Vanessa "tangoplus" M.'s Profile

Visited a friend that worked in Whitby, and she suggested we go here for lunch.  Since I am not from this crappy city, just went with the flow.  At first, I was a little iffy.  I mean, first of all, there is no place to sit and eat--take out in a brown bag only.  But the huge line up was what got my attention.

I was starting to wonder why so many customers... and came to realization that it was the price.  Not sure how they can sustain themselves, really.  At a world where a sub costs $7 or $8, soup for another $2, and a drink for another $2--this place shames everyone by offering a sandwich, a soup, and a can of pop for measily $4.95.  

That is right, $4.95 for all that.

Okay, so they are not the best sandwiches you have ever had.  In fact, it was quite forgettable.  There is nothing wrong with their food, just nothing that will make you say "Hmmm this is a really good sandwich!"

But you really can't argue, because they really do pack on the meat.  I had the smoked montreal meat, while my friend had the turkey.  I had mine on rye (did not taste like rye, but whatever), which was size of your typical sanwich bread.  They also offer regular white and multigrain, which are buns, size of a small sub from Mr. Sub (or tad larger than 6inch from Subway).  If you like your meat, you can pay a dollar, and they will nearly double the amount of your meat.

They had three choices of soups; we both had broccoli, which was similar to Tim Horton's cream of broccoli.  Crackers and pickle spears on the side.  And a can of Diet Coke :)

Hey, for 5 bucks.... I was pretty impressed.  Even though we had to sit on a curb to eat it.

First off--yes, I went because I saw it on Man vs Food.

Now that is out of the way...

There were three of us. I ordered what I saw on TV, the fried chicken benedict. Friend #1 had the french toast. Friend #2 had the chicken salad sandwich.

Fried Chicken Benedict: It was big as my head, without exaggeration. This will server 3 people. I barely ate 1/3rd.. but I am not a huge portion eater anyways. I saw a biker kind of guy next to us eat 3/4 of it, which I though was super impressive. Flavours? A little too much on the plate. You get a mixture of spicy, creamy, zesty, etc.. it's really hard to describe. If you don't know it by now, I'll call it out from bottom up; mashed potatoes, biscuit, tomato slice, spinach, bacon, griddled cheese, fried chicken breast.. and all drizzled with chipole cream sauce. It is definitely a brunch item, not breakfast. I have to say, I saw a someone else order it, but with the sauce on the side. Smart!

French Toast: More like, french loaf. Again, massive insane portions. Only half was eaten. But I sampled this, and it was quite delicious. Probably one of the best french toast that I had.

Chicken Salad Sandwich: By far the best chicken salad sandwich I have ever tried. Nice dill flavour, and moist chicken meat. The multigrain bread was excellent too. Fries were super hot and fresh. They had a bit of coating on them (very very lightly), and helped stay crispy until the end.

You must try the waltermelon-kiwi lemonade. Very delicious, and thirst quenching.

Price-wise, it can be considered as a good value, just because of the portions. I would say, SHARE dish. Do not attempt at it alone.

Service was prompt and friendly, despite the hectic atmosphere.

After tip, the bill came to $130 (included two glasses of wine each).  Overall, despite some high points, not very impressed, and a repeat visit is highly unlikely.

I am just going to echo everyone's comments here--if you do not go here, you are missing out on a LOT.  This is especially true if you are from Northern side of United States, or like me, from Canada.  The sights are truly something to behold.

One thing nobody has mentioned though, is neat the road is.  I would love to come here first thing in the morning and drive really fast around the twisties hehehe.  But of course, that would be illegal, as there are speed limits posted.  =)

Tip:  Go to the washrooms before entering... they have outhouses scattered throughout, but you probably don't want to use it!

Alright, so I have a confession to make... I've been coming here for a few years, on a regular basis.  What can I say about their gyros--legendary!  I think what sets Messinis apart from everyone else is their phenomenal value (you could never cook this for cheaper at home, or have the means to), and freshness of the food, due to their sheer volume of sales.

Line up to get in is the normal--at all hours of the day.  In fact, it is not unusual to see the line up spill to outside.  But there is a good reason for that, and it is the quality of their food.  You can choose from chicken, pork or lamb gyros--and the size is definitely supersize me.  I cannot finish one myself, although I am sure someone with a healthy appetite can.  Inside, you will find it stuffed and spilling out with shaved seasoned caramelized meat, tzatziki, tomatos, onions and fries.

Other things to try for sure:  greek fries, greek salad, souvlakis and seafood.  All very very yummy.  

The greek fries, are little round fries, topped off with feta cheese, olive oil and dried oregano.  Then it is put under a salamander, so everything crisps up at the top.  There are other choices of carb side dishes, like roast potatoes (pretty good) and rice, but definitely get the greek fries ($1 extra over regualar fries, but totally and utterly worth the upgrade).

The greek salad is more of the traditional style, and does not contain lettuce--you will chunky cuts of tomatos, cucumbers, onions, black olives, green peppers and dressing (seems to be citris, olive oil, oregano, and other spices).  In the summer, it is very refreshing.

Souvlakis usually take a litlte long to come out, because of the grill time.  You can have your choice of either chicken or pork.  They are about an inch and half thick, about a foot long and comes with a side of tzatziki.  You will find that it has nice charred taste outside, and moist meat inside.

As far as seafood goes, they grill shrimp skewers and calamari on their grill.  Size of the shrimp can vary depending on the day, but they are usually about medium size.  Dip both into their tzatziki--mmmmm!

The atmosphere is very casual, so there is no need to dress up.  Just come as you are.  They open late evenings on weekends, with a limited menu (to gyros on a pita, fries and salad), and attracts a lot of bar crowds.  You will always though, find the food very clean, and service is usually very friendly (although at times the staff is overwhelmed by the volume of customers).

I have taken many friends, family and guests to this restaurant, and everyone raves about it afterwards, regardless of their age, background or tastebuds.  Order smart (like combos, for two people), and you really do not need more than $10 per person.

Okay.  So we decided to split a roti... ordered up a mixed vegi... ooooh wow.  Talk about flavour!!  Everything about it was great.  Spices, heat (ordered medium), texture... it was a perfect dish for sure.  Portion was super large.  There is no way a person can finish this alone.  I also appreciated the fact that it was not greasy at all.  Our plate (or foil) had no grease left behind.

I'm going to make my review short...

Food: Excellent. Butter Chicken, is without a doubt, the best in Toronto. It literally has layers and layers of flavour. Pili Pili Chicken is also firey and taste. Their fresh fragrant nan is to die for.

Service: Can vary...

Cleanness: Improving, and now looks spot on.

Ambiance: I haven't seen the new reno, but it looks fantastic when I drove through.

Price: On the expensive side, for Indian food... add in heavy cost of parking, and I do not visit this place frequently.