Tahinis, a Middle Eastern restaurant that has been blowing up on TikTok and amassing over 200,000 followers, opened its first Toronto location last week.
Landing just west of Toronto's downtown area in Etobicoke, Tahinis is hoping to share their passion for shawarma for a whole new crowd. You can find a variety of dishes at their location, like Mediterranean fries, butter chicken shawarma or classic platters like a Tahini's Special with beef or chicken.
Tahinis began in London, Ont. after Omar Hamam, the CEO, bought an existing restaurant and re-branded it to Tahinis. Throughout the years, Tahinis grew within London and were able to open three additional corporate stores around London. The company recently branched into franchising and opened their first franchise store in Whitby, Ont. earlier in 2020. They then expanded out to Barrie, Ont. and most recently Etobicoke and Hamilton.
Their TikTok content is created by their CMO, Aly Hamam, and he has since grown their following to what it is now. Their page has accumulated over 5.7 million likes; their videos showcasing their dishes and witty but funny customer service that their fan following adores.
They are expecting to reach more clientele within the GTA area and would love to be able to bring their food to the community. The team at Tahinis shared that their menu was made with a lot of thought and passion by the owners and are constantly improving. It consists of fusion cuisine as well as unique dishes such as their Shawn Special––a half rice and half salad bowl topped with chicken, beef or falafel. They source their ingredients locally and order their meats from a supplier who is certified Halal.
Tahinis also offers a variety of vegetarian dishes such as Maya Salad, Veggie Plate, the Malafel which is a fattoush salad topped with crispy falafels, Dozen Falafels and a most recent addition, Veggie samosas, which is a delicious blend of vegetables with a hot kick.
The location in Toronto opened their doors on Aug. 14 and they're serving up their shawarma dishes from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. everyday. Tahinis in Etobicoke is located at 2257 Islington Avenue.
