This place is elite. Knocks it out of the park on taste, you will struggle to find better in the GTA. The Saj style wraps are expertly crafted with an amazing cross-section and the wrap holds up until the last bite. The…
Re-visited a place in the West End we’ve been going to for a long time after golf rounds and it did not disappoint. For starters, the main guy remembered me… that’s an awesome feeling and just shows how much they care e…
I had a hard time not giving this a 25/25 for experience. The worker gave me a run down on his shawarma experience and why European shawarma and what he’s giving me doesn’t have turnips. It’s Turkish style. He said I wa…
- Enormous shawarma spit; wrap packed with meat and fresh-baked bread
- Garlic sauce nailed it, but wanted more veg beyond a few pickles
- Priced as a small lunch, though we ate it as a dinner
It was never our intention to go here, but when we passed it on route to our original destination we knew what we had to do. The place was slammed busy at 9pm on a Monday, and they had an assembly line rivaling a King S…
- Unreal $11.29 price, great meat and amazing bread, nearly Flaming Stove-sized
- No turnips and lackluster veg, plus too oily and not spicy enough
- Spotless spot, friendly staff, complimentary tea — near-perfect experience
Solid spot doing shawarma's syrian style, which means veggies take a backseat for meat and the wrap is skinnier and longer. The way it's wrapped bodes well for it's structure, it held together wonderfully which was love…
- Delicious, with great hummus and good sauces at a cozy mom-and-pop shop
- More a naan-sized pita than a shawarma, and too small for a full lunch
- Price is the sticking point — needs to be $10 or less; great parking and washrooms
- Charming Haarlem farmers-market stall with a friendly, multilingual worker
- Bland wrap with no pickles or turnips — barely counts as a shawarma
- Value re-scored fairly by treating the 9 euro price as a local $9
This place has a great deal for lunch, which skews the value, but reasonably so. It did get lower because of the before 4pm requirement. Don't get the wrap or the plate they were not as good as the box. Experience lost…
I got a chicken plate for $19 and if a gun was to my head I don’t know if I could eat this much for a lunch. $19 led me to give it a 21 on value though couldn’t morally give much higher. The salad wasn’t skimpy and had…
- Chicken and generous portion were the highlight of the Midtown platter
- Random, unmixed plate with no turnips or pickles — a dagger for us
- Staff felt rushed and wouldn't recommend anything; still decent for Manhattan
- North America's biggest chain has perfected mediocre — nothing bad, nothing special
- $14.55 filling plate, quick service, good seating and sauces
- Caveat: reviewed after a few drinks, so happy to re-review on request
- Unplanned Annex stop; flavorful sauces with just-right heat were the highlight
- Chicken underwhelmed, too much lettuce, and it fell apart early
- Still, at $11 it's worth a return in a pinch
Jamie: went with Austin and this place passes the eye test. I got bowl he got wrap. The ingredients and recipe failed the taste test. The rice was bad and the chicken didn’t make up for it and it wasn’t hidden by a good…
- Mystery meat (probably lamb), overcooked and dry
- Bad bread, bare veg, mid sauce — the last bite went in the trash
- Lesson learned: don't order shawarma from a place that also sells pizza
The Map.
Every place we've rated, plotted where you can find it.
The Founders
@ExtraTurnips
How We Got Started
We started getting shawarma in high school because it was convenient, but we quickly learnt that these places are often more than just food spots. They're run by such great people, often families that have built the business from scratch.
For instance, I was in the west end at a place called Shadi Shawarma recently that we always used to go to after playing golf at Scarlett Woods in high school, a good 4–6 years ago. I walk in and the first thing the guy says is "I remember when you guys used to come in here after golf, how have you been".
First off, I look a lot different than I did then. Second, I'm from Cabbagetown and this place is at Bloor and Runnymede. It's not like I'm passing by all the time. I genuinely don't know how he remembered me, but he did and that was pretty cool.
Every interaction matters to these folks. That's why these places are special and that's probably why we keep going back. Not just because of the great food but because you always feel welcomed there.