Azhar has been turning heads on the Ossington strip. The brainchild of partner and executive chef Stuart Cameron, this new marketplace marries Middle Eastern influences with local ingredients, all prepared in a state of the art wood-fired oven. Cameron, who is no stranger to Middle Eastern cooking, is focusing on sustainability and authenticity with this

Azkadenya has officially landed in Toronto. The popular Middle Eastern spot is serving up an array of dishes, from century-old favourites to modern eats, inside its bright Queen West outpost. The name Azkadenya translates to “delicious world,” and after opening in Jordan in 2011 and expanding with great success in Dubai, the powerhouse couple behind

Since 1979, Bagel Plus has been serving all Torontonians classic Jewish comfort food from its location at Bathurst and Sheppard. They will always have you covered for when that bagel and schmear craving hits, but the menu also includes options such as eggplant Parmesan and fish and chips, branching outside the shtetl world of blintzes, pickled herring and rugelach.

With a name that rolls off the tongue, tea and treats (and tobacoo-free hookah) and an assortment of board games, Czech-inspired lounge Bampot Bohemian House of Tea and Board Games is drawing quite the crowd. Eastern European textiles and colourful boho threads hang from every inch of this decorative tea room. The staff here are

Eating off the menu at this fast casual restaurant will have you feeling like you’re dining on homemade Mediterranean cuisine. True Lebanese tastes merge with a modern and local twist at Boustan, which is why it’s become a household name across Quebec. With the success of Boustan’s Toronto locations, surely it will be all over

Chances are, those who have been to Israel (birthright, anyone?) are familiar with Cafe Landwer. The popular Israeli café, which got its start back in 1919, finally opened its very first Canadian outpost in Vaughan earlier this year.

Cafe Neon Queen is the third location in the Cafe Neon family. With one location in Bloordale and the other in the Junction Triangle, this spot is known amongst many Torontonians. This cosy cafe at Queen and Ossington has great breakfast, brunch and lunch offerings. The coffee is provided by Sam James Coffee bar and

Inspired by Hawaiian breezes and the California sun, Calii Love is bringing brightly coloured, feel-good health food to Yorkville. Be it a poke bowl, smoothie bowl or salad bowl, this counter-serve eatery is inspiring everyone to eat a little cleaner, no matter what time of day it is or how much time you have. The

“Nabati” is an Arabic term meaning “made of plants” and represents the type of vegan food served at this Egyptian restaurant. All affordably priced and 100 per cent plant-based, the pitas, bowls, and desserts at Eat Nabati combine the flavours of the Middle East with the harvest of the North. At Eat Nabati, diners have

The name says it all: Eggstatic is all about serving breakfast and brunch dishes to brighten your morning. Many of the dishes at this inviting Bayview restaurant have a Middle Eastern twist: Think savoury beef shakshuka waffles or scotch eggs filled with kafta beef. A wall decorated with frying pans and a sunny front window

It was only around two years ago when Anthony Rose, fresh off his stint as chef at The Drake Hotel, announced an ambitious — some would say crazy — plan to open three new restaurants in Toronto.

Fet Zun is an exciting Middle Eastern restaurant that is part of Anthony Rose’s Dupont Street empire. Much of the menu is made up of mezzes, making this a great sharing spot for brunch, lunch and dinner with flavour inspirations coming from Israel, Morocco and Turkey. Fet Zun still keeps it light with its entrées,

The original musical brunch can be found at Free Times Café, home to Bella, Did You Eat Yet?, a spectacular Jewish-style, all-you-can-eat brunch with loads of delish latkes, blintzes, lox and much more — feast away while listening to live klezmer music: $19.95. If your family is concerned about how you terrorize a buffet, rest

Open for only “Brunchy and Lunchy,” as they like to call it, owners Ali and Tolga Yalcin are using their Turkish influence to produce damn good food. The pair find themselves on Dundas West, where they’ve decorated their venue in traditional decor with bright, inviting colours. Originally, Good Fork was located on Bloor West but

For when you would rather be sunbathing on a Greek island than Trinity Bellwoods Park, Greek & Co has you covered. No, Greek & Co. isn’t going to fly you out to Mykonos to party at Lindsay Lohan’s beach club, but it will make you a delicious Greek meal to go. Greek & Co’s mission

Icons of New York City and pioneers of American halal street food have landed in Toronto. The Halal Guys has set up shop at the corner of Yonge and Wellesley and is dishing out its legendary, fast Middle Eastern eats to hungry Torontonians. Premium halal meats are flavoured and cooked to perfection, adorned with Halal

A queue that long every weekend can’t be wrong: Maha’s Egyptian Brunch is like nothing else around. It has all the components of a truly delicious brunch: grilled cheese adorned with dates; a creamy (vegan) lentil soup; tender sautéed tomatoes for a perfect shakshuka; and an irresistible tray of sakalance, all in a bright, sunny

At the southern end of the Ossington strip, Mamakas serves elevated, rustic Greek fare, or “modernized trad Greek,” as food critic Joanne Kates has described it. The menu, according to owner Thanos Vrettakos Tripi (above), is meant to honour the “extremely authentic Greek” recipes he grew up with “because we had my grandmother living with

Until a few months back, Me Va Me was a bit of a Thornhill secret. The mini-chain recently set up camp in the heart of Hogtown and has been wooing downtowners with its Israeli eats ever since.

This Yorkville Israeli restaurant was actually world-famous before it even came to Toronto and the excitement was bustling for months in anticipation of its opening. Chef Eyal Shani hails from Jerusalem, and has become a household name thanks to appearances on Food for Thought and as a guest for the Israeli version of MasterChef. Now,