Mooring Eats, a family-owned establishment located in South Etobicoke, has been serving up some of Toronto's freshest Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes since 2019––including the largest shawarma feast box you've likely ever laid eyes on.
The Abdalnor family, originally from Syria, opened Mooring Eats in 2019. Quality, freshness, and authenticity are all key ingredients in each dish they prepare. Wajih and his father, Spiro, are often pictured on Mooring Eats' Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok accounts. Whether the pair are spotted displaying a unique menu creation (like their Fries Wrap) or preparing a classic item, it is clear that the Abdalnor family are not strangers to the restaurant industry.
In fact, Spiro shares both his love for authentic food and his name with his father, who owned and ran a restaurant (that was aptly named Spiro) in Latakia, Syria for 70 years. Spiro was a beautiful seaside establishment that was known to Syrian locals and tourists alike. Spiro earned its adoring reputation due to its high quality, as well as for its freshness and original experience; customers could visit the kitchen and choose their own fresh fish to eat.
While Mooring Eats is located in Mimico, an area that is vastly different from the Syrian seaside, photos of the stunning blue environment and nautical surroundings of Latakia are featured on the interior of the restaurant, giving it a notable sense of familial inspiration, history and character. Every single dish is prepared with care, as well as with a passion for food and the same authentic quality that has been passed down through generations of the Abdalnor family. And, Mooring Eats is located within walking distance to Lake Ontario, so while it may not be the Mediterranean seaside, visitors can choose to take their food to go and enjoy a meal by the lakeshore.
The passion that Mooring Eats' owners and staff put into their food is evident; not only do they offer a wide variety of menu options for solo diners or crowds (and catering), but they won the 2021 GEM of Etobicoke Lakeshore Award for Best Restaurant/Cafe.
One of their most unique items is The Mooring Feast Box, which is just as good as it sounds. The Mooring Feast Box features chicken shawarma with house-made garlic sauce, beef shawarma with house-made tahini, mixed shawarma topped with house-made chipotle sauce, and finally, chicken shawarma poutine. Pickles, peppers, and other vegetables are also piled on the side for you to mix in and enjoy. The Mooring Feast Box is perfect for groups of four and is only available until Dec. 31.
Other menu items (that are here to stay) include family wrap trays and platters, an assortment of daily specials, salads, and classic dishes, offered as platters and wraps, such as chicken and beef shawarma, falafel, shish tawook, eggplant, dolmadakia, chicken shawarma fries and even a Canadian classic, poutine.
Mooring Eats also offers homemade, authentic dips, including garlic, hummus and baba ganoush. Many of their menu options are vegetarian and vegan; their falafel is gluten-friendly as well.
And... pickle lovers, rejoice! Mooring Eats serves up delicious pickles and pickled turnips that complement their dishes perfectly.
Whether you're looking to try something new and support a local family-owned business with lots of heart, or you're a fanatic for Middle-Eastern cuisine and can't wait to hold your own platter or Mooring Feast Box in your arms, Mooring Eats is well worth the trip to South Etobicoke.
Mooring Eats is a Halal establishment and offers a variety of takeout and delivery options. They are open seven days a week until 10 p.m. The shop is located at 2481 Lakeshore Boulevard West.
