Kojax Souflaki

I will elaborate on what my favourite things are at Kojax another time. Nah, let me tell you now;
The Kojax Burger with mild sauce and some super heated fries (uniquely shaped puffy wedges — I like the crispy little ones best). The rice with peas and diced carrots is nice for a change and very filling. Add an orange julep drink if you feel like parting with extra charge.
That being said the real reason, I wanted to write this is to shout out the friendlier than average counter servers at this location. Perhaps, it’s because they get a lot of tourists coming in pre or post game or show. It’s also nice that they have hockey or local sports on TV.

In the late 90’s when i lived in Montréal we worked right down the street from Kojax, we ate many a lunch, snack or late night drunk fest here. I was pleasantly surprised to see its still here and in the same location with the same food and cafeteria style set up. So reliving my youth over ordered everything i used to order here at the food is still fantastic and serves a very specific purpose, cheap, delicious and fast. Perfect. Poutine Fries, Chicken Souvlaki and Gyro, loved it!

This is an honest review from a veteran fast food liker and former U.S. chef. I have lived in Montréal for nearly 8 years, and made Kojax Souflaki my regular eating spot, going perhaps several times per week at their various locations. I am writing this review on their Downtown location, because I know it is the one that has been open the longest– but my opinion applies itself to all their locations, as I have dined several times at their Downtown, Place Vertu, boul. des Sources, Fairview, and Angrignon locations.
Don’t get me wrong, Kojax serves eloquent food. Albeit arriving frozen, their meats are extremely tender and well-​marinated. You’ll often take a peak in their back kitchen and see them freshly putting their marinated and boneless pork and chicken meat on their bamboo skewers. They use top-​notch frozen-​to-​be-​fried goods and delectable pastries. However, recent experiences have showed me that this is a failing franchise, with most of their customers (and recently, me) flocking away from their overpriced menu and stingy tactics.
Let’s get to the stingy part later. First, let’s explain why this franchise is doomed to fail. We’re talking about a company that has closed more restaurants than they’ve opened, only in the last decade. That’s not good news when their closest competitor-​Amir; opened its first location 6 years after Kojax began serving «sou-​f-​laki» on Ste-​Catherine street in 1977, and has opened almost quadruple the amount of restaurants. Just in the last 2 years, Amir has opened 6 new locations.
Why are Amir locations blooming and Kojax, not so much? The long story short is, Amir has a system. I have spoken to many Amir owners, and they even end up with ex-​employees from Kojax who always spill the beans. To open an Amir location, will cost you nearly 35% less in royalties and operating costs per year. It has nothing to do with the whole Greek vs. Lebanese thing. There are even Greeks that own Amir locations. People are buying what’s profitable, and there is no profit in Kojax.
If there was profit, why would they be so STINGY. Yes, Stingy. Let’s talk about that now. With their old «cashier-​pours-​it-​for-​you» Coca-​Cola system, they have to watch what people drink and how much they drink. No free refills. While Amir has had «pour-​your-​own-​drink» systems as far back as 2007, Kojax has yet to make the jump to allow customers the freedom of making their own drink, or even abolishing their refill system that would cost you another 2 – 3 $ for a soda that contains 40% ice.
Then there’s the meat. Oh, the meat. Most Kojax employees will tell you «extra is extra» and ring you up an extra 3 – 4 $ for your request once you get to the cash. Same thing for sauces, a tiny 1 oz or so of extra Kojax Sauce or Tzatziki will set you back about 80 cents, tax in. And, their Tzatziki isn’t even Greek. You’ll find this «powder» combination labelled as «Lebanese Tzatziki» at the Adonis chain of grocery stores.
A French fries-​to-​poutine transformation in any trio will cost you over 3 whole dollars. This includes a total of about 10 pieces of French fries with the joke of a generous amount they give for gravy and cheese (which by the way, comes out of a bag).
Again, there is only one explanation for all this. Amir is not stingy, because their suppliers have 64 restaurants to provide for, so they get decent prices on what they order. Kojax, not so much. I believe they are currently at 12 or 13 locations. They pay too much for the food they supply, and so us consumers will pay the price with their bi-​yearly price hikes. But in one year it can easily be 9 or 10 locations for Kojax, while Amir will likely be at the 80 mark.
I don’t know who is at the helm of this Mickey Mouse operation, but somewhere in Kirkland there is a bunch of chairs that need new people to sit on them.
Overall for a Unilocal review, my recommendation is: STAY AWAY. The 12 $ you’ll pay for their stingy plates will get you 2 well-​portioned plates at their competitor.

Giving it 2 stars for convenience and service. The staff is always polite and very efficient, and it’s in a great location. Prices are also decent, so if you’re craving Greek food then it’s adequate.
The food doesn’t go much further than that for me. Maybe it’s just when I go, but every time I’ve been there the food’s been less than what I expected and have come to experience from other Kojax locations. If you can get yourself somewhere else, then do so. If not, prepare to be underwhelmed.

The Yero trio always makes for yummy lunch. Their toothsome pita makes biting into the sandwich a wonderful experience, and the all-​dressed original yero-​meat drizzled with hot sauce all melds together into an ever satisfying lunch. Their big fat fries are wonderful as well, but if you’re getting take-​out you WILL run out of ketchup. 3 little packs of brand name ketchup is no match for these fries.

3.5 stars
I ate at Kojax many times as a university student in Montréal, it was perfect for a quick meal in between classes (and at the right price). This was also my «go to» spot when the bars closed at 3am (I woke up many mornings with the familiar Kojax sauce on my shirt).
Service has always been consistently excellent here, a rarity for a fast food restaurant. It’s probably been 25 years since my first visit and they always have friendly staff who prepare the food quickly and with a smile. The restaurant is entirely red & white — the traditional Kojax colors, and very bright but you don’t come here for the atmosphere.
You come for the Gyro. If you don’t know what this is, it’s a warm fresh Pita with strips of beef roasted on a vertical spit, tomatoes, onions and Kojax special sauce. I order the same thing every time, so good.
Over the years, I tried a few of the food court locations and found them not up to par. You need to go to this St. Catherine location to ensure you get the real Kojax experience.
Fast food done right. I guess that’s why the place has been there for so long…
BK

One of the things I like the most is their friendly customer service. I have to say that the food is also very good, fresh salads, and good meats, so if you need a quick lunch and you like Middle Eastern food then this is the place to come.

I went to the original one on Ste Catherines for the 2 – 3 am scoffs and even Keeble was amazed as to how I can pack it in. I went there with Mark Vanderbol a couple of times and he just ate for 1 hour straight, so it was safe to say I helped introduce, many of my old friends, girlfriends, football buddies to commercialized good greek fare,. the guys on the line loved it when we came in cause we tipped and it was just that way cause they would pile on the mild sauce and pile on the yero meat and that was a heluva job. I went there with Poly 1 time in 88 to celebrate his being picked number 3 in the CFL draft, after a big nite at THURSDAYS and Crescent st. We ate for 6 people, true story. I look forward to 1 day going back and having my favourite submarine, ciaociao Mou

I’m a native Montrealer who lives in the US and this is the first place I want to eat at when I get into the city. It’s a Greek fast food chain, and I’ve been going here since my high school days, so yes, I’m a long time customer! ;-) I’ve been to Greece, and have had the «original» souvlaki and know that none of the fast food chains or even actual restaurants truly come close to it, but I don’t really care, I’m totally hooked on this place. I love their MILD sauce, I used to favor the tzatziki on my chicken souvlaki but then I tried the mild sauce and it was over! I’ve been loving my mild sauce ever since! The chicken Gyro is GREAT!!! Everything I’ve ever had here has been good… but I must point out that I always order pretty much the same thing… the Gyro sandwich, the Gyro Burger or the Chicken Souvlaki plate. The St-​Catherine location is opened late, so it’s the perfect cure for that hangover. Can’t wait to go back for my next Mild sauce fix! They should bottle that mild sauce and sell it, I’d buy it by the case and bring it back home with me!

Kojax is a local Greek fast-​food joint with a few stores around Montréal. The one on Ste-Catherine’s is a great place to grab some real good eats and get it done FAST. All the usual standards of Greek fast food are there, but they also adapted Poutine and done it with gusto. Thick meaty gravy on those really thick cut Greek fried potatoes and delicious cheese that is brick in your stomach delicious; don’t let its size fool you, it’s a hill that feeds like a mountain. Service is speedy and I mean speedy, don’t fear the line up, you’ll be in and out of there before you know it. Seating is a little tight for the spatially challenged, but the place is clean and maintained. Grubilicious.

Excellent! Hit the spot perfectly.

Kojax has alot of history with me and has saved me from many a hangover when in Montréal. Their food has kept me fueled between bohemian Bar Hopping nights chasing French Canadian Women.
The souvlakis here are nowhere near the quality of say Arahova or Villa, but Kojax fills a niche of providing really fast Greek food with the emphasis on fast, to keep you fueled between bars or after a late weekday night out when you need to get to bed. In most other major Cities I think your only other alternative would be picking up a Pizza Slice or hotdog. I like the sweet sauce on mine when still hitting the town in consideration of breath. At the end of the night I’ll take mixture of garlic and aforementioned hot sauce.

For those of you from out of town, this is a small, local chain of souvlaki and yero (gyro, or doner, if you prefer) joints that’s been around forever. I’ve been eating their stuff since the early eighties. I’ll the give you the bad news first: they’re a *chain*. There are some things they do in an utterly formulaic way; the sides, especially. The fries and rice are elementary school cafeteria-​quality, at best, and can be safely avoided. Their yero is nothing special; it’s meatloaf. I haven’t bothered to get one of their salads in ten or fifteen years.
What draws me back, time and time again, is their pork souvlaki. On pita. And not with the silly white sauces, no; with the red, *hot* sauce. A Greek friend tells me the red sauce is a pretty common thing in Greece, but I’ve yet to find any other souvlaki joint in Montréal that offers it. And that red sauce, gentle reader, is the secret.
Picture this: Griddle-​fried pita. Grilled pork cube kebab. A generous mound of fresh, shredded lettuce and bright sliced onion; a few slices of beefsteak tomato; all laced with a spoonful of a deep, salty, tangy, spicy peppery-​dark red sauce that bears gratifyingly little resemblance to ketchup. Rolled into a tight cone, and handed to you piping hot. Bite into *that*.
Now picture that, at the end of a cold day spent walking downtown. Three of those, to go. With a good pale ale to wash them down waiting at home. Oh, mercy.