Villa Madina — Restaurant in Dartmouth

I always heard great things about this place, so I tried it twice and each experience was bad. The portions are very small for what you pay, and after eating a couple bites of rice I realized it was sour. Unable to finish my meal. I noticed later that the person who served me was constantly coughing and didn’t have a mask on. I know that masks are not mandatory but personally I think if a server is unwell call in or at least war a mask so your not coughing on the food. Unfortunately she also used the same gloves she was cleaning with to make the customer food. Cross contamination! Unsure if it was the server, the food or something else, but ironically I woke up extremely sick, and I’m not one to get sick. Lastly both times I was there the staff came across as rude and acted like they didn’t want to take my order. Please know that their unfriendly approach was not just towards me, but as well as other customers in line as well. I’m sorry if this post comes across as harsh but I feel like the manager should know about the customer service and hygiene of the employees. Hopefully improves...

A small shawarma stand in Mic Mac Mall that's pretty good for food court to-go fare. Normally I wouldn't talk about a place like this, because there's not much to say, but if you're ever in the mall and like shawarma, check it out. The big draw of this place—and the reason to go at all—is their garlic paste aioli. It's probably the best aioli in the city, so much that they sell it in large portions for 5$. Fluffy meringue-like texture, incredibly robust garlic flavor, but with very little bite to it. I've bought the stuff and taken it home, and it's great on practically anything. It elevates their food to better than what it should be, almost nearing comparisons to proper shawarma joints, like Tarek's, Station 1, etc. The rest of their food is fine, with my main gripe being the chicken can be dry depending on the time of day you go there, which drags the place down to a 4-star. Good tabooli, bean salad, but there's basically zero variety If you like garlic paste, give it a shot. If you don't and want a more prepared meal, go to the other...

I have lived in Dartmouth for many years and have had many take out and dine-in meals. Villa Madina is where I get my favorite meal (grilled chicken skewers, rice, side salad and garlic potatoes). Their garlic potatoes are flavourful and warm and fluffy on the inside. I make a special trip for this meal and its worth it. They have dine-in restaurant quality food and its nice to have this option among the typical fast food restaurants in the food court. Today, I happened to mention that I didn’t get potatoes last time and my order was immediately topped up with the missing potatoes from my last order. Anybody can make a mistake, but it takes an exceptional restaurant to make it right – on the spot and without me asking for this. The staff are always welcoming and friendly so this gesture was not surprising to me. I am a customer for life! Keep up the good work, great service and...