Cafe De Paan — Restaurant in Toronto

If you haven't already been to Cafe DePaan, then you're missing out big time!

We had a decent meal at Thai on the Rock, but hoped to have some Paan & Falooda for desert at the store next door..which unfortunately, sorry, I should say fortunately was not serving Falooda at that time. So, I googled, called a few restaurants, but no luck.

Then I saw this Cafe de Paan and thought, what a fancy name, hop they are as fancy as their name. So, I called & was told they did indeed make Falooda & so, off we went. Now, for those of you who are not familiar with Falooda, the picture I posted may give you a slight glimpse of what I mean, but you will have to venture out to Cafe de Paan & experience it for yourself as I would not be able to do justice in my description 😉. When we got there, it was around 5:30pm (note this) on Mother'sDay & we were fortunate to get to chat with the owner - didn't get his name, but young guy, very polite & passionate about what he's doing, excellent customer service & in no time, we were talking like old friends while he & his coworker was preparing 6 Faloodas for other customers before they got down to making 2 kulfi Faloodas (see pic) for my son & wife. Honestly, I would have ordered a 3rd one, but thought my teen son would not finish his, so I didn't- big mistake- next time I'll make sure I order one separately for myself. 😀 We also met his mum whom he credits for his success and is happythey'reworkingtogether - her specialty is the Paan as well as the general cooking & support. We talked about the beautiful mural on one of the walls which to me, looked like Al Pacino, while others who have visited the Cafe think it looks like Amitabh Bachan! 😀

The KULFI FALOODA at Cafe De Paan is simply delicious & best eaten there itself. I don't remember having this delicious a Falooda anywhere in the world & I should know- I have a sweet tooth and a great taste for desserts.

We took 2 Paans to go, they were👌

Notes: • If you're like me & like striking up conversations with people, go before 6:00pm, as it gets so busy after that, he won't have the time the day. • it's a relatively small sitting area, but comfortable. • Parking can be tricky during peak hours though it's in a Plaza. ● Faloodas taste best with nuts, but if you have allergies, PLEASE inform them. • Make sure you have a light meal before venturing out on a Falooda as, that can be a meal in itself (atleast for some of us small eaters). • They do have the regular chaat- Bhel puri, paani puri etc. which we will...

This is a great joint to enjoy those cravings we might have for chaat to bun kebab, falooda or Paan. Look for Kamal bhai. He is running this place with his wife Kehkashaan. Every order is made with love and care which can be seen when the food comes to you. I ordered the samosa chaat (not pictured) and Beef Bun Kebab (pictured) that came with chips. The beef bun kebab was to die for, I haven't had such bun kebabs here in GTA. I would highly suggest trying them out. Additionally other times I have been there I have tried their Falooda and Bombay sandwich as well which has chicken in it. I have yet to try something on their menu that we did not like collectively as family. We go here late at night at times just to have Paan or Falooda or during the day to have chaats, bun kebab or the bombay sandwich. If you are on the edge for coming to the place then let me be the one to tell you that just go and try for yourself.

All the chutneys are made in house and Kamal's wife is the one making them in the back. When ordering chaat make sure to ask for some extra chutney as I felt it could have some more yoghurt, green and red chutney but this is more preference based. Kamal Bhai and the wife are always happy to accommodate including your spice levels.

DO NOT FORGET to let Kamal bhai know if you intend to enjoy your order in your car as he prepares it accordingly making it easier for you to devour his creation in the comforts of your vehicle without spilling.

Even though Kamal Bhai tries to keep up with the service but the sheer amount of traffic can be overwhelming at times. Weekends and especially nights can be very busy for this place which can mean waiting for your order for 15-20minutes which was the case with me amongst the numerous times I have been there but it was the weekend. Other times it is quick - under 5minutes.

The owners of this place make coming to the place a no brainer.

Elevate your Paan Game with...

Worth the visit!!!

The food was pretty good, the atmosphere a fun chill vibe. But the service is definitely slow. It took about 25 minutes to make chai, and then when we said we had a large, it took another 15 minutes to get that large chai. The rest of the group had finished their chai when the one large came out.

The chaat was ok, a bit too much chutney, which is something I never say. I didn't even think it would be possible to put too much chutney! But the taste was still good. A few people in the reviews didn't like the chick peas in bhel puri, but this is authentic pakistani street food. I don't enjoy Indian bhel puri because it only has onions. You have to remember that everyone will like the ingredients they grew up with. The taste of the chaat is great though.

The bun kebab was good, I enjoyed the taste and fillings, although a bit too much egg for my personal taste. My brother in law didn't like the onions but loved the egg (not separate egg but what the kebab was coated in). Again, personal preference.

The falooda was great! They use flatter noodles than normal and I think the texture is much better.

Paan is ok. I had a Calcutta Meetha Paan but it had way too much kattha in it. Made my whole mouth taste bitter. Other than that it was good and big in size.

All in all, this place is still worth the wait and slow service. In spite of all of the things I mentioned, it's still one of the best street food places around.

The cost feels high but when you look at cost of ingredients it also...