Restaurants
Kabab Grill
Kabab Grill on the corner of Bay and Gerrard serves an impressive array of affordable Lebanese dishes including roasted and grilled meats, freshly baked bread and some surprisingly good pizza.
This six-week old fast-food style restaurant used to be a Java Joe's Coffee Shop and was briefly a Tower Burger joint before it went deadpool. Kabab Grill just might have the goods to make this space succeed.
Catering to the nearby hospitals, offices and condominiums, Kabab Grill features healthy alternatives which are 100% Halal.
Best bets are their specialty mini pizzas like the delectable Zaatar ($2.49) that is loaded with thyme, sesame seeds, oregano and doused with lemon. It's baked perfectly and has a nutty and almost intoxicating aroma. Other pizzas here include a mild vegetarian (tomato and onion or spinach) to the more traditional salami ($3.99).
The baba ghannoush ($4.99) with grilled eggplant, sesame paste and tahini is potent yet sublime although it would be nice if it was served with some bread.
There's also an enormous kabab plate ($10.99) that comes overflowing with two grilled beef kebabs, pita bread, parboiled rice, salad, garlic sauce and hummus. The kabab is grilled just right and not too dry and includes crispy burnt ends (always the best part).
For a quick lunch, the chicken shawarma sandwich ($4.99) is sized ok although it tastes rather bland and is unspectacular. Beef, kabab, falafel and BBQ meat sandwiches are also available from $3.99 to $5.99.
Garlic lovers have to try the spicy potatoes ($3.99). This side dish of fried diced potatoes sauteed with garlic and coriander is more garlicky than it is spicy but really adds another dimension to the usual flavour of fried potatoes.
Vegetarians need to look past the carnivorous name Kabab Grill and go for the salads ($4.99 to $5.99) including Greek, fatoush and tabouleh as well as the lentil and veggie soups ($3.99).
Overall, service here is friendly and enthusiastic although I'm deducting points because they serve everything in styrofoam even if you're dining in. Boo!
But I'll certainly be back for the pizza, potatoes and the kebab dishes.
Hours:
8am - 11pm Monday to Thursday
8am - 12am Friday and Saturday
11am - 11pm Sunday
Discussion
27 Comments
Sort By Oldest First / Newest First
Subscribe
Does anyone know of a grocery store in Toronto that sells zaatar? I got hooked on it in Montreal and haven't seen it in shops here.
MH, you can buy zaatar (the spice blend) at House of Spice in Kensington. I've sadly never seen the packaged, pre-made flatbreads with zaatar here in Toronto as you find everywhere in Montreal and Ottawa, however.
Have used it almost 100 times in the past three years. That's a lot of styrofoam saved...
The second-to-last picture especially is more intent on showing me the texture of the checkerboard wrapping, and without showing the contents of the wrap, and there's no scale in the mini-pizza photo.
The grills are good, try shish tawook and the kafta (kabab)
The manager and the staff are so freindly and helpful.
The decor is the best in the fast food industry.
Highly recommended.
Note: Very cute manager, makes you come back
The young lady who took my order was quite friendly but once I shuffled down the line the "cook" was grumpy and disinterested. He didn't ask what else I may want with my plate (I had shwarma) and just plopped it up on the counter was he was done throwing it together. The taste was average with dry meat and not a great selection of vegetables.
Better to walk 20 seconds to the bright yellow house called "Something 2 Talk About" as they have truly delicious Halal cooking.
I think it is the best compared to other place I have been to in the area.
I went out to try it today for lunch and had the chicken shawarma and the spicy potatoes (as per your recommendation) and both were delicious. I'll be back to try out the bakery next time. Oh, and coming back is the third test :)
i love it
I don't know what kind of experience you are talking about when 98+% were completely satisfied, i've only had the best service with the freshest chicken, beef & pizzas.
Sorry i was just going to write a comment and felt ethicaly obligated to reply.
Andre
The staff were very disorganized! They didn't know what they were doing...
I went in twice at around 2pm and I can't find anyone to order my food(I waited for 5 minutes)!
I really hope the management can read this...because I loved this place before!!