Levantine Mediterranean Shawarma & Grill — Restaurant in Oakville

Decided to try Levantine for take out for lunch. I read the good reviews on Google and I am a big fan of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food.

The restaurant looks great with an inviting covered eating area outside and an impressive huge wood burning oven typically found in authentic, old-school pizzeria joints.

The service was friendly and prompt. I ordered the Mixed Shawarma sandwich combo with fries and a drink. I waited a bit longer than I normally would at the other local Mediterranean places near the office that I have ordered take-out shawarma from. However, it looked as if the staff behind the counter was busy with in-dining patrons and pick-up orders and I was not in a hurry. If I see a busy staff assembling meals, I take it as a good sign.

I received my order and when I got to the car, I noticed that they had forgotten the fries. I went back and the server was very apologetic and proceeded to get my fries. However, I noticed that the fries she placed in the take-out container had been in the basket hanging above the fryer and not made to order.

As I was already spending nearly 30 minutes away from the office for take-out, I gave them the benefit of the doubt, hoping that the fries were taking out a minute or two before.

When I got back to my office desk and opened the fries container, they were soggy, cold and greasy. Not a great way to start off my lunch from a place with a 4.5 rating. Like any other place, if the simple staples like fries, white rice and pasta are not cooked or served properly, then it reflects on the big ticket entree items.

As for the shawarma sandwich, it was average at best, which is a big disappointment for a meal that ended up being $18.00 (plus small tip). It was a good portion size (something like the size of a Subway footlong) but the meat and chicken shawarma filling were indistinguishable in texture and taste. The standard toppings and sauces were as to be expected but it is difficult to screw up pickled turnips and jalapeno pepper slice.

I LOVE SHAWARMA and have eaten shawarma at places that would pass as dives and holes in the wall at best. However, these places predominantly display two or more working shawarma vertical rotisseries, constantly turning, with beef, lamb and chicken. Typically, a patron would get a mix of the crispy edges of shawarma slices mixed with the juicy slices of shawarma and the taste would be out of this world. However, at Levantine, there was one spit of chicken that was not turning, when I went, which made me wonder where they were getting the beef shawarma to make my sandwich.

All in all, I did not feel too good after having this shawarma meal. The sandwich was OK and you know about the fries already. Suffice it to say, I will not be going here for lunch or dinner any time soon and will stick to the other shawarma places closer to work. It is difficult to get rid of a bad first impression...

A small family-run business serving absolutely hands-down the most delicious Mediterranean/Syrian dishes. The parents mostly work back of house doing prep work and the three fantastic daughters running the front. We had the opportunity to try many of their popular items which includes:

Half mix grill Mixed appetizers Chicken Shawarma Poutine Mixed cheese Manakeesh Zaatar Manakeesh Shawarma Manakeesh Foul Modammas Fattouch salad

Honestly, I was not able to decide which dish I liked best but the Chicken Shawarma Manakeesh was up there! Their garlic sauce and chili sauce truly hits differently. We also really love their char-grilled skewers and zaatar manakeesh! Such a unique flavour! You can help yourself to a delicious tea and they gave us a falafel while we waited for our food. The falafel was the best I've had - Syrian style with a hole in the middle for even frying and added sesame for a wonderful flavour!

The service is also absolutely spot on - always making sure we were taking care of. It felt like we walked into our friend's place with the family cooking us an authentic Mediterranean meal. We...

It is truly a rare sight to be both surprised and impressed by Arabic and middle eastern food in the west, considering it’s advent in the west was the popularization of cheap, easy and tasty food levantine take a more measured and delicate approach. Where the west has had this over saturation of Arab food often times watering its meaning, quality and taste. Levantine has meat, breads, and falafels that exemplify the taste true and authentic Arab food that gives the same warmth to the heart as your mother's home cooking and sitting in the streets of old Damascus outside a tea shop enjoying the falafels of the night. The same goes for the falafel at Levantine, now I am an older man but still can’t eat extravagant amounts of salt and intensity, yet the falafel at levantine are soft, delightful, scrumptious and tasty enough to reignite the flames of my heart reminding me of the warmth that came from my mother's cooking. This is true and authentic place that is family owned and you can see the passion and effort that goes into the flavor and atmosphere of...