Paramount Lebanese Kitchen in Toronto

161 Bay St., Toronto, ON M5J 2S1, Canada

★★★★☆
(158 reviews)
Categories: Middle Eastern restaurant Family restaurant Halal restaurant Lebanese restaurant Mediterranean restaurant Restaurant Restaurant supply store

About

Paramount Fine Foods began as one Middle Eastern Restaurant in Mississauga, Ontario and now has over 70 restaurants worldwide. At Paramount we love to share the best of Middle Eastern culture, design, and cuisine with open arms. Immerse yourself in a cultural experience of flavour, as you enjoy the recipes developed by international chefs using only the freshest and finest ingredients.

Website
paramountfinefoods.com
Address
161 Bay St., Toronto, ON M5J 2S1, Canada
Plus Code
JJWC+JF Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Time Zone
America/Toronto

Business Hours

Monday
10 AM–4 PM
Tuesday
10 AM–4 PM
Wednesday
10 AM–4 PM
Thursday
10 AM–4 PM
Friday
10 AM–4 PM
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

Services

Service options
Delivery Takeaway Dine-in
Offerings
Halal food Healthy options Small plates Vegetarian options
Dining options
Lunch Dinner Catering Dessert
Atmosphere
Casual
Crowd
Family friendly
Planning
Accepts reservations
Payments
Credit cards Debit cards NFC mobile payments Credit cards
Children
Good for kids

Photos

Reviews

3.5
★★★★☆
158 reviews

Most Mentioned

wrap (16) chicken shawarma (12) salad (10) falafel (8) box (7) plate (7) spicy (6) food court (5) management (5) pay (5)
5 stars
80
4 stars
14
3 stars
11
2 stars
9
1 stars
44
★★★
November 19, 2024

I ordered the chicken shawarma salad box. The serving area was filthy. Staff were moving like molasses in January. It tasted ok but not great. The meat portion was small. Flavours were muted. The spicy chicken and hot sauce were not spicy at all.

November 5, 2024

In line with so many of the other reviews. No wonder there was no line up for this place. Small portions for what they charge. I got a Shawarma for $10+tax and it was TINY. Won’t be buying from here again, will spend my money elsewhere.

September 19, 2023

The food at Paramount Express in Brookfield Place on Monday, Sept. 18th at noon was horrible. The salad (as you can see) is a fraction of what constitutes a meal (and we were charged full price). The chicken was dry and cold. They were unapologetic about the amount that was served and it’s unacceptable to charge the price they did.

August 29, 2023

Absolutely terrible portion size, almost no chicken in their wraps which are now at a cost of $12. No value for money, recommend you avoid.

July 6, 2023

I was charged $12.49 + tax for this small box - utterly disappointing. This was was supposed to shawarma chicken, it’s not even shredded like it. This is an absolute joke.

★★★
July 30, 2022

Tried the spicy chicken shawarma box for lunch at work. The rice was very flavorful and the chicken was well done. The amount of chicken can be more. The potatoes lacked a little salt but loved the food. Good for a quick weekday lunch.

★★★
December 6, 2021

I tried the salad with spicy chicken shawarma on it. Also ordered the chicken shish kababs... regular and spicy both. It was pretty decent. Customer service was good. That being said, I wish it had a bit more size to their portion considering the money you pay. Also, they charged 50 cents for the hot sauce... something that other places would normally give in the price of meal without charging extra. Overall, a not bad experience and if I'm in the area again, I wouldn't hesitate going back.

February 7, 2019

I never leave a bad review, but I'm totally unimpressed with this place. I ordered a entree sized fatoush salad and got what looked to be a grocery store salad mix with a few chips. The portion size was so incredibly tiny for $9. There are better salad places in this food court. On top of that, the dressing was not mixed in with the salad and they didn't give me dressing on the side. Didn't realize until I got back to work 15 minute walk later.

December 21, 2023

The worst service ever! The guy kept looking at me and I m like you still haven t given me my drink. Small quantity of chicken shawarma in my wrap and $1 for extra sauce which I had to ask kindly to add a little bit more. The regional manager needs to take some actions. Poor management whatsoever! I feel so sad because I used to work here.

★★★
December 21, 2023

Poor service. The food was cold and I had to request more salad. Paramount is generally good but not this branch.

December 21, 2023

This is my second time at Paramount restaurant in the PATH food courts in downtown Toronto, both experiences left me very disappointed. I thought the first time was a one off so I tried it again. The portion of protein in their shawarma is unbelievably small, I felt that I was eating bread and salad with a dash of chicken, frankly you get more chicken in a Mc Junior Chicken...for the price it is a huge disappointment. Never ever have a shawarma at this place, its dry and tasteless. I would rather starve than have food at this place ever again, it is beyond pathetic. Thankfully there are better shawarma options in the city, Paramount you can count me off from your client list forever.....had to rate this one star, but frankly it is 0.01....

★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Went to the path in Brookfield place. Superr expensive, almost $17, for the smallest cold falafel wrap I ve ever seen. I also opted for a combo with a can of pop and a baby sized bag of fries. Never again.

★★
December 21, 2023

Paramount in Brookfield place used to be amazing and Im not sure what happened. The staff seem sleepy, unfriendly and every little thing is extra.. a scoop of hummus on a $14 small shawarma box should not be extra. The quality of the chicken has also gone down.. if you go anytime before Noon youre getting the crusty chicken from the day before.. its never fresh. Im putting Paramount in timeout from my lunch rotation.. do better.

Local Guide
December 21, 2023

They underpack the box so there s not a lot of rice, protein, or sauce and it doesn t even taste good compared to other locations. The portion sizes here are smaller then any other location and they barely put any sauce at all on it.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Speedy service Very good Vegetarian options: Kebbeh

December 21, 2023

This was $16 without a tip, I don t even have to explain myself, just look at the bits of dry chicken

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Only halal place in the food court @ Brookfield place. Fantastic customer service

Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Dude gave me normal potatoes telling me they were spicy. I got a two base box, and it was like 1/5 potato and 4/5 rice. Chicken was like a spoonful. This dude cheaped me out

Local Guide
December 21, 2023

theyre always so stingy with sauce, vegetables, and meat. i paid for double meat as well and still the portion wasnt adequate. i asked for a little more lettuce and sauce and they barely put anymore and handed the box off to the next person so i could not ask them for more again. this happened on 2 different visits so Im very disappointed :/ Other paramount branches provide much better service.

★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

My wrap was wrapped so badly that it broke apart. I ended up eating it with a spoon and throwing half of the bread away because the paper melted and got stuck on it!

December 21, 2022

Awful, ridiculously small portion, Not worth a penny to spend! Don t try it I ve tried it before few weeks ago with a different team and today with another team and it s exactly the same thing! You wont enjoy it at all.

December 21, 2022

Im really disappointed in this place. I never leave reviews but I felt the need to leave one here. Ive tried it a couple times now thinking the experience may change with a different crew but, unfortunately, it did not. The portions are way too small. They serve half portions of everything. Even the side of fries looks like someone has eaten half the bag when you open it. On top of that, when the man behind the counter was about to give me 2 ketchup packets, the woman in charge said something to him and he changed it to 1. I honestly couldnt believe it. Ridiculous.

★★
December 21, 2022

Cheap on toppings and grumpy.

Local Guide
December 21, 2022

I used to ordered chicken shawarma wrap every week before pandemic. After two years coming back to the office, I went today to order my usual. But it seems not only the management and the team have changed, but their costumer service is extremely different from before. I used to get half and half (half chicken half beef or half regular chicken and half spicy), but Today I was told it s impossible cause if they do it, people will order it like this from now, and things are different after pandemic!!!! I m not sure why that s an issue and why things should be different after or during Covid! What is more important than keeping the costumers happy? I m told they can t mix two different meats cause they are different!!! But they are the same price!!!! And this is not my first experience with paramount!! I m sure I m not going to this location anymore!

December 21, 2022

Too expensive for the small shawarma portion. Complete ripoff and daylight robbery of your money

December 21, 2022

Never go there again, the box is big but the protein portion is enough for literally 1 bite.

Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Disappointingly very cheap portions. I ordered a small box and it was less than half full. When I asked to fill it up a little more, I was met with a disdainful look and they added 2 small tomato slices and 1 pickle cucumber. The lady filling the base and toppings didnt seem like she wanted to be there. I asked for 2 small boxes with a different base each and she kept insisting that I only get 1 base until her colleague thankfully jumped in and helped. Not a good experience today, that was at about 11.45am, wasnt even busy yet.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Delicious Lebanese-style fast food.

Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Not very generous. They charge for simple sauces.

December 21, 2022

I will NEVER eat here again! I paid $12 for 5 shavings of chicken, 1 slice of tomato, and stale pita bread that crumbled. I also had to pay extra for a squirt of sauce. Disgraceful. To boot, the service I received was rude.

December 21, 2022

This used to be a good place pre pandemic. Visited here today and got a chicken shawarma (big) box. The portions were extremely less and not worth the money. Wont be visiting here again.

December 21, 2022

Food was cold and no flavor. I had to throw it out. I have eaten at other locations and have never experienced anything like this.

★★★★★
December 21, 2021

Good food.

★★★★★
December 21, 2021

Amazing new management, great food, great service! Highly recommended!

★★★★★
December 21, 2021

Great service and the food tastes fresh and tasty Its my favorite location to get chicken shawarma wrap!!!

★★★★★
December 21, 2021

Delicious meals and awesome service

Local Guide
December 21, 2021

portions are tiny...i got a shawarma wrap...they barely put any salad or chicken in it...was mostly tasting pita. worst of all the lady at the cash charged me an extra 50 cents for a line of hot sauce....absolutely ridiculous

Local Guide
December 21, 2021

The falafel balls were certainly missing ingredients. I know they were missing salt for sure. No salt at all.

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2020

Depends. Quality and service not consistent.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2020

Alex/Sasha is the best. My go to person when I m getting paramount

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2020

Huge shoutout to Harsha and Alex and all the other workers. These guys are the best!

★★★★★
December 21, 2020

Amazing stuff and great manager Alex ! Best choice for lunch or quick snack before the subway . Great paramonth quality with downtown aviliablility of fresh food !

★★★★★
December 21, 2020

Had lunch at the Brookfield place location at 161 Bay St, downtown Toronto. THEY HAVE SAJ BREAD NOW!!! I got the spicy chicken shawarma saj wrap and it was so good! Spoke to the restaurants manager and shes so sweet and welcoming.. I am glad I went there and definitely going there again soon.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2020

I love this place for their delish Falafel with 3 different kind of dips and many other toppings and Chicken Shawarma with extraordinary customer service. I always order through Ritual app so the whole process is much quicker. During COVID times, they have maintained their safe hygiene standards. Cheers to the team.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2019

Never disappoints. Great food at a reasonable price point

December 21, 2019

The serving of meat is too small at this location. Very miser in terms of portion.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2019

We visited from out of town and stopped in for a bite to eat, the staff was friendly and service was quick, we loved the food and if we lived near by we would definitely be back for more. Mark was awesome <3 Super Happy Ending <3

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2019

We tried a little bit of everything and it was all incredibly well spiced and priced! The staff is very friendly and the decor is beautiful! Great experience!

★★★★★
December 21, 2019

Very nice food and friendly sraff

★★★★★
December 21, 2019

I normally get McDonalds when Im down at the food court but I think I found a new more filling place. My partner and I shared a big box with chicken and it was pretty decently priced. I liked the different textures from the vegetables mixed with the hummus. They got me a new batch of rice so that was nice as well. The rice was nice and fluffy as opposed to places like Jimmy the Greek which is really oily and wet. Its a pretty filling option for the price.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2019

I like falafel wrap. Good quality of food

★★★
December 21, 2019

Mediocre at best.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2019

Super delicious food, especially hummus and chicken Shawarma

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2019

Shawarma..

December 21, 2019

Bad service. Huge wait time. By passing orders. Need better management.

★★★★★
December 21, 2019

Busy location but always friendly

★★★★★
December 21, 2019

My fav Helel stop fav spot to get quick bite quick and nice staff

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2019

I have visited this place recently with my family, I have always have been a good opinion about Paramount Chain, and this time has once again proved it. Humus at this location is just amazing, food was also acceptable for the kids. We talked with a lady, her name was Oleks, she gave us a really nice recommendation about the options, I am vegetarian, and this was very beneficial. Amazing place to eat at!

★★★★★
December 21, 2019

Came here with my boyfriend tonight and had an amazing night! Service was really quick, the person that took our order was super friendly and easy to talk to! We took her recommendations on a bunch of items and they were actually really tasty! We will definitely be returning here!! A quick tip for everyone... try the falafel! With the garlic dip... super good!

★★★★★
December 21, 2019

Food was so good here! We did take out for the first time and it was actually super delicious and fresh. We ll be getting it often to be honest! Thanks for the fresh falafel!! Definitely appreciate it! Wish most places were like this

★★★★★
December 21, 2019

Came on Friday night after work, place was packed and a half, I thought I m gonna wait for my food until Christmas, but my order came so fast I was amazed, food is great as well, and whole hospitality was top level, even with such amount of guests

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2019

The food was good. The box option is very huge. The Basmati rice is fine. However, some of the grains were still tough as if it was still uncooked. I had fries as well, but they were a little dry and not too moist. The service was pretty fast considering it was peak lunch period. Lots of people serving. Even the cashier was working two registers to speed people through payment quicker. Might have been less confusing for some people if they had two people work the registers, but then theyd have less people serving food... Overall, the experience was good.

Local Guide
December 21, 2019

5$ for adding extra chicken on their small wrap ! well, I am pretty sure this was my last time eating there

Local Guide
December 21, 2019

The food and service at this location is perhaps the worst as compared to any other paramount locations. I ordered a Yalla special and they gave me a tiny portion of fries with barely one scoop of chicken. This was by far the worst Yalla special that i have ever had at any paramount location. Even a kid would be hungry after eating that.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2019

They missed many toppings but boy! that was some great food

★★★★★
December 21, 2019

The manager is great. She always knows how to organize her team:)

★★★★★
December 21, 2019

Amazing food, quick service! Would be visiting this a lot now.

★★★★★
December 21, 2019

Amazing food!! Perfect portions made me feel full! Fast service

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2019

Good food and good quantity

★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2019

I always get the plate from here but decided to get a wrap today. It was really disappointing to see a kid meal size wrap for 9$. It just didnt make sense value wise. I wish they increase the size of the pita bread and make it worth the 9$. Extreme pita next to them has chicken and falafel shawarma wrap which is twice this size and also tastes great.

★★★★★
December 21, 2019

The quality of service has really improved over the last few months. Food is amazing and management is great.

Local Guide
December 21, 2018

Sandwich is very poor, small for the price ! :( personal no smile, no wifi, no parking. Free washroom. I never comeback there ! The can was good

December 21, 2018

No meat, in general not very good

Local Guide
December 21, 2018

They skimped on everything, even shredded lettuce. I dont even care about the lettuce but if theyre too cheap to even give you more than a few shreds of lettuce that speaks volumes about the rest of it... Even Subway will at least load up your sandwich with lettuce so your meal doesnt look pathetically tiny. The rest of it was mediocre at best.

★★★★
December 21, 2018

Great food, quick service

★★★★★
December 21, 2018

Having my meal there once or twice a week . It is quick service at lunch time .Love the taste of food.I dont eat beef, so always choosing between two options of chicken they serve.Hummus is extra on salad :( They give me generous amounts of pita chips, and bit more of garlic sauce.

★★★★★
December 21, 2018

awesome place awesome food. fast and courteous service

★★★★
December 21, 2018

Nice quick lebanese eats. Wrap is good and chicken is well done.

★★★★★
December 21, 2018

Great service!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2018

Very fast service, convenient location, friendly staff!

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2018

Delicious lentil soup.

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2018

The portions for the boxes are quite heavy, which makes sense considering that the majority of the box is filled with basmati rice. The chicken shawarma was chewy and underwhelming while the amount of lettuce was tiny. If you need a filling meal, Id recommend the small box, which in my opinion, is large enough.

★★★★★
December 21, 2018

very friendly staff and fast service. I would come again to this location.

★★★★★
December 21, 2018

Very good food and service

Local Guide
December 21, 2018

Worst service. Had to stand 20 mins in the line to know that they had no rice. Ordered the wrap, took 15 mins since the chicken was not ready and finally got a cold wrap. The only thing quick here is making the payment.

★★★★★
December 21, 2018

Excellent and personable owner. Superb, fast moving line

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2018

Basic food. Not enough chicken.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2018

Great service & smile and you have to try the kafta (ground beef) plate that comes with your choice of two sides. Mila at cash was amazing and friendly!

Local Guide
December 21, 2018

Youre paying too much for the quantity you get. Ordered LARGE plate that cost 13$ but it was some lettuce that they call Garden salad and few pieces of chicken shwarma. When you order shwarma plate you expecting to see MEAT! Looks like kids meal. One of the worse places in Downtown. Never again

December 21, 2018

The food is edible, but its the palest shadow of decent middle eastern cuisine. I expected it to be bad, but not this bad. I dont believe middle eastern airline food would be worse.

★★★★★
December 21, 2018

Great taste and quick service

★★★★★
December 21, 2018

The Paramount Fries are absolutely fantastic, bring an appetite or split with a friend as theyre pretty generous with their portions. Ask for Ali when you come by.

December 21, 2018

Literally the worst food I ve ever eaten. The rice is rock hard, it s not cooked. The employees don t know what they re doing, especially the teenager. Ridiculous!!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2018

Really good customer service and great quality!!

★★★★★
December 21, 2018

Great service always and I always get my food really quick.

December 21, 2018

Not that great, they are literally give you a very small portions. I mean f#%$ off, paying $13.99 for a scoop of lettuce, one slice of tomato, and so called a spoon of protein . Thanks for ruining the lunch. Never going back again. Not worth it !!

December 21, 2018

The plate was full of stone. When went and asked to change my plate. They only changed the salad. Insanely low quality food. Will never go there again.

★★★★★
December 21, 2018

Great food

★★★★★
December 21, 2018

Love coming here, the shawarma is great!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2018

Great food!

★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2018

I tried the small platter and I would have to say it s overpriced and not as good as other middle eastern restaurants.i would steer clear

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2018

Not the biggest portions but nicely located and staff is quick (can do better with ritual)

★★★★★
December 21, 2018

Amazing service and delicious food! The staff are kind and very helpful.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2017

Great spot for a quick delicious middle eastern/ Lebanese cuisine.

★★★★★
December 21, 2017

Awesome lebanese food best shwarma ever had..awesome fast paced customer service and delicious food..must try..

★★★★★
December 21, 2017

Fresh and delicious food ever good customer service

★★
December 21, 2017

Very small portion on the wrap to justify the $. Good flavour, but still very hungry.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2017

Fast service, consistent and reasonably priced middle eastern food. Definitely not the best middle eastern food Ive ever had, but you cant go wrong by ordering the mezza plate!

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2017

Some of the better quality foods in this food court.

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2017

I ate here twice and the food tasted good. The second time, I ordered a larger dish (the Chicken Shawarma Plate ($9) vs the Chicken Shawarma Bowl ($11) ) The portion I got with the larger dish was significantly smaller than the smaller portion. I wanted to like this place, and after my first visit, I did, but after I finished eating, I had to stop by McDonalds and grab something before I was actually full. For $11 + HST, I shouldnt be leaving hungry. I will almost certainly not be returning a third time.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2017

Very good and consistent quality Lebanese food. Service is friendly but significantly slower for dinner service, especially when ordering via Ritual.

December 21, 2017

Saj Chicken Shawarma - 3 pieces of lettuce, 2 pickles, 3 turnips and flakes of partially burnt chicken. I dont know how they justify their prices when they dont deliver on serving size. Overall, horrible dining experience TWICE. I wont go back.

December 21, 2017

Its not that great tasting and for the price you get very little food. I ordered the chicken bowel with hummus base and got just as much meat as the wrap...and they give very little toppings.... not going to go here again ..there bowel is a very shallow tray..not even a real bowl. Im not a very big person and it didnt even fill me.

★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2017

The food taste good but youre paying too much for the quantity you get. A better alternative is Jimmy the Greek which is across. Double the quantity & same quality for same price.

Local Guide
December 21, 2017

Worst food ever. I pay $13 for a plate of falafel. I get 1 small slice of tomato, few lettuce leaves, and 1kg of rice.

Local Guide
December 21, 2017

Overpriced and not filling at all! I ordered the plate which comes with two size and it was $10.99+tax and you barely get anything. You are better off getting villa madina.

December 21, 2017

First of all a rip off. Not your moneys worth Very less quantity as compared to Villa Madina. Secondly, I asked two sauces on my wrap and they charge extra, like $9 are not enough for them. I like other Paramount places, but this one is really bad.

★★
December 21, 2017

Greedy... I ordered shawarma poutine and I asked to add garlic sauce. They said no ! This is Extra 2 dollar!! For garlic sauce...