Souk Tabule — Restaurant in Toronto

I visited based on the very high reviews. When you walk in, it's unclear whether to order at the counter, be seated or seat yourself. I seated myself and saw a QR code on the table saying you could order to your table with that. I used it but some of the menu items didn't have descriptions, so I went to their website to read the menu there.

IMO, it's not a good experience to not be greeted/told to sit anywhere and then go up to the counter to order or use a QR code. When I ordered I asked for a water and was told there's a self-serve station for that. I think the self-serve thing would be fine if that was obvious, but the way the restaurant looks makes you think it would have table service.

The pulled chicken wrap I got was a good value, around $13, and very filling. I didn't quite finish it. The flavour left something to be desired, though. It's fast casual dining with mediocre food-- based on this wrap, anyway. The wrap also dripped aggressively the whole time, literally filling my plate with a pool of liquid. That + the very loud Camila Cabelo/similar style of earworm music playing made it a pretty unpleasant experience.

I took my glass to the self-serve station to drink a little more water before I left, and as I was walking back to my table a server was walking to the counter with my plates. Since my table was cleared I asked where she'd like me to put my glass (assumedly on the counter) and we had this awkward interaction where she wasn't sure what I was asking a couple times.

Then I used the restroom and the light went off while I was washing my hands. Their automatic sensors are really trying to save energy.

After that I left and lol, there is a comically heavy door (which is labelled as such). A fitting ending.

Anyway, I just write this so that others know to manage expectations. This is a fast casual restaurant on a college campus. I haven't been to a Freshii in ages, but I'd say the quality of the food and experience is similar to...

This is like the casual, fast-serve little brother of Tabulé and feels like it. You won't find table service here, as it feels much more lunch-orientated.

But if you like Lebanese food or want to try Beirut street food, this is the spot.

You can order through the QR code app at the table or at the counter and they bring you the food when it's ready. So, if you're a fan of minimal interaction with serving staff, this is the place for you. (It is a service-style very much like many places in the UK, for example.) I'm not so hot on this style personally but I understand why it exists in this setting.

The food is almost as good as Tabulé. Huge flavours, generous servings, and high-quality ingredients. We tried so many different options and all were excellent, but special shout out to the pulled chicken wrap and the falafel. There are plenty of good falafel to find in Toronto if you know where to look, but Souk/Tabulé must be up there in top 3, if not #1. They are absolutely perfect in every way. There wasn't anything we ordered that we didn't like.

Good coffee and sides. Dirty rice is a must.

Staff is all helpful and friendly. Atmosphere is clean, minimal, and bright (the opposite of Riverside Tabulé). Too bad the alarm (testing?) kept going off. That wasn't too pleasant but downtown condos seem to do this all the time.

Probably the best lunch spot in the...

Unprofessional and rude staff. I placed an order through Ritual for two gluten-free pitas, one saj pita, and one labneh. When I got home, I found 5 pitas wrapped in three separate packs. The gluten-free pitas were not marked and all the pitas looked similar, so it was impossible to tell which ones were gluten-free. I called the restaurant about the problem and was told that the gluten-free pitas "look different." In reality, however, all three sets of pitas looked similar enough that it wasn't possible to identify the gluten-free ones. It also shouldn't be the customer's responsibility to identify which items fit a particular dietary need and which ones don't. When I politely but firmly explained this to the staff member, she admitted that the restaurant had made a mistake in failing to label the gluten-free pitas. However, instead of fully taking responsibility for the mistake and offering a solution, she told me that there wasn't anything she could do about it, didn't want to deal with it, and hung up on me, which was extremely unprofessional and rude. I tried calling back multiple times, but "conveniently," no one picked up. It's frustrating to have spent money and ordered food from a restaurant and not only be unable to eat it because it hadn't been labelled properly but also be treated rudely...