Johnny's Shawarma

Johnny's Shawarma is a family-run Lebanese shop in a plaza at Kennedy Road and Ellesmere in Scarborough, owned by Johnny and Ani. According to blogTO, it opened at Yonge and Dundas in 1995 and moved to its current spot about five years later. It often has a line at lunch.

The shawarma

Chicken, beef and mixed shawarma come in a pita or on a plate, with lettuce, pickled turnip, pickles, tahini and a homemade garlic sauce. The garlic sauce is vegan and comes in variations, including a spicy version with chili and an avocado garlic sauce. The owners' own go-to is a mixed beef and chicken wrap with spicy garlic sauce. There is also shawarma poutine, falafel, Lebanese pizza, hummus and grape leaves.

Good to know

• It is easy to miss: look for it at the end of the plaza.
• A renovation added more seating, including booths.

Sources: blogTO's guide to the best shawarma in Toronto and its Johnny's Shawarma profile (2021), and the Kennedy Road BIA. Not yet scored by Shawarma.com. Prices and hours change, so check before you go.