Rumi Restaurant — Restaurant in Toronto

Want to share the exceptional meal and service received on my first visit to Rumi Restaurant on December 29th. I went for lunch with a group of 12 people, 6 of whom are senior citizens, vegetarian and very hard to please. The rest of us were non-vegetarian.

Luckily, the restaurant offers a large selection of vegetarian dishes. The vegetarian group had no complaints about their food and were taken away by the flavour combination and presentation. Standout dishes were the eggplant dip, fresh out of the oven bread with two flavourful dips, the baked spinach/phylo appetizer and this delicious fried spring roll. For the non-vegetarian folks, we loved the beyati, this lovely and comforting beef stew (forget the name) and lahmucan. We were so full from our lunch, but had to try the kunafa for dessert. This is by far the best kunafa i've tried in the city. it was served hot, with fresh cheese, and i believe it was cooked in butter because it had a buttery flavour that balanced the sweetness perfectly. All the meals were made with high quality ingredients and served hot and fresh. The timing to get the food takes a bit longer, but it's worth it.

Our waiter Michael, was extremely patient and accommodating to the vegetarian groups dietary requirements and their many requests throughout our visit. Plus he is very personable and funny! He made everyone feel welcome and always stopped by to check in on us. On top of that, he helped walk some of elderly guests to their car safely due to the high wind and rain that day. We are extremely grateful to Michael for looking after us so well and the wonderful and talented chefs who put so much love in their food. Thank you all for making this a memorable...

My family and I decided to try this place based on the many positive reviews. I have to admit I was a little suspicious of so many glowing reviews (maybe written by friends and family). Unfortunately, we did not even make it to the point of ordering food. We walked in and noticed the decor had not been updated from the previous Italian restaurant. At first, we thought the Italian relics were an amusing nod to the restaurant’s past. Soon we realized it was the result of a lack of vision. It took quite some time to get seated. We waited patiently while the waiter/owner mostly ignored us. No extra staff to help is always a bad sign. Finally we sat down and even though we were there for dinner, we were given two breakfast menus, and one dinner menu. The dinner menu was ridiculously long. Honestly, restaurants need to learn that they should focus on what they do best. Trying to be everything to everyone is usually a recipe for failure. Customers don’t want to wade through the muck of a poorly planned menu. So we flipped through our single 10 page dinner menu. Meanwhile, there was a horrible smell coming from what must have been the bathroom. We politely tried to ignore but finally one of us said, “it smells like a toilet.” At that point, we decided to leave. All the signs pointed to a bad dining experience. I doubt there could be anything good coming from the kitchen, so I don’t feel bad about giving this restaurant a bad review. I suspect it might be the only honest...

I had dinner at Rumi with some friends about a week ago, and I still can’t stop thinking about their knafeh—hands down one of the best I’ve ever had. The whole experience was fantastic from start to finish. The menu is full of rich, authentic Turkish flavours, and every dish we tried was bursting with taste and clearly made with care.

The atmosphere strikes the perfect balance—cozy enough for a romantic night out, but also ideal for catching up with friends or even a relaxed business meal.

Huge thanks to our server, Kayla, who went above and beyond with thoughtful suggestions and answered all our (many) questions with a smile. Her kindness made the evening even more enjoyable.

We also had the chance to chat with the owner, Michael, who was incredibly kind, welcoming, and knowledgeable, especially when it came to drink pairings—his recommendations really elevated our meal.

A final shoutout to Chef Halil, whose talent shines through in every bite. You can tell he’s a master of his craft. Rumi has quickly become one of my favourite spots in Toronto, and I can’t...