorful ! The rice was a bit strong tasting for me but I love love the salad ... the veggies were soooo fresh ! The fries were alright .. they had some sort of special sauce on it that tasted like shawarma. Bf really loved it ! Atmosphere - the place is cute .. has some nice ethic decorations and ethic music when I went to pick up our food Service - this is the only thing that was meh ! I ordered through ritual app and the app alerted me it was ready to pick up so I walked over . I got there at 7:23( 3 mins after it was ready .. and told the host I was ready to pick my food up . He told me it's not ready yet but will be in 1 min . It ended up coming out 7:30pm..7 mins after it told me it was ready to pick up :0 On a final note ... definitely recommend everyone to try this place ! I love it so much but just expect the service to be tardy ! They also sell Bakava and other middle eastern snacks here :) read more

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A friend of mine got me their chicken shawarma plate( regular $13. If you buy two $10 each) take out. Chicken was well spiced & seasoned and tender but not too soft. It had that perfect texture. Rice was so flavourful with all the middle eastern spices. Variety of different kind of veggies were provided for the side salad such as cabbage pickled in beet juice, kale, lettuce, sliced plain cucumber, pickled cucumber, onion, parsley, yellow& red peppers. It was very colorful. Pickled cabbage was a little on the salty side but once it was mixed with other salad components, they were fine. I got full after I finished half on the plate. Was impressed with freshness & quality of food as well. Will definately go back for more! read more

I was so excited from all the high reviews! Unfortunately I was pretty disappointed. The workers were very nice, but the food wasn't up to the hype. I got a Chicken Saj. It was very dry and tasted mainly of chicken, no cabbage or tomatoes or anything else that may be in it. It was primarily a wrap with chicken. It had very little sauce, which didn't help with the dryness. And a personal preference, I didn't like that the wrap was cut in to 4ths. So when eating the wrap, everything falls out since it's in little chunks. Overall, disappointed, but the platters looked delicious. read more

I have been here many times throughout the years. Today, this place deserves 0 star. 10 minutes wait for the rice to be ready was nothing compared to what I saw next. I saw flies landing on the salads, pickles and onions. I told the servers and they didn't bother to cover the dishes as if it was common and acceptable for your foods to come with a side of "potential illness"!!! I had paid for the food and asked to be served clean, hygienic and tasty foods but the server showed his attitude when I asked not to be served the salads and pickles where the flies had landed and roamed. Never going back again and only come here if you like flies flavoring your foods. read more

Wow - I think I just found my new favourite shawarma spot in Toronto. Their meat is incredibly tender and juicy (the beef and lamb was amazing) and their sauces are on point. Portions are good, flavours are explosive and very authentic. I'm so sick of having bad shawarma in Toronto, but Zaad is a tier above the rest when it comes to authentic shawarma. The saj, shawarma platter, and kofta kebab were all great, as well as the fries / rice on the side - everything bursting with flavour, and with the perfect amount of sauce. Can't wait to go back here! read more

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I was severely disappointed by this restaurant. It was a huge letdown. Based on the reviews, I thought it was going to be wonderful. First of all, the surly cashier made the experience terrible from the start. She had such a bad attitude, delivering some of the worst customer service I have ever seen. It was as if she was doing us a favor. Talk about waking up on the wrong side of the bed! The food was not good either. The pita chicken shawarma was not tasty, saddled with too much sauce. The baba ganoush was not appetizing, drowning in a sea of oil. The customers are also somewhat odd, and the whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth. Will not return. While I am a huge fan of Middle Eastern food, this fast food joint delivers a lackluster version of this wonderful cuisine. read more

What a wonderful find!! The flavours are so well spiced and each bite is delicious. We had the baba ghanoush appetizer and the mixed meat shawarma platter (chicken, lamb and beef). The ghanoush was such a generous portion we could only finish half of it, even for two people. They top it off with a drizzle of fresh olive oil which elevated the dish. The shawarma mix was moist, really tender and you can taste the different spices in every bite. Usually places drown their meat in sauces, but they don't have to do that here and let the quality of the ingredients stand out instead. The salad sides were fresh and bright in comparison. The space is also lovely. Bright, spacious and welcoming. Service is efficient and friendly!! read more

Zaad - Mixed shawarma platter with rice. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I hope this place will still be around once we're out of the lockdown. This location is a gem. Decor is so clean, modern & colourful. The food is well priced & proportioned. Plus it's delicious. A great place to grab food if you're in the area. I only found this place by google maps. I checked the reviews on yelp and they were good. So I met a friend here before the lockdown happened. I'd definitely come here again. And if I'm in the area & need food to go I would see if I can order ahead to grab & go. Definitely come here for some good food. It's set up cafeteria style. So you order at the front & pay. Then you get to tell them what you want on your meal. There are two washrooms at the back of the restaurant. One for ladies & one for men. Washroom was clean. The people serving the food were friendly & efficient. read more

I had many people recommend Zaad to me. I checked Yelp and Google and the reviews were excellent! I decided to give it a go and was not disappointed. I stopped in for lunch and grabbed the 12" Saj Shawarma. The choices were chicken or beef&lamb. I went for half and half. They fill the 12" shell with hummus, pickles, beets, onion and tomato. (I hope I didn't miss anything) The pile up the meat high and add their sauces and of course as much hot sauce as you like. The hot sauce had a nice kick and great flavour. It then gets rolled up and toasted on the flat top to get the sides crispy. What through me for a loop and I loved it is after the grill they chop the wrap up into bite size pieces. Amazing! I went with the combo and got fries as my side. They were fresh cut and crispy and had their signature sauce on top. The fries were good but next time I am grabbing two sandwiches or maybe a side of falafel. I hope they stay at this location for a long time because the food is fresh and plentiful. I will definitely be back! read more

Zaad - 12" Saj Shawarma - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I like eating here. Nice staff, good atmosphere, and the food are lazeez. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

Great Middle eastern food and Baklava, enjoyed my shawarma and open layout and lovely place with music and great host and great baklava to take home read more

Zaad - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Don't be sad, have some Zaad. My second time here and I love it! In comparison to other shawarma/kebab places in the area, it is a couple bucks more expensive but for a dramatic increase in ambiance and food quality. Environment Despite being a quick shawarma spot near Spadina, Zaad manages to exceed in cleanliness and decor. However, they may have to replace some of their sofas soon as some of them have been severely "sunken into." Service Knowledgeable staff! This time, I was able to distinguish a wrap (saaj) from a pita pocket, and a Zaad kebab from shish tawwouck (spice level). Food While waiting for my Shawarma Saaj, I munched on complimentary fried seasoned pita strips. They're a great snack to have and I'm appreciative that a place as such would be willing to ensure their guests are passing time in a pleasant way (aka free food). The shawarma wrap consisted of a white tortilla (assuming its from Costco) with garlic spread, pickled vegetables, tomatoes, and shawarma chicken. After being tightly wrapped, it's briefly grilled, adding a slight crunch. Overall, flavourful and delicious. read more

Zaad - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This place has AMAZING falafel! Shawarma stuffies amd fries with tangy sauce are awesome too! Friendly funny service also. Absolutely will be back for more. read more

Passed by a bunch of times, city has a lot of 'similar' restaurants. Happy to see the quality and cleanliness. Kitchen staff is pretty chatty (ask u multiple times; to stay or go? and then still get it wrong). FOOD IS GOOD! Good regular spot potential on Bloor St. read more

Zaad - Thursday - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

shawarma platter was pretty mid, fries were not that crisp and chicken was dry. also they gave me rice instead of salad, and were out of beef & lamb even tho it wasn't that late. read more

This was probably the best falafel I've ever had.. and I've had falafels in the Bourj Hammoud district of Beirut. They didn't shmoosh it up by wrapping it and grilling it. This thing was left open with all the texture undisturbed for maximum enjoyment. I'll be back. read more

I got the mixed chicken and beef shawarma plate. It came with rice, salad and toppings. The whole meal was great and really filling. The shawarma was really flavourful, both the chicken and beef tasted delicious. The portion was huge there was so much meat on top of a huge layer of rice. Also The salad was very fresh and I loved the extra toppings and sauces. read more

Zaad - Beef and chicken shawarma plate - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I enjoyed the chicken shawarma pocket. It tasted like a doner. I enjoyed the ambience and casual vibe of the space. The food was delicious and the portion was also a good size. I like that they offer samples. read more

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I got a chicken shawarma, with their house sauce. It was so amazing! Very filling, but not to much food. Perfect portion! The staff were all so friendly, the restaurant clean and spacious. Great atmosphere. I just arrived from the states, and Zaad defiantly hit the spot! read more

Zaad - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Oh my zaad I like this place! (Where the old "Greek & Co" used to be) The staff are very friendly/helpful - the man at the counter made recommendations based off of how hungry we were, whether we liked bread, etc. Zaad is a casual, order @ the counter and pick of your food type of place with cafeteria trays, but make no mistake, because they do not skimp on quality. I had the Saj platter ($12) which comes with two sides (choice of FRIES - GET IT, salad or basmati rice). The fries have an addictive, delicious Italian-esque seasoning on them and were made to order. While I expected them to just shave a bunch of chicken on top, they actually made a wrap of it with the typical insides of a shawarma and cut it into bite-sized pieces. I really enjoyed the chicken - there was some sweetness to it, which he told me was a medley of Mexican/Japanese/Middle Eastern cuisines. It doesn't sound that great but it is like having chicken with...jam? It's very good, but might not be your thing if you don't like sweet meat. Also, my credit card statement tells me this is a chain of Ali Baba's. The decor is very hip, with Turkish tiles and industrial/wooden vibes. Lastly, they're also on Ritual! read more

Zaad - $12 Saj platter - the fries are sooo good - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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My boyfriend and I came in about 30 minutes to closing time. We were greeted by 2 friendly guys. For our special occasions we usually go to Byblos. If you are looking for a similar level of commitment to flavour, in a take-out format - this is it. We got the lamb/beef dinner plate and the chicken dinner plate. The meat was richly seasoned and tender. We chose to try all their salads and the were pretty amazing. The picked red cabbage had some spice to it which was a nice surprise. The rice was packed with flavours, my boyfriend found it a bit much but I thought that mixed in with all the greens it was phenomenal. The portions are big and we couldn't stop eating. If you're not afraid of authentic flavours and spices - go here. Zaad, don't change anything. Everything is high quality and delicious. read more

This place really hit the spot! We came here hoping to satisfy a variety of dietary needs(one vegan and one keto). Everyone left full and happy! I enjoyed the beef and lamb shawarma with rice and salad. They added a dollop of hummus and I asked for garlic sauce with a generous amount of hot sauce. The meat was seasoned perfectly and was very tasty. The rice was different from most restaurants but it was cooked perfectly and tasted great. The salad had all sorts of veggies in it. Including red and green peppers, cucumbers, onions and red cabbage. The hot sauce wasn't very spicy but did taste great. Everything else that was on the table looked amazing. The restaurant is very open and clean. They even sell a few treats like Turkish delights. It looked like they have some pretty serious Turkish coffee from what I saw at another table. I'm looking forward to a second visit soon! read more

Zaad - Order here! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Literally one of the best places in the annex. It's super easy to grab before I go to Spadina station to go home, which is one of my favorite things about it. The food is so good and the staff is always so friendly! They also have student discounts which is awesome :) read more

Incredible food and service here. Everything is fresh, quality and delicious. I had the shawarma pockets and chicken tawook Kabob. The sauces are amazing also, I can't wait to come back. read more

The food is amazing. Iav been there multiple times whenever I work close by to Zaad. Rice and salad is fresh and flavourful with the garlic and humus on side. Beef/lamb mix and the kofta kabob is seasoned well and it is fresh. The reason I am giving a 3 star is that they are not consistent with there servings. I had take out on NYE on December 31st 2019. The plate was piled up with salad, rice, and protein. I was left satisfied to say the less. I got a plate yesterday evening and the plate was barely touching the lid when it was closed. I asked for a little bit more salad and the guy picked his fingers into the salad bowl and picked up a piece of lettuce and a piece of a green pepper. I paid 13 bucks for a plate of food which left me hungry. I had to walk over to the metro to get snacks afterwards. Me and my coworkers have to second guess Zaad now since we are paying almost 15 bucks for a meal that doesn't fill you up consistently. The quality is definitely there but not the quantity. read more

I went again today and it was absolutely delicious as usual. Takes a little longer than fast food because it's made fresh. Great service! I want another one for dinner now read more

Zaad - Beef & lamb saj - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Very bright atmosphere with nice decor. I got the chicken shawarma platter, 2 for $20 which is cheaper than most places. I really like their rice, very well seasoned. Their Zaad sauce is a must try, a well balanced sauce, their hot sauce is not too spicy, just the right amount of kick, goes well with the chicken. The ingredients they used tasted very fresh even for the end of the night on a Monday. The reason I didn't give a 5 star is because I wish that the portion sizes were a bit bigger. I wouldn't say i'm very full after that meal. I would say one of the better places in Toronto for sure. read more