A popular Iranian eatery has blessed downtown Torontonians with access to unique, flavorful, hard-to-find food items imported directly from Iran -- and the venture was born out of COVID survival necessity.
Banu has been serving the west side of Queen Street with authentic Persian cocktails and cuisine for 15 years, during which time the three siblings who run the restaurant have formed strong relationships with their loyal clientele. Once the pandemic hit back in March, they were forced, along with the other restaurants across the city, to close down. A few weeks after their closing, however, they came up with a pivot strategy and began rebuilding the space to suit their new needs.
Banu Commissary was born out of the restaurant's desire to provide their customers and the rest of downtown Toronto with access to specialty Persian pantry staples. After observing the seemingly never-ending grocery store lines across the city at the start of the pandemic, they raised enough money via a GoFundMe campaign to purchase commercial fridges and began to build extra shelving for their space. Their key advantage was having access to ingredients sourced from Persian shops north of the city, which are difficult for many who live in the city to scope out themselves. Coupled with a solid wholesale supplier that imports items directly from Iran, the Commissary opened up fully stocked with a plethora of unique Middle Eastern goods.
Owners Samira, Amir Salar and Salome Mohyeddin have expressed how crucial this pivot was for them to keep their space up and running with the absence of dine-in service. Not only were they able to open up a smaller, independent grocery stop for people to shop at (and abandon the long lines), but they also now carry an offering that is different and hard-to-find, bringing in crowds of city dwellers looking for specialty Persian items.
At the Commissary, you'll find things like pomegranate molasses, barberries, tahini, saffron, dates, organic honey, Persian pistachios and other coveted Middle Eastern pantry ingredients, as well as pre-made marinated meats, stews, fresh Iranian breads and infused pressed yogurts. For the holidays, they've also put together beautifully curated crates full of edible goodies, which make the perfect gift for friends or family who love to cook. In addition to their new (and constantly growing) grocery venture, their entire menu remains available for takeout and delivery, so you can still feast on their delicious food in addition to bringing home bags of ingredients to get familiar with during your home-cooking ventures.
Banu is currently open from Tuesday to Sunday from 1-9 p.m. for your takeout and grocery shopping needs. You can also order from their menu for delivery via DoorDash and Uber Eats, as well as from Ritual for pickup. If you want to get your hands on some of the most delectable Persian ingredients and discover the joy of cooking this type of cuisine at home, you won't want to miss a stop at the Banu Commissary!
