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Silk Road Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Middle Eastern Middle Eastern [Edit]
438 Horner AvenueEtobicoke, ON M8W 2B3
Neighbourhood: Etobicoke
(416) 259-9440
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
7 reviews for Silk Road Restaurant
7 reviews in English
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Review from Linda C.
Toronto, ON
5/19/2012
Such good, authentic, Xinjiang yang ro chuan here!
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Review from Tony F.
7/12/2011 1 photo
OK.. so I've final met the kabob nazi. I surely thought I was going to get whacked over the head, or jabbed by a skewer from the owner that night. It was one of the oddest things. I've been on a quest for authentic Uyghur food since my return from my China trip. Took a group of yelpers to Xin Jiang in the north east, but had heard about Silk Road before. Did a google search and came up with an article about how the owners who are authentic Uyghurs, refuse to eat in Chinese restaurants because it's a disrespect for his culture and started the first Turkish-Chinese restaurant in Toronto.
I was extremely excited to get here. It's a tiny restaurant in small strip of 2 stores in south Etobicoke just south of Sherway Gardens. Parking is extremely tight, and it looks like Silk Road is battling their neighbours for parking spots as the owner stood out front watching every car come in. I overheard him tell another customer not to park past the divisional line between his property and the mini-mart next door.
I was also a tad worried about his stance with the Chinese, but when I arrived, it was all mainland Chinese folks who were here. I was given a menu in Chinese, and while waiting for a friend to arrive I decided to take a picture, only to have the returning owner from the parking lot freak out at me. He screamed for me to delete it now. "Delete NOW! Delete NOW!" as if for every second it was on my phone he was losing his secret spices. In fact he stood over my shoulder to watch me do it.
Now, normally, I wouldn't take this kind of crap, but decided to forego a scene as my friend was just coming in from the lot. As she was sitting down the owner was back and asked if we were ordering yet. My friend none the wiser returned a smile and said she was just sitting down and he stomped off.
Silk Road is a bit of the opposite of Xian Jiang. Where XJ had a monster menu, Silk Rd. had a minuscule menu of Kabobs, Laghman (fresh hand pulled noodles), Polo (a rice Pilaf), and the Big Plate of Chicken. Period.
We got the Lamb Kabobs and split a skewer of Kidney bobs, Lamb Laghman and Chicken Polo.
The bobs were freaking fantastic and as good as any that I had in China. The other two dishes were just okay. I have yet to find the consistency of noodles that I discovered in Asia. The polo was alright, and was much more like a homemade meal than something from a restaurant.
I do know one thing though.... For $1.75 a skewer, I dropping by and facing the kebob nazi if I'm in the west end. But fare thee be warned. Achtung Baby!
Unfortunately it wasn't Even Better Than The Real Thing, and he did move in Mysterious Ways.Listed in: Meh!
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Review from Lei H.
Toronto, ON
8/8/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Born and raised in Xinjiang, I don't have high expectations in Xinjiang food anywhere outside of Xinjiang.
Other than the lam kebab, I don't recommend anything, but it's still worth 4 stars just for the authentic Uyghur owners. Will go there once a while if I have a good appetite for meat.
The place is very small. Better make reservation before you go. -
Review from Jason V.
North York, ON
9/16/2011
It's decor is totally lackluster but the food speaks for itself
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Review from Heather M.
3/8/2010
One of my friends recommended that I go here for the kebabs. They were really yummy, amazing seasoning and spices, although they were somewhat fatty. I also liked the really traditional feel to the restaurant - where else will you find Uyghur dishes in Toronto?!
What was really lacking about the place - it is in the middle of nowhere in Etobicoke, so hard to access by public transit. The staff there can be pretty rude - don't come here expecting people to roll out the red carpet or to even smile. The decor is not somewhere to write home about - it's the type of place where you have greasy laminated menus and sticky floors. There is not a huge selection of food, particularly if you're a vegetarian - everything seems to be some kind of iteration of rice and noodles or lamb. I'm not a vegetarian, so that was fine with me.
Also, if you want to order some of their hand-pulled noodles, I've been advised that you have to order it in advance. When I went, I tried to order them, only to be told that they'd run out. Meanwhile, ten minutes later another table got their food and what was on it? The hand pulled noodles. (I had thought at the time that the wait staff was being selectively rude, but as it turns out, my friend advised me that it was all about the pre-order)
So all in all, recommended if you want some traditional Uyghur food and some good lamb kebabs. Not recommended if you're cranky and hungry and want to be put in an even worse mood. -
Review from David G.
Toronto, ON
Best lamb kebabs in the GTA!
If you have a hunger for roasted lamb, this is the place to go! -
Review from Pravit C.
7/3/2010 4 photos
I traveled in Xinjiang a few years ago and this restaurant really took me back. The food was spot on. We ordered lamb kebabs, dapanji (a huge plate of chicken, potatoes, peppers, and thick noodles in a savory sauce), and two plates of noodles - lamian (pulled noodles) with sauce, and chopped noodles. On top of that we ordered some lamb soup as well.
Everything was delicious - their standout dishes are definitely the lamb kebabs and the noodles. Uyghur noodles are delicious - they're hand-pulled and have a great chewy bounce to them.
The service and decor are a bit minimal, but who cares? You come here for the food. If only they opened up downtown, I'd be eating here every week.
