Sana Grill Burlington — Restaurant in Burlington

Located between Toronto and Niagara Falls lies a city lined with monotonous suburbs and an unending supply of perfectly ordinary days. Moving to a colourless city like Burlington has never compared to being surrounded by the fragrance of Halal takeout in Mississauga, but amid this urban desert, lies an artifact of an old home. Sauna Grill, my grandmother and I’s favourite shawarma place, sat at the end of Plains Road. Albeit having visited countless times, waves of excitement always rose through me at the idea of sitting down and listening to my grandmother's stories while indulging in the nuances of Arabian foods. My formative years living with my grandmother were marked by the smell of breakfast, as it would travel through the kitchen walls to embalm the house with its sweet scent. Until her legs grew frail, she would stand arched like a bridge over the oven preparing eggs and manakeesh for my brother and I to eat. After age took over and this proved too gruelling of a task, discovering Sauna Grill allowed us to continue making memories centralised by the food that she could no longer prepare. Saturday evenings were painted by the restaurant owner's bright smile as he served us heated plates of sharply spiced falafel and buttery flatbreads. Though my grandmother treated the food like she was Gordon Ramsey on Kitchen Nightmares, the laughs we shared at the dinner table filled our guts, unlike any cuisine. Among my caucasian friends, Sauna Grill was never a favourite. They would complain of the flavour of heavily seasoned onions that were thinly diced into the majority of menu items. Be that as it may, the humble food that was always cooked with love and affection is only complimentary to my memory of the restaurant. It also includes the comforting smiles of the employees, the flat walls of the original rental unit, the plants that lived under a layer of dust, and the pirated Bollywood music CD that has been on rotation for years. Most importantly, it was my grandmother's undeniable presence that turned the quiet atmosphere into a place where I look back and remember fireworks of different emotions. “It is what you make of it” is what she would always say sarcastically after finishing an underwhelming meal, yet growing up I realise this proverb applies just as much to experiences. My grandmother's funeral was held in the city of Nablus, located in the heart of Palestine where no day that goes by is uneventful, and where each street ever changes from the last. Though it was the coldest day to historically pass over the Arabian desert, her celebration of life ended with loved ones sharing warm foods over a quiet dining room table. Gone was her erupted laughter, and gone with it was the Mediterranean homeliness I found within the city of Burlington. It was following the stretch of two empty years that Sauna Grill had crossed my mind as a restaurant, and not as a husk of my grandmother's quick time in Canada. As I opened the fogged restaurant doors, unsurprisingly stared back at me the same smooth tiled walls, while my senses filled with a familiar deep scent of food and forgotten tunes that were left playing. I shyly walked to the counter and read my grandmother's order of Warak Enab and Koosa. Though nothing had physically changed, it felt as though the restaurant was an imposter to the Sauna Grill I had once known and loved. As I sat at the table facing the window, I was reminded of my grandmother’s soft voice that kept replaying in my head. Over and over again. The camera fades out. I am in a mental hospital. I keep hearing her voice. Over and over again. It does not stop. I long for...

I wrote a review for this place before but I had to come back and edit it after visiting a few more times because the original just didn't suffice.

First off, this place is phenomenal on it's own but I wanted to give a special shout out to my guy Meer as he consistently displays the best customer service and overall friendliness I have ever seen. Not only that, but there is just an extra level of tastiness to any food he makes because it's blatantly clear he puts in that time and effort to ensure your meal is cooked to perfection. I order the chicken rice combo and am unbelievably satisfied with each visit.

Even though I live in Whitby, I still make the 1.5 hour journey as often as I can specifically when Meer is working because he really does make the food the best I have ever had, every single time. I also know he does this not expecting anything extra in return as whenever I go to pay, he tries to skip the tip option on the machine but I vehemently tell him to add it back because he truly deserves it and I'm more than happy to reward great food and outstanding customer service. You will NEVER be disappointed coming here, and I'm ecstatic to say I am and will continue to be a loyal and returning customer as long as their doors remain open!! I would rate them 10...

This place is an absolute GEM, Here are some tips to get the maximum flavour and experience out of this place.

If its your first time visiting start with their classic chicken rice, (Once you start, every item becomes a new excitement) They only have one regular size (Plenty) if you'd like flavour ask them to make your plate custom made, this outline below gets you the maximum flavour.

Go Mondays, Wed and Fridays between 4-6pm.

Order: Regular chicken rice ( You can make it a combo if your really hungry comes with a small salad 2 grilled pitas and a drink)

Ask for their flavoured onions in the rice, and make sure to ask for the onions to be fried a bit before adding the rice.

( If you like spicy ) Tell them to add their flavourful hot sauce with the rice while frying.

Ask to get layered white sauce ( the INFAMOUS white sauce ) some on the rice before the chicken and after.

On top ask to add their cucumber & tomato mix ( they have a lot of options feel free to add anything else you like)

Ask for feta cheese on top and ofc with some more sauce if you'd like.

Make sure to get a grilled pita and plenty of napkins with a spork, I promise you'll want to savour every bite that goes in.

You'll...