Top 3 Favourite Egyptian Restaurants in Toronto
Being one of the most diverse cities in the world allows Toronto to offer an endless variety of Egyptian cuisine. Here are our top 3 recommendations for Egyptian restaurants!
Masrawy Egyptian Kitchen: What started as a mini kitchen in 2014, eventually became a full-fledged Egyptian restaurant in August 2018 offering a wide range of classics, sandwiches and add on options for breakfast- which lasts till 1:00pm on weekdays and 2:00pm on weekends. The Masrawy Egyptian Kitchen is 100% halal and based in Mississauga on Britannia Road.
There are plenty of appetizing starters for other meals which include options for vegetarians such as their Classic Hummus, Ghanoush, Baba Ghanoush and The Chef’s Platter which consists of hummus,besera and baba ghanoush. Some of the other appetizers include dips and soups to satisfy a wider range of pallets.They also have vegan and paleo diet offerings.
For their dinner options, they offer a wide range of classical and grilled meals. One of their most popular items is the Koshary which consists of rice, lentils, pasta, tomato sauce, chickpeas, fried onions and dakka. They also offer the Masrawy Fusion which consists of seasoned rice, garlic sauce, hot sauce and a choice of Masrawy Chicken Shawarma or Masrawy Beef Shawarma.The restaurant also offers a wide range of fresh juices to satisfy your thirst after enjoying a mouth-watering meal.
The location also provides catering for those looking to bring some of their offerings home for gatherings- something to look forward to with stage 3 of our reopening being on the horizon.
Click here for their Instagram page.
Maha's Restaurant: Maha's Restaurant is another one of Toronto’s top Egyptian restaurants.They are currently only doing takeout due to Covid19. The restaurant has a wonderful family story behind it and is named after Maha Barsoom who immigrated to Canada with her family in the year 2000 to provide better educational opportunities for her children. Her two children, Mark and Monika would often feel home sick and miss the food of Egypt, but thanks to their mother’s cooking they used food as a way to connect to some of the essence of what they missed back home. Maha always dreamed about starting her own Egyptian restaurant and was encouraged by her colleagues during her tenure as an interpreter to do just that. In 2013, her children had learned much from their friend, mentor and past employer, James Feistner, owner of Grinder on Main. From this experience, they both then encouraged their mother to open her restaurant and the rest as they say is history!
Specifically,the restaurant has been in operation since September 28th of 2014 and has been sharing it’s taste of Egypt with the vibrant community of Greenwood and Gerrard.At Maha’s she aims to share this experience of food made with warmth and love.To that end, each of the dishes are made by the family. Their restaurant is considered more of their first home as they spend more time there than anywhere else and they love the direct interaction with customers.
Their popular breakfast item, Cairo Classic, consists of fava beans and is prepared in multiple variations. In the Cairo Classic dish, they mix tomatoes and onions into a seasoned fava bean. This can be enjoyed with a sliced boiled egg, a falafel, a dollop of their creamy home-made tomato feta, charred balady bread and their salata balady. The menu also has other notable items including Egyptian Falafel, Date Grilled Cheese and even their award-winning vegan Lentil Soup which brings the taste of back home by combining charred mini pita, fresh seasoned garlic tomatoes and sweet vidalia onions soaked in white vinegar.
Currently they are offering their full menu for takeout. Click here for their Instagram page for more info and some shots of their mouth watering offerings.
The Papyrus Egyptian Restaurant: Papyrus offers a wide range of takeout and delivery options during this time. The restaurant which is based in Danforth is all about how food can bring people together under a language that unlocks our common values.
The restaurant is also about bringing something healthy,nutritious and tasty. It’s an exciting take on classical Egyptian food in a Greek neighbourhood. Delivery orders can be made through Door Dash and Uber Eats.Their menu has a wide range of vegan options and appetizing entrees including Egyptian Lentil Soup, Cucumber Salad and Lentil Hummus among others.
Some of their main items include Tameya,which is one of the oldest Egyptian foods made of shelled faba beans ground with a large number of fresh herbs. The restaurant also served Egypt’s ultimate street food, Koshari which consists of layers of rice, lentils, pasta, a bold tomato sauce, caramelized onions and garnish. Of course, they also serve Ful as a sandwich or on a platter with a side Balsamic Tehina, Salata Baladi, Lentil Hummus, and Bread.
Click here to access their Instagram for more info on their offerings.
Koshari