I’ve passed by this location many times in Hamilton and I finally decided to try it out. The decor is friendly with little elegant fixtures here and there. They also have a fun typographic chalkboard menu above the cashier. Pastries and desserts are displayed on the counter encased in glass. Once you are seated, you are give a menu to look over. When you’ve decided what yo get, you go to the food counter to place an order. I think this is a great way to be efficient, it also decreases the chances of taking down a wrong order. And this makes it impossible for people to dine-and-dash.

1441 Upper James Street, Hamilton  |  Twitter  | Facebook  |  Website  |  Menu  |  Map

We ended up ordering three dishes to share. First came the Arayess, it’s a flaky pita stuffed with a mixture of ground beef, onions and parsley, garnished with pickles, tomatoes and lettuce. I ate everything on the plate with hummus, it was magnificent. Our second dish was the Mini Mixed Grill. This consisted of a skewer of beef, a skewer of shish tawouk and a skewer of kafta grill. It was garnished with grilled tomato, onion, spicy bread, garlic dip and hummus. Everything on this plate was delicious as well. The meat was cooked and seasoned just right and the garnishes paired perfectly.

Our last item was from the Manakeesh section. These are Arabic style pizzas baked in their wood burning oven. We got the pepperoni, vegetable pizza. The toppings included tomato, basil sauce, beef, pepperoni, green peppers, black olives and mozzarella cheese. The crust was thin and crispy, the ingredients were cooked enough and the cheese melted nicely, just the way I like it!

This is an awesome restaurant to visit if you want to get a taste of Middle Eastern cuisine in a warm, family friendly and welcoming environment. The atmosphere and service will allow you to enjoy your overall experience.