I have lived across the street from this place for 2+ years and never stopped in, so I decided to change that today. Two words of advice if you plan on trying Almanqal: come hungry.
THE GOOD:
- Almanqal combines the speed of fast food with fresh ingredients and a clean interior. Let's be real - most shawarma joints in Toronto have that dirty, grimy, "you-may-or-may-not-get-food-poisoning-here" vibe. Not this place - I was pleasantly surprised with how fresh and delicious the ingredients were, as well as how bright and open the space was.
- On top of fresh ingredients, the portions are absolutely massive. I got a chicken shawarma plate: chicken, rice, 2 yummy salads, hummus and tahini sauce. My styrofoam container was absolutely packed. I have a huge appetite and I still struggled to finish this thing (~$9 with tax) - it could have EASILY been two meals. Easily. In typical fatty fashion, however, I challenged myself to finish it all in one go (and subsequently passed out on my couch for 2 hours).
THE BAD:
- The chicken was the tiniest bit dry - that would be my only critique regarding the food.
- Do take note that unlike a lot of other shawarma places in the city, Almanqal is not open late - they close at 10pm on weekdays, 11pm on Saturday and do not open on Sundays. Looks like this won't be my new late night munchies spot.
All in all, I'm super happy to have discovered this gem across the street, and I will definitely be returning.