I tried their grilled meats and appetizers like muttabal back when they were at their original…read morelocation in the Ridgeway Plaza some years back and the food was good. Then they closed up shop and turned into a catering service and more recently reopened their restaurant elsewhere. The new location is tiny. Decor is nice. Service needs work. Some servers have limited knowledge of their menu. Others are more on top of things and that was appreciated. Dishes don't allow for substitutions. For example, ordered shish tawouk (chicken skewers) with fries and received a boatload of fries and a minimal amount of chicken. I found it strange lol.. the fries were good but the cost of the plate makes no sense. There were maybe 6-7 pieces of chicken on the plate. At least they were tasty.. I made sure to request them moist. It would be ideal to pair protein with carbs and another side.. like a small salad.. just to counter the amount of carbs consumed. I ordered muttabal on the side and with it came two piping hot pita breads. They give you toum (garlic sauce) and pickles as well. The company I had dinner with each ordered specific dishes, like stuffed intestines (my facial expressions spoke for themselves, haha) and Sayadiyeh (a fish dish) where they fry their fish atop of a bed of rice. The latter differs from what I'm used to but the portions are huge for both dishes. The stuffed intestines were a delicacy for the person eating them and they seemed to enjoy their food. Another individual ordered minced meat skewers, recieved two of them and a TON of rice. Would return to try other dishes. Since I was invited for a meal, didn't want to cost the host too much. I was tempted to order their appetizer plate and a couple of other items.. so next time, for sure.

I'm honestly sad to say that my last visit, about 10 days ago, was completely different from my…read morefirst two visits. I know this is a different location, but it has the same name and menu, so I expected a similar experience. Unfortunately, it was very disappointing. As someone with celiac disease, I asked if the Fattah could be made without bread. At first, I was told no. Then the owner came over and explained that the dish is normally made with bread. I told her I understood that, but because I have celiac disease, I was simply asking if it could be prepared without it. In the end, they did make it for me without the bread, which I appreciated. However, the interaction felt uncomfortable, and I felt like I was being lectured rather than helped. The biggest frustration was the tea. As Middle Eastern people, tea is an essential part of breakfast and is usually enjoyed throughout the meal. The owner is Syrian, so I was honestly surprised by the policy. The only way to get a kettle of tea was through a breakfast special, and it only provided about four cups. There were four of us at the table, so when we asked for more hot water or a refill, we were told no and that we would need to purchase individual cups of tea instead. It felt disappointing and not very hospitable, especially considering how important tea is in our culture and breakfast traditions. I also want to say that none of this was the waiter's fault. In fact, I felt bad for him because he seemed to be taking the heat from multiple customers who were frustrated with the policies. At one point, I even turned to another table and told them to go easy on him because he was clearly not the one making these decisions. What made me even more uncomfortable was seeing the owner correct him in front of customers. He was using his phone to check ingredients and see whether the falafel contained gluten so he could answer my question correctly. The owner asked him why he was on his phone, and when he explained what he was doing, she told him he should already know the answer without looking it up. I appreciate that he was trying to verify information for a customer with dietary restrictions, and I don't think staff should be criticized in front of customers for doing that. The food itself was average. Several dishes seemed to be lacking salt, and I wasn't the only customer who noticed issues. During our visit, I heard other customers expressing frustration about the service, the tea policy, and the overall attitude. I had such a positive experience at the other location that this visit was genuinely disappointing. While I appreciate that they ultimately accommodated my dietary needs, the service and overall atmosphere were not what I expected, and unfortunately, I wouldn't return to this location.

Zezafoun Syrian Cuisine located along Manor Rd near Yonge St serves up homemade, authentic Syrian…read moredishes in a cozy space. I've heard many good things about Zezafoun and was excited to finally try the place. The restaurant has about ~25 seats for customers indoors. They do have a small outdoor patio for when the weather gets warmer. Reservations are recommended during busy peak dinner or brunch times, however it is possible to get a table if you do walk in as well during non-peak times. I dined at Zezafoun with a party of 3 recently on a Sat evening. We didn't make reservations but walked in around 6:30 and was able to grab a table. It wasn't too busy that early in the evening but as the night went on the restaurant got busier. Service was great and friendly. Staff gave us plenty of time to decide what to order as well as gave us recommendations as well. The interior is warm and cozy. For drinks, I ordered the pomegranate juice which was unique and delicious. One member of my party ordered the rosewater and lemon juice which was refreshing and light. They also have Syrian coffee and tea as well on the menu which I will try next time! Food wise, we ordered and shared the following dishes: - Falafel plate (chickpeas patty fried and served with a side of tahini sauce) - Hummus (homemade chickpeas, tahini, lemon and garlic with a touch of olive oil) - Fattoush salad (Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, radish with Zezafoun dressing topped with crispy pita bread) - Kebbeh labanyeh (beef kibbeh in a cooked garlic yogurt stew served with side rice) - Maldoum (beef kufta wrapped with delicious eggplants in tomato stew and served with a side of rice) - Makloubeh (layers of rice, eggplants, and ground beef with tomato sauce served with side yogurt or salad) Food was delicious and unique! I've never had authentic Syrian food like this before and it was a delight. The appetizers we shared (falafel, hummus, and salad) were great to start the meal. The hummus was creamy and the falafel was nice and crispy. The crispy pita bread in the fattoush salad gave the dish a textural contrast, In terms of our mains, all the dishes were tasty but I especially enjoyed the makloubeh! Overall, delicious spot in Midtown Toronto for Syrian food in a cozy environment. Service was also spot on as well. Definitely want to return to try their brunch menu!

We enjoyed the Syrian breakfast; everything was so tasty! It's a great dish to share. They ran out…read moreof one of the dishes, but happily replaced it with delicious hummus! Every time I come here, the food is amazing!

The large, mixed shawarma poutine fries were huge and loaded with meat. Great flavor and portion.read more

Amazing chicken shawarma! We ordered one chicken saj,…read morechicken saj plate (they forgot to add in the extra chicken ontop of it for the plate which is why I am docking a star; otherwise I would have given them 5 stars. Service was good; we had to wait 15 min before we got our wrap. Ambiance is good; plenty of seats inside to dine in

Great food and amazing value! The portions are very generous, and the meat is incredibly…read moreflavourful, tender, and not greasy at all. The garlic sauce is the real star--it's absolutely amazing. It's not the typical mayo-based garlic sauce, which makes it even better! People are friendly and they have a small dining area inside.

Wasn't the best , shawarma doesn't have a lot of lettuce or toppings whatsoever, chicken is thinly…read moresliced with not good portions (compared to actual shawarmas) the way it's made feels like it's just a bit of chicken thrown in some bread especially with delivery orders would not recommend

I love this restaurant. It is family-owned and they are so welcoming! The food is amazing. Please…read moretry the chicken shawarma maneesh. It's not a wrap like you would normally have (although you can order that as well if you want). All the toppings are on top of a flat piece of bread, a little bit like a pizza. Covered in delicious pickles, garlic sauce, tahini, and chicken of course! Try the Za'atar maneesh and the akawi too (that's cheese). Lovely! Oh and I tried the lentil soup today and I'll definitely have that again! So good and so comforting! Yum!

From the owner: 100% Halal Shawarma…read more| Manakeesh | Grill | Fried Chicken | Dips

Due to the reviews I seen online, I figured I would give it a try but when I got to place an order…read morefor "Chicken on the rocks" aka chicken and rice, he made fries and chicken instead. Then when I told him I have asked for rice, he said, "is it ok to take the fries instead! I said no, I asked for rice. Then he says it's going to take about 7 more minutes for the rice to cook. I'm thinking wow, I'm the only person their and it's only 2pm. So I said it's ok I can wait, after that "7 minutes" he made it for me and they added other toppings to it which I never asked for which was all the sauces and I'm not talking about the garlic white sauce and hot sauce, but some dark sauce and a couple other bottles. Either way I still took it and ate it since I was hungry, but definitely won't be going back.

Really good shawarma. And it's for less then $5. That price is insane and unheard of but my fav…read morepart about this new shawarma place is that it's open late!

I love shawarma and I love the authentic taste of Syrian Shawarma that Shawarma Royale offers. This…read morelocation had their Grand Opening back in mid December and has been fully operational ever since. The owners are very nice and deeply care about customers feedback. We tried both "Beef&Lamb" and "Chicken" shawarma and they were both fresh and tasty. I am a big fan of Kebab (specially on rice) and always make sure to order one. So I tried "Kebab of Fries" and really enjoyed its taste and quality, serving customers in a family-friendly atmosphere. Parking can be tricky, so make sure you park in the plaza beside the restaurant as they don't have a designated parking lot.

This is yet another new location, with a grand opening on 2024-12-13; the soft-openingwas 2 weeks…read moreprior. This is in south Etobicoke. From 2024-12-13 to 15, you can get their Queen Chicken Wrap ($11.99) for only $4.99. We went 2024-12-14 and they were very busy at 21:00! It is a small restaurant,  with five tables for 2 and one table for 4. There is an open kitchen where you can see them preparing all the food. And they are fast! We ordered the following: 1. Falafel Salad Royale Bowl ($12.99) 2. Beef & Lamb on Rice Rice Royale Special ($17.99) 3. Kabab on Fries Royale Bowl ($14.99) 4. Beef & Lamb King Meal ($16.99) 5. Queen Chicken Wrap ($11.99, special $4.99) 6. Jalapeno Poppers ($7.99) 7. Onion Rings ($5.49) 8. Ayran drink ($3.49) 9. Strawberry Barbican drink ($3.29) 10. Pineapple Barbican drink ($3.29) All the food was freshly made. They all tasted very good. You can taste the freshness of the Beef & Lamb and Chicken, hot from the rotating spits. And any of their toppings were good, too. Surprisingly, we loved the rice and coleslaw. The Jalapeno Poppers were not very spicy and had cream cheese inside it. There are plenty of electrical outlets at the tables. There is lively arabic music playing in the background. The restaurant is wheelchair accessible. There is one gender-neutral washroom that is also wheelchair accessible. There is no easy parking (I used a mall a little west of the restaurant). Review 2024-270