Service is great. Ambiance waa good and the menu looked promising. The proteins for somenoff reason seemed over salted and just so over the top with the salt that we couldnt eat one at all. Staff was very kind and offered a replacement which was tastu. Too bad the pita was not homemade like the naan. Naan was over priced @ $7-$9 a piece but the Persian rice was delicious and a huge portion for $9. Overall portions were very generous and flavours robust. read more

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A delightful experience within the Aga Khan Museum! The food was delicious and portion sizes were generous. Had a lovely lunch with friends...we enjoyed the shrimp curry (with papadam and sabzi rice), the vegan Falafel bowl and the Jollof Chicken Biryani with Boondi Raita...all of the entrees were delicious and the staff was lovely. The setting is amazing...we will be returning! read more

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We tried out this restaurant as part of their summerlicious menu. Started with a kale Caesar salad and a chicken samosa. Both were delicious with the samosa the better dish in my opinion. The salad dressing I felt was a little too salty for my liking - perhaps a few more pieces of kale would help lessen the saltiness. For our mains we had a musakhan chicken that was a chicken leg, with naan, some onions and a bit of garlic toum. I felt the dish was lacking flavour and was super dry. The meat was dark meat so it must have been super overcooked to be that dry. The second main we had was a curry salmon with rice. The curry was good, but the salmon was also overcooked and the rice was a bit too wet for my liking. The desserts was a caramel ice cream chocolate and a lavender cheesecake. The ice cream was rich and flavourful but the cheesecake was lacking lavender flavour. It tasted like a lemon cheesecake topped with strawberries that you can get at any local grocery store bakery. Overall I was disappointed in the food as I heard great reviews about this place. But maybe because it was a summerlicious menu that the food was greatly lacking. read more

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What a beautiful restaurant in a peaceful setting. Imported antique middle Eastern decor comfortable seating and adequate sized tables. Service was wonderful, gracious and attentive. Dips and warm olives was a great starter for two (took some home as well), my Moroccan chicken stew was flavourful although the chicken was a bit dry. My colleague loved her shawarma which was very filling! Best cappuccino I've had in years (Lavazza beans). read more

Inside the beautiful Aga khan museum is Diwan. My friend and I came to enjoy the museum and the Rumi exhibit. We first stopped for lunch and opted for Diwan. We didn't have a reservation but we were able to get a table right away. The patio was not available but we were seated toward the back over looking the patio. The restaurant is l equally as beautiful. We order the special. Which was the meat platter which came with beef kabob and tandoori chicken with naan. We also ordered the fattoush salad and shared everything. The food was delicious and the service impeccable. It was a wonderful lunch before exploring the museum. I would definitely be back! read more

Diwan - Meat platter(chicken and beef) with naan and fattoush Salad. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I would actually give this place a 2.5. It's definitely better than a 2 but not quite a 3. There are things to like -- - nice location - staff are friendly and helpful - has both inside and patio dining - they do check for vax certs and take cleaning seriously Things less appealing -- - they had tables of 10 and larger inside including a group of about 20 people celebrating a birthday but right in the main dining area. This made us feel a bit uncomfortable. It felt crowded. I thought there was still a limit on table size for inside dining?? - the appetizers and fries were great, the lamb burger not so much. It had grill marks but no crispness to the outside. Was tasteless and in some parts stringy or chewy in a strange way. Not great. :( - I will say that some of the other meals looked quite nice - so it may just be the lamb burger that's not great - they charge you $10 for parking and do not offer any break to diners that are spending a decent amount for a meal. May or may not go back. We'll see. Certainly not anytime soon. read more

Diwan - Beef Fesenjan - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I heard a lot of this place so I give it a try. Food is OK, find it not really authentic, but the service is very good. The lady staff keep coming to us and checking if we are OK, keep filling our water, and even she has the mask on, I can see it in her eyes that she is smiling. The decor is beautiful. I'll come back summer time to sit in the patio. read more

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Very pretty restaurant and the patio is quite gorg - it's seated right beside the beautiful front of Aga Khan Museum with the water feature and lawn. Service was nice! Onto the food... it's alright. Drinks are pretty mediocre. Watermelon lemonade had no watermelon flavour. Cactus pear and lychee mocktail was overly sweet. Food: - Watermelon Gazpacho: Quite refreshing but a bit heavy handed on the tartness - Fattoush salad: Highlight of the entire meal. Greatly enjoyed this fresh bowl of salad! Dressing was amazing and paired very well. - Lamb shank: Tender and just alright. It sits on a bed of hummus with some veggie salad on the side. A side of rice is $4. Imo, rather pricey dish esp considering it doesn't even come with a rice. - Beef fesenjan: Served extremely hot. Super tender beef shank, but it's a tad dry. Stew sauce itself is alright - it's savoury and the pomegranate adds a extremely slight hint of tang in the back of your throat. It comes with some rice pilaf and tasteless chickpeas. I likes how the rice had some added raisins for some extra flavour dimension. read more

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Had lunch with a party of 6. Asked our server for recommendations for sharing 5 dishes. All suggestions were excellent including the drinks and desserts . Lots of food , good cuisine and value. Definitely will frequent this venue. read more

This is a fancier middle Eastern restaurant. They said the menu changes from time to time so it would be good to check it out again. Staff is very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. Service is definately a high priority for this place. I ordered simple comfort foods (butter chicken) because I was craving it. It is a bit steep at $22. Portion is quite small but beautifully plated. Taste was very good, wish there was a bit more chicken though at that price. You get some naan slices with it and a nice fresh cream in it to balance out the dish. The view is really good here, big bright windows overlooking some water fountains and beautiful big trees. People say it is a good place for summerlicious so will probably come back around then to try something else. read more

Diwan - Butter chicken, beautifully plated. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Today was my dad's birthday. I've decided to come back again. We've ordered the salmon, it was a little saltier than before. But still pretty good. My mom had the speciality of the day, these lamb kofta. My mom enjoyed it and she loved the naan. She took my brother's portion of the naan aswell! My brother had the other speciality of the day, which is the chicken. He said it tasted good! There are interesting freshly squeezed drinks such as lychee and cactus, which my mom ordered. Then she had the mango lassi, she liked it. The only comment she had was a bit sour. My dad ordered the mango and guava. One important point to mention is our waiter. He has an amazing friendly smile. Very friendly and helpful. His name was Angelo and made our dining experience very different! read more

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Really impressed! My girlfriends and I came to Aga Khan on a Wednesday to explore the museum. We were pleasantly surprised to learn the museum is free on Wednesday nights! After it closed at 8pm, we headed to Diwan to grab a drink and a snack. The restaurant is beautifully decorated! It's modern with a middle eastern feel. Our service was fantastic! We had the nicest service who was helpful, friendly, and truly made our experience wonderful. There was live entertainment of string bass and saxophone which felt romantic and sophisticated. I was impressed with their cocktail menu, and it was hard to choose a drink. All the cocktails have a middle eastern flair to them. I ended up going with the Caesar which was delicious. We ordered 3 apps to share: onion bhaji, fatteh baba ghanouj, and sumac fries. Everything was delicious! The baba ghanouj was quite spicy though, so beware. Overall, we had a wonderful time at Diwan and I'd definitely come back for a larger meal to explore more of their menu. Our server told us the restaurant changes the menu every 4 months to another middle eastern country's cuisine. So neat! read more

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the food was very overpriced and the quantity was much smaller than expected, but the service and ambience were great. for the appetizers: - the mixed tikka platter was delicious, great to share between 4 people - the lamb samosas were much smaller than expected (and you only get 3), and the chutney was sweet instead of savory or salty, so the chutney flavors did not complement the samosa filling for mains: - the shrimp and the chicken shawarma were my favorites and both were a reasonable quantity and the fries that came with the shawarma were tasty - the lamb shank was a little overcooked, i wouldn't order it again; we also ordered rice with it, but the lamb was dry enough that it didn't make sense to eat with rice - the quantity of the bandari chicken was good for one person to eat but it was very tough to share; in terms of the taste, it was very flavorful and the rice went well with the chicken for dessert: - we tried the chocolate mousse cake, and it was very rich and easy to share the mango lassi was also delicious! very creamy and sweet, and well-made. this restaurant is a lovely place to dine with family in the aga khan museum (especially with the view and so much natural light in the daytime), but i unfortunately wouldn't go out of my way to come back here. read more

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We decided to have lunch here before going into The Moon : A Voyage Through Time exhibit. The dining room is beautifully decorated in antique architectural pieces with huge windows opening onto a lovely treed in patio The menu is meAnt to be "traditional" middle eastern foods. A little more expensive than expected but well worth it. We started with the Baba Ganoush. As a main I had the octopus and calamari salad and my wife had the tikka chicken salad. Both we nicely prepared with fresh ingredients. Both were also specials, meant to represent some aspect of the Moon exhibit. The McEwan group has another winner with this place. Bookmark it and tour the museum while you are there. read more

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Location: It's located in the Aga Khan Museum on Wynford drive. I think you basically have to drive, it's in the middle of nowhere. i'm not even sure if a bus goes by, if it does it's limited. Also, no one says this, but you are forced to pay $10 to park there, so make sure to factor that into your budget if you are coming. Carpool. Decor: The place is real nice! It's clean and simple. There are floor to ceiling windows so it's nice and bright. The walls and ceilings are decorated with 19th century carved wooden panels from Damascus. There's a poem in arabic written across the panels. Nice Menu: I like when a restaurant puts items from their regular menu on their 'licious offerings. I use them to try out new places. Diwan did that. The food is a combination of the Middle East, North Africa, and India. The three dishes I picked were the Imam Bayildi (Smoked Eggplant), Aloo Gobi, and the melon salad for dessert. Food: Imam Bayildi was my entre. This dish was delicious. Honestly, if they would have put this dish in front of me for all three courses I would have been fine with it, that's how much I loved it. The only problem with it was I wished it came on a full platter so I could eat it for days! The dish was smoked eggplant with Tahini Yogurt, Pine Nuts, Pomegranate & seated on an amazing minted Chickpea Couscous Salad. Yum and Drool. Next I had the "Aloo Gobi" with Roasted Cauliflower Steak Ragda Pattice, Sweet Peas, Green Chutney, Raita and Fried Onions. I'm not sure why it's in quotation marks. This one cause a problem for me.As soon as they placed the dish in front of me i knew I couldn't eat it. The smell from the red sauce was so off putting. It smelled like concentrated spaghetti o's sauce. *shudder*. I thought that maybe I could hold my nose but when i tasted it - nope. I felt weird asking the waitress to take it away. I normally eat anything Put it in front of me and I'll try it. Nope not this. They were nice enough to make me another one with out the sauce , It was delicious, so delicious. I'd like to note that there was a woman at the next table who got the same thing and she didn't like the red sauce either. My final course was the Minted Melon Salad with Sweetened Labneh, Great way to end the meal. One thing, you can tell they cut the melons probably the day before, they had that fermented softish edge on them. My friend got the Sweet Onion Bhaji with Tamarind Chutney. I tried it and didn't really like it very much. She didn't finish it. but thought it was okay. Her main was Beef Kofta Kebab with Shirazi Salsa, Hummus, Toum, Rice and Naan. She really liked it. She hoovered it up. It smell and looked delicious.. She ended with mango sorbet. it had a cookie. Okay, call it the 12 year old boy inside but they looked liked a penis with testicles. presentation is everything people. Thoughts: So what do I think? Food was great. Wait staff amazing, Want to try out their weekend patio specials. Miffed off that I had to pay for parking in the middle of nowhere. Food was good. would only go back if someone else drove and paid for parking. ( not sure why this is bothering me so much) read more

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This is probably the most thoughtful and wonderful Middle Eastern lunch that I've ever had. The restaurant itself is a museum within a beautiful museum. Huge portions of the walls and ceiling were imported and hand carved. The food and service matches the beautiful interior, for lunch, I enjoyed pakoras and falafel, and although the portions are small, the flavors are huge. The falafel was the star, a unique and light take on falafel with a small tabouli-style salad and all atop a creamy but bright sauce. read more

Diwan - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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We brought our friends to this restaurant hoping to have the experience of past visits. We've been here a couple times in the past and were so impressed. We were hoping for a three-peat but none was to be had. Not sure what happened but the menu has changed. From an upscale Indian fusion theme to mediocre, elevated bar food. Only reason the restaurant gets three stars is because of amazing service and ambiance. If this wasn't connected to the historic museum I would make the assumption that it is under new management. So sad since it actually is connected so such an amazing architectural monument in Toronto. Not sure if I'll give Diwan another try which makes me sad. read more

Diwan - Aga Khan Museum - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Food - 3 stars Ambiance - 4.5 Service - 3.5 Space is bright, classy and calming. Crowd was 45 years old +. We didn't visit the museum but it looked modern and inviting. Service was professional but not personalized. Food was underwhelming, my lamb shank was heavy, would have been nice to have some lighter elements to cut through the fat. My sister in law enjoyed her biryani. My sister said her short rib was so so. For a Mark McEwen restaurant I was quite disappointed about the food. I usually get delighted when with his other restaurants. We can easily find better Indian food elsewhere. read more

I ate at Diwan during Winterlicious, so my experience with the restaurant itself is limited to their set menu options. I came in not knowing what to expect from a Mark McEwan restaurant, but at the same time I know he's actually not in the back cooking for us :(. It took us a little while to get seated - perhaps OpenTable had something to do with the confused looks from the Front of House staff. Regardless, they were really welcoming. The restaurant is bright and spacious and the decor really sets the tone for the food. The food itself was good, but I didn't find myself dying to come back every day. Writing this review several months later, I can only vaguely remember the dishes I had. A blended soup which I thought was just okay, a Chicken Biryani which was good, and the carrot cake (or at least I think it was a carrot cake) which I think was left out a little too long. Granted, this was a Winterlicious setting, so it does warrant another try on regular day. I enjoyed the experience overall though and would try again. read more

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First of all, what a gorgeous space -- high ceilings, big windows letting in lots of light and offering a view of the beautiful Ismaili Centre, and exquisite hand carved wooden panels. The service is good, and adequately attentive. The food was the star of the show, however: -Starters: The Lentil Soup was delicious and had some nice heat to it; I LOVED the rich, flavourful melange that was the Ali Nazik, with the warm flatbread accompaniment. Really kicked things off nicely! -Mains: The cod was quite delicious, especially the perfectly done crispy skin; the Chicken Biryani just made my day though. Tasty chunks of chicken melded well together with the well-spiced rice, nuts and other bits in there. -Desserts: I'm not a huge fan of carrot desserts but the Carrot Halwa Upside Down Cake is pretty solid. Pretty heavy for a dessert though. This was also a problem shared by the Chocolate Mousse. Things just got too heavy as I worked through the dish. The meringue and pistachio crumble on top is a fantastic garnish though! read more

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This place is quite the jem. All the dishes were delicious. We were a large group (9 of us) and we got a wide variety of dishes. We even shared a bit of our mains with each other. You wish you could eat more because you want to eat a whole plate of everything. One issue is that it is hard to order not knowing what it looks like and menu changes so hard to look online. We had to take time to figure out what to get because it is harder to simply go by menu description (text) alone. Still a great place to try and they do take reservations. read more

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Definitely enjoyed our family meal! The portions were good size. The fusion flavours of East and West were done perfectly! Warm and friendly service and a beautiful patio. The mocktails were delish too as I'm sure the cocktails would be. Worth it! read more

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Quite quite good. The first thing that strikes you is the interior. The museum outside continues in here. The server gave us a Coles notes ver of the architecture inside and gave us a run down of the specials. We had the Ali Naik? Absolutely delicious. The octopus salad with chickpeas. That meat was cooked so so well. Was told they boil first, then broil and lastly grill. Star of the show? For me at least was the kofta burger. Bejesus. I had asked for no bun or fries (Keto) he more than happily obliged and got some flafel salad on the side for me. That burger was done so well. So juicy, tender and full of flavour it was unreal. The gave some spicy mustard and yogurt on the side. Brilliant. Simple and effective. Must visit esp if you are already here. read more

Diwan - Meat yogurt an pita - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Best restaurant I've been to anywhere in the world, at any time in my life, I love this restaurant so much, I kind of don't want to go to anywhere else it is so good! I think you could order anything and you would be impressed Its not expensive for what you get, totally worth ignoring anything else to come here! The museum is meh, so give it a miss, and JUST come for the restaurant!! read more

Super delicious and gorgeous restaurant right inside the Aga khan museum. The butter chicken was phenomenal. A bit pricey but amazing. read more

The food was very good. I started with carrot soup and then had Butter chicken with a side of saffron potatoes. The saffron potatoes were exceptional and everything else was very good. The service was attentive without being annoying and my server was super helpful. read more

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So I wanted to check this place out since it's by mark mcewan and the prices were pretty reasonable considering it's in a museum and it's by mark mcewan. I really love the Moroccan coffee. It's totally different from having a cup of coffee from timmies. They give a stick of candy and at first I had no clue what to do with it. I was about to eat it ok it's own u too my friend said it was for my coffee. Yes I can be that clueless. I usually drink my coffee black. I got the marsala fries which I loved and the eggplant dip which was also yummy. The decor in the restaurant is beautiful. Great for taking IG photos. I would only go back if they change the menu since they change it up every 6 months. read more

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This was a fantastic place to begin our trip to the Aga Khan Museum. We enjoyed some baba ganouch as a starter served with roasted cherry tomatoes and crisp pita chips. For a main we chose a chicken tikka salad. The chicken was nicely spiced and the greens were fresh and crispy. It was a very light and refreshing meal. We did not realize until after we left that this was a chef McEwan restaurant. Then it all made sense. The attention to detail and the perfection in matching flavours were very apparent. The service was excellent. The surroundings were beautiful. I would definitely visit again. Lots to explore on this menu. read more

Diwan - A lovely space for some great food - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Came here for lunch as I work right across the street. I didn't realize how nice the interior was and was greeted by very friendly workers. When we were seated, the waiter gave us a little explanation of what the name of the restaurant meant and what some of the decorations were. He was very friendly and nice For food, I got the chicken jalfrenzi and the fries. The fries were a little mushy for me, but the chicken dish was really good. It's supposed to be a curry dish, and it comes with some rice, salad, and naan. I was so full after. read more

Diwan - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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BOTTOM LINE: Whether you've come for the Aga Khan (or not), it's worth dining at. There's no way this won't come across as a backhanded compliment, but Diwan was much better than expected. Call me cynical, but my expectations were super low going in - I mean, how could you not for a museum-associated resto in the boonies of Eglinton and the DVP?! The space is beautiful with floor to ceiling windows interspersed with antique wooden panels of yore. The staff are thoughtful and polite. And the prices aren't outrageous. I came here for lunch after touring the Aga Khan (unfortunately parking is not comped for lunches, but is for dinner) and was pleasantly surprised. I'm also looking forward to their summer season when they open up their 100-seat patio and move their grilling outdoors. I would highly recommend starting with their seasonal MEZZE PLATTER, which for us, came with marinated olives, amazingly spiced pastirma beef, fresh slaw and some chicken skewers. Their PERSIAN OMELETTE was decent, but I couldn't really figure what was so "Persian" about it. Unless you really want an omelette, you might want to try something else. Which comes to the MIXED KEBAB GRILL, served with your choice of chicken, lamb, beef or sturgeon. I would definitely recommend the sturgeon - not only is it not frequently served in restos, but it has a very nice meaty texture that does well to survive on the grill. The accompanying rice was also fragrant and delicious. All in all, my DC and I came away impressed with the quality and value of Diwan. I would definitely like to come back for their dinner offerings and provide an updated review then. read more

Rating: 4.5* Diwan is a beautifully designed restaurant inside the architecturally stunning Aga Khan Museum at Don Mills. The restaurant is accessible by TTC or vehicle (there is a flat parking fee of $10), and is located to the right of the entrance of the museum. Since late last year, the kitchen has been headed by celebrity chef, Mark McEwan, who is known for his culinary skills and established restaurants such as North 44, ByMark, One, and more. McEwan's culinary background isn't Middle Eastern food, but he does a great job of executing a menu that highlights the bold flavors that this type of cuisine is known for. They don't claim to be authentic, but the food is put together with precision and great care that complements the museum. Diwan is open for lunch from Tuesday to Sunday from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. Diwan's decor evokes the luxury of a 19th century private Syrian home, and its menu draws inspiration from Middle Eastern, North African, and Indian cuisine. Additionally, the 65-seat restaurant is filled with natural lighting, giving it a bright, contemporary and modern ambiance allowing guests a great view of the adjacent Ismaili Centre. Chef McEwan and his team has created a menu with their take on Pan-Islamic cuisine that includes starters like goat kafta, roasted beet salad, lamb kibbeh, and entrees like grilled beef shish kebab, and chicken jalfrezi. The dishes are said to offer traditional flavors while adding a more modern flare to them in terms of ingredients, and presentation. The Goat Kafta ($12) - braised goat meatballs, curry sauce, warm naan, was a manageable size for a starter, and a great introduction to what is to come. Four plump goat meatballs surrounded by an overflow of delicious curry sauce, and served with warm naan. The starters menu offers an array of tantalizing choices, but I opted for the Grilled Octopus ($17) - green chickpea salad, Moroccan olives, sweet stewed peppers, sujuk, and Aleppo pepper aioli. The octopus was perfectly cooked, and had a nice tender texture to it. Aleppo pepper is a spice that is commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine, and has a moderate heat level. I could definitely taste a hint of spice in the octopus, and it was just the right amount. My choice of main was the Chermoula-Marinated Prawns ($24) - with roasted heirloom carrots, avocado, labneh, orange-cumin vinaigrette, and fresh coriander. The dish was well presented with a bed of salad topped off with six pieces of prawns, and lightly glazed with orange-cumin vinaigrette and labneh. The portion was a little small for an entree compared to my fiancé's dish. However, I loved the addition of the orange-cumin vinaigrette as it added a nice citrus flavoring to the prawns. I don't regret ordering this dish. The Carrot Halva Upside Down Cake ($10) - all spice, brown sugar reduction, cream cheese icing contained a healthy chunk of real carrots, and was delicious. This dessert is the Diwan team's modern interpretation of the popular dessert using grated carrots and halva. This was my first time trying halva, and I learned that it's a dense and sweet confection of Arabic origin that is popular across the Middle East, and South/North Africa. Overall, we had an enjoyable lunch in a lovely atmosphere. Diwan at the Aga Khan Museum was a little far for us, but we made it count as we also shopped for a few things at McEwan's nearby grocery store after lunch. read more

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Had the delicious Ali Nazik for appetizer and I wouldn't mind one bit if they gave me a bigger portion of the same for the main! They also had special drink options for $6.50 that aren't on the menu. i tried the one with Cactus Pear (which I heard as cactus, pear, instead of realising it was one ingredient ) and had to stop myself from devouring it immediately. The food here is halal which is a big plus for me and the only reason this gets a 4 star is because the chicken biriyani main I had was uninteresting. It's a good idea to reserve ahead of time as they're only open between 11.30-2.30 6 days of the week read more

Diwan - Ali Nazik - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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A friend and I decided to check out this restaurant out of convenience since we were also going to look around the museum. It was easy to make an online reservation using OpenTable on the day of as well. I really liked the Middle Eastern themed decor in this restaurant from the patterned ceiling to the lazer cut like details on some mirrors, to the antique looking frames on one of the walls. It wasn't overdone but complimented the overall ambience of the restaurant. Other girlfriends that joined us later also commented that it looked so cute with all of the subtle themed details. In terms of food, my friend and I shared a few appetizers. We had the lamb meatballs in a curry sauce, sweet onion spinach fritters and eggplant yogurt dip. All were really good! The meatballs were a good portion (3 medium sized meatballs) and delicious with the mildly spiced curry sauce. The fritters were perfectly fried, lightly seasoned and paired well with the tamarind sauce. The taste of the eggplant yogurt dip surprised us - we didn't expect it to taste refreshing (reminded me of notes of mint but not quite that either) and it was delicious with the naan. The bigger than tapas style portions were filling enough for two hungry girls - there was especially a lot of dip leftover! Not bad at all for around $20 each, though I know my husband would say that $45 could have been spent on more filling mains and apps elsewhere for the same price. We definitely enjoyed our experience there though - something different and recommend others try it if you're planning to go around the museum or in the area! read more

Diwan - Lamb meatballs in curry sauce, sweet onion spinach fritters and eggplant yogurt dip with naan in the back - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I finally made it to this place. This is after two failed attempts to dine here (location doesn't help as getting here during peak hours is a chore, come to think of it can anyone explain is there a non peak hour left on DVP!) Reservation was easy and done via open table though the place wasn't very busy for a Friday night. First the space, I found it very nice. Nice intricate setup to go with the theme of the museum. The space is huge with high high ceiling, lots of installations that represent the region along with the cutlery to go with the ambiance as well. Only comment I would make is about the dinning tables they just don't seem right for this kind of setup. Maybe white table cloth for the evening session. Ah well what do I know about interior design. I had checked out the menu online several times already so kind of knew what they had to offer. Here is what we went with Mezze platter, Turkish pastry platter and Kebab Platter (wait a sec that's a lot of platters:) I ordered a glass of Cabernet which was decent. For starters they brought out a variety of breads along with couple of dips, good olive oil. Good start here as the bread variety was decent. Mezze and pastry platter were brought in together. Mezze platter was good. Various pickled vegetables. I liked the zucchini mezze. quail eggs (meh) satay chicken (completely out of place IMO) and bastrama beef (excellent as they didn't hold back on the spices here) Mixed turkish pastries in filo dough. This was a weak offering. The fellow diner commented more like frozen version bought from the store level as nothing stood out here. Kebab platter. This was decent with the spicy lamb being the stand out. Chicken was OK. The Sturgeon and normal lamb were over cooked IMO. The rice one side was OK. The standout was the side of Shirazi salad. The falafel crisps were just right. Not the crisp on the out and soggy in the middle kind, makes me wonder why others don't do falafel at the this size. Service was very good though I think they still have a bit of learning curve ahead of them. Overall for the price point they are hitting for dinner I would say this place is 3 stars. I might revisit this place for lunch/brunch if I am in the area or visiting this museum. read more

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Great restaurant. The decor is amazing, staff is very friendly and food is perfect. A bit pricy but hey, you get quality food. You also get a nice view of the Ismaili centre (pyramid style) from inside the restaurant. The restaurant is always packed but didn't have to wait too long. The concierge took our cell number and got automated message in few mins. Highly recommended read more

Diwan - Prawns - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I'm a member of the museum and always try to leave time for a visit to the restaurant while there. My first time, my dad and I had what were easily the *best* burgers - these made of lamb - that either of us had ever had. And since my mom makes one hell of a burger, that is a high compliment. The second, my mom ordered an eggplant dish and I suggested the sumac fries. A 78-year-old lady tossed aside her eggplant and happily ate only the fries for lunch - then went out to order some sumac only to discover it really is more than just the spices. It's the way they do it at Diwan. Yesterday my friends ordered the sizzling tikka chicken. We were influenced by the smell of it wafting from across the restaurant when someone else got it - yes, we were sheep. But for this quality and taste, it's worth it! I've never had a meal there that wasn't to the highest quality, seasoned beautifully, impeccably prepared, with exemplary customer service and absolutely memorable. If I had one request, it would be more vegetarian options. It's one of the few places I stray from my usual being Kosher and thus not eating meat (I like to tell myself that being in a Muslim museum, the meat is Halal. My head knows it's not. But I do try to fool myself...) read more

I've been wanting to try Diwan for so so long and finally I found some lovely adventurous ladies to go with me. The Aga Khan Museum is an amazing place to be if you're looking to clear a piece of your mind and enjoy a peaceful walk indoors or outdoors. I'm a very picky eater (even since childhood,spoiled brat) so if a dishes do not catch my attention; I will not touch it :p (maybe a little). To start off my lunch, I ordered the cactus pear lychee, beverage,fatteh baba ghanouj, spicy harissa chicken and ended off with the spiced carrot upside-down cake. Best experience ever! read more

I finally managed to come here with some family, and apparently the menu had changed quite a bit compared to previous months. The decor, and view of the crystal dome of the Ismaili Centre Toronto definitely makes this restaurant experience worth while and adds to the experience. This was also on a gloomy, overcast day, so I'm excited to come back when it's sunnier and when the park will be open. We started with the bread with zatar butter and hummus, as well as the cucumber salad. Both were unique and delicious, although I would think the cucumber salad is more of a warm weather item. For the mains, we shared the sandwich and lamb kebabs. I didn't try the sandwich, but it didn't look like anything out of the ordinary, and my family confirmed the same. The kebabs, however were out of this world! They were extremely tasty and well spiced and the accompanying coleslaw and long grain rice matched it well. We also had the saffron ice cream dessert which I would not recommend as it has a very cheese-like taste and texture. their coffee was not bad, though. The service was great, the music in the background was hit or miss depending on the track (no one wants to hear an old man sing in a high-pitched tone) , and overall the experience left me wanting to return for a visit! read more

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I've been to this museum a few times and didn't even know of this restaurant -- it's tucked in at the side when you first walk in. The place is really cute and the patio is gorgeous. We came for lunch for summerlicious. The place was apparently really busy previously because they were out of a lot of items. I had the roasted eggplant for an app, which I loved. The beef kabob for my entree - the kabob has really good flavor but I thought the meat was a bit tough. Rice seemed a bit over cooked but the hummus was lovely as well. And you can't go wrong with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Their juices are phenomenal! We had the watermelon and mixed it with prosecco for our own twist of mimosas. Yummmmmm!! The service was a bit slow as well, but they were also prepping for a wedding after our reservation ended. So, I'll let that slide. Overall, it's a great place to relax for a nice meal after exploring the glorious museum. read more

Diwan - Our mimosa twist - bubbly and watermelon. Mmmmm!!!! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Diwan (and Aga Khan) are gorgeous. Not only that, they had delicious vegan options, are wheelchair accessible (during museum hours, accessible stall one level down, not sure about when the museum is closed), and the staff were very friendly and accomodating. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. A modern take on familiar favourites. We will definitely try and make it out there again. read more

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