Toronto shawarma restaurant that's a hit with celebs opening first downtown location
A Toronto shawarma chain that's been recognized as the best in the city is finally opening its first downtown location this summer.
If the peameal bacon sandwich were to abdicate its throne as the unofficial food of the city, shawarma would have a fairly solid bid at being its successor.
With a booming Middle Eastern population and an even larger one of people who simply recognize the bliss of juicy meat shaved fresh off an enormous rotating cone, the fact that this city loves its shawarma is news to few.
When it comes to Iraqi-style shawarma and other blissful barbecue bites, few spots in the city come close to touching Scarborough's Sumaq, both in terms of popularity and quality.
Over the years, Sumaq's stock has risen to such a degree that it's even earned recognition from some major stars, from TikTok star Keith Lee to soccer legend Ronaldinho.
With locations in Scarborough and Mississauga, the restaurant's absence from the downtown core thus far has done little to stall its popularity, but with such major city-wide recognition, it was only a matter of time before the chain established an inner-city presence.
This spring, it's finally happening: Sumaq is opening its first downtown Toronto location near the intersection of Queen and Spadina.
Nestled among ample competition, like a Shelby's location across the street and a bevy of other restaurants in the immediate area, Sumaq is in good, if not competitive, company — but it should have no problem attracting attention.
The exact opening date is still up in the air, but a representative from Sumaq confirms to blogTO that the team is "aiming to open within the next month," so the wait shouldn't be too long.
Fareen Karim
