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Me Va Me
Category: Restaurants Middle Eastern Middle Eastern [Edit]
330 Steeles Ave WThornhill, ON L4J 6X6
(905) 771-7377
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
17 reviews for Me Va Me
17 reviews in English
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Review from Viviana M.
Toronto, ON
1/8/2012 4 photos
Dining Experience: Lunch and Dinner
Specialty: Israeli Dinner
Menu items: Minced Lamb on Humus, Baba Ganoush, Chicken Shish Kebab, Jerusalem Mix and Famous Lemonade
Before I go on describing the beautiful dishes this Thornhill restaurant brings to our city, I am going to explain the meaning of its name first. One, because this seems to be a common question among people; and two, because its good to know, isn't it?
According to fellow bloggers, Me Va Me means "who and whose". Why would the Russian Jewish owners call their restaurant that way? bites me...but I thought we should get that out of the way first.
Now on to the food! Let's kick this off with my fave menu item, the Minced Lamb on Hummus. In my mind there is nothing better than meat covered in a sweet and silky chick pea spread. Add to that a strong meat such as lamb, seasoned with paprika, cinnamon, lemon and some...topped with pine nuts, and you got yourself one hell of a tasty appetizer!
I have yet to try a hummus this good. When I visit this Jewish diner, I already know what my two meat spreads will be. The former which I just described, and the Baba Ganoush, which I use on the rest of my entrees.
The Baba Ganoush is grilled eggplant mashed with garlic and other spices. Because of the texture and flavour, I often find this dip goes well on rice, chicken, beef and even potatoes. I highly recommend getting your dip-ready fingers on this one.
Me Va Me is well known for their fantastic Shawarma dishes as well as their Kebabs. Kebabs are simply pieces of meat on a skewer, seasoned and grilled. The making of this dish is nothing special; however what makes it special at Me Va Me is the tenderness of the meat, and in this case, the chicken. The juices are still running through the meat when it arrives at your table; on top of that the meat is so tender and light to chew that you almost wonder if they have a farm of chickens in the back...it tastes that fresh!
A recent find, and acquired taste for me, is the Jerusalem Mix. The Jerusalem Mix is traditionally a dish made with all kinds of chicken innards. Yes, you heard right, its all the insides of a chicken in a dish. At Me Va Me this dish has chicken liver, hearts and pieces of dark meat, all sauteed with caramelized onions, olive oil and parsley. Some find this dish unique, I find it quite delicious and tasty. You might also think of this as a delicacy; because of the addition of the hearts, this dish is amongst the most expensive ones found in the menu...think about it, how many hearts can a chef get from one chicken?
The last item on my review, and probably the first you should order, its Me Va Me's Famous Lemonade. This is no regular lemonade. What you get is a well blended mix of mint, lemonade mix and ice. I think there is more to this, but the menu (owners) does not share all. It's a phenomenal drink and a great accompaniment to any meal.
Note to Foodies: Portions are quite large so sharing is highly recommended. Also, the restaurant tends to be extremely busy on weekends and takes no reservations, be prepared to wait 30-45 mins for a table during peak times.
Until next time Foodies!
Buen Provecho,
Viviana. -
Review from Targol K.
Thornhill, ON
4/1/2012
I would give this place 5 stars a year ago. I started going to this place more than 6 years ago and they were the best Mediterranean food you could find with huge portions and an amazing salad that accompanied each order.
Now, every time I go back, I realize that the prices have gone up while the portions have become smaller. The food quality is still very good though.
The Lemonana is a drink to try.
Free onsite parking is available. -
Review from Edwin A.
What's unique this express location offers items in a pita, which the me va me sit down restaurants don't offer.
The chicken breast pita and beef pita are my recommends here.
My advice is to go light on the toppings for your pita because before you know it the sandwich becomes mammoth, soaked with sauce and it falls apart.
note the washrooms are tiny, think airplane restroom.
Most of the time me va me express is consistently good but there was one time the chicken almost tasted like it was boiled then grilled.. this was at rushhour dinner time on a weekday.. -
Review from Hazel P.
9/20/2011
Oh joy! It's Me Va Me. Everytime I go here I'm guaranteed 1) great portion sizes, 2) great prices, 3) great service. This place is just consistently great. It's so great it borders on amazing. What would make it amazing is a little bit of imagination with some of their dishes. Perhaps as an special of the day? Anyway, I'm just dreaming. This is solid Mediterranean food. You can't really go wrong no matter what you order. I've been here several times with family & friends. I try something different every time & every time the food is delish!
They do get very busy during lunch hours, dinner, etc. So if you have a large party you can make reservations. As for the decor, it looks like a diner & some of the seats in their booths are worn out. But decor aside, I would recommend it to anyone! -
Review from Peter C.
North York, ON
9/14/2011 2 Check-ins Here
This location of Me Va Me is an express location, which means the seating is much like a pizza pizza type like an earlier reviewer mentioned.
There aren't much seats in this location, but it is good for a quick meal or take out. It is pretty busy as well, I constantly see people coming in and out for take out or fast meal.
I liked their electronic ordering screens, it is easy to know whats available to order. I went today for lunch with some co-workers and had the lunch box Shawarma for $9.95
You get to choose a side of fries, steamed veggies or rice. I went with steamed veggies. When I got the meal, the portions were very generous, lots of chicken shawarma and a piece of bread, comes already with a salad, so I had plenty of veggies in my meal.
I liked it, it was pretty delicious. The tried the rice, it was a bit bland instead of flavorful, but overall it was still a pretty good meal.
I think the portions could be enough for two people, so for couples going there or two friends who aren't starving entirely, ordering 1 lunch box or 1 dinner box might be enough for two.
For the price, this portion is a really good value and quality. I will definitely come back here for a meal or two when I am hungry for Shawarma! -
Review from Deb M.
Vaughan, ON
4/5/2012
Delicious food, knowledgeable staff, excellent variety, portions are appropriate for the price
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Review from Isaac E.
North York, ON
9/30/2011
Definitely a good selection for Middle Eastern.
I usually end up getting their falafels and the selection of stuffing you can add to it is wide and delicious.
I haven't tried the rest of the menu but the falafels are great. -
Review from aprile c.
Vancouver, BC
2/7/2011
My fiance and I went here with a couple of friends who are frequent visitors. We're huge fans of Mediterranean food so they suggested this place for lunch. The portions were so big we didn't need to eat dinner that night. The meals itself had a lot of flavour. Can't go wrong with any of the schnitzel or kabobs.
They are decently priced. With the amount you get you can't really complain. The restaurant was pretty busy, which is usually a good sign about its service and food.
If you're ever in this area Me Va Ma is definitely worth checking out. -
Review from WaYnE c.
Maple, ON
10/13/2010 2 photos
Me Va Me Express occupies a corner spot and has almost a Pizza Pizza feel inside but with Mediterranean food. I took a brief while to decided on the Lamb Shish Kebob(Pita, $6.75) but the cashier asked me about 3 times what else I wanted, maybe a drink? 2.5 *Star*
Nowhere on the Menu Board does it show you the cost of a can of Peach Juice($2.20) which I thought was a bit costly after the fact she rang it up. You win this round Cashier Lady!
Lamb Pita as she said did take roughly 10 minutes as it was put into a Pita Pocket unlike the ones at Pita Pit or Pita Factory but has a bit thicker/chewy and smaller shape than the traditional ones. I like it although looking at it makes me think they did that on purpose to lower the intake of ingredients that can fit inside.
The Lamb Kebob took a few more chews than I wished for but it's A-OK while the toppings options was very nice as I added Babaghanoush, Onion, Spicy item. The Chicken Kebob I believe takes the same time as I noticed someone waiting for it and he was there before I was. If you wish for fast then just stick with Shawarma.Listed in: 2.5 **Stars**, Middle East Scoops, Fire'd
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Review from Michelle L.
North York, ON
12/29/2010
Good service, seating area roomy, food portion big, pleasant experience overall.
Ordered chicken skewers and lamb skewers and both were tender and moist. Really enjoyed my first visit there. Will be visiting again. -
Review from Brian H.
1/3/2011
This place is quite popular with my Toronto friends... with cheap prices, huge portions, and cute staff, it's no wonder this Israeli joint is a bright spot in the otherwise dull, suburban shtetl of Thornhill.
I highly recommend the schnitzel (it was enough for two), but the mashed potatoes are served cold (boo!). Otherwise, a good budget Mediterranean, with lean but up-to-date ambiance. -
Review from Abby R.
Toronto, ON
2/19/2010 ROTD 4/2/2010
When I'm in the mood for some delicious falafel, but don't feel like making the trip to the holy land, I go to one of the many mini-holy lands in the GTA: Thornhill.
Luckily, this take-out location of Me Va Me is just around the corner from my mum's house, making it easy to sneak by whenever we are in the neighborhood. The wait is never too long, and the food is freakin' delicious. I've tried various falafel places in the city, but none measure up. The food is fresh and the services is fast and efficient. If you a vegetarian be sure to sample some delicious and fried-to-perfection falafel, carnivores will appreciate the melt-in-your-mouth shwarma. The babaganoush, hummus, and chewy soft pittas round out your middle eastern delight (not to mention rounding out your mid-section).
If you don't feel like waiting at the main restaurant and happen to be in the area it's definitely worth swinging by to see how real falafel should taste!Listed in: ROTDs
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Review from Jen K.
Toronto, ON
3/8/2010
I haven't eaten at this place in years but when the name came up on my Yelp home page, I just had to put my two cents in.
This place is food poisoning in every bite.
Not surprised to see another reviewer had the same experience because after weird and wonderful stomach bug # 2, I decided to boycott the joint (despite it being one of my family's favourites).
The shawarma isn't THAT good. -
Review from K V.
Thornhill, ON
1/23/2011
Their quality started to decline about a year ago, every time it is worse than before. Yesterday we ordered delivery, not only it took more than an hour, but the food was a real disappointment. We got chicken sishkebob with their Israeli salad (cubed tomatoes and cucumbers with house dressing) and the combo of 4 Israeli favorites: baba ganoush, fried eggplants, humus and pickled mushrooms. Out of all that only the kebob was edible. The rice was too dry, they completely screwed up the salad dressing, it was ultra lemony and runny, Israeli combo was tasteless, baba ganoush was plain old. Finally lesson learned: never again!
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Review from Mona K.
North York, ON
7/26/2011
I really liked the humous but I wouldn't get anything else as I'm a vegetarian, except maybe the salad which I haven't tried yet. The thing I really didn't like about this place is the man behind the counter (I think he's the cousin or brother of the owner) kept saying "HI GUYS" what do you guys want and he used the GUYS word like 6 times in 4 sentences..I am not a friggin GUY..and I hate it when people lump me into that category..learn some manners!
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Review from Josh G.
Thornhill, ON
2/20/2011
I have eaten at the original Me Va Me many many times until a few months ago. On my last visit I saw 2-3 small bugs (cockroach type) on the floor near my table. The eat-in location right at Steeles/Bathurst was finished for me. Despite my family's love of the place, I opt out when they decide they are going to eat there. The food was very good but I can't stomach eating a restaurant where I blatantly saw a bug infestation in the dining room. To top it off, the wait-staff is hit/miss. I still frequent the take-out location on Steeles for my shawarma fix (best I've had in the area) and await a chance to try their new eat-in/take-out location at Bathurst/Rutherford which is still (after several months) not open!
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Review from Ivan S.
NORTH YORK, ON
6/3/2010
This is a takeout place with some tables inside. The food was really bad. I had a shawarma entree. Meat was ok but everything else tastes like preheated fast food. Use this place as one of your last choices for fast food.
