Sumaq Iraqi Charcoal Grill
1961 Lawrence Ave E, Scarborough, ON M1R 2Y8
The last time my husband and I were at Ibrahim B.B.Q. Shawarma, we noticed that the parking lot across the side street from it was pretty full. I found out the reason when my husband and I crossed Sumaq Iraqi Charcoal Grill from my list of restaurants to try in the Greater Toronto Area. It was on my list because Keith Lee, the food critic who has a huge following on TikTok, had gone to the same Sumaq Iraqi Charcoal Grill Scarborough location at Warden and Lawrence Ave E (they have another location in Mississauga at Ninth Line and Eglinton Ave W) and raved about their shawarma wraps.
Most likely due to what is called the “Keith Lee effect”, Sumaq Iraqi Charcoal Grill was busy when we went but they have a charcoal grill so you get to enjoy the smell of grilled meat while you wait in line. My husband and I both ordered the Mix Shawarma Dinner. Note: When they take your order, they only ask if you want rice and whether you want it to be spicy so if you want them to exclude anything, you need to request them to do so. Otherwise, you will be picking out what you don’t like to eat, such as cucumbers for my husband.
The Mix Shawarma Dinner had chicken and veal shawarma, salad, rice, and potatoes. The meat was tender and had a nice spiced and smoky flavour, the salad was dressed with a light vinegar instead of salad dressing, the rice was flavourful, the potatoes were tender and sweet, and the garlic sauce was tasty. Even though we had asked for our Mix Shawarma Dinners to be spicy, I didn’t find it spicy (Keith Lee had the same comment in his TikTok video about the shawarma wraps he got), but it had a nice lemony flavour to it.
Sumaq Iraqi Charcoal Grill has delicious food so I can see why Keith Lee liked it and why they have a lot of customers. I hope one day there will be a “YUMMY 4 UR TUMMY effect”. According to my husband, there already is one but I think he’s just saying it to be encouraging. I have 31 more restaurants to try in the GTA (if I don’t add any new ones to my list) so maybe in a few years, when I have crossed them all off my list, the “YUMMY 4 UR TUMMY effect” will be in full force. Hey, a girl can dream, right? 😉
