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Walima Cafe
Category: Restaurants Moroccan Moroccan [Edit]
1450 Danforth AvenueToronto, ON M4J
Neighbourhood: The Danforth
(647) 268-3327
- Hours:
Tue-Thu, Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 11 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dessert, Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
12 reviews for Walima Cafe
11 reviews in English
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Review from Leeor J.
Updated - 6/20/2010 1 Check-in Here
After going back to this place tonight for father's day, i'm upping my review to 5 stars. It has proven to be consistently excellent.
The food there is great, and at absurdly reasonable prices. I don't think they have a dish over $14. I had the chicken bastilla this time. It was great. And all the salads were better this time. more zippy.
My only concern is that whenever I go, there are never too many people, and I want to make sure this place doesn't go anywhere. Its my goto moroccan restaurant in Toronto.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/21/2010
For a first time visit, they treated us like regulars! Even got to hang out after closing and smoke… Read more »
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Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
8/23/2011 6 photos
Walima Cafe was such a disappointment.... The website, menu and even the decoration show a lot of promise... for some yummy Moroccan food....
The only good part of the meal aside from the deco... yes I just love those cushion sofa type seatings... was the Harissa (hot sauce)!! My yelp dinner mates just drowned everything in the Harissa to give some kick and spice to the food.
Grilled Merguez - Moroccan style sausages served with Harissa ($6.25) was the best dish of the night... the sausages was tasty and has great flavour
Marrakesh Chicken Tagine, chicken with saffron potatoes and preserved lemons, olives ($13.25)
- I would not have consider this as a tagine as the chicken was definitely not cooked in low heat over a period of time... a fast food version maybe?
- white meat was used and the chicken was dried and not tender at all
- the broth is interesting though really light
Kofta Tagine ($11.95)
- ground meat balls cooked in tomato sauce with an fried egg on top?
- Maybe it is our fault to pick this dish as it tasted like Italian meatballs??
Sahara Chicken Bastilla ($13.75)
- The outer layer of the pastry was nicely done..but the chicken was overcooked and the whole bastilla was really dry
- lack the complexity contrast of sweet and saltiness of the other bastilla I had before
Mint Tea ($5)
- A-OK... and love the standard Moroccan presentation...
I don't think I would be coming back to Walima Cafe again... it was just a totally disappointing experience.Listed in: A Day in The Danforth!, Africian Safari
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Review from WaYnE c.
Maple, ON
10/6/2011
Walima Cafe has wonderful atmosphere for impressing someone that has little-to-no experience with Moroccan theme decor. It might not show the same out in the street with it's sketchy unknown neighbouring establishments but you can easily walk pass those even at the expense that those could be more authentic locals-in-the-know only but then you'll look out-of-place suspicious.
Walima Cafe on the other hand was my hope as a replacement Tagine spot in Scarborough I used to favor. Obviously hard to match the prices in Scarborough so I will hold that judgement for you to decide. Let's talk about exotic flavours and serving utensils, shall we?
Grilled Merguez($6.25)
Moroccan-style Sausages w/Harissa
- Not my favourite textural Sausage variation in the world
- HARISSA did make everything taste more flavourful.
We couldn't stop dipping Harissa on everything we saw.
Marrakesh Chicken Tagine($13.25)
Chicken with Saffron Potatoes and Preserved Lemons, Olives
- White Meat Chicken really turned me off this dish.
- Flavours from Sauces not intense enough.
Kofta Tagine ($11.95)
- Morrocan Meatball. Sauce not spicy enough.
Sahara Chicken Bastilla ($13.75)
- Served as a complete Pastry Round, cool.
- Pastry nicely baked crispiness outershell.
- Chicken dry affecting other ingredient elements.
- Lack sweetness savouriness, I've had better elsewhere.
Mint Tea ($5)
- My Friend always likes to play with the handle-decoration. Weird, eh? -
Review from Hailey H.
Toronto, ON
6/19/2011
After having great Moroccan food at another restaurant in Scarborough, I was excited to discover Walima Cafe was just a few blocks down from my house (yay, weekly Moroccan deliciousness!)
The experience we had at Walima Cafe was disappointing to say the least. The menu showed such promise, offering traditional Moroccan dishes similar to the Moroccan meal we had previously. We excitedly ordered the chicken and lamb shank tagine with cous cous and prepared for a culinary delight. What we were not prepared for however was a forty-five minute wait, overly salty food--everything was drenched in salt (I can maybe understand the meat being a tad bit on the salty side but even the couscous was laden in salt), small portions, and meat that was tough and not fresh at all.
We were thoroughly disappointed with our meal and overall experience. The prices were on the higher side for the quality and portion size of the food and the wait time was ridiculous for food that wasn't even made fresh. Seriously, everything tasted microwaved.
The service was OK--it would have been nice for them to at least come by and say, "Hey, your food should be about ___ minutes more" so we could have at least ordered an appetizer to tide ourselves over since we were starving and one of only two tables occupied at the time.
Overall, bad experience and definitely will not return. -
Review from Junaid U.
Toronto, ON
5/11/2009
While on the Danforth, Walima Cafe remains tucked away from the usual hustle and bustle that you normally encounter on the Danforth. This cozy Morrocan restaurant offers a unique and flavourful experience to those wanting to try something different.
As you walk into this restaurant, you can truly appreciate their efforts in creating a very nice and homely place to enjoy good food and great company. I absolutely love the decour here with dim lighting, beautiful art work on the walls and cushy seating arrangements all around for your butt to enjoy. Equipped with a fairly large tea room groups, this place does a wonderful job at creating the arabesque ambience to enhance your dining experience.
Between the four of us, we ordered a plate of hummus and shrimp sharmoula as our appetizers...both were good but neither was exceptional. For our entrees, we each ordered something to satisfy our individual cravings whereas i went with the most exotic item on the menu: the sahara chicken bastilla OR as i like to call it, the chicken baklava! Their description of the dish is as follows:
A savoury mix of chicken and almonds, marinated in sweet spices, wrapped in thin layers of Phyllo pastry, topped with cinnamon and powdered sugar.
Its almost impossible to describe the sensation that went on in my mouth as i chowed down this dish. I mean spicey chicken mixed with almonds and then wrapped in a hard pastry shell and then topped with honey, cinnamon and powdered sugar...are you kidding me?!?! It wasn't even good...it was F*ing great! Never before have i experienced such a medley of sweet and spicey working oh so well together. If you dont believe me, check it out for yourself!
I nibbled away at everyones plates and this was by far my favorate dish on their menu. The other dishes all reminded me of a less spicey version of pakistani food.
The house green tea is a must have before concluding this meal. I had a wonderful experience at Walima and i look forward to going back for yet another round of chicken baklava!
Please note, all dishes prepared at this restaurant are said to be halal.
Thanks and enjoy! -
Review from Viviana M.
Toronto, ON
5/8/2011
Went to Walima Cafe with the expectation to find a true authentic and delicious Moroccan restaurant. The place was indeed authentic (at least the menu was representing) as it had Tagine style dishes, the infamous starter dips as well as a Moroccan decor to it.
I was however disappointed with the quality of food. I had the Lamb Tagine and I am sorry to report the only good part about it was the seasoning/broth. The almonds and fruity flavours were quite good and yummy, but the meat in itself was hard to cut and eat, not braised at all, not fresh at all. Same for the dips, nothing special here.
The place atmosphere did not live up to my expectations either, I heard Latin beats in the background for sure...I can recognize my music from miles away, who knows, maybe the manager/owner was in that mood that day; either way not a good overall experience.
One last note - rice was just as disappointing.
Sorry Walima to give you such rating; however I think when it comes to a restaurant delivering on well prepared and fresh food, customers should be aware. Service was excellent, but unfortunately I don't think I will come back here again.
Viviana. -
Review from Matthew S.
Toronto, ON
3/26/2010 2 photos
Walima Cafe is decent Moroccan joint with a nice atmosphere, reasonable prices, and pretty good food. The front of the restaurant a handful of small couches and tables that might be cool if you're there on a date and want something more intimate. In the back things are more standard with tables and chairs. The place is well decorated and I liked the atmosphere.
Our starters were alright but nothing memorable. The Zaalook ($4.75z) is similar to baba ganoush and is served warm. The dip itself was good but the pita it was served with wasn't very good. The Beet Salad ($3.75) consisted of cubed beets, diced red onions, and cilantro; I felt it was boring and wouldn't order it again.
Be warned that the mint tea ($5.00 for a pot) is made with tons of sugar. It's nice at first but quickly gets overwhelming. Maybe this is how it's traditionally prepared in Morocco but I would prefer less sugar so I could taste the fresh mint.
The Berber Lamb Tagine ($13.25) was the only standout dish. A tender, juicy, and flavourful lamb shank is cooked with potatoes, carrots, peas, and spices in a clay tagine dish. My friend had the Lamb Tagine ($13.25) which was the same idea but replaced the vegetables with caramelized onions and raisins; it's has less spices and sweeter due to the raisins. Both were delicious.
Mains are served with saffron rice or pita. Neither are anything special but will serve you well when mopping up the delicious sauce from the lamb.
A 3.5 star place that could be 4 stars if they upped their game a little bit. -
Review from Moinul D.
Toronto, ON
5/22/2011
Let me begin by saying that this review is based on the summation of 6 visits to the restaurant randomly over the last 2 years. As such, it is not a review based on a single expereince, but more a review of the "average" Walima experience.
Pros:
The atmosphere in the restaurant is amazing. I love it.
The food tastes fantastic. I love it.
The prices and servings are reasonable - some might say the servings are too small//overpriced - but I think they are fine, and for the atmosphere and taste - TOtally worth it.
Cons:
THIS IS WHERE IT ALL GOES DOWNHILL. :(
- Even on a busy night there are, at most, two people working the restaurant floor - service is quite slow... but you don't mind it so much because you are enjoying the ambience of the restaurant.
- The staff are INCREDIBLY RUDE!!! They are always the same staff and like I said, I have been there six times, so this was not an unfortunate fluke of bad luck. IT HAS ALWAYS HAPPENED. I understand that they may be understaffed and that financial viability for a small, independent restaurant in these economic times is difficult. HOWEVER, that does not validate what has happened (ESPECIALLY THE LAST TWO TIMES I HAVE BEEN THERE): Asking people to make sure they order at least one entree per person to keep this beautiful restaurant afloat is understandable. I have taken people there in groups because I love the restaurant so much, but my guests (to my utter shame and embarassment) were nothing-short-of THREATENED to order entrees because if we did not, we were "COULDN'T EXPECT TO JUST SIT THERE IN THE NICE PLACE AND NOT ORDER AN ENTREE; IT IS AN INSULT TO THE OWNER" ( paraphrased the words of the Moroccan gentleman there)
He went off on a tangent rant, even after we had expressed our understanding and had already decided on the main dishes to order.
- When we ordered our meals in groups, orders were frequently made wrong, and they ran out of things such as rice, or pita, or couscous and simply replaced those in individual orders as they pleased. We did not see it fit to try and fix that from our shock and fear from the tongue-lashing we had received earlier.
My last visit there was in mid-May 2011. Finally having been fed up with their service, I took a vow to never go back, and even tried to express my concerns with the manager, who simply brushed them off casually and chalked up the rudeness to the fact that the gentleman that was consistently rude to us was Moroccan. How do you like that??? I was in awe. Never have I ever seen such a fine restaurant stink in terms of rudeness.
Used to go in groups of at least 5 to 15 people. I consistently brought them good business, and planned to continue, until then. I am never going back and am now actively discouraging anyone else to, as well. -
Review from Kashif S.
12/10/2009
Nice place, pretty good atmosphere, pretty good service, if you're going there on a week night not too many people, pretty good if you wanna have a romantic exotic dinner, the menu doesn't really have too many things so i am sure you won't spend too much time looking through it, if you like sweeter stuff order their Sahara Chicken Bastilla, and if you like savoury stuff you may wanna order Lamb Tagine it's the best they have. Whatever entree you order you may wanna order mint tea and harira soup, they're pretty good. I give it three stars, if you have to have better and more expensive experience you should go to Sultan's tent, and they do have the belly dancing too.
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Review from Ryan F.
Toronto, ON
5/12/2009 2 photos
Delicious food, friendly service, lighting is the only obvious improvement I can think of. Can't wait to try the other dishes like the tagine.
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Review from fred f.
ON
3/25/2010
three stars 'cause i want to go back.
clean.
needs more morrocan flava in those dishes.
the shank was under-braised.
great hummous and atmosphere, music.
wine is always a great reason to linger...but there's not a drop.
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