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Restaurants

College Falafel

Posted by Staff / Listed on May 31, 2009 / review policy

27 Comments

College FalafelCollege Falafel makes falafel, shawarma, Halifax-style donairs and a whole lot of other Mediterranean food from scratch.

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27 Comments

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Fatimah / June 4, 2009 at 06:12 pm
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It has the best everything: donair, stuffed eggplant (which I had yesterday), balava, almond cookies, and the list goes on. Owned by the sweetest couple in the world- it's a Toronto institution!
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Daphne / June 8, 2009 at 03:53 pm
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I totally agree! The shawarma dinner is delicious, as well as the sandwich. The ingredients in all the dishes are fresh and I like the owners a lot.
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tim posgate / June 15, 2009 at 09:17 pm
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these guys are my fave for sure. I rarely have people prepare food for me who care so much for their clientele.

tim
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Mr. Johnson / June 22, 2009 at 01:34 pm
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Not only do these guys make the best chicken shwarma in the city, but they are the nicest business owners I've ever met! Whether you go in at noon on a Wednesday or 2:30am after a long Saturday night the College Falafel crew are more than happy to help you get an inexpensive and delicious meal. These guys are an absolute staple in the super awesome College/Ossington neighbourhood!
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randall / June 25, 2009 at 09:27 pm
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A neighbourhood treasure. Fresh, tasty falafel and shawarma. Excellent sweets too (especially the almond cookies). We've been bringing our kids here for years, and they love the food too!
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homeslizzle robizzledizzle / July 26, 2009 at 01:56 am
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sounds like none of you have ventured outside your comfort zone. they should rename this place 'college falawful.' my falafel had NO flavour, no turnips, and the tabouleh salad my gf got was TINY! and hardly worth a portion of the $3.99 i shelled out for it. ali baba's beats this place's ass. badaboom.
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sf / July 27, 2009 at 09:40 am
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i've only been here once. the falafel was disgusting and the cashier couldn't properly count my change.
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Robert Fenicci / August 21, 2009 at 09:25 pm
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Sounds like "homeslizzle robizzledizzle" and "sf" haven't even been to this place. First off the falafel is simply the best, full of flavour and made on the spot while you order; they don't use turnips at all, they use pickled red cabbage (which is much better). The portions for the salads are nowhere near tiny, I have trouble even finishing them sometimes.

And if you think I'm being biased, I've been to Ali Baba's, all three that are nearby; their sandwiches are tiny and don't compare in taste to College Falafel's.
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Heids / August 30, 2009 at 11:38 am
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Really??
I tried this place and was VERY DISAPPOINTED.
Awful Tabouli, awful service.
For me, its worth the extra 10min walk down College to Ghazale's.
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George / August 31, 2009 at 09:35 pm
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This place is simply the best!
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Paul / September 2, 2009 at 11:46 pm
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They had the most delicious sandwiches I've ever had in my life.
They are truly the best in what they do; I had a stuffed eggplant and rice pudding along with my falafel and they were amazing too!
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Roland / September 8, 2009 at 03:59 pm
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I've been a big fan of shawarmas and falafels for a very long time and have tasted many of the best from Etobicoke to Markham. This place is by far my favourite.
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Patrick / September 27, 2009 at 08:47 pm
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I've been here many times and I'd have to say it is by far the best. The spinach pies are so good I can't get enough of them. The stuffed eggplants are so good they make my mouth water.
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Robert / December 24, 2009 at 09:35 pm
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I recently passed by to get some baklava as a gift for my wife; I ended up buying one for me too. The food is no doubt amazing but the baklava is, out of this world!!
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A.D. / November 18, 2010 at 11:03 pm
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I totally looove this place. They make by far the best chicken shawarma sandwitch I have ever tried. whenever i have a craving for shawarma i go there. i love how they fill the sandwitches with chicken. tried many other places but they do not compare at alllll. if u go there make sure u let them put the pickled cabage and all their dressings in the pita cause it adds a lot to the taste. sometimes i get the falafel sandwich they have it tastes so goood too. by far one of the best places to get healthy food fast.
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James Jones / December 2, 2010 at 10:32 pm
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This is one of the best restaurants for your buck! Overall prices are great compared to the quality of the food. I've tried just about everything in this restaurant due to the close proximity from my work. All the wraps are healthy and full of taste. The couple that operates the restaurant are very friendly and pay adequate attention to get to know they are costumers into a personal level.

One of my favourite places in Toronto for good food and good chat!
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john s. / December 24, 2010 at 12:33 am
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one of my favourite restaurants in Toronto. The atmosphere inside this restaurant brings memories of my euro-trip. All shawarmas are full of taste and they stuff it to the tip!; at times i have difficulty finishing just one. The falafels are by far the best i've tried. Unlike other falafel restaurants, they prepare the falafel right in front of you! always fresh and tasty. Make sure if you have a bit left in that stomach, pick up a baklava. The young lady that bakes it is a natural baker! 10/10
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ak / August 9, 2011 at 09:22 am
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Wife and I tried college falafel last night because of so many positive reviews here. Chicken shawarma was very dry, had almost no sauce in it, bread broke apart because it wasn't fresh, and had very little taste. 2 Shawarmas and 1 can of juice for $17! Way overpriced (chicken shawarmas are 6.50 each plus tax) especially considering the quality. IMO the best places in the city are Sultans, north east corner of main and danforth. Have been open maybe two years and everything is delicious and great prices too. They sell homemade hummus, amazing baklava, and many other items. Shawarma Empire, which blogto recommends too, is excellent at lawrence and pharmacy. There is also a new place couple blocks from st. lawrence market that was tasty. It was just off the esplanade on either princess or berkeley street (next to the pizza nova). All three are infinitely better than college falafel.
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SANDRA S / November 29, 2011 at 09:04 pm
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I found this place after a quick workout at the ymca and i was looking for a healthy after workout meal; boy was I in for a treat! i tried their chicken shawarma and i was very pleased. The ingredients looked and tasted fresh and the chicken seasoning was like very few before. Will definitely go out my way for a college falafel treat.
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Oliver / January 29, 2012 at 04:04 pm
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I have had many excellent falafels over the years and consider myself a connisseur of sorts, but I have never had a falafel as good as the one I ate last night at College Falafel. They close at 3am, but when I wandered in at 3:15am I was made a beautiful falafel sandwich. The falafels were fried fresh on the spot in clean oil that had just been changed (the falafel oil is clearly visible from the customer side of the counter), and the accompanying ingredients were in perfect order. I will never eat another falafel anywhere else.
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Robert / April 15, 2012 at 03:28 pm
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I make a point to go to College Falafel at least once a week for a chicken shawarma and baklava, even though it's far out of my way. The couple who own it are the nicest people, super friendly, and know my order before I even say anything. The shawarma chicken is always moist and delicious, it has never been dry since I've been going there, and they really pile it on so you're definitely getting your money's worth. All of their baked stuff (baklava, cookies, samousas etc) is homemade in-house and delicious, I always get the bigger baklava (2.99) and it is always fresh, moist, and dripping with the honey and syrup it's made from, actually heavenly. The place inside is honestly not too aesthetically pleasing, I will say that, but it serves as proof not to judge a book by its cover.

College Falafel is somewhat out of the way for most people, but if you are at all in the area (College and Ossington) and are looking for a place to lunch, make the effort to go, you really won't be disappointed!!
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Shaun / June 18, 2012 at 05:42 pm
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BEST FOOD EVERY! IT WAS SOOO GOOD. I GO THERE 3 TIMES A WEEK. THEY ARE SO NICE. FOOD IS AMAZING
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Jerry / June 28, 2012 at 05:54 pm
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Well, first off the Donair and Shwarma for me beats the falafel hands down. All the ingredients are as fresh as you get, the owners are as friendly as you can imagine, who care about the food and customer experience. Deserts Rice pudding and baklava are outstanding and worthy of special mention is the almond cookies and honey walnut cookies, After eating there 20 times or more the quality is consistent and after reading the various replies , I want to try the stuffed egg plant. Also I like the vegetable somosa as well as the spinach pies. Well done owners!!!
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Johnathan Ramon / December 9, 2012 at 09:54 pm
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Honestly, amazing food! I love it. Shwarma's are amazing
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sasha / February 18, 2013 at 01:55 pm
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After reading this review we decided to check this place out. What a shitty hole. They couldn't get our order right. There was barely any meat in our shawarma dinners, food was awful, not fresh and tasteless. Whoever made this list knows nothing about Mediterranean food.

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Nova Scotia / April 18, 2013 at 09:43 am
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I rate this place 6/10. I did not get the product I thought was accurately congruent for price and value. For the plume of money I spent on one falafel I did not get the size I was hoping for. It was a small portion and that was very disappointing.
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Stephen / May 15, 2013 at 11:44 pm
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As a Haligonian born and raised I have got to say that College Falafel's Donair competes with the best of them from back home. The sweet sauce reminded me of those drunken Dalhousie nights and I loved every bite of it.

When sober, consider dropping in for a chicken shawarma, if the taste doesn't impress you, the portion size sure will.
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Location and Contact Details

450 Ossington Ave (Get Directions)
416.532.8698
Little Italy
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