色色啦

Pita Way’s Mixed Shawarma, $4.99, 45 Carlton St.

The Dish

It sounds too good to be true: a sandwich board advertising a $4.99 chicken, beef or mixed shawarma at one of those modest Mediterranean takeout spots you鈥檝e probably walked by a dozen times without noticing. But when I ordered the mixed shawarma 鈥� a combo of juicy beef and cumin-scented chicken shaved from the vertical spit 鈥� the total really was $5.65 with tax.

It鈥檚 not a full-sized shawarma (that鈥檚 $10.99), but the $5 version is a solid light lunch 鈥� cheaper than a fast-food wrap and far more generous. The fillings are all there: lettuce, tomatoes, onions, chickpeas, pickles, hot sauce, and house-made toum. It鈥檚 not greasy, just balanced 鈥� crisp veg, tangy pickles, savoury roasted meat, and creamy sauces that add a silky hit of garlic. When the wrap comes out of the panini press, the warm pita gets a satisfying, bittersweet char. This isn鈥檛 just cheap eats 鈥� it鈥檚 affordable food made with care.

The Restaurant

Open since 2009, Pita Way is a family-run business owned by Eiman Vardi and his wife, Mode 鈥淪ally鈥� Abdulaziz. Located across from the Holiday Inn, the shop draws both locals and out-of-towners 鈥� a group visiting from Vancouver were already on their second visit during mine.

The $5 special has been on the menu for 13 years. It started at $4, but Vardi finally raised the price in recent years to keep up with inflation. He says it鈥檚 still one way to thank loyal customers 鈥� and it鈥檚 not going anywhere anytime soon.

Also on the Menu

In addition to shawarma, Pita Way also grills up kebabs in wrap or plate format, and there’s also crispy falafels as well that can be put into a wrap. While the shawarma poutine might not be what international visitors are looking for when it comes to Canadiana, it scratches the itch when in the downtown core late at night.

Explore the Area

The across the street (2 Carlton St.) needs no introduction when it comes to getting snacks or whenever a recipe calls for two teaspoons of a spice you’ll never use again. However, I feel as though not enough people still know that you get 15 per cent off on Sundays if you bring your own container (students and seniors also get a 15 per cent discount on Wednesdays). A block west, check out at the College Park food court (444 Yonge St.), a personal favourite of mine for affordable from-scratch kathi rolls. A little more upscale is (27 Carlton St.), a gorgeous Thai restaurant that does brunch, lunch and dinner as well as over-the-top cocktails. It’s also not a complete summer without ducking into a movie theatre for some air conditioning. All month, the (20 Carlton St.) is screening $5 classics (Easy Rider! Thelma and Louise! Showgirls!). Your dollars will go far at Yonge-College.

This is the Thursday, July 17 edition of Food Crawl, the Star鈥檚 weekly food newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox every week.