Fav Shawarma places in the GTA???
I personally remember the Shawarma place that was just outside College Station (on yonge just slightly north of Ryerson) that offered the 2 shawarma sandwiches for $5 or so.
The shop had a red sign and very tasty food. I loved the chicken shawarma sandwich the most.
^ Recently the place has been taken over by a NEW Shawarma business that just doesn't have the same zing as the previous owners. meh.
So where do you guys all go for your Shawarmas, Falafels and Middle Eastern rice dishes??
In the GTA?
Mike Tyson
Jan 03, 2008 07:12PM
Someone will chime in with the proper name.. but the place across the street from Beer Station next to the movie theatre is tops for me. Bathurst/Bloor area, north side.
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name of the place you are referring to is Ghazale
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Thats it, thanks thatlankyfoody. Some say quality has gone downhill a little but they're open real late and I've always found their Shwarma to be quite delicious, as recently as the summer/fall.
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i like ghazale for their veggie stuff (grape leaves, etc.) but i really DON'T like their shawarma/falafel.
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Awesome guys. keep em coming!
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Lots of discussion on this topic before....this is only 1 thread.
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/438028
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Here's a vote for Yakamov, a Russian/Israeli/ Middle Eastern hole-in-the wall (though it does have good seating) that I was first tipped off to, if I recall, on Chowhound. It serves up the tastiest chicken shawarma sandwich I've had in Toronto, and I've tried about a dozen or more different places. But if you live downtown, you'll have to travel north to get your teeth into it. It's in a vaguely down-at-the-heels plaza on Wilson Ave., on the south side about a block west of Bathurst St. Juicy, flavorful, with tasty extras to enhance the chicken, it's a quite substantial sandwich compared to many of its competitors. The place is clean, well run and does a busy lunch trade, somewhat less so at dinner. So lunch seems the best time to get it at its freshly-made best. I find it easily beats all the Bloor St. shawarma joints, as well as many of the Lawrence Ave. E. spots, many of which offer skimpy, tasteless (though certainly low-priced) sandwiches on pitas of uncertain quality. Of which the most unpleasant of the downtown bunch is Ghazale on Bloor St., which started out good and cheap, but has since degenerated, offering little more than a stale smell that permeates almost the entire block of Bloor on which it perches.
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The best shawarma I've had in town was on a particular visit to the aforementioned Yakomoz (sic). All of its elements combine to make it truly standout. I should add though that you do have to get lucky with the timing to get the really good parts of the shawarma in general. And yes, the shawarma at Ghazale is the pits, especially considering its reputation.
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Scarborough - Farhat (Mmmmmmmm lamb)
Downtown - Jasmine
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Farhat Period. Anything else is second best...
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Something 2 Talk About on Gerrard at Bay has good chicken shawarma and is a friendly family-run type of place. I have not eaten at Ghazale for a while but I walk by all the time and I think the smell is heavenly!
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I used to love the food here too but now the place is just too dirty. Take a look up at the ceiling the next time you go.
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What a coincidence....just having some Farhat lamb shwarmas while i am typing this....
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oooh...jealous...
I often make a quick shawarma run from work downtown, but have yet to find anything that compares to Farhat. And the lamb in particular....<uncontrollable spontaneous drooling>
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A bit out of the shawarma circuit, but... Sarah's on Bloor at Brunswick is quite good (I always go for beef, there - beautiful seasoning); I forget the name of the place, but the shawarma at the "food mall" on the north side of Queen W across from City TV is very good but waaaaayy too expensive for the volume; Ghazale, by the Bloor Cinema was once my fave, but is not as good as days of yore. There's a new space, at Yonge and St Joseph, and their beef shawarma was lovely, and, I think, has the mayonaise-y sauce for which Haligonians hanker.
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Ghazale has to be the worse I have had in TO...the shaved meat seemed to have been lying around for quiet some time and then they microwaved the Shwarma in front of me,instead of using a panini grill....that did it for me,I mean how can you nuke something like that in front of a customer....and yet people still drool over it,I guess they have never had Shwarma anyplace else...
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I prefer Ibrahim across the street from Farhat. More flavour and larger portions in my opinion. They don't have lamb though. Farhat is a little overrated IMO, there are better places a stone's throw away.
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I have tried Ibrahims a couple of times,and yet it is still Farhats that I go back to....even though Ibrahims is cheaper...what I like about Farhats is the garlic paste and "Nasr's" pita that they use.....but I do know that Ibrahim's has its own fan following...
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I love Ibrahim, especially their yogurt sauce. But I haven't tried Farhat so now I've got an excuse to go do a comparison!
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I finally got around to trying Ibrahim this weekend, and I have to say that I loved their chicken shawarma. Lots of really good veggies/salads to dress it up, and the sauces were fantastic. However, they don't have lamb, and Farhat's lamb is so ridiculously tasty. So I guess now I have two favorites. :)
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I was in the mood for a shawarma tonight and was glad to find this thread because I wasn't sure where to go. I wrote down the names of 3 place that were suggested on Lawrence St and the first one I saw while driving down Lawrence was Nasbi's. I went in to order a chicken shawarma but they were out of chicken for the day. So I continued down the street and found Ibrahim's. I went in and was served by a nice man named Mohammed, and I ordered a chicken sandwich. It was by far the best shawarma I've had in Toronto (originally from Ottawa). All of the ingredients were fresh and flavorful, the sandwich itself was huge, and to top it all off they offer a two for one deal. I was so excited I told Mohammed I would tell everyone about this place, and I couldn't wait to get home to share this experience with all of you!!! I've lived here for two years now have been struggling to find a good shawarma place, although it's not quite the same as home, it was delicious and I will be back for more very soon!!! Thank you fellow hounds!!
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I told ya! ;)
I stop by Ibrahim most Tuesday nights on my way home. They're open late and always seem busy whenever I go.
Nothing compares to Shawarma Palace in Ottawa but Ibrahim fills in adequately!
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Yummi's, on Yonge, corner of Broadway, 2 blocks North of Eglinton. May be not the very best in town but their pita-lamb shawarma with all the trimmings is quite good.
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My vote so far goes to Metro Foods, south side of College @ Spadina. Palestinian- run place with really tasty, inexpensive shawarmas and mixed plates.
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mmmmmmmm
Did you know Metro's shawarma chicken has curry mixed into the spicing??? Unique I believe for chicken shawarmas in the GTA.
Thats why the chicken has a slight yellow colouring to it. Mmmmmmmm I know curry the minute it hits my tongue man.
Metro is very good. Hope they last long. They got a bit of competition with I believe 2 other Shawarma places to their east on College...
I think they will do alright, especially since they also operate as a convenience store too...
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If you're shopping at Vaughan Mills, forget the food court and head for "Grill 4 U" for a big juicy shawarma.Just outside the mall in the strip of perimeter stores.
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Alright thanks for the advice...
though I do not see myself going up to Vaughan any time soon...
thanks regardless though.
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Actually, it's not that unique to the GTA Iron Mike. Most of the Israeli shawarma places use some sort of "curry powder" in their preperation (it's that tumeric and/or cumin that really lingers on all day).
Gotta figure the curry flavour is a very very regional thing, as I never taste it in a Lebanese shawarma. On the flip side, I've never tasted cinnamon in an Israeli shawarma, which I'll taste in other middle eastern shawarmas.
I am assuming the curry is a Palestinian creation, as those flavours are rarely used in Eastern/Central European Jewish cooking, Any food anthropologists out there?
BTW, I've had some excellent shawarma sandwiches (Israeli style) recently at Hannah's Shawarma at Bathurst & Carville in Richmondhill. If only they'd let food safety standards go little bit and not keep their salads/dips so cold, though that issue is not unique to Hannah's
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hee hee you called me Iron Mike...
oh yeah the owner of Metro Foods happens to be Palestinian too... you are right.
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I think it's called King's Shawarma in the Eaton centre (lower level, Queen St. side) it's pretty good. My boyfriend has tried Shawarma in Europe, and is pretty convinced they're the best around. In fact his mouth is watering w/ the mention of it right now.
He also wants me to mention the potatoes.
He's heading to Farhat's right now to check it out.
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Hi All,
I live around the corner for a la turque . . . It's at Wellesley and Church just north of Wellesley on Church
Check them out . . . They are huge and tasty!! . . .and they are very friendly
Let me know what you think...
SB
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used to go to sarah's on bloor all the time, but then i discovered pita-Q which is also on bloor, at the corner of spadina (next to greg's ice cream...a good pairing!!) their shawarmas are SO yummy and they grill them so they're good and crispy on the outside. plus, their hotsauce is fanTAStic, and so tasty.
Also, when i'm up in the Lawrence and Victoria park area for middle eastern foods, i always grab a sandwich from...well, i don't know the name, but they are in the same plaza-thingy as NASR foods, which is also really a great place for groceries (but not as good as the nearby ARZ foods)
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I think I pass by Pita Q all the time..
its at Spadina/Bloor right? Next to the JCC and Dominion?
I should try that place someday...
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At york university, in york lanes (on campus) there is a great shawarma place with student friendly prices. I graduated a few years back and it is still missed. Fresh pita, juicey meat. Delicious.
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Falafel Hut is probably the only good thing about York Lanes. The prices are good, the food is great and the staff is super friendly!
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I need some NEW places in Mississauga/Brampton that ISNT:
Pita Nutsy
Osmow's
Amasi
Montfort's
Vita Pita
Paramount
Nick's Famous Pita
Anyone know of any other places?
Cheers
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My favourite Chicken Shawarma Sandwich (wrap) is in Mississauga. Its called Pita and Grill. Its a small family run place located on Eglington and Dixie. Thick, big, juicy and delicious. Lots of chicken, any topping you desire and very good garlic sauce. I have tried many Shawarma places in search of better (La Zeez, Hannah's, various places in Scarborough and others) to no avail.
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ahh, not a fan of that place at all
all dark meat, and i found a bone in it one time ;(
they also have a location at hurontario & derry road that keeps horrible hours, they close at like 5pm
thanks for the addition though :) cheers
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Anyone been to the place that just opened in Parkdale about a block west of Dufferin on Queen?
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I don't profess to be a huge connoisseur of all things shwarma, but a place close to my abode never seems to let me down...A La Turque, on Church north of Wellesley. I like the fact that whether it's 4PM or well after last call, the veggie options to pile on are always fresh.
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LaZeez (On Gerrard just west of Gerrard beside Hooker Harvey's )
Clean. A little pricey but really good. Open late. Great falalel and I'm a big meat eater.
Best I've had for a while.
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This might not sound like a shawarma place, but Joe's Hamburgers at Yonge and Elgin Mills serves a beauty that must contain the meat of a quarter chicken! Appropriately, however, they're not two for $5--more like $6.50 each..
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I like the chicken shwarma wrap at Ali Babas (Lawrence & Weston). I think they may sell beef shwarma too, but my timing always seems to be off and they are always sold out.
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