Gul Gul is a lively and welcoming spot offering generous portions and rich Middle Eastern flavours…read more It also offers a warm atmosphere with friendly service and even live music on some nights. The space feels upbeat and is suitable for both casual meals and group gatherings. The menu features a wide range of Turkish and Lebanese dishes. We ordered "Fig Salad" and "Gul Gul Hot Mix Platter" for appetizer; aromatic and fresh. For entrée, we ordered "Mix Pide", "Gul Gul Special Chicken Shawarma" and "Mix Grill for 2". Everything was perfectly seasoned and cooked and beautifully served. We ended our meal with "Turkish Coffee with Baklava" and "Turkish Tea". From vibes and friendly service to delicious food, Gul Gul offers them all.

Great food and cool vibes! Heard about this place and tried it recently, and I was quite satisfied…read morewith my experience here. For food, we had (1) the tabbouleh salad (this is essentially a parsley salad with tomato, onions, and it's quite tart/tangy - this was probably my fav dish), and (2) the mix grill platter for 2 (this had chicken, beef, fries, barley rice, peppers, tomatoes, pita bread, and garlic dip - this was very good as well and allows you to try a lot of different things). The service was also great - we had a small complaint on one of the chicken wings in our platter and the server came back and replaced it (and more), free of charge. We came here on a Friday night and was surprised by a live DJ who was playing music. The vibe here was super chill and fun on the Friday night, especially with the live music, dancing, and shisha. I'd definitely come back and try their other food items.

Amazing food. Nice ambience. Friendly service. The chef came to our table to say hello.read more

Wow we are walking distance from Darna but it took us five years to finally try it. We've been…read moremissing out! Well-lit, slightly modern looking decor, comfy atmosphere that's pretty casual. Lots of different people helped us out, took our order, brought food etc. but it felt like the service while good, was just slightly below great. We got the veggie clay pot and the mixed grill to share between two people, and my son got a fattoush salad and the kebbeh. The mixed grill was great, all the meats were flavourful, and tender/juicy. It came with a lamb/beef kebab, some beef tenderloin, and some chicken. I think there were roast potatoes too, but my memory is a bit fuzzy on that part. The veggie stew was poured onto a plate of bulgur and was really really good. Lots of flavour, all the veggies (carrots, cauliflower, onions, etc.) were tender. the juices ran through the bulgur which made for a great side dish to go with the meat. The kebbeh was tasty but still a bit disappointing -- there were only three, and didn't feel like quite enough to make a meal. Luckily the fattoush salad was huge otherwise my son would have left the restaurant hungry. Compared to some of the dishes we saw on other tables, this dish seems to be an outlier in terms of quantity of food, and it's certainly not worth the $28 price; I wouldn't recommend it. Despite the disappointment with the one meal, all the food was delicious and I still felt like the meal on the whole was good value, and I wouldn't mind going back to try some of their other dishes.

Clean restaurant with plenty of seating & homey decor, the background music along with sports on TV…read morecreates a laid-back, cozy atmosphere. The food was delicious with generous portions, and the staff made us feel right at home. We're from out of town and don't get to the Milton area often, but this has quickly become one of our favorite places when we're here. Highly recommend, and we'll definitely be back.

Super cute, clean, spacious, and colorful restaurant with the BEST Alexandrian beef liver/Kebda…read moresandwich I've had so far!! Very well seasoned, packed with protein, and the bun it comes on is super soft. I swapped out the tahini for garlic sauce (highly recommend). It usually comes with fries but I swapped it out for rice instead, which was beautifully spiced and had the perfect texture. The owner/manager (lady in a pink striped button down and jeans) was so sweet and hospitable and made sure I enjoyed my food. Their menu is extensive and I really like that they have options from varying regions in North Africa and the Middle East. This is a great place to visit if you love middle eastern food but don't want to drive all the way out to Mississauga or deal with the infamous chaotic Ridgeway Plaza-Erin Mills traffic. It's a *little* pricy ($24), but the portions and flavor are worth it. I like that it came with two individually wrapped sandwiches, and the rice on the side can be paired with some meat and veggies I have at home-- so technically I can make 2-3 meals out of this order.

Came here a few times for early dinner a few times and enjoyed it both times…read more I ordered the small chicken madhi plate, which is very filling. We didn't have to wait long before the food was served. The chicken came off the bone so easily, and it was nicely seasoned as well. The dish came on a large bed of rice and a delicious lentil soup, along with dipping sauce. The price was pretty affordable given the size as well. The place was brightly lit and there was lots of space each time I went. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area.

The food is genuinely good and very tasty. I've always enjoyed the flavors, and that's what kept me…read morecoming back for a while. My main issue was the portion size of the meat and chicken. Considering the prices, I felt the amount you received was too small. I don't mind paying more for quality food, but when you're spending a decent amount of money, you expect a more reasonable portion of the main protein. The service was also hit-or-miss. Sometimes it was fine, and other times it left a lot to be desired. Between the inconsistent service and the small portions, we eventually stopped going there. I know I'm not the only one who felt this way, as I've heard similar complaints from others regarding the portion sizes. That said, I want to be fair and mention that I haven't ordered from them in the past two years, so things may have changed since my last visit. The food itself was always flavorful, and I hope they've addressed some of these concerns because the quality of the food was never the issue.

Fantastic Lebanese fusion style food…read more Every dish was fantastic with many mixes of items. Even the vegetarian items were extremely flavorful. Loved the chicken and the beef kabobs Nice weather? Sit outside Extremely nice staff..... owner let me swear in Lebanese and the staff lost it Would definitely come back Highly recommended

I had business Partner lunch on Friday on their patio with the great weather. This was my first…read moretime at the restaurant and have to say amazing experience the service, the food & just overall ownership of the restaurant is amazing very great experience a go to for my next meeting in the area & will highly recommend to my clients & business partners. The best Lebanese food I have had in the GTA ever and I have been to a lot over the years.

Talk about getting more than your money's worth in a meal! Loaded with a generous amount of…read moreflavorful lentils, seasoned rice, lots and lots of meat, and the fluffiest borek this was one of the best meals I've had in a minute! This couldn't be finished in one go and we had to take it home for leftovers. We ended up getting an extra 3 servings. Hot tip: we had a lot of leftover meat, so we shoved it in a croissant and added a bit of garlic sauce and it was incredible!

I'm so happy that Istanbul in Canada is now located by Niagara Falls closer to the bridges and the…read morestates. I was fortunate enough to stop in and try their mixed grill, feta cheese pide, lava cake, knaffeh, kefta and chicken kabob platter all of which I highly recommend. Their bread for appetizers was fluffy and rich. Their baklava w/ ice cream was the best we've ever had. The knaffeh had the perfect amount of sweetness and was matched with their traditional Turkish tea. Their service was great. The gentlemen matched our interests with the menu and often checked in to make sure we were ok without being over bearing. The food was absolutely delicious and we were very happy we stopped in. The atmosphere was quiet as we noticed some people sit in but their takeout services are in high demand. Great location, fantastic food, truly a new hidden gem at just 8 mins from Rainbow bridge . The Mississauga location has been raved about for so long. I still have to visit but I am glad they are promoting together online and on IG which is how I found this one so close to home! Thank you!

Service is great. Ambiance waa good and the menu looked promising…read more 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.

A delightful experience within the Aga Khan Museum! The food was delicious and portion sizes were…read moregenerous. 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!

Having been to the original location of Darna on Bayview Avenue multiple times (as Darna is one of…read moremy favourite Middle Eastern restaurants in the city), we decided to give their new location in Roncesvalles a visit. The menu was exactly the same, and the food, service, and ambiance were also almost identical to its original location - 5 out of 5 in all aspects. The menu can be described as "modern Middle Eastern", and is categorized into: - Mezze (the typical dips such as hummus, labneh, mutabal, muhammara, etc. - served with bread) - Shakshuka (different variations of shakshuka, which is a dish of poached eggs & tomatoes served with bread, typically eaten for breakfast or brunch) - Salata (Middle Eastern salads such as fattoush, jarjeer, tabouleh, freekeh salad... many contain typical ingredients used in Middle Eastern / Mediterranean cuisines such as halloumi, walnuts, pomegranates, and bulgur) - Mashawi (grilled items) - Fukhara (braised stews in clay pot) - Sawani (traditional oven-baked cassserole) - Darna Signature (their signature dishes - I recommend the Siadiyeh but I'm sure all are delicious) For most mains, you get to choose to have them with either rice or bulgur. If you come with a big group, I recommend getting at least 1 item from each group to try the different dishes styles and cooking methods (grill, stew in clay pot, oven-baked casserole, etc.). They also have a small brunch menu that consists of omelettes, manakeesh (Middle Eastern flatbread), and a "brunch for 2 tray". All of their dishes are great for sharing. Review of the dishes we ordered: 1) Falafels - This was given to us as a complimentary appetizer on the house. How very nice of them! The falafels were excellent - green-ish inside, indicating that they incorporated some green herbs as part of the chickpeas mix. They were aromatic, flavourful, perfectly crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. 2) Baba Ghanoush (tower of eggplant, bell peppers, green onion, coriander, parsley, chopped walnuts) - We always get this appetizer every time we come to Darna. It's not your typical baba ghanoush (the eggplant dip), but a beautiful tower of nicely constructed thick eggplant slices with bell peppers, green onion, coriander, parsley, an chopped walnuts for a nice crunch. We were able to order it without the pomegranate molasses (not a fan of sweet sticky stuff). It was already very flavourful without the pomegranate molasses. This was the prettiest dish on the menu IMO, like a work of art. 3) Jarjeer Salad (arugula, red onion, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms slices, carrot, walnuts, sumac) - Nice fresh salad as an accompaniment to the other main dishes. We were able to have it without the halloumi cheese and dressing as requested. 4) Mashawi (grill) - Lavraki (whole Mediterranean sea bass, stuffed with garlic and parsley, served with coriander potatoes and tomato-based sauce) - I was hoping for whole actual cloves of garlic or tons of chopped garlic inside the fish, but didn't see or find any. I didn't really taste the garlic, but it was still great nonetheless. (I prefer grilled fish and seafood with just minimal seasoning so the actual fish / seafood taste shines.) The potatoes that it came with were just so-and-so, but the tomato-based sauce was good - it had small chopped pieces of bell peppers. 5) Fukhara (braised stew in a clay pot) - Vegetarian Fukhara (potatoes, carrots, onions, bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, cauliflower, and vegetarian za'atar gravy) - This is another dish we always order at Darna. Ours was served with bulgur, which paired nicely with the load of soft veggies. The vegetarian za'atar gravy tasted heavenly, and I loved the variety of vegetables in this dish (especially the zucchini, cauliflower, and eggplant). 6) Sawani (traditional oven-baked casserole) - Bahri (Mediterranean sea bass fillet, shrimps, calamari, bell peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, coriander), served with specialty rice (seasoned yellow rice with fried onion and slivered almonds) - The "specialty rice" was really good! I loved the crunch from the slivered almonds. It paired really well with the very saucy Bahri. The sea bass was perfectly tender and soft, the calamari was perfect without being chewy or rubbery, and the shrimps were alright. The tomato-based sauce that it came with was very delicious as well. If you still have room for dessert, their selection consists of some of the best Middle Eastern desserts including pistachio knafeh.

I was here for lunch based on Yelp reviews and was pleasantly surprised by amazing food, dining…read moreexperience and elegant decor!