Kebab 49 - Turkish Restaurant — Restaurant in Vaughan

My family kicked off an early Family Day celebration at Kebab 49's new Vaughan location, and it was a fantastic choice. Having loved their Etobicoke restaurant, I was confident recommending this spot, and they exceeded my expectations. The authentic Turkish flavours were superb, but it was the outstanding service that made the entire experience memorable. Here are my standout dishes: Iskender Kebab was a symphony of flavours. Tender veal and lamb doner were generously bathed in rich tomato sauce and melted butter, complemented by the bed of bread that absorbed all the juices. Paired with the accompanying yogurt, that first bite created a delicious taste explosion. Chicken Shish with Bulgur: Chicken skewers were grilled to perfection. They were so flavourful with smoky char on the outside, bursting with succulent juices on the inside. They soaked into the pillowy bread served alongside them, while the mild bulgur provided a beautiful contrast in texture. Mix Appetizer Plate: Our waiter enthusiastically recommended this, and he was spot on. This sampler of six cold Turkish appetizers kept our taste buds engaged with every bite. Our favourites were the chilli tomato dip, which was vibrant and spicy, and atom, which was bold, rich, and very spicy. Though pricy, it offered an authentic and unforgettable start to the meal. Baklava: The complimentary Turkish tea after our meal demanded a sweet companion. Their baklava came in threes and it did not disappoint. Flaky pastry layered with generous pistachio was drenched in sweet syrup without sacrificing its crispiness. I could tell that this was the vanilla baklava, with no traces of spices or tanginess to make it more interesting, which I liked better because it paired well with their unsweetened tea. Other than the food, every server at Kebab 49 deserved a praise. Not only were they attentive, but they truly engaged with us – chatting, taking photos, ensuring we were enjoying our meal. This genuine warmth and focus on providing an exceptional experience was so refreshing. If I had to nitpick, the double-door entrance wasn’t doing a good job keeping the cold drafts from reaching even our table, which was deep inside the restaurant. While spacing between tables was good, the bustling staff activity made maneuvering within the restaurant a bit tight at times. Also, diners with food sensitivities might notice that inside the open kitchen, they could see no chefs were wearing masks and they were chatting while cooking. On a positive note, their washrooms were impeccably maintained. To summarize, Kebab 49’s outstanding food and stellar service made for a truly special evening. This place earns my highest recommendation, and I would love to...

Tonight was our second visit... with our kids because my husband and I said to the kind owner after our first time here for lunch that we will have to be back with the rest of the family :) I love Turkish cuisine, and I was first drawn in with the rice stuffed grape leaves appetizers (one of my Middle Eastern faves) and the Turkish version sarma is warm tangy and flavourful, and the ground chicken kebabs served with a side of green salad, bulgur and bread was generous in size and super tasty! That was our lunch experience and sitting in a cozy spot in view of their wood burning oven. We kept thinking, our next visit with our boys must include their appetizing pide (Turkish pizza shaped into a long boat). And we were right, they really enjoyed the roast beef pide tonight!

Both times Berkay served us. I recalled his hospitality and affable service, as he was also tending to a large lunch group taking over one section of the dining area, but he made sure he came to check on us. I received a complimentary Turkish tea which was the perfect digestive after a filling meal (the portions were generous so we had leftovers too) while my husband enjoyed a Turkish coffee (such a lovely dark roast flavour) savoured with comp sweet Turkish delight (lokum).

Tonight was no different, we were so glad to have Berkay serve us again. He provided his recommendations on some of our menu indecisions (such as the 6 dip appetizers for variety which is equivalent to 2 dips, the pide over the typical pizza my son wanted, and the kunefe for dessert), and everyone was happy! But the showstopper had to be the Mixed Kebab For 3 (👍 for $99). Arriving in an impressive long heated copper vessel, with lid opened to reveal huge portions of assorted kebabs, chicken wings, doner, meatballs, kibbeh and bulgur) that easily serves 5 alongside a refreshing mixed salad and fresh chewy bread. Needless to say we had leftovers again, perfect for lunch tmrw! It was a busy Friday night, Berkay checked on us every so often and was attentive in refilling our water glasses and offered us complimentary pistachio baklava to try. My family had a great time and we will surely be back again! Thank you Berkay and welcome Kebab 49 to our...

Had a steel staple in the doner. An actual steel staple. What more can I say? But I will, to be fair.

I'm pretty sure that's not what the doctor meant when she recommended I add more iron to my diet...

So to be fair - the meat WITHOUT staples in it tasted good, albeit a bit dry but still good. They cut the meat ALONG the grain, which means the meat muscle fibers are cut along their length as opposed to cut across to break those long fibers down, which makes it hard to chew - not sure why they do that and not cut it across the grain instead.

I also got the meat with rice, which tasted good, with a salad, which was just ok - some parts were cut way too fine (the carrots), while some weren't cut enough (large slices of onion that were still connected to each other) which considering they give you wooden cutlery - makes it impossible to cut anything with it, which besides that wood cutlery having awful aftertaste when you put it in your mouth - also means that if you ordered this to eat on the road and you don't have a proper knife to further cut those onion slices - you have to bite off rather large pieces of raw onion with your teeth. Just bad execution.

I also got two side orders of garlic yogurt and of roasted eggplant with tahini - both were very good and I would highly recommend getting them - eating those with the freshly made flatbread the meal included was delicious.

Overall good food, but - I can't ignore the fact they allowed a sharp, foreign, metal object to get into the food - that should NEVER happen. Why would a food container be left open for a stapler pin from an office stapler to even get into it to begin with? Those two things shouldn't even be in the same area - food preparation area must be separate or the things coming out of it most be separated from anything else. That should have NEVER happened - sorry.

The way I rate is 5 stars for excellent/great, 4 for very good, 3 stars for good, 2 stars for sub-par (or not bad but not good), and 1 for "really bad" /avoid.

So for the food - 3 stars (good), 1 star (bad) for the restaurant for allowing...