Rose City Kitchen is Queen and Spadina’s latest hot spot to join some of Queen West’s trendiest restaurants like Bahn Mi Boys and The Burger’s Priest. Officially opened today, Rose City Kitchen is your answer to gourmet Mediterranean-style snacks.
The corner restaurant is small and quaint (seating 15) and your gourmet snacks and sandwiches are made right before your eyes in their open kitchen, so you know exactly what’s going into your nosh of choice. Their decor is minimalist with white brick walls accented with a red wood-burning oven in their kitchen and a huge floor-to-ceiling photograph of Petra, the beautiful Jordanian city that inspired this restaurant’s menu.
Owners Shontelle Pinch (Gourmet Bitches) and Nipun Sharma (Tandoori franchise) bring the Queen West crowd a simple yet delectable menu filled with five authentic shawarma-style sandwiches, named after various Middle Eastern and Mediterranean areas. All served on homemade bread, their pitas are filled with your choice of Halloumi cheese, beef, chicken or their homemade falafel balls.
Along with mouth-watering sandwiches, this restaurant features an innovative take on the poutine that fuses traditional Mediterranean ingredients with a classic North American kick. Instead of gravy and cheese curds, Rose City Kitchen’s poutine stars a mean batch of homemade fries, Jordanian hummus, tabbouleh and a heavy sprinkle of halloumi cheese. This dish is over the top delicious with the halloumi and fluffy hummus putting it on a high pedestal.
These guys are taking your average shawarma and Middle Eastern take-out joint to a whole new level. If you’re ever in the area, make sure to grab one of their sammies and ask for their in-house Cherry Harissa sauce. You can thank us later when you’re ordering your third one. Be sure to follow them on Twitter for all their latest updates.
If you check out Rose City Kitchen, let us know what you think in the comment section below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.