Petra Restaurant — Restaurant in Mississauga

First time I visit that place, I lovedddd the karaoke night which seems to be their famous night. The DJ is great and don't expect full karaoke, it is partially DJ that makes you move and dance and every now and then someone sings karaoke so it is not boring or you have to listen to bad singers all night long. I advise you to go there. BUTTTTTTT

You HAVEEEE to get their menu dinner meza ( 35 dollars per person excluding drinks and argheeleh ( hubby bubbly I think you call it in English). Which end up very expensive for a karaoke night +++ what they call mega is hardly 5 to 6 plates and then the barbeque chicken and so plate comes in. I was monitoring the tables that had 2 or 3 people and the meza was only like 3 plates and then the main barbeque plate ( shared ). A typical meza normally includes 8 to 12 different plates soo that is toooooo expensive and if you don't want to eat or don't smoke the argheeleh, you are doomed, no karaoke or you pay for something you will not use.

The night is really ( mainly Arabic music ) good but I don't think worth you paying that much and being cornered to get that. I understand they need a minimum or something so I would advise for instance having a 15 dollars charge per person if they don't want to order food or " a la carte " menu with a minimum of 15 to 20 dollars per person. They have to work on this and it was guarantee new people to join and more repetitive people.

We called nearly 3 times before coming and asked if we don't want to eat and were told that as long as we get a drink each a an argheeleh, it is ok... but when we reached there the scenario changed.. And after saying ok, they were adding for my bill 20 or 35 dollars to my diet coke ( I don't smoke ) cause I didn't order an argheeleh and only my friend !!!! Really??? So we argued that it was not what we were told, and we ordered 2 drinks and an argheeleh ( which is not cheap too ) but they were not happy and the manager ( who was so welcoming first ) hardly looked at us while leaving cause he seemed upset !!! It is simply a DJ night!!! Don't make it as if you have a singer and a complete program that is costing you thousands... your prices and menu options should correspond to what you...

As a specialized in middle Eastern/Arab cuisine, I will try to be as fair and honest as I can. I visited Petra restaurant on June 7/2018 for their buffet on iftar that day.

Positive:

The layout and vibe of the restaurant were great. Even lighting was just wonderful. It has been designed nicely and creatively. Staff were nice and welcoming. The overall all energy was positive.

Negative: Let's start with materials used, I find using plastic cups instead of glass compared to the restaurant level makes it lose many points. Reusable materials should always be first one priority, and as a business owner, considering our environment and not contributing to damage the earth is very, very important.

I noticed an important safety issue which is spoons and forks were facing upward when it must be facing downward as people should not be able to touch others spoons and forks while they are getting their own, spreading all bacteria from their fingers on other spoons and forks.

Food:

For appetizers, most of them were okay, nothing that I felt was very close to the real flavor of Middle Eastern appetizers. But they were nicely served, mostly fresh and well made.

For main meals,

It was a hug disappointment. I like not to have any explanation when I go to a restaurant just so I won't be disappointed eventually. At Petra restaurant I was very disappointed with how overcooked their meals were. Species were presented the way it needed. For a charge of $40 per person I expected a high quality meals which was not the case. Even for the meat, I find it either dry and overcooked or chewy. I do think that they don't know yet how to cook for many people at once, and compared to what I heard from other friends who visited at non- beffet time and told me they had a better experience with the food.

Food was not labeled and at no place I was able to find the name of the dish or what it includes which is another safety concern for people who have restrictions and allergies.

Considering that food and safety is priority number one in every restaurant I would give Petra...

Absolutely Terrible Experience – Would Never Recommend

We visited this restaurant today, and the experience was nothing short of a nightmare. From the moment we arrived, no one came to take our order despite multiple attempts to get the staff’s attention. When someone finally did, the service went downhill fast.

Our appetizer never arrived until the main course was served—after a very long wait. Everything was brought together with no sense of sequence or care. To make matters worse, the meat was completely burnt—charcoal black and inedible. They messed up the entire order and even forgot to bring food for one of our guests. When we politely pointed it out, the staff responded rudely and defensively, claiming they “never make mistakes.”

After repeatedly insisting, they said they would bring the missing items, but those only arrived 45 minutes later—long after everyone had finished eating. Despite multiple requests, we never received the bread we ordered. Instead, we were warned that the kitchen was closing, even though our bread request had been pending for over 30 minutes by that point.

The entire experience felt discriminatory. We couldn’t help but notice how warmly Arabic-speaking guests were being treated, while we—seemingly the only non-Arabic table—were ignored and treated with hostility. It genuinely felt like racism.

When we asked for the check, no one brought it. I had to go to the reception myself, where a staff member said she would bring it, but instead we saw her cleaning tables 10 minutes later with still no sign of the bill. Eventually, we had to go to the exit and insist on paying just to leave.

Naturally, no tip was given. All of us left feeling extremely disheartened. This was one of the most frustrating and disrespectful dining experiences we’ve ever had. We will never return and strongly advise others to...