Simit & Chai — Restaurant in Toronto

After reading the super positive reviews of Simit & Chai, I was looking forward to coming here and purposely went out of my way to try their chai. I'm not sure what happened or even if the people changed. It seems like Lisa S also tried within 2 weeks and experienced a disappointment as well.

I love Chai ... ever since my discovery of them in New Delhi and Dubai, I've been thrilled to find different variations around the world. When Simit and Chai opened, I had it bookmarked forever. I am never in this area of King St so I had to make the trek out. The cafe is a decent size and has a lot of small and shared tables for you to sit. It also have a few cute 2 seaters outside to enjoy the sun if you want.

Their service here is polite and quiet. They had one person taking the orders and cash while 2 others were in the back making the food. Their menu has their bagels with various toppings, some in house baked goods, and their drink menu.

Chai latte with almond milk - When we got the cups, I was shocked at the size. I ordered a large for $6 (with almond milk) and what arrived was a cereal bowl sized drink. Generous ... yes perhaps but thats when I realized their mistake. With such a large cup, you need a lot of tea to overcome the amount of water and milk in it. This was a cup of heated diluted almond milk. Even with the extra shakes of cinnamon, it could not change the flavour of watery milk. What a disappointment as I was hoping for bold flavour and spices. There was no black tea flavour or any spices. I think I'll stick to Plentea and Chaiwalla Chai from here on in. We only drank maybe 5 sips before giving up. 1/5

Turkish cappuccino - Another casualty of a big cup and not understanding flavours need to hold its ground to a lot of water and milk. Similar problem to the chai latte, we got an expensive cup of super watered down coffee. It did have a tiny bit more flavour than the chai latte but this was extremely watery. Normally in the middle east, you can taste the cardamom in the coffee but this... I could barely even taste coffee. I think for Middle Eastern coffee, I will go back to Souk Tabule. There you have good flavour even if it is a latte. Definitely too expensive for hot watery coffee. 1/5

Baklava - Made in house, I was surprised when it arrived to the table. For $2.50 the piece of baklava was only 1 inch squares. I remember the in house made baklava at Baklava King and even then you can share the piece for maybe 2 bites each. This single piece was a morsel. As for flavour, you could taste the pistachios and walnuts but the syrup was not evenly distributed. Even in the single bite I had, there was so super dried out phyllo pieces while others were properly drenched. Good flavour but too small and not the best execution. 3/5

I do have to warn people.. DO NOT USE THE BATHROOM. It is atrocious. I dont want to be graphic but the brown stains and terrible conditions of dirt everywhere in there was a shock. It needs a good bleaching for a few hours.

I'm not sure if they raised prices, lowered quality, or have new staff... but the Simit & Chai I experienced is not the same as others has written. It's unfortunate but I'm hoping this is read and lessons...

I recently had the pleasure of ordering from Simit Cai, and I must say that my experience was fantastic. I decided to try out their Avocado and Traditional Lunch sandwich, as well as their Nutella Acma and Ispanakli Borek. Here's my review of each item:

Avocado and Traditional Lunch Sandwich: The Avocado and Traditional Lunch sandwich exceeded my expectations. The bread was freshly baked and had a delightful crunch, while the avocado was perfectly ripe and spread generously across the sandwich. The combination of the traditional lunch ingredients with the creamy avocado created a wonderful balance of flavors. It was a satisfying and wholesome choice for a meal.

Nutella Acma: If you have a sweet tooth, the Nutella Acma is an absolute delight. The pastry was soft, flaky, and oozing with delicious Nutella. Each bite was like a heavenly explosion of chocolate-hazelnut goodness. The size was perfect, not too small nor too large, making it an ideal treat for any time of the day. I highly recommend trying this if you're a fan of Nutella or crave something indulgent.

Ispanakli Borek: The Ispanakli Borek, or spinach pastry, was a pleasant surprise. The thin layers of pastry were filled with a savory spinach mixture that had just the right amount of seasoning. The texture was spot on, with a crisp exterior and a tender, flavorful filling. It was a great option for those looking for a savory snack or appetizer.

Overall, I was extremely satisfied with my order from Simit Cai. The quality of their ingredients, the freshness of their bread, and the balance of flavors in their sandwiches and pastries impressed me. Whether you're in the mood for a wholesome lunch or a sweet treat, Simit Cai is definitely worth a visit. I can't wait to try more of their offerings...

A pretty place with tasty food and drinks. The simits are so good and so are the coffees! The reason I've changed my review from a 5 to a 3 is due to the management and process. I think it needs some rethinking, especially since this cafe gets busy on weekends and can't keep up with the demand. They should have a table service numbering system instead of just yelling out people's names when their order is ready. There are nice tables and it is a sit-down style restaurant. Therefore, once I'm seated, I don't want to get up to pick up my food and drinks and carefully take them to my table. They should be brought to the table and found via tall numbers that are given to the customers to put on their tables upon ordering like other busy casual restaurants. They also need to pay better attention to dirty dishes left on tables during the busy times. I sat at a large table, communal style and during my stay, two couples came and went from our table, leaving their dishes behind. By the time we were done, the table was over-crowded with dirty dishware that should have been spotted by a member of the staff and removed for the next guest to sit down. Aside from the girl with red hair on cash, the members of the staff looked panicked, unapproachable and stressed. They should hire more staff on weekends to keep up with the demand and alleviate some of the stress on others. I'll continue to come here but I think management should take these tips into...