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    Jamjar Canteen

    4.0 (57 reviews)
    ModerateLebanese

    Order Jamjar Canteen Takeout or Delivery

    Jamjar Canteen Photos

    Business Info

    JAMJAR CANTEEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Jamjar Canteen

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    Sami J.

    One of the best shawarma plates I've ever had. I was in Vancouver for a basketball tournament and I ate this to break my fast during Ramadan. I was pleasantly surprised with the beautiful flavours and attention to detail of my plate. Will be back next time I'm in Vancouver

    Chicken Shwarma Rice Bowl
    Lee Y.

    This is so rich in flavor!! Absolutely must try the chicken shwarma bowl. The cauliflower bowl is very popular too for vegetarian option. They have wraps too but I found it quite messy to eat. The beet sauce was my fave!!

    Anushka B.

    When I was a student at UBC, I would go here pretty often so felt very nostalgic going there again. They had some new items since the last time I went there like their hibuscus iced tea! it was pretty good if you like tangy/sour drinks and it was pretty refreshing as well. For food, I use to get their cauliflower and minced beef half and half but they don't do that anymore so I only got their minced spicy beef. I thought their quality was still pretty good!! Their sauces really add to the flavour.

    Ariane A.

    YUM!!!! Vegan platter was tons of food and it was all scrumptious. Thought it was a little pricey for a bus loop restaurant, but the serving size made it worth it. Friendly staff, cute interior, loved it.

    Falafel Wrap
    Dana S.

    Tasty and fast Lebanaese food. Lots of veggie options and there's an option to build your own bowl which gives you freedom to personalize with your choice of protein, base, vegetables, and dips. Big flavour. Meals here are very filling, good value for your dollar. My two tips: Bowls can be a little greasy, it helps a lot if you ask for no olive oil on the bowl - the proteins are already deep-fried, so the oil drizzle doesn't add anything for me. The pita they use for the wrap is pretty sturdy, but the mujadra wrap is still very messy by the nature of what it is; I don't really recommend this in wrap form because it will get all over your hands and you will need a spoon to scoop up everything that spills out. The quality of the service, and the food to a lesser degree, has varied a lot over the years. Lately it's been pretty good If you're on campus frequently, you can get a good discount by going for the reusable container program - get your meal in one of their reusables and return the cleaned container within 1-2 weeks.

    the menu of a restaurant
    David K.

    Located on the campus of UBC, Jamjar Canteen offers a fast-casual build-your-own bowl or wrap concept, featuring Lebanese-inspired ingredients. The base of my bowl was a crunchy shredded green/red cabbage salad, and for my protein, I had the crunchy falafels and the chicken tawook, or yogurt-marinated chicken thighs, which were juicy and tender. The bowls also came with a selection of dips, pickles, and sauces. The creamy hummus (my favorite), the mint labneh, and the spinach dip (spinach puréed with tahini) were all amazing, and the sumac onions, the tarator (tahini), toum (a creamy whipped garlic sauce), and hot sauce added layers of flavor to every bite. Overall, this was a great option for a quick bite on campus, and the service here was super friendly too (especially for such a casual restaurant)!

    Makali (fried cauliflower) with wedges, roasted red pepper dip and hummus, all on top of brown rice!
    Cyrah E.

    It's my first time eating Lebanese food and I am so glad I chose Jamjar to do it. The food is amazing, especially considering it's not too expensive. There are only a few vegetarian options here but there arent a lot of options overall to choose from anyway. There was a hefty lineup but I could understand why. The food is awesome!! And so is the decor. I highly recommend the patio seating on a nice day.

    Half chicken half cauliflower rice bowl
    Ania D.

    I LOVE THIS PLACE !!! The prices are amazing, especially for the quality and the portions. There's lots of selection, and everything is very yummy and fresh. If you like the restaurant, you'll love the canteen. My favourite thing to get is half cauliflower half chicken in a rice bowl.

    Young J.

    Amazing food! Friendly staff! Fast line up! Good portion. I love that I can have half brown rice and half cabbage option. They also happily let me use my own container. I had yogurt marinated chicken and it was delicious and tender. My favourite food at UBC for sure!

    Half chicken, half cauliflower brown rice bowl with olives, hummus and tahini sauce.
    Jessica A.

    Was on campus recently and found Jamjar Canteen close by when I was getting peckish. What a great find - love that University students, hospital patrons, and faculty staff alike have access to an inexpensive, delicious, customizable option. Great location close to Wesbrook Mall on University blvd. Quick turnover of patrons and outside university seating makes it easy to find a spot to enjoy your Jamjar-designed or customizable meal. You pick your base: brown rice, wrap, or cabbage bowl, then your proteins (lamb sausage, fried cauliflower, yogurt-braised chicken, beef), and add-ins and sauce. So good and so filling. Wished this was close to where I live!

    Chicken with half salad half rice and unlimited toppings
    Annette Y.

    I legit dream of getting jamjar for lunch every day. The amount of food you get for the price you pay is probably the best ratio I've found on campus (thus far), especially for something more healthy/ closely resembling a vegetable. Jamjar is super customizable, you pick your base (cabbage salad, rice, or half and half), your dips (hummus here is to die for), your meat (chicken, lamb, beef, or vegetarian option), your toppings (pickled vegetables and fresh vegetables), and your sauces. With so many layers and flavours, you get a different bite of goodness each time. They also have containers of salad to go and some Middle Eastern desserts too. The lineup can get pretty long but it moves at an okay pace. Seating wasn't too bad during my visit as most people opted to get a their food to-go.

    Abigail S.

    If this place didn't have the convenience of being on the UBC campus, I'd be more inclined to give it 3.5 stars, but since they offer Middle Eastern-inspired staples like hummus wraps with pickled veggies, and other high protein/veggie combos that blow a lot of the other campus institutional food offerings off the map, they get an extra nod. I've visited 3 or 4 times, always to take something away. The ordering procedure is somewhat like Chipotle--a create your own sandwich or bowl concept in which you get to pick proteins, veggies, and other toppings. The hummus is delicious, as well as the tangy sumac sliced onions and the tart electric pink radish pickles. What makes me a little queasy are the tong troughs that they put the meat tongs in when they're not dishing up your grilled chicken or other meats. The troughs are filled with some sort of liquid (water?) and lots of food bits. They don't seem to intermix the tongs from the different kinds of meats, but just seeing the utensils sloshing in and out of the water every time someone gets served is a little nauseating. I don't see how that system is the cleanest option. Also, I really enjoy their wraps. They are huge and extremely filling. However the spinach cheese pie, served from a case next to the cash register, was very disappointing. It was cold, with an exceedingly dry and tough pastry case, and a comically miniscule amount of filling (see my photo). Stick with the fresh veggies and other ingredients at the create your own meal counter instead!

    Tasty, but too much garlic sauce!
    Kate O.

    There's a conflict here for me because the food was pretty darn good, but my enjoyment of it was completely ruined by ridiculously loud, pounding music of the bleeding eardrum variety. Is this a rave-up or a small "canteen" where one might endeavour to enjoy a meal? Impossible, at least last week when I was foolish enough to eat in. I have been here twice now and ordered almost the same things. I like the concept of ordering a base (I can make boring old brown rice at home; I go for the raw cabbage salad), then a protein (choices are a divinely spiced beef mince, chicken, lamb sausages or what looks like grilled caluliflower), then various toppings such as hummus, spinach dip, olives, peppers, sumac onions and other things that come with the dish. You end up with a rather delicious plateful of various tastes and delights, very filling, for $10 or $11. Strange thing is, the first time there I thought the overall tastes out of this world delicious and returned for more not too long after. Unfortunately, the eardrum splitting music completely ruined the experience and I couldn't even finish my food. About half of it went into the compost bin and I left in disgust. Obviously this cacophony is for the "benefit" of staff, as I was the only customer in the place at the time. Yes, I guess I could have asked them to "turn it down!" but don't like confrontations of any sort while attempting to relax and enjoy a meal, which was completely impossible. My rating would be higher if I could have finished my meal in peace. What is this obsession with blaring music so loud as to cause insult and injury to diners? No matter how good the food, I will not return. I was planning to bring in some recently arrived friends from Egypt who I think would enjoy the food. Unfortunately this will not be possible as they would be horrified by the noise. too bad, I thought I'd found a dining place I could return to again and again. Instead, my money was wasted and I will find a more welcoming place to spend my dosh.

    Chicken shish tawook rice bowl

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    4 years ago

    the food is great and servises are nice!Will come here again!!The chicken taste extremely good.

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    8 years ago

    I love the cauliflower here but the food is SO so salty. I'd be hungry for hours after my meal.Still one of the best spots on campus though.

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    The quality of the food is just horrible. Please don't serve this food to people, it's insulting.

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    Jamjar Canteen - lebanese - Updated July 2026

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