Sumac Kebab Kitchen

Great place for Persian food, large portions, amazing quality, and very authentic… competitive prices compared to other places

Been there once, and today we’re going to have lunch over there. Love the taste of food. Clean place in a good location. Amazing Persian restaurant.

Pretty good addition to the neighbourhood but they need to work on consistency. The delivery versions wasn’t as good as when I ate there.

The only time I have time to write reviews for take out is if I’m slow getting my food.
Slow. I ordered a sandwich and they made it fresh. But its still just a sandwich…
I hope it tastes good.
The combo is 8 $ for a sandwich and fries or a drink. I tried to get a salad substitute but no can do. I think fries or salad would be better for business for them because then I would buy a drink anyways.
Anyways I’m pretty bored and its pretty slow. Sigh. And no place to sit.
I’m not going to come back for take out again. As others have said, it takes 10 – 15 for take out. That’s way too damn long!
They are new so maybe they’re just working out the kinks.

A place with reasonably priced Persian food, especially good for takeout. The Soltani was excellent! A piece or two of bread, and some onion were the only things missing.

This place is so so good. I tried their rice with chicken and veal skewers. The rice is so delicious. Not dry at all. It’s fluffy and the rice absorbed all the bbq flavours and fragrance of the meat. The grilled tomato is really delicious as well. Large serving of rice, really fills you up. Would like a bit more meat if possible, for the price charged. Their fries are also quite crispy and crunchy, which I liked. Will be back soon!

I work in this area and rarely go out to eat, but when I do, I mostly come here for lunch. I have been here many times and used their food to cater my office lunches as well. I have never had a bad meal here.
I have tried pretty much all of their meats and they’re all great. They’re freshly made and marinated; never frozen (I checked with their employee). All the meat is made to order so it taste great off the grill. I love the fact that they have a chicken breast option for those who stick to leaner proteins. Their rice is so good that it can be addicting (not dry, contrary to what another Unilocaler said).
Price here is reasonable as well. For $ 11, you can get their chicken breast option, which is rice (huge portion), 1 skewer, grilled tomato, and choice of salad or yogurt. Other items range from $ 8 – 15. You can also get their plate options in a sandwich form, which is delicious as well.

For me knowing Persians families I know Persian food and as I am Canadian it’s one of the BEST restaurants I ate at. Tender kebab and its made fresh. I like how I get the choice of yogurt or salad. My fave is garlic yogurt so ask for extra!

Like any hot-​blooded Canadian girl, I get a hankering for Persian food every so often. However, I used to get it at Yonge & Steeles (an area which some have creatively named «Tehranto» — hee!) and that’s no longer feasible, because I got rid of my car when I moved downtown.
That’s why I was super delighted to see Sumac’s sign going up when construction started!
The food is a little more expensive than Yonge & Steeles/​Finch, but if you factor in the two subway tokens, it works out to be the same — plus I save a lot of time eating down here. The quality of the food is pretty good. Not the best I’ve ever had, but will absolutely do when I’m craving Persian food. It could be a little dry and they don’t always give you butter/​margarine for your rice — plus I’ve never gotten a wedge of lemon or, in fact, any sumac to sprinkle on top — but all things considered, the food here is solid. Everything is grilled fresh when you order it. Their Sumac salad, with the minty dressing, is fantastic — their veggies are always very fresh. I’ve never tried the stews but I’d like to!
This place is in a unique position because their competitiors in downtown Toronto are too formal and far away (Sheherezade/​Pomegranate) or too formal and don’t offer dark meat for their grilled chicken (Darvish), and ain’t nobody got time for desert-​dry grilled chicken breast!
I will happily continue to return.

Went there yesterday. The people are friendly. The rice was dry (not a surprise) and without salt. The salad came without dressing, which is fine if you’re on a diet. The veal kebab was great if a little cold, given it just grilled. The veal really saved the meal. Not a great tasting meal overall and the price for the serving size is just too high. Quite disappointing. There is lots of potential here.

This was a strictly grab and go expedition which proved to be wise as on a day with sweltering heat the seating area with all the windows had unbearable heat. The menu is straight forward provided you are familiar with this cuisine.
A good sign was the raw marinated meat was sitting in a cooler up front and items are grilled to order. We ordered a combo of Kobbiedeh (minced beef) and chicken breast combo and a single order of chicken. We added in a couple of orders of salads as well.
After a 10 – 15 min wait (expected as this is grilled to order) we were on our way with boxes of food.
The mains come with a generous portion of rice (decent) a grilled whole tomato (not the greatest fan of this as its always unseasoned). There was yogurt mix side as well to balance the dry approach of this cuisine towards grilled food.
Kobbideh was just average (maybe I should have asked for Sumac). The meat was bit too lean for my liking.
The chicken was pretty bland as well though it did appeal to my fellow diners.
Just average IMO but a welcome relief in this stretch of below average restaurants. They do deliver as well so if you don’t want to hang around here this is a viable option.
3 Stars mainly due to the location.

We came here for lunch with a few co-​workers, one of whom recommended us to come here. There are seating in the upstairs and a patio-​like area in the back. This place can definitely seat more than it seems
FOOD: I ordered the chicken breast kebab with rice and salad. Because I haven’t had many good chicken breast kebabs, I have to say this was the best one I’ve ever had. It wasn’t dry and the seasoning was just right. The rice was very fragrant and you can add more sumac if preferred. Fresh vegetables for the salad and you get a delicious grilled tomato. Their best seller is the ground beef kebab which I have to say is better than the chicken. So try the beef kebab!
SERVICE: We were served quickly considering we had a group of 6. You pay for your food and go sit down. Their service was decent and we did not think to pay tip since we paid for our meal first. I personally think they deserve some tip.
All in all a very good experience of delicious kebabs. Definitely worth checking out!

Stumbled upon this place on my lunch break and after seeing a few great reviews on Unilocal decided to give it a try. It’s a very small, casual spot offering a great variety of meat platters and sandwiches (chicken, lamb & beef). Asked the owner for some suggestions and decided to go for the minced beef sandwich. What I like about this place the most, is that meat is grilled right in front of you, so you don’t have to worry about how long it’s been sitting there. All the ingredients both meat and the veggies were fresh and crispy. The meat was beautifully spiced, quite juicy and grilled to perfection. I also added Sumac sauce to my sandwich for extra flavor. The sandwich is quite big, so they had to slice it in half and wrap it separately. It feels like you are getting two sandwiches for the price of one. I enjoyed my order and thought that it was great value for the money. Also, the staff was quite friendly and welcoming making the whole experience even better. Will definitely be back!

This is my second time and third for my husband at Sumac.
We had their:
Koobideh (beef kebabs) — it’s always a winner on taste and doneness. It’s super flavorful, great texture and juicy! You have an option to pair your meal with salad or yogurt, both are fantastic. However if you opt for yogurt, try out the smoked eggplant yogurt, it has a really nice smokey flavor. The cucumber yogurt is refreshing if that is what you’re looking for.
Eggplant stew — pair it with their special rice (rice, pistachio and barberrries), it’s amazing with a hint of tartness from the dried berries. A really nice vegetarian option; super tasty!
The service at this place is top notch and super friendly. The seating area at the top is nice and spacious, and it’s great for dining in or take out.

I have yet to write a Unilocal review, but feel compelled to after the wonderful experience I had here earlier today. After asking if my friend and I were here for the first time, and seeing that it was, the friendly owner/​manager proceeded to tell us in detail all the options available for the day. He also offered to give us different combinations so we could try as many different things as possible.
We ended up with a plate of white rice with lamb shank, another with chelo chicken and eggplant on the side, and a third plate of two different rice– one with vegetables and tomato sauce and another with saffron and nuts. He counted this as two meals ($ 12 each, including tax), and so we also each got a yogurt, one mixed with cucumber, and another with eggplant. At one point during our meal, he also came out with a complimentary eggplant dish, with bread on the side.
It was a LOT of food, but it was all SO delicious we could not help but devour it all. Each kind of rice was flavorful, my favorite was the saffron one. Both eggplant dishes were wonderful, especially the side, which was ground with dried Egyptian mint. The chicken and sauce, which also contained potatoes, was flavorful and tasted delicious with the different rices. My absolute favorite part of the meal, however, was the lamb shank– it was cooked to perfection, absolutely melteddd in my mouth. Its sauce also blended wonderfully with the white rice, and the yogurt was a nice touch to it all.
Various members of the kitchen checked up on us every now and then, asking how we liked the food, everyone was incredibly friendly. I would recommend this wonderful new place (it has only been open for two months) to anyone in the area, or even those not– it is worth the trip.
One final note– all the meats are HALAL, which is a big bonus for anyone looking for that specifically.

I’ve been wanting to try this place for some time and out of hunger and lack of other options I finally gave it a go.
Cut to the chase, the soup was lukewarm, rice was cold, chicken kebab was fine and though i imagined it to have just come off the grill, it wasn’t very hot? The yogurt on the side was was delicious and i really enjoyed the grilled tomatoes.
my friend ordered the veal&chicken kebab and could barely eat the veal.
For the amount of food you get, i wouldn’t have minded the price if the execution was better, but it wasn’t worth it. Few hours later and we were so hungry again.
wouldn’t come back & really wouldn’t recommend it.

My friend and I went here for supper tonight. The staff were super friendly and even gave me a free roasted tomato and my friend a free piece of chicken. I had the eggplant stew, which was awesome. My friend has the beef kebab plate. He said it was the best and most authentic kebab he has had in Toronto. Both of us found that the price was very good, and neither of us could finish our entire meals. Also, the art at the tables upstairs was really cute. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ place, no complaints! We’ll definitely be back.

This place recently opened up on near Dundas and Mccaul. From my experience and what others have told me I’ll for sure be coming back.
I only tried their chicken Kebab so far. It was a mix of a kebab and a sub. I enjoyed it but next time I’ll try something different. It was better than Subway or Mr. Sub but nothing amazing.
Talking to other people they really enjoyed their chicken and rice dishes which I’ll order next time.

I was excited to hear that a Persian restaurant has opened up near my office! I took my co-​worker there for lunch and we had a really great experience. This place is really cute and modern with a small amount of seating. The kabob was really good! The rice with saffron is fantastic. I cant wait to go here again for lunch.

The Ground Beef Kebobs grilled to doness yet still very tender and juciy. The rice was highly seasoned but paired prefectly with the meat and cucumber yogurt. I will definitely return to newly open place for another tasty meal.