Lebanese Restaurants near Hamilton, ON

“Being a Montreal/ Ottawa transplant, I've been looking for great Lebanese shawarma for a while in Hamilton, and I've often been disappointed. I am so happy I heard about this restaurant, because this is what I was missing. The chicken sandwich that I had was the best one I've eaten in years. Excited to go back many times!“

“Incredibly delicious food, served up in generous portions. I was visiting in the Hamilton area and found the food so tasty, that I ate here three times in a week; twice for lunch, once for dinner. First visit: lunch: had the vegetarian dish/platter of hummos, eggplant, falafel, fried cauliflower, grilled tomatoes, and mushrooms, served with your choice of soup or any of the salads on the menu and dinner plate sized fresh pitas. I had the Greek salad, which was excellent and, again, a generous portion. This meal could easily have been shared with two people, especially for lunch. My lunch mate took half of her meal home and I took my left over hummos (at least a half a cup) and pita for an afternoon snack later. Second visit: dinner with a group of six: I started with lentil soup, then had the spicy lemon shrimp with pilaf style rice and served with pita bread. We shared the salads that came as starters; all were delicious: Greek, Fatoush, and Tabouli. Third visit: spicy lemon shrimp, but substituted hummos for the rice. Again, generous portion with at least two dozen shrimp. Nothing chintzy about this place. The service could be a little more attentive, especially for the second dinner, which was at around 3:30 p.m. and, as is often the case when a restaurant is almost empty, was not hurried by any means. I had told the waitress I was in a hurry, but that didn't seem to help. Had to track her down to make my order and then my bill never came, so I went to the counter to pay. The service was better during the busy lunch and dinner hour visits. Still the food is so worth it, that I would go here anytime I'm back in the area and would recommend it to anyone.“

“food tasty ,fast service. Highly recommend“

“We've been buying shawarma from here for quite a few years. I have to say it's the best hidden gem around with the best shawarma. We've been buying from here for so long, he knows what we like on our shawarma now.......nice personal touch. The prices are reasonable and staff is friendly.......my fave for shawarma!! I recommend Phoenicia to all.....you won't be disappointed!!“

“It was our first time trying Dundas Shawarma and definitely won't be our last! We ordered a chicken shawarma wrap, falafel wrap, and a fattoush salad. Everything tasted great and the wraps were very filling. The gentleman who served us was friendly and prepared our food very quickly. Looking forward to coming back!“

“One of the best Shawarma place in Hamilton HANDS DOWN! This place is so clean and the workers are amazing and very friendly! I wish this restaurant wasn’t by Barton Street but besides that, it’s worth it. This saved my all winter having to work around the area. ?????“

“I didn't have much experience with Lebanese food but I'm a convert now. Loved the food and the prices were good. Will definitely be going back.“

“review date: december 24, 2024
customer purchase date: december 24, 2024

in my neverending pursuit of discovering the amazing shawarma stores in the city, my travels led me to the cedar falafel & shawarma (CFS) on upper ottawa near stonechurch. CFS is one of 3 shawarma stores competing for your wallet, within less than 2km of each other in the area.

first off, a shout out to store worker fariba who provided a warm and welcoming environment. she explained quite a bit of what CFS is about. ⭐

what i liked about the menu layout is it's really easy to follow. 3 TV screens - appetizers, wraps, and dinner plates.

parking: it's free and there's plenty of it around the plaza.

inside the store: it's clean, very spacious, and can accommodate large crowds. CFS recommends phoning in your orders if you don't want to wait when it's busy.

hours: fantastic hours. fri and sat are extended late night hours till 1am. mon-thur are 11pm closing times. sun closed at 10pm.

doors open everyday at 11am except sun at noon.

food itself: portions are fair relative to price. portions are not as generous as other outfits. that said, the quality and taste at CFS are excellent. be aware if you are super hungry, a shawarma pita on its own won't be enough. either grab a 2nd pita wrap or get a diner plate on its own instead.

i grabbed a beef (kebab) shawarma on a pita. ($11.15; $12.59 all-in) very delicious - almost felt like a steak shawarma. be aware that all shawarma pitas comes standard with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, turnip, plus your sauces. extra toppings range from 25c - $1.

i also grabbed a chicken dinner plate ($16.25; $18.36 all-in). that comes with a small side of salad (veggies were fresh), hummus, a pita bread, and then the chicken with rice, red/white and tahini sauce. portion is not overly huge. food content was excellent, especially the rice which has a flavorful personality.

they don't lather on the sauces too much on the dinner plate. they don't need to, because the rice, potato and chicken are all delicious on their own.

lastly i picked up a chicken shawarma pita. ($10.99; $12.43 all-in) they agreed to swap out the tomato for cucumber at no extra cost. very tasty, delicious when you combine all the ingredients with their sauces.

bottom line: CFS serves up great tasting food. i would return to CFS if i was in the area, as it is a 20-22 minute drive away from where i live. i def want to try out some of their other items.

i would also recommend CFS to others to try out. 👍“

“Great restaurant with great food and excellent service“

“I visited Simsom Restaurant for breakfast today, and it was a wonderful experience. The restaurant offers a comfortable atmosphere and excellent service. I ordered hummus, fava beans, and manakish, and everything was incredibly delicious. The hummus was smooth and creamy, with just the right amount of seasoning that added a delightful taste. The fava beans were perfectly cooked, mixed with olive oil and lemon in a way that highlighted their flavors. As for the manakish, it was hot and fresh, with delicious cheese and olives. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my morning at Simsom Restaurant and highly recommend it to anyone who loves traditional breakfast with a tasty twist and outstanding service.“