Restaurant known for its street food opening first downtown Toronto location

A restaurant that's known for its hefty servings of street food dishes is about to expand with its first location in downtown Toronto.

While the term "street food" might immediately invoke images of hawkers in Singapore serving up spicy noodles or even the trusty hot dog stand outside of your favourite club on King West, for GTA chain Alforat, it means a vibrant array of Iraqi dishes.

Opening the doors of its first location near Lawrence and Victoria Park back in 2021, the restaurant boasts an impressively expansive menu, ranging from cold appetizers like tabouleh and fattoush salad to a diverse array of tandoor wraps, loaded with grilled meats, tahini and fresh vegetables.

Their real claim to fame, though, comes in the form of their sandwiches, served on freshly-baked Iraqi Samoon bread, and piled high with Shawarma.

Nowadays, Alforat operates two locations in the GTA, with their second, a Mississauga location, opening its doors in 2023; but they're not stopping there.

The first downtown Toronto location of Alforat is on its way, gearing up to take on Yonge and Dundas with a space at 271 Yonge.

With no shortage of other shawarma, gyro and falafel shops in the area, the chain will certainly have their work cut out for them to stand out among the noise in the bustling city centre — but they may just have what it takes to break through.

A representative from Alforat confirms to blogTO that the official opening date for the location has yet to be determined — it's currently under construction — but notes that it will be announced through the restaurant's social media channels when the time comes.

In the meantime, you can visit Alforat's other locations at 1756 Victoria Park and 3460 Platinum Drive.