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College Falafel
Categories: Restaurants Middle Eastern Restaurants Mediterranean Restaurants Vegetarian Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Vegetarian
450 Ossington AveToronto, ON M6G 3T2
Neighbourhoods: Dufferin Grove, Bickford Park
(416) 532-8698
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 10 am - 10 pm
Fri 10 am - 3 am
Sat 12 pm - 3 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dessert, Late Night, Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
22 reviews for College Falafel
Review Highlights
"Donair gets capitalized because it's that good."
(in 5 reviews)
"Best chicken shawarma sandwich around."
(in 3 reviews)
"Delicious garlic sauce, and the pita was sooo fresh and..."
(in 3 reviews)
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22 reviews in English
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Review from A S.
Toronto, ON
1/18/2012
Oh so filling veggie options! Ever had their vegetarian "sandwich?" It is a stuffed eggplant on a whole wheat pita with all the trimmings for just six bucks incl. tax.
I love eggplant so I found this dish very satisfying. Friendly little joint, this is.
It always smells of cinnamon because whenever I come in, they're always sprinkling cinnamon on the fresh new bowls of rice pudding. -
Review from Denise S.
11/9/2011
Ordered some platters here for an event for 80 people. They don't do delivery, so you have to pick the food up from the store, but the prices are very reasonable and the owners were so nice and accommodating. We placed the order less than 48 hours in advance, but they were still able to do it last minute.
The food was a hit! We got a bunch of beef and chicken shawarma platters that came with tabouli salad, pitas, eggplant, etc. The meat was delicious, juicy, and flavourful. The falafel platters were awesome too. The falafel were light and not too dry, not too oily. I really liked the spanikopita as well. Syrup-y sweet baklava made for a perfect finish. -
Review from Imran N.
5/8/2011
Ok i want to give the place five stars because of how nice and cute the couple are. And to make matters worse, they proudly showed me how they were in the newspaper today.
But the truth is, this is an Albanian couple making arabic food and It's missing the arabic taste. The food is not really that good.
But on a positive note, certain things are. The spinach pie is good, and the stuffed pepper is really good. But all the other staple dishes like hummus, shawarama's, tabule, chick pea salad are extremely flavourless.
But the food is made from scratch according to their claim and the couple is super nice. And the place is open late. And really, if you haven't eaten a lot of real arabic food, this place is perfectly fine.
This place is really a 2.5 -
Review from Ryan A.
Toronto, ON
8/6/2011
OVERPRICED!
decent falafel place, but I dont know how they can justify the prices. MANY cheaper and better falafel/shwarma places around Toronto.
I paid $12.00 for a chicken shwarma plate... way to expensive. I wont be back unless that price drops significantly. -
Review from Kent P.
Updated - 3/2/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Tried a great new sandwich. The Falafel with Donair sauce. Donair gets capitalized because it's that good.
Always grab a chicken or veg samosa to munch while I'm waiting for the sandwich (3 minutes is a struggle when I'm hungry).
Also: Rice pudding. Decadent.Listed in: Toronto's Best Sandwiches…, VEG that's more than risotto.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/12/2010
College Falafel is awesome.
One of the biggest draws to it are the offering of Halifax style… Read more »
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Review from Lindsay D.
Ottawa, ON
1/27/2011
Both the meal as a whole AND all of its component parts were Unbelievably Delicious.
Best falafel plate in the city? Or (dramatic pause) Best Falafel Plate Ever?! -
Review from Michelle A.
Toronto, ON
12/15/2010
I love the falafel, but the roasted eggplant wrap is the real vegetarian gem. It's a wrap stuffed with soft, warm, slow-roasted carmelized eggplant, hummus, tabouleh, tzatziki, lettuce, red onion and tomatoes.
In addition to the veggie sandwich and falafel wraps, they have a variety of veggie side dishes: tabouleh salad, chickpea salad, veggie samosas, grape leaves, stuffed eggplant, potatoes, and a lots of sweets: rice pudding, almond cookies, baklava. -
Review from Stephen T.
Toronto, ON
6/19/2011
Fantastic kebob, made just how like it!
I eat here regularly. It's fantastic in a pinch and always satisfies me.
So many places to choose from in this neighbourhood, College Falafel serves up a tremendous kebab - no sauce for me, just the flavour of the meat!
Wonderful... and the owners are fantastically friendly. -
Review from Noel D.
This is my go-to spot on many occassions. There have been several times I am running late for a gig and I am starving, so College Falafel is always on my way and I tend to grab a falafel, shawarma or some samosas -- something quick and portable. I really need to expand my selection though because this place is apparently known for their Halifax donair. In fact, the last time I was there these two girls came in and were raving to the owners about the donair and how great it was. (Update: I have since had the Halifax donair and it's delicious. In fact, it trumps the falafel or shawarma option hands down.)
They are open until 3:00am on Friday and Saturday but they close at 10:00pm on other days, which is not late enough for an owl such as myself. They're not exactly cheap either... Shawarmas are 5 bucks and falfels are $4.40 -- what happened to the $2.99 falafel in Toronto? They recently expanded and are now twice the size with a makeshift "dining" area. Expect this place to be a zoo at 2:30am on Saturdays. -
Review from Kelly O.
5/8/2010
This place really does have the best falafel I've ever had. It wasn;t the usual dry, gritty falafel you get in so many places. Delicious garlic sauce, and the pita was sooo fresh and moist. I also got the amazing baklava. It was not a hit with everyone at our table....but I'd consider a trip here JUST to get more!!!
Awesome! -
Review from Mitch S.
Toronto, ON
11/10/2009
I've been kind of hard on Toronto about the poor Middle-Eastern food since moving from Montreal and I was afraid I'd have to go back to Boustan if I ever had a craving for shawarma. No need to travel for 6 hours when College Falafel is here!
This place is fantastic. They make the falafel fresh when you order (deep-fry it right in front of you to your liking!). The shawarma is cut fresh from the spit and then fried up a bit to make it even juicier...both are huge!
As an added bonus, this place also has the best baklava I've ever had and pretty damn good Turkish coffee to boot! Go here and try it out...Anyone who thinks Ghazale is actually good will not go back there after trying *real* Middle Eastern food! -
Review from Ella B.
Toronto, ON
1/25/2010
Best middle eastern food I've ever had outside of the middle east. I've been on a hunt for good middle eastern food in Toronto for a while, but have always come short.
College Falafel has a friendly family feel to it. The falafel is made fresh on the spot for you. The shawarma is actually cut when you order so it's not dry from sitting in a heated metal container.
If you still have some room after your meal - go for a rose water baklava they are delicious! -
Review from Lizzie J.
Toronto, ON
10/30/2010
They made the falafel fresh at 3am, and topped it with freshly made tabouli, vinegar-ey cabbage, and fearlessly spicy hot sauce. They didn't skimp. The pita was fresh. I almost cried. I was pretty drunk, though, so that might have more to do with the emotional response. But seriously, the BEST falafel I've had in the city thus far.
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Review from Christina C.
Toronto, ON
7/17/2010
Love the donair and baklava! I would give 5 stars but counter service is quite slow although friendly. The last time we went we ordered a greek salad at the same time we ordered our donairs. The salad was still being made when our donairs were ready and was not even finished by the time we were done.
We will be back -
Review from Leslie-anne W.
Toronto, ON
Fresh and healthy tasting. The woman making my falafel at 130am really seemed to care about making it properly. I was impressed. The lamb plate my friend ordered was a delicious revelation - a nice variation on the standard chicken and falafel plates.
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Review from Erin H.
Toronto, ON
9/8/2008
Just north of the beaten track of College St. at Ossington sits a small, Middle Eastern snack counter. I don't if I had heard the place was good or if I just assumed it was because it was a filthy looking venue that had firmly been existing there for a while. If anything could look this bad and not shut down, it had to be good.
Turns out it was a poor assumption on my part. Starving, I went in there last night even though all my senses were telling me not to. I shushed the snob in me and even bypassed the fruit f lies swarming around my head -- as if I were Pig Pen from Peanuts -- when I walked through the door. I ordered an eggplant pita and the married couple who own the joint were very friendly. But the food was really not good. Bland, soggy, and dirty is how I would describe my meal and I felt I was being generous by taking 2 bites. -
Review from Dardana M.
ON
1/12/2009
Located on my way home from everywhere, I started going to College Falafel years ago. It turns out that I share a nationality with the very friendly couple who own it, and thus we always have something to talk about.
Their falafels are decent, though slightly on the bland side- however, what I really like is how incredibly fresh they are, as the balls are fried (ha-ha) on an order-by-order basis. I have had my share of those that are to get dry and stale, sitting out all day, so this is a welcome difference.
I am a big fan of their chicken shawarma, which is really juicy and extra tasty both in its own seasoning and garlic sauce- making up for the lesser-so falafel, in my opinion. Their spinach pies are good enough, but I have been spoiled by spending so much time in Greektown lately. -
Review from A V.
Toronto, ON
4/9/2010
One of my favourite places. Best chicken shawarma sandwich around.
Yes, yes, I know the place itself is nothing fancy, but the food is unbeatable, the people who run it are friendly and, as someone else noted, they expanded a bit so you can sit down inside and enjoy your food now.
I've spoken to the gentleman who works there a couple of times and they really strike me as decent, hardworking people.
Did I mention they make a great chicken shawarma sandwich? -
Review from David Z.
Toronto, ON
8/30/2010
I went here the other day for my usual Donair and as usual it tasted amazing; reminded me of home (Halifax). This time however I decided to treat myself to a little baklava and it was amazing. I've had baklava before, but nothing compares to this. This baklava was angelic!
Oh and the Donair was amazing too. -
Review from Robin E.
Toronto, ON
6/6/2010
I stopped in here late night on an impulse, and was rewarded for my efforts. I had a falafel pita and a finger baklava.
The falafel was delicious, crispy-crunchy outside with soft moist interior. I'm not an expert on falafel, and I don't know what makes one "authentic", but the one I had here was definitely something to write home about. Good pita too, moist, not tough, but didn't tear while I was holding it.
The baklava was nice too, extremely soft, dripping with sugar, with a generous hint of rosewater. They use cinnamon, which I usually don't like (it tends to overpower all other flavours), but here it was light enough to be pleasant.
I'm looking forward to going back to try the shawarma, or just to get another falafel. -
Review from Annaliza M.
Etobicoke, ON
7/25/2010
One of the best lamb shawarmas I've ever had. You can taste the love in the food.
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Review from Sam G.
Toronto, ON
5/8/2010
Solid 3. Nice lamb shawarma. 5 or 6 tables. Washrooms. Friendly service. They really prepare your food in full view, which is nice. I'd go back if in the area for a quick bite - there aren't that many places in the area to get a good quick lunch to go.
