Sarah’s Shawarma & Falafel

Went there for a falafel mixed veggie sandwich.
1^st for middle eastern food and or sandwich. I don’t really expect to pay $ 9 (it’s the large but it’s not really large)
I went there for falafel. and seriously I won’t come back, they were really not good. mushy, flavorless… not my idea of a great falafel place… nop.
won’t come back (I usually go at Mona’s Shawarma & Falafel Fast Food Inc at 661 College St (by grace street. I will stick to that place)

Sarah’s is my go-​to place in the Annex for a reliable, delicious shwarma. I always order a large beef and falafel mix with tabole and fried cauliflower, and I always get what I’m looking for. Their prices are reasonable for an above — average wrap, there’s lots of seating and the workers are friendly. Conveniently located on Bloor between Spadina and Bathurst.

The sign out front said ‘fish wrap’ and they didn’t have it so I got falafel. She didn’t make them fresh, they were hard, cold and dry.
Maybe meat eaters have more luck here!

I really wanted to like this place as it looks yummy from outside… however, my shawarma was rather disappointing. The chicken had a weird texture, it didn’t taste fresh. Not sure if it was because I came later in the evening but even so, shawarmas shouldn’t taste NOT fresh. I won’t be a repeat customer. Plenty of other great shawarmas to be had, just not here.

Cheap for a regular chicken shawarma but the lady was stingy about the toppings. Even things like baba ghanoush were extra. .Also the chicken filling itself was bad. It was dry and kinda crumbled a bit and seemed to have no flavouring or marinade whatsoever which is essential to a shawarma. The pita was nice and the pickled beets were good too but otherwise not great. Would not recommend but if you’re starving like I was, it’s a decent place for a good price. $ 5.64 regular chicken shawarma.

I can’t speak for the meat, but I will say the falafel is pretty fantastic. As is the hummus. I usually find falafel dry and pretty boring, but Sarah’s makes them huge and tasty. Decent price. Quick. Nice people.

Although it wasn’t the best shawarma wrap I’ve ever had, it was reasonably above average, and at that price point, one can’t really complain. Quick service and the staff were quite pleasant. If you’re in the Annex area and looking for some savory Middle Eastern food, don’t hesitate to pay this place a visit!

My friend highly recommended this place and after reading reviews here, I went and got a chicken shawarma plate (~$ 12.50) and I guess my expectations were high because I was a bit disappointed as there wasn’t anything special about it (the serving size is medium, you get rice and choice of 2 salads, hummus, and some meat). I went there again a few days ago just to give it another try and it was decent. So if you are nearby and hungry, it is good place to get your food but I won’t go out of my way to get my dinner from here.
P. S. The sign by the entrance says that students get 10% with a valid student I. D, I didn’t know about it, so if you go there make sure to ask for it.

Super yummy and friendly, funny staff. The vegetable samosa is better than the chicken.

Pretty brutal place. Not sure where the positive reviews are coming from. My beef shawarma sandwich was awful. I saw someone mention how cold their sandwich was which was the same case for me. The meat was very gross did not taste good at all. It was cheap I will give it that but I would def not recommend. I guess my search for great shawarma in the annex continues…

Give me a break! What is the attraction to this place? Seriously — it was so crappy I see how the conspiracy theories start about Unilocal listings. The reviewers must be paid to write such glowing results about this place! I know they aren’t but what is going on here?!
I had the chicken falafel combo wrap. The chicken was room temperature and the falafel balls were less than that. They heat the wrap on the grill before serving but not nearly enough to heat up the falafel balls and chicken inside. Just the lettuce gets warmed up. So gross. There is very little flavour here folks. You have NO idea what a shawarma is supposed to taste like if you love these. In fact I think this is more bland than McDonalds. It is just a cheap sandwich to fill a person up. That’s it.
If you want flavour there are a few really great places in Toronto and Scarborough. Although not that close to Sarah’s, Liberty Shawarma is fantastic! You can taste all the ingredients separately. The hummus, the tahini, the garlic sauce, the chicken spices and the hot sauce — fantastic!
There are Shawarma places closer to Bathurst I have never been to but I guarantee each and every one of them can be no worse than this place and probably they are better.
I read these reviews and went to try Sarah’s because of them. So now I have to warn people after me that there is nothing there to see!!! Bad news!
EDIT: Forgot to mention how terribly salty it was.

We were on a mission to get poutine, a must-​do before leaving Canada. We had just about given up and decided to simply get Mediterranean food for lunch, but were pleasantly surprised to find that Sarah’s Sharwerma offered the Canadian treat! So we ordered a large portion of poutine to accompany our chicken and falafel wraps, a meal for two totaling ~$ 20. I was slightly disappointed because they use cheese shreds instead of cheese curds which is the authentic style, but you still can’t really go wrong with the combo of fries, gravy, and cheese, amiright? I was further reassured that it was an adequate representation of the Canadian dish when two students walked in and each had a large plate of poutine for themselves, seemingly as a square meal. The poutine was very salty and caused us to be thirsty for the rest of the day, so maybe the fries don’t need to be salted considering the toppings are sodium-​heavy. The wraps were good, though I couldn’t really detect much falafel, only chicken. I wish they put more hummus in there, too. As tourists, we knew that coming to the UT campus would be a smart choice, with lots of ethnic foods at college student friendly prices.

Nothing spectacular, in my opinion. Yes, it was a good shawarma, but I feel like there are plenty of other places with ‘good enough shawarma’.
The space is pretty. weird, I would say. It’s a cheap-​looking place, with mismatched décor and frames with different currency bills in them. I don’t know what they are trying to say with that — they like money?
I also got a pistachio baklava, as I usually go cray-​cray over them, but when I got home I discovered it was burnt on the bottom, and that changed the whole taste of it :(

This is one of the few places, maybe the only place, that I have eaten at back when visiting in September 2005 that is still around now that I live here. The whole interior has changed and I wonder if it isn’t under new ownership.
Last night I popped in for a quick bite before the Doc Soup screening – the first time in at least a year. My favourite vege sandwich in the city may be their falafel sandwich with cauliflower and eggplant. Scratch that. This might be my favourite sandwich of any kind.
Usually I classify falafel into one of two groups: freshly made or already made. Obviously freshly made always wins. But last night I might have found the one exception. (I’m assuming it was fried within the hour). Paying a buck more for that eggplant and cauliflower was well worth it.
I won’t pretend to be an expert here and just say that the other ingredients seemed fresh and were plentiful. I got exactly what I wanted for under $ 6.
Compared to the older interior, the «new» Sarah’s is vastly improved. But keep in mind that this is a small budget shop in the Annex; there won’t be a chandelier or cloth napkins.
Excellent for lunch or a quick dinner, especially if you are en route to the Bloor. And unlike the shop next to the theater, there is actually places to sit here. Highly recommended!

I tried the beef shawarma and kebab, both very good. very soft and juicy. Their beef can taste a bit hard/​dry sometimes, but other than that it was awesome!
Nice little place to eat in a good area. Staff is very friendly and nice.

Stopped in on the way home from the city, was starving and this seemed like a good choice for a late night dinner.
Place is clean, friendly and the owner (I think it was the owner) seems to really value his clientele. I tried their Chicken Shawarma with the works. Didn’t realize that the «large» sandwich was «LARGE». Filling and delicious and I’d recommend Sarah’s (odd name) anytime if you’re looking for a block of meat is kept heated on the rotating spit

This place is the definite winner over Pitaland down the street. Extremely authentic shawarma. Friendly staff. I always opt for mine «Canadian spicy» — but they’ll pack it on for the spice lovers in the crowd. The chicken is flavorful and the beef is incredible too. Extra pickled radishes and baba gannouj, and you’re good to go!
I plan to return and try some of the other offerings in the case soon.

We popped in to grab a quick bite not really expecting much. In fact, the place doesn’t look like much. A standard spot with tables and chairs. It’s very unassuming.
My friend wanted it hot, REALLY hot. The man behind the counter asked «hot? or Canadian hot?» When my friend told him to bring it on, he dug into the hot sauce and almost broke the spoon! My friend was sweating and said that it was just the right amount of heat. :D
I was not that brave, I went for the ‘Canadian hot’ and it was spicy enough for me. It was the best Chicken Shawarma outside of Montréal. (In my opinion) It was super cheap! My Swarma was $ 6! That’s another reason that I wasn’t really expecting much.
**If you are looking for a quick, cheap & yummy bite to eat in the Annex, this is the place**

3.5 *
Sarah’s is one of those places I’d been waiting to go for the longest time after hearing so many people say it’s the best shawarma in the city.
So the verdict is that the shwarma is alright! I’m not sure how to rate or describe a shawarma but I can tell you Sarah’s does not come close to the good stuff you can get anywhere in Germany, France or NYC!
That being said, there are a good couple of positive notes to take away:
–Hours are great
–Staff is extra nice
–Space is brand new and clean
–Meat is not extra spiced as in some places
Overall, probably the best place to grab shawarma late at night in Toronto.

It’s sad, but Sarah’s has really gone downhill.
They used to be a great option for a quick and tasty shawarma, with Tamarind Jumex being a nice bonus.
But the food has declined to the point where I’m not going back.