Zezafoun Syrian Cuisine — Restaurant in Toronto

Small cozy café. The portions are VERY small. Right after we paid our bill, we were asked to leave the table for other visitors, although there were still empty and vacant tables with seats in the café. We did not finish our coffee when the staff started to clean our table and take away the cups. That was not friendly,...but rude :( ADDITION: Your answer shocked me!

1. You offered us tables with the sign "Reserved", saying that those tables were reserved for 7 pm (I made a picture of those tables ). After that, we chose another table without a reservation sign (to be sure that we would have enough time). As a solution for the future: I suggest you put a sign 'Reserved' on all tables and limit the time spent for all customers for 1 hour.

2. Regarding portions, we ordered dessert, but its size could be even larger. As a solution for the future: write the weight of the dish in the menu, so that later visitors would not be surprised at the size of the falafel;).

3. About the photos. According to by the fact that you counted how many photos we took (I did not count and I don’t know, thank you for saying that a hundred) your employees definitely have nothing to do! I did not violate the law when I took photographs, did not climb into your kitchen and did not photograph your faces, so I can safely consider this reproach to me, as to the client, is rude. Solution for the future: the client is your money, learn to treat them with respect.

4. About tips, leave them or not, it is always the client’s decision. Solution for the future: if we did not leave the tips, then look for the reason in your business, analyze customer reviews and improve your business according to it.

5. And I’ll repeat again if your employees know to the last detail what each client does (whether he straightens his hair, go to the toilet, scratches his nose) in your cafe, there are 2 options: there are a lot of employees and everyone does not have enough work, or all of them has nothing to do at all.

6. Please work on the service and maybe you will succeed!

At the moment, I can not recommend your...

We found Zezafoun under the most fortuous circumstances: we were driving up Yonge Street towards Eglinton looking for a cool restaurant to visit, we saw this whimsical place when we stopped at a light and the decision was made on the spot.

What a wonderful decision that was! This place has everything that I look for: mom & pop owned, unique cuisine offerings, a chilled vibe and great food.

Zezafoun is owned by real Syrians who can articulate how each dish is unique in the context of Syrian cuisine. One of the waitresses is very well connected: the cook is her grandmother, and the owner is her aunt. The wait staff is knowledgeable, pleasant and efficient.

The restaurant is intimate and very comfortable. The minute we walked in, the smell and decor told us right away that we would be having a great meal there. It is that kind of a place.

The menu really spoke to us, and we wanted to order every item on it. It is definitely a place that requires multiple visits to truly enjoy all the dishes.

The food is both unique and exquisite. The red pepper and walnut appetizer was outstanding. Before I knew it I went through half a pita eating this dip.

The eggplant wrapped beef was phenomenal! We love eggplants and this dish checked all the right boxes. So much so that we ordered another dish of rice just to finish the gravy.

The cherry beef was amazing. It may sound odd but the unique blend of almond, cherry, beef and cilantro was intoxicating. It went really well with pita.

The cocktails were unusual and yet ever so wonderful. The Syrian tea was very nice and sweet. The saffron chai was to die for. The dessert was one-of-a-kind!

Will...

The food here is for the most part beautiful and delicious just make sure you don't challenge the staff on their disastrous online menu. My father saw a photo of the Jaz maz (which as it turns out is indeed Syrian shakshuka) on their online menu. The picture is of a beautiful collection of poached eggs over tomatoes and herbs. The description reads: Tomatoes, 3 eggs, onions, parsley, and tomatoes paste served with side bread. He got a sloppy bowl of loose scrambled eggs in tomato sauce. When he challenged the server on this he received condescension and a defensive attitude. "Did you read the description, that is a photo of shakshuka you ordered Jaz maz we don't have shakshuka" (this immediately begs the question why then does the description of this specific dish include a photo of shakshuka?). She continued insisting we didn't read the description properly until her coworker eventually did the right thing and issued a refund. Again, very weird to include a photo with one of the descriptions on your menu of a dish you insist you don't serve. A really bad experience at an otherwise pleasant little restaurant. Just don't bother consulting the online menu. Also I googled Jaz maz which is ubiquitously described as Syrian shakshuka and not a single photo looked like the sloppy egg mess that was served. Edit: aside from this experience I've had very good food here for the most part and the interior is extremely inviting and cozy and they did offer a...