Al Tanoor

Only go here if you feel like waiting for 15 minutes for them to even start making your food. They might get your food ready faster if the last 5 times I’ve gone there weren’t more friends/​workers hanging out chatting rather than working or taking deliveries through the front of the store.
Credit where credit is due, the food is good its just everything else I don’t like.

This gem in the suburbs offers home cooked meals with delightful marinated spiced meats accompanied by fresh vegetables.
We descended on this eatery well past the lunch hour so it was mostly empty and the kindly server (guessing daughter of the owner/​cook) walked us through our meal options ever so patiently.
I had the lamb plate (under CAD$ 11) and chose briyani rice to go with two juicy and tasty lamb sausages. I asked for ‘everything’ on the side — hummus, chili paste (definitely had a kick to it), various slices of tomatoes, cucumbers, pickled beets, lettuce and chopped parsley and a magic dollop of garlic which I went back for seconds.
Our server chimed that her dad made the garlic paste fresh and had no idea what went into making it. Whatever sorcery that went into the garlic mousse — the combination of light, creamy and pungent — was definitely worth guarding.
This was not a small lunch. I shared it with my 8 year old and still had leftovers to take home.
My other kids chose the shawarma with the marinated chicken and beef. Our lady server recommended it on their homemade pita (ok, it is like a pita but she called it something else) The hubby chose the falafel also nestled in crisp vegetables and tangy condiments in the pita.
There were satisfied hums all around.
Seating
Not a lot of space. Appears to cater to the workers with limited time and little interest to socialize. There is a counter that seats about 8, 3 dinner tables with accompanying chairs. Folks who came in whilst we were there ordered and then hurried off with their bundles of deliciousness under their arms. So, not a romantic first date sort of place.
Servings are all huge (but I’m told I eat like a bird) Ingredient freshness in this locale appear to be highly valued. If you like Mediterranean and spicy Indian foods, Iraqi foods appear to be a marriage of both flavors.
Let’s hope they’ll still be here when we return to Canada.

I feel I should’ve tried the bread or falafel after reading the reviews but instead I had the chicken shawarma plate.
First of all it’s a small place with one table for 4 and one for 2, plus barstool and counter style seating. Fortunately we did get a seat but even for late afternoon on Sunday the table for 4 was taken and many were through for takeout.
The plate is just under $ 11 which is not unreasonable but not cheap. The portions are big though and there’s a number of sauces and garnishes.
My favourite part was the rice. It was so flavourful and unfortunately my least favourite was the chicken. It was not only on the dry side but too hard and crunchy in parts. There was so much I didn’t even come close to finishing.
The only part of the experience that bothered me was the cashier told us to pay after we ate. At the time it seemed like a nice gesture but when we finished eating 2 people were in line to order food and we had to wait in line to pay. And it took a long time!
I would go back to try something else. The staff were nice and obviously cared about the food and its presentation and were polite. I would probably just insist on paying upfront next time so I could leave when I’m done eating

Wow !!!
I came here with a couple of my friends to get lunch. I heard really good things about al tanoor so I decided to order the chicken and beef mixed shawarma which sounded odd to me at first. I absolutely loved it! I’m not one to like shawarma because of the very thin pita and sauce that leaks out everywhere and the messiness of eating it. But this pita is made in store, and is completely unique ! I couldn’t get enough of it. If the store was closer to home I would have one every day.
Definitely recommend eating here.

Already well reviewed. I can’t stress how good the fallafel is here. My wife and I get the sandwich with all the fixings with a bit of hot sauce. So good!
Always good service, homemade bread and great value.

This place was very very basic! the food was nothing special. The Shawarma was actually a little dry. The place was also empty when we came in. Their iraqi bread is awesome though! I gave 3 stars for the bread alone! we came here twice while we were visiting, once for the shawarma which we really were not impressed with, and the next was to get some iraqi bread. overall its an ok place, ive had wayyyyyyy better shawarma though.

Their homemade bread for the shawarma is the main reason why you should go here. The staff is good. Aside from the old man who’s a little lost when it comes to handling lots of orders, fast. This place gets busy fast. The grilled chicken shawarma sets this place apart from your normal rotisserie shawarma joints. It’s like a bbq chicken shawarma. Hopefully this gets your attention. Best $ 6 I’ve ever spent on a shawarma :)

Shawarma is amazing on their homemade bread. The owners really care about making each customer happy. Often he will carefully look at the meat to make sure it’s good quality.
Watch out for the hot sauce it’s really spicy. The owner really has a big heart. I asked him to buy a drink the other day and he gave it to me for free!

My dad took me here on Friday and told me it was amazing. He loves trying all different kinds of food so I was excited to try this. It blew me away. The flavours are unbelievable. The samoon bread is something I had never tried before and I’d never want a shawarma without it ever again. It’s so soft and light, but they put the whole shawarma in a grill press at the end so the outside is crunchy. I loved it so much that I came back on Sunday with my boyfriend and his sister. They were both highly impressed and can’t stop talking about it. My only problem with this place is that it’s so far from my home! Please open a west end location :)

Best sharwama in town, stuffed, juicy and flavorful. Home made bread is the must pick. The only drawback is that preparation can be a bit slow, but hey, great food worthes the wait!

I come to this place at least 2 times a week because I love the Shawarma on the home made bread. Always pretty good and for a good price
I don’t always write reviews, but after having the same issues repeatedly I felt compelled to make my voice. Unfortunately I can’t give this place 4+ stars because of the customer service of one of the employees. Let me clarify that I’ve been served by 3 different people, a young Man, a lady, and an older Man. The young Man and the lady I always look forward to, but UNFORTUNATELY they seem to be working less than previously. The older Man, who I now see more often, is the one I have concerns with.
The older Man consistently forgets my order as he’s making them, usually because he’s too busy speaking with people, whether its the back employees or other people at the place who speak his native language. Even though my order is always simple and the same thing (I frequent this place VERY often), everything with no hot spice, I have to remind him time and time again that he misses things such as sauces, or veggies, and its extremely frustrating. I can understand being busy or having to multitask, but it’s straight disrespectful to be talking to others and having your customer hassled to repeat themselves multiple times because you’re too preoccupied. Definitely his customer service is lacking.
Otherwise, I definitely enjoy the place and Will continue to go as long as they consistently keep up the quality, but if there aren’t any improvements I wouldn’t suggest this place to my friends.

I really really like this place. The food is amazing and fresh. The bread is home-​made and you can tell right away. The people working behind the counter speak great English and are extremely friendly as well. You can tell they clean and take care of the place (first sign, they wear gloves when making orders).
The pricing is very good too in comparison to the surrounding stores. I am now going to go here for all my shawarma needs in Toronto.
Updated: Their prices have gone up. So my review goes down.

Fresh, friendly, great prices! No bland falafel here. Flavourful and hot. Also one of the best beef shawarma places I’ve had in Toronto. The family who runs this restaurant put a lot of love and care into their food. No credit cards but worth going to find an atm.

The best thing about this place is their flavor packed sauces. The provide a good portion, but the cooking of the meat is not consistent. They can burn it badly or cook it dry if not properly advised. If they can take the cooking seriously, they will become one of the best in Toronto with the help of their outstanding sauces, till then they are simply OK.

Went back again, just as good as it was first time. They prepare the food fresh so the prep time is longer than some might expect (5 – 10 mins tops).
Friendly service, great food. On my list of favourites now.
It’s now clearly the best falafel I have had in town, but get the Iraqi home made bread. It’s diamond shaped — far better than pita bread.
Bonus: The veggie Falafel seemed overly inexpensive at 3.99 but it’s lunch-​sized and nicely balanced. Great value!

Great food, very friendly service. The restaurant is clean and the homemade bread is great. I tried the beef shawarma sandwich and it was delicious, and the shish tawook was fantastic. The sauces they provide are great. I just wish the salad had a little more lemon/​garlic dressing.

Excellent chicken shawarma + hot sauce and super nice owner who took extra care with my order! Will definitely be back and look forward to it… Nasib (owner) rocks! Thank you for the best shawarma outside of new York and great service!

Food portions here are great. I didn’t expect the chicken shawarma on a pita to be so stuffed full for just $ 3.99. They also have the option of making the shawarma on home made bread, which I will probably be back to try the next time I visit. I also ordered a shish-​tawook plate for dinner, which was decently sized for $ 7.99. This place can be a bit slow to put your order together but luckily there is a tv to entertain you while waiting at the front. I only wish that they had french fries the day I visited so I could have substituted my rice with them and that they had cups so I could get water rather than being stuck with purchasing a canned or bottled drink. Overall, this is a place that I will probably visit again.

I recommend this place if happened that you were in the neighborhood looking for some simple middle-​eastern food with good price. It is also a cash-​only/​interac place.
It is a simple take-​out place with a very small dining space. They are very nice and kind and have some good Shawarma or Falafel sandwiche and plate ;)
I usually order my wrap with «Sammoon» which is basically a home-​made bread like pita only better! They have a good spicy sauce you should try with your beef or chicken Shawarma.
The price is fair and the portions are OK (I am a big guy and usually rate the portion size according to my standards!).

We were looking for a place to eat on a weekday. nothing really was open at 10:30 and we didn’t want to do a sit down dinner, so what was open? Al Tanoor!
I’ve been to Joshi food to shop but never ventured in here. It wasn’t busy when we went around 10pm but their shawarmas are $ 3.99 each and they are not made in the typical pita bread. it’s a flat almond shape bread. The shawarma is put on a grill like usual.
WOW, it was divine! The bread was crispy and delicious and the fillings were so good! They also have this red chili paste that they put with garlic and hummus — definitely recommend!
$ 4 for a shawarma and that too a filling one? Score!