Sababa Fine Foods (Bakery, Grocery and Restaurant) — Restaurant in Vaughan

Went here for the first time last week, upon a suggestion from a friend. He said he really loved the food, and always comes here to eat.

Little did I know, he only gets the falafel sandwich, and calls it a day.

I actually went inside the restaurant, because it was my first time there, and I ordered a few dishes… The first one being the lentil soup, which was very good. I ordered a side hummus appetizer, which was very average. And I ordered a chicken souvlaki plate Which came with fries and rice and a basic salad which consisted of mostly lettuce, which was also average at best.

Firstly, the lentil soup, it was tasty, and I have no complaints about the soup. It was very good.

The hummus appetizer was an average hummus, which I have had hundreds of places in different parts of the world, including Toronto, and as I said, this was a very average hummus, which came with one pita bread.

The chicken souvlaki dinner was extremely disappointing. The chicken pieces were of average tenderness, the rice that it came with was arguably the worst rice I’ve ever had at any restaurant, because it lacked any sort of flavour whatsoever, and it tasted extremely bland (basically not edible). There was not even any salt that was put in this rice. The tzatziki was also an average tzatziki, which is better at any standard Greek restaurant you can go to.

The service was also average, where he forgot to bring my water for 5 to 10 minutes, and forgot to bring my tzatziki with my meal for a good 10 minutes, and I had to ask him twice for it, before he said sorry and said that he forgot. The server himself was nice, but a little bit forgetful.

And the price of the food (like anywhere nowadays) it’s not cheap. So the value for this food is not there also, based on the quality of the taste.

It always amazes me how restaurants like this one get five stars from people, which makes me wonder, do they leave their taste buds at home?? This place does not deserve a five star. It is a three star at best. But I’m a person who loves tasty food, and if it does not live up to standards, which this place did not… Whereby the food was subpar and the service was average, and the prices are on the higher side… Then there’s no reason for even giving it a three star.

For the record, I do not believe this was an off day for the restaurant. I believe the food came out for me as it would for every other person who ordered the same dishes as me, also because the food was not overcooked or undercooked either… It simply lacked taste. I believe this is just how the restaurant Marinates and cooks its food.

Very Disappointing overall, especially since it came with a high recommendation from somebody else. If I had simply stumbled onto it, and went into it by myself, then there is a small chance, I might have mustered up a three star (maybe).

Even franchises like Paramount and Me va me are better and tastier than this place. But there’s smaller mom and pop places that serve way tastier hummus, or chicken kebabs than this place does.

Disappointing to...

First visit after Covid……and their Lamb Shish Kebab is still the BEST in town!

3 decades and counting. This long standing Thornhill icon continued to churn out some of the best Middle Eastern charbroiled grilled meat skewers in town. A particularly scarce offering and favorite of mine is their cooked-to-order Lamb Shish Kebab, using Grass fed Ontario Lamb ( more delicate, sweet and less gamey than their New Zealand cousins ).

Today, braving a late Spring snow storm, my son and I decided to go for a ‘ Grilled Lamb Feast ‘ luncheon. Before the arrival of the main event, we started off with a hot Falafel and Pita appetizer platter. Piping hot, light, airy, well seasoned and crispy, the most enjoyable aspect of this Falafel rendition was their surprisingly moist interior! A real delight to eat with both Tzatziki and Tahini dips.

Our Shish Kebab Skewers of well charred, succulent, juicy and tender lamb morsels were masterfully cooked - rare as ordered. A touch of salt to elevate the overall taste profile and carnivores like myself was instantly propelled to ‘ Meat Heaven ‘!

Service was most friendly and attentive.

A most enjoyable, pleasurable and value-for-money meal, well worth the drive through inclement...

The servers in the place are something else! They complain about their tips insight if customers! The table next to us had six people. They didn't seem overly happy about the service and food and must have left a suitable tip to the way they felt (our table probably felt the same)... the servers were openly bring critical open the tip!

In our opinion, the other customers were right if they tipped less, if anything! The servers are pushy, assertive and not very friendly.

On top of the service problems, the food here matches the attitude... boring and tasteless! The Shepherd's Pie looks like vomit and was delivered burned. When this was mentioned to the server she said it isn't burned, it is the way it is supposed to be made... black on top! The Middle Eastern Salad was a mess and was dressed with too much dressing and overly salted. The Chicken Schnitzel was greasy and overly breaded, tough and dry.

We tried this place based on favourable comments... boy are they wrong!

Over priced, undervalued and rude servers do not make this place memorable...