Tabule Middle Eastern Cuisine — Restaurant in Toronto

To begin the interior design did not disappoint, excellent use of color choices and full of natural light. We visited for lunch. However I would like to point out that this restaurant/ location was missing the warm welcome that we normally experience in traditional Lebanese restaurants in Lebanon and throughout the Arabian Gulf. Unfortunately there was a lack of attention to detail when our table was prepared and we had to request for it to be re-set. An unclean side dish was delivered to the table and our main courses arrived rather swiftly after we had only JUST begun to enjoy our appetizers (hummus bil lahmeh & halloumi salad). They were not generous with the bread selection. Lack of timing and attentiveness was observed. There could have been more effort to predict when we would be ready to enjoy our main courses or if the ability to predict was not a strong point, they may have simply asked if we were ready. Our main courses: Shish Tawook & Kafta bil banadoura. The French music was lovely, typical Lebanese influence was noted when it came to the art and decor of the restaurant. The smell of garlic infused the restaurant which I found absolutely lovely and had me very excited to enjoy the various dishes. However, there was definitely a sense of something that was lacking as we did not feel the traditional full Lebanese experience. Unfortunately, when brought to the attention of the wait staff regarding the main course that had cooled down while waiting at our table for quite some time, it was taken away to be “re-heated”. The wait staff realized while bringing out the main courses extremely early that it was too soon however delivered them anyways. This was a first experience for us in our dining experiences locally and abroad. At the time when we were enjoying our appetizers, the restaurant only had two tables occupied so there was no excuse for lack of attention and awareness. Another strange point observed, is that it appeared the managers were using customer tables openly to complete work on their respective laptops. The environment lacked true Arabian hospitality, warmth, kindness and friendliness that we normally observe whilst in Lebanon and throughout the Arabian countries. Families are typically well known in the Arab world based on last names in relation to the area where they are from and it is a very common question to ask. It is also something that middle easterners are proud to disclose and discuss with honour. Considering we spend much time there and share the same country of origin as the owner, I was curious to know where exactly the owner was from and his family name. However, when inquired it was taken very negatively by the wait-staff and we felt a sense of confusion from the staff as though they wanted to imply why we would even ask such a question. On another note, we did hear the kitchen staff on various occasions making excessive noise by dropping items so it seemed they were not being very careful to ensure they were creating a proper dining experience for the guests. Dining is all about the experience. We would have loved to witness more passion from the wait staff, more welcoming approach and less passive aggression when requesting for replenishments (even though we should not have to ask and whichever items are missing from our table should be observed and replenished...

I am writing to formally file a complaint regarding a frustrating and unacceptable experience I had at your restaurant on the evening of September 18, during a dinner with a group of six people.

Let me be very clear: I was charged twice for my meal and also forced to pay AGAIN for another guest’s meal due to complete mismanagement by your staff. I am absolutely shocked at how this was handled and demand a full and immediate refund for the erroneous charges.

Here’s what happened:

When I paid for my meal, the CIBC payment clearly said "Approved" on my phone. I showed this to the server, not once, but multiple times.

Despite this, your male tall caucasian staff insisted the transaction did not go through. I was pressured into paying again, which I did, even though I visibly proved that the first transaction was successful.

To make matters worse, a second server came over later and repeated the same request, while she completely overlooked that one person at our table hadn't even paid yet (they had stepped away to the washroom). Instead of addressing this correctly, I was told to pay again, and I ended up paying for their meal as well.

Eventually, after we had to explicitly point out that one person at our table still hadn’t paid, the server returned and admitted they may have mistakenly charged me instead. No apology was offered, I should note. As a result, I received a refund for that third transaction, which wasn’t even mine in the first place. Despite this, the server continued to insist that my first two payments still hadn’t gone through, completely disregarding the proof of approval I had already shown on my phone — and again, no apology was given for the confusion or inconvenience. Now, after reviewing my bank statement, I can clearly see that I was charged twice for my own meal, and no refund has been issued for that duplicate charge. I’ve now checked my CIBC account, and it still shows two full charges for the exact same dinner, two different prices because of tips that I want to take back. That is absolutely unacceptable. You can even check the CTTV camera to see how they kept on coming to my table and me pulling out my phone to show them the approved transactions.

I am furious at the way this was handled. I did everything right — I paid, I showed proof, I cooperated with your staff, and yet I am the one left out of pocket and now forced to spend time chasing a refund. The level of incompetence and poor customer service here is beyond...

Thise review was for my experience at the Taboule Midtown Restaurantat located at 2009 Yonge Street. I ordered a Chicken Skewer, Mid Eastern salad, and a rice dish, all very fresh and tasty but light on all the spices and garnishes and pleasant on the tastebuds. For example just enough of a combination of spices added aroma and taste to the rice and the chicken, without ever fully knowing exactly what was added. This was a welcome change for me, as someone who is not big on alot of extra sauces or heavy marinades. There were also very subtle innuendos that impressed me. For example, I liked that they allowed you to omit ingredients you didn't want in the mid east salad. the salda already came with a dressing so light, I have no idea what they put into it. As someone who despises salad drenched in dressing, at Taboule, I would never request the salad without their dressing, it just seems to blend. The rice dish also, had some very unique accents, for example, the thin lightly shredded rice noodles on top of the buttered rice. Normally, I find too much butter added to Middle eastern rice or a lot of toppings. Again, this rice dish was so tastefully prepared using butter, I forgot that I woudl normally omit it from my diet. The best part was ending the meal with the Mint Tea with fresh mint leaves, served in a traditional tea pot, with a hand sewn cover on the handle. My photos donnot do justice to the actual meal because I had already gulped most of it down before I had a chance to photograph everything! Portions were generous, and half of my meal went home for the next day. I also wanted to add that I recieved outstanding service from start to finish. Taboule has several locations across the city, and they will also do take out. I'm told the The Yonge Street Midtown location will go as far south as Dupont Avenue. There is a take out fee, but I found the price affordable for 2-4 people,for the quality they served, and well worth it in my opinion to add a delivery fee. Best part about the restuarant-very comfortable seating and a wonderfully relaxing food...