Chokka Toronto Persian Restaurant | چوکا رستوران ایرانی تورنتو — Restaurant in Toronto

Our first visit to Chokka today was mixed with a bit of nostalgia for its longtime predecessor, Greece, but quite wonderful nonetheless. We went for lunch and the food was, as others have stated, simply superb and the service top-notch. Chokka's goal is to present the best of Persian/Iranian cuisine with the best (and freshest) ingredients, which isn't going to be bargain basement. However, the menu also offers a range of more cost-effective dishes plus, like many serious restaurants, there is a daily lunch special that allows diners to test-drive a higher-end classic at a reasonable rate. In our case, the shishlik kebab -- grilled lamb chops in the foreground of the photo priced $20 below the evening rate. Absolutely delicious, as was everything else including my sidekick's fesenjan, a "sweet and sour" chicken stew. (Don't fret if the menu seems daunting -- your server soon clears up any confusion.) For those with less of an appetite (we were celebrating a birthday), Chokka also has an array of fast-food options. However, despite the impression given by (again, as others have noted) the advertising that seems to fill the windows, it is NOT a fast-food joint by any stretch of the imagination. If you step through the door and check the place out, that image will disappear forever. In fact, you will see that the ads are like a one-mirror. They don't obscure your view of the street. Let's welcome Chokka -- another key player in the rebuilding of our stretch of Mount Pleasant as a serious food...

We ordered borani badenjan, which they didn't have, then we ordered mirza ghasemi, which they also didn't have. So we ordered kask badenjan, which we had never tasted before, and it was DELICIOUS! We are actually glad that they didn't have the first two appetizers we asked for. For main course we both had torsh kebab, which was heavenly. The saffron rice was also lovely. The salad was very ordinary, however: just iceberg lettuce, carrots, cherry or grape tomatoes and cucumbers. All the ingredients were fresh and crisp, but iceberg lettuce is pretty tasteless; a mix of greens would be nicer. I had mint tea, which was very nice. And we appreciated the complimentary Persian tea and cakes after dinner. The food was a little expensive -- the mint tea was $7.99 for a small cup and no refill was offered -- but the portions of food were large and we ended up taking about 1/3 of it home. The waitress was friendly and pleasant, but I think pretty new at her job; she kept having to check with the chef about availability of what we ordered. The restaurant has a system of pressing a bell to summon the waitstaff, which was efficient. The restaurant has been extensively redecorated since it was Greece Restaurant for decades. It is soothing and beautiful, with soft earth tones and plants, flowers and a fountain. We will certainly return to Chokka Persian...

Two nights ago, I ordered two squares of kebab (without rice) on Uber Eats and even called the restaurant to add extra tomatoes. Shortly after, my order was canceled — and Uber Eats showed that the cancellation came from the restaurant’s side. Tonight, I discovered that I was still charged almost $82. That’s really disappointing. If the food isn’t available, the restaurant shouldn’t keep the item active on the app. I contacted Uber Eats support, but they said they couldn’t refund me. I’ll never order from this place again and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

An update after one day

I left a review to share my experience. After my review, the restaurant contacted me multiple times, insisting I remove it. Even though I explained that I didn’t cancel the order and that Uber told it was the restaurant’s cancellation, they have now threatened to take me to court if I don’t delete my review within two days. I’ve attached a screenshot of their message. I’m posting this update so other customers are aware of how this business handles...