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Armenian Kitchen
Category: Restaurants Middle Eastern Middle Eastern [Edit]
1646 Victoria Park AveNorth York, ON M1R 1P7
(416) 757-7722
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11 am - 12 am
Sun 12 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
12 reviews for Armenian Kitchen
12 reviews in English
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Review from Rachel L.
Toronto, ON
11/14/2009
First things first: Armenian Kitchen is not Armenian food. The owner has Palestinian roots and serves fairly traditional food from that region. That's cool and all, but as my dad and I are frequent visitors to the Levant, you can imagine how disappointed we were that we weren't eating traditional Armenian food. The only notable difference on the menu was that there was a single pork item.
This wouldn't have been so awful except that my dad, who was visiting from out of town, chose to venture to Scarborough (I live by UofT campus) to eat at this single restaurant in a strip mall that housed an adult video store. We were baffled to see that menu looked Lebanese and the waitress was Croatian.
That said, the food is great! And since we like Levantine food, we can appreciate a good meal of hummus, ful, falafel, and eggplant. I'm fairly snobby about eating falafel outside of the Middle East but this place knows what it's doing. Wow. The pita was typical store bought stuff, no big deal, and my Arabic coffee was eh, but those are small potatoes.
This is not the place for authentic Armenian food, but if you are in Victoria Park for whatever reason, you'll definitely get a satisfying meal here.
P.S. It's not too far from the Scarborough Bluffs, so take advantage of your location and spend some time at the park! -
Review from Tara Y.
Toronto, ON
5/16/2012
this spot is a small, quiet, "hole in the wall" type of place that I would have never thought to try if I didn't read the yelp reviews. They are accurate, the place has great food. The decor is pretty traditional and the place is kind of dark...but not dirty or anything. Even the washrooms were very clean. It was a bit chilly though.
I got the vegetarian platter with chicken shawarma. It comes with 3 falafels, hummous, baba ganoush and taboule as well as chicken shawarma. The chicken was very good, they use breast meat instead of the usual leg meat most shawarma restaurants use. The falafels were a little bit hard if they weren't eaten right away, but still very tasty. The platter was large and I couldn't finish it.
My boyfriend got the chicken shawarma platter. It came with salad and rice. The salad had a nice dressing. He wasn't really a fan of the rice, but he isn't a rice person to begin with. They served 3 large pitas with our meals...we only ate 2.
All in all this place had pretty good food so I will probably be back again! -
Review from Kazi R.
Toronto, ON
4/11/2012
After reading a lot of good reviews,I was there to have some middle eastern food. I knew that it was not fully armenian cuisine but I still wanted to have a good shwarma.
Let me start with the good. The non-meat items are superb. The falafel is so far the best I have tasted in Toronto. The salad was nicely dressed and had good flavours. The pita they served were store bought. The service was nice.
The bad however was the shwarma. I was really dissapointed with the quality. The price I paid was 12.99 for the plate and trust me even the shawrma plates at food courts in a mall are better tasting than theirs. And they cost less than 10 bucks!
The downside was caused by an underseasoned rice side and the lack of flavours in the beef it self. The shwarma pieces were dry and soggy. I wanted them to be crispy on the outer side and juicy in the inside.
I would way this place does not deserve a four star if you are looking for a flavourful meat item.
I checked whether they were on Zagat or not and they are not. The restaurant says they are. -
Review from Vikas I.
Pickering, ON
2/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of food at this place.
Service was amazing, they checked on us multiple times without seeming to interrupt our conversation too many times.
A fair warning the portions are huge. There are quite a few options on the menu for vegetarians, a few for vegans. I ordered the vegetable combo plate, fried eggplant and Lentil soup.
The best part is they give you tons and tons of pickled turnips!! I love pickled turnips, I think no falafel is complete without a pink pickled turnip inside to tantalize your tastebuds and warm your insides to satisfy your desire for the perfect falafel. (yes I take my food seriously!). With the vegetable combo plate besides everything that is stated on the menu they do also give you pita bread so you can make a sandwich for yourself if you like.
Lentil soup wasn't spectacular, but it was filling, nice and warm and seemed homemade. The fried eggplant was awesome, not sure what they put on it after they fried it but it was awesome.
This place is my new favourite middle eastern restaurant. I will update this review if I find one better. -
Review from S D.
Toronto, ON
1/13/2012
One of my favourite Middle Eastern restaurants. The vegetable combo plate is exceptional.
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Review from Steven K.
Whitby, ON
6/1/2011
I have been coming to the Armenian Kitchen for the past 15 years. It truly is a Scarboro icon, and if you like middle eastern food, the food at this place will satisfy your urges.
The decor hasn't really changed in the past 15 years, it could use a bit of updating, however the food is what brings you here.
My favorite dishes at this place are the kebab dishes. All the meats, lamb, beef, chicken are very flavourful and tender.The rice and salad are very good as well.
This place can get very busy on Friday and Saturday nights, and service is not the best at times, but all that aside. This place is a keeper and a must try. -
Review from Geoffrey W.
Toronto, ON
1/6/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Basically, a good place to get some tasty middle-eastern food in a setting that's not quite as "fast-food" as most of the middle-eastern places in Toronto.
This is a sit-down restaurant with dated decor. It feels like a late-70s diner, with none of the retro charm that might inspire. It's not dirty or an eyesore, it's just very dated.
The service is cheerful, if perhaps a little slow at times.
I've never had authentic Armenian food, but some of the other reviewers point out that this place isn't really Armenian. I'm going to lump it into 'middle-eastern food'. What you should expect is things like: felafels, shwarma, baba gannoush, pickled turnips.
All the dishes I've had there is above-average, at least for the Toronto area. I've enjoyed each visit and I'll undobutedly come again, at least when I'm in the area.
Although there are some rough spots that could use attention, I'll definitely be back.Listed in: Lunch near Eglinton & DVP
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Review from Keith C.
10/7/2010
This isn't really a bad place. It's actually got some very good food. I got the vegetarian combo with chicken shawarma. This came with three falafel's, hummus, baba ghannouj, tabuleh salad and some very nice pieces of chicken shawarma. It also came with 3 pieces of pita bread. The salad, hummus, falafel's and chicken shawarma were very good. I just didn't really like the baba ghannouj which dropped it a star. And I like to think that I know my baba ghannouj. Other than that, I really have to rave about the chicken shawarma because it was pretty fresh and seasoned very well.
The wait staff is really friendly but never refilled my water. Also, the decor is really old and traditional. The tables and chairs are really old and the bathroom isn't very clean. -
Review from Dave O.
Toronto, ON
10/9/2009
This place needs some attention. It has, hands down, the best falafel in the city. Nobody even comes close to these golden brown, crispy on the outside, perfectly cakey in the middle, seasoned to perfection orbs of ecstasy.
It's an unassuming place to say the least, located in a strip mall on a block of strip malls and apartment buildings on Victoria Park, it has a small sign and very understated and dated decor. But as Medhat stated in his review, it's all about the food.
The best way to experience the Armenian Kitchen is to go with a group of six or more and get platters. The veggie platter has labneh (pressed yogurt), baba ghanoush, hummus, tabbouleh and a few falafels (these will not be enough, order more!). The lamb with hummus is delicious and used to be a good choice, but the price went up to almost $20, so stick with the chicken shawarma plate for the carnivores, it's well seasoned and just crispy enough.
The beef shawarma is very good as well, but I generally stick with the chicken. The fries are delicious, but often just act as filler, wasting space that could be used for falafel!
If you are feeling especially meaty, have a kufteh, lamb meatball stuffed with pine nuts. For dessert, you can't go wrong with baklava and armenian coffee, a perfect ending to a perfect Armenian meal! The coffee is like espresso-tar, but really delicious and highly caffeinated. Warning: do not drink the sludge at the bottom!
All this is served with (virtually) unlimited pitas and pickle plates, hot sauce and tahini. It's a unique communal dining experience; and if you love falafel, and I know you do, go now and take me too! -
Review from Matthew S.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 4/18/2010
Still my favourite Middle Eastern spot in the city. A couple updates though.
First, after repeat visits, I realize this is really a four star place. I just feel they're cutting corners a little bit. For example, the Vegetable Combo Plate ($12) only has 3 tiny falafel balls. The dips - hummus, baba ganoush, and labneh - are phenomenal though, as is the fatouche salad ($4.50 Regular, $8 Large). Don't be fooled by the foul ($5) though, it ain't so good.
Second, an update on the story behind Armenian Kitchen. It was originally opened by an Armenian guy, hence the name. However, it was later sold to a Lebanese guy, who now runs it. I've heard the quality of Armenian Kitchen has gone down a little in recent years and I wonder if it corresponds to this change in ownership. The waitresses I've talked to are Iraqi and Egyptian. So, there's essentially no Armenian connexion anymore. I don't care though, it's still damn good.Listed in: Eating in the Boonies, Peace in the Middle East
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/17/2010
The Armenian Kitchen is my new favourite Middle Eastern restaurant. Rachel L's review notes that… Read more »
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Review from Medhat S.
Toronto, ON
11/7/2008
This is a favourite lunch place for locals - inexpensive, delicious, decent service. The strip-mall ambiance leaves something to be desired, but really, just helps me focus on how good everything tastes.
This is straight up middle eastern food: falafel, tabbouleh, shawarma, etc. I especially recommend the 'veggie platter with meat' (actual menu item). -
Review from Diva x.
St Catharines, ON
2/25/2010
This lady is on nor hai horizon for recipes I am also armenian she is Palestinian - Armenian . Not Palestinian per se . We have allot of different mixes .
