North American Archives - Page 2 of 2

This restaurant closed in April 2022. Thanks for the memories!

Nova Scotian chain has finally arrived in Toronto

For some reason, donairs have had a hard time surviving in Toronto. Places that had good donairs, like Fuzz Box and Hopgood’s Foodliner, only lasted for a few years. Here’s hoping that Jessy’s Pizza will have a more successful run.

Jessy’s Pizza is a chain from Nova Scotia that opened 2 years ago here, marking its first outlet outside Atlantic Canada. Sure, it sells pizzas but its main draw are donairs. They are the most authentic I have tried here.

Canada’s own shawarma

Sorry Ottawa, Halifax deserves the title of shawarma king even though it doesn’t have as many shawarma restaurants. While Ottawa’s version is mostly Lebanese, Halifax’s variation is a weird Canadian invention. The donair looks like a Greek gyro pita sandwich. The twist is in the sweet donair sauce made from condensed milk. Also, a classic donair is topped with diced tomatoes and onions. Nothing more. The meat used for grilling is finely minced and packed into thin strips. This results in a mystery meat texture—great if you like Spam.

Only a few regions outside of the Middle East have their own take on rotating meat slices on a spit. Mexico has al pastor, Greece has gyros, Turkey has döner kebabs, and the Middle East has shawarmas. Canada’s very own donair is celebrated on a dedicated website where you can find out where to get it in the country. It hasn’t been updated in a while though.

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Authentic Mexican that is not just tacos

The Mexican food scene in Toronto is pretty good if you just want tacos. Outside of that, it’s pretty dismal. Comal y Canela is a rare exception. It serves authentic foods and draws a loyal following from the Mexican community.

The Food

The menu is a smattering of representative dishes from central Mexico: carnitas michoacanas from Michoacan, birria from Jalisco, and quesadilla D.F. from Mexico City. The odd one out is cochinita pibil from Yucatan. There are also pan-Mexican foods like tortas, molletes, sopes, and tacos. If you don’t know what these are, all the more reason to come and check them out. While these foods are easy to come by in major cities in USA (and obviously Mexico), it’s rare to see them in Canada.

One of the specialties here is birria de chivo. This is a mildly spicy goat stew from Jalisco state, said to cure hangovers. I tasted at least 8 ingredients in there, but the dominant flavours are tangy and salty. If that is not enough, it can be seasoned further with an assortment of garnishes: dried oregano, chipotles, raw onions, cilantro, and limes. Personally, I like spice and fresh herbs, so I dumped a bunch of chillies and cilantro into the birria. The goat meat is neither tough nor gamey and there is a good portion of it. Tortillas are included.

Birria de chivo from Comal y Canela — Birria de chivo