New Lebanese restaurants in Toronto: 6 have been licensed in the past year, tracked daily from the City of Toronto business-licence registry (chains excluded). The most recent is ZEIN RESTAURANT, first seen 3 months ago.

Shawarma, manakeesh, mezze. Toronto's Lebanese scene runs from corner shawarma counters to family-run rooms doing kibbe and warak enab. The community concentrates in North York and Mississauga.

What dishes should I order at a Lebanese restaurant?

Start with the shawarma — Lebanon's defining street food, built on a vertical rotisserie spit of spiced chicken or beef, shaved into pita with garlic sauce (toum), pickled turnip, and parsley. Khayal Shawarma on Danforth and Shawarma West on York St are both built around this format. Beyond wraps, look for falafel (fried chickpea patties), hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, and kibbe (spiced lamb and bulgur). Layali Mediterranean Cuisine on Lake Shore West goes further with fish plates alongside its shawarma bowls — worth the detour if you want something beyond the counter-service format.

What is saj bread and why does it show up on Lebanese menus?

Saj is a thin flatbread cooked on a convex iron dome griddle over an open flame — the result is a pliable, slightly smoky wrap that's crispier at the edges and softer in the centre than machine-pressed pita. It's the traditional vessel for Lebanese street wraps (manakeesh, shawarma) and predates the oven-baked pita most people know. Shawarma Style on Scarborough Rd specifically calls out saj-cooked chicken shawarma as its signature — the bread makes a real textural difference compared to a standard pita wrap.

Is Lebanese food halal?

Yes, in practice — virtually all Lebanese restaurants in Toronto serve halal meat as a baseline, reflecting the community's predominantly Muslim Lebanese roots and the expectations of their customer base. You won't find pork on a Lebanese menu except at explicitly non-halal establishments. All six Toronto spots currently listed on NowServingTO — including Ali's Shawarma on Weston Rd and Shawarma City Express in Scarborough — operate as halal counters. If certification matters to you, confirm directly with the restaurant, as halal certification and halal practice are not always the same thing.

Where are the newest Lebanese restaurants in Toronto?

The six newest licensed Lebanese spots are spread across the city rather than clustered in one neighbourhood. Scarborough has two: Shawarma City Express at Victoria Park Ave (Unit 17, the most recently licensed) and Shawarma Style on Scarborough Rd. East Toronto has Khayal Shawarma on Danforth Ave. Downtown is covered by Shawarma West at 8 York St. Etobicoke has Layali Mediterranean Cuisine on Lake Shore Blvd West — the most distinctive of the group, with a fish-forward menu. West Toronto rounds out the list with Ali's Shawarma on Weston Rd.

How is Lebanese food different from other Middle Eastern cuisines?

Lebanese cooking is lighter and more herb-forward than Persian or Turkish food — the emphasis is on raw herbs (parsley, mint), acidic dressings, and charcoal-grilled or spit-roasted meats rather than slow-braised stews or rice pilafs. Toum (a whipped garlic emulsion) is distinctively Lebanese and appears across the menu in ways it wouldn't in Iranian or Turkish kitchens. Shawarma exists across the Middle East but the Lebanese version is defined by that garlic sauce and pickled turnip combination. If you're comparing directly: Turkish food leans more heavily on lamb kebabs and flatbread; Persian food on herb stews (ghormeh sabzi) and saffron rice; Lebanese on mezze spreads, raw salads, and the rotisserie.