Where to eat Canada’s own shawarma variant and splurge on lobster
The number one iconic food of Halifax is surely donair. Yes, people may associate Halifax with seafood but it’s neither unique (Prince Edward Island, Maine, and New England also have similar species) nor cheap (when on sale, Nova Scotian lobsters are cheaper in Toronto). Donairs, on the other hand, scream Nova Scotia.
Sweet and messy donair
Donairs are a Nova Scotian adaptation of shawarma and gyro wraps. Compared to the minor variants of shawarma around the Mediterranean and Middle East, this one is a significant departure. There are 3 defining characteristics of a donair:
- Sweet garlic white sauce. With a foundation of condensed milk, this sauce has its lovers and haters. It’s slathered liberally, resulting in a messy, and some say soggy, sandwich. It’s popular enough to be bottled up and sold on its own. And it also pairs with other Nova Scotian foods like garlic fingers (more on that later).
- Compacted meat. Although the meat is grilled around a rotating spit like shawarma, it’s minced so finely and packed so tightly that it resembles corned beef. One wouldn’t be able to tell what animal meat it is. It has a bouncy texture too.
- Topping of raw white onions and tomatoes. For the purists, there are no other additions like lettuce, pickles, peppers, or hot sauce.
The donair was invented in 1973. To be more accurate, that was the first prototype. After some experimentation, the final form and name emerged in 1974. The creator went on to open King of Donairs, which is widely regarded as the modern birthplace of the dish.
Donair meat now appears in various incarnations that have proved just as popular: on donair pizza, donair subs, donair egg rolls, and donair poutine. Accompanied with the signature white sauce of course.
King of Donairs
This is ground zero for donairs. Although locals don’t regard this as the city’s best donair restaurant, it’s the most famous, touristy, and still pretty dang good. It’s the benchmark.
When I ordered takeout, the staff were smart to ask when I wanted to eat it. They suggested packaging the sauce separately if I wasn’t consuming it immediately. Bonus points for that. Nobody likes a soggy sandwich.
After shaving meat slices from the spit and weighing them, the chef tossed them on the griddle and stir-fried it for a couple of minutes. Presumably, this adds more flavour through caramelization. I’m not sure if it made a difference.
The meat was a tad rubbery and could be seasoned a pinch more. It had an odd spice mix that I couldn’t put my finger on. On the positive side, there was a huge amount of meat. The aroma of the toasted pita came through as it wasn’t soaked in sauce. As for the sauce, it was semi-thick and balanced the sweet and garlicky flavours. 7.5/10.
The King of Donairs lives up to its name. It has the most donair offerings of any restaurant I’ve seen, from pizzas to panzerottis. They even have donair-flavoured potato chips, a collaboration with Covered Bridge, a New Brunswick chipper.
Photos of celebrity visitors are plastered on the wall, cementing its reputation as a foodie tourist spot.
Tony’s Famous Donairs
Tony’s is the reigning champ of the The Coast’s poll for best donair. It’s less touristed than King of Donairs. When I visited, it was busy with locals and more lively. Perhaps it’s because of its location opposite Halifax Common, a popular park.
If you are wondering where all the sauce went in the photo of the donair, most of it leaked out of the packaging or was soaked up by the bread. Since the sauce was not packaged separately, it got messy quick.
The sauce left a sticky-sweet aftertaste on the meat. It was actually quite pleasant. It was more flavourful than King of Donair’s. The seasonings in the meat were more robust too. The bread wasn’t as good because it was soggy. All in all, the texture of the donair suffered during takeout. 7.5/10.
It would be great if donair restaurants let diners customize the amount of sauce and whether to serve it on the side. It also makes a great dipping sauce. That’s actually what it’s used for with garlic fingers, the second-most unique food of Halifax.
Garlic fingers
Garlic fingers are like garlic bread on a pizza. Take a pizza base, skip the sauce, and put cheese and garlic butter on it. Cut it into rectangular strips. Voilà, tear-off-ready pieces of garlic fingers.
Kit Kat Pizza
This is a really, really old school joint. For tourists, the thing to try is the garlic fingers. It came out tops in a blind taste test conducted by EatThisTown. The restaurant has an online reputation of being sketchy and creepy but I find that to be exaggerated. It’s in the North End, a slowly gentrifying neighbourhood with blossoming restaurants. I’ve seen worst in my food travels.
When I say Kit Kat is old-school, I mean the food is unfussy and hand-wrought. Oh, and it’s dripping in grease.
It was my first garlic fingers experience and I was blown away. There’s something magical about mixing garlic and butter together. They fuse to become an aroma bomb greater than the sum of its parts. When I brought it back to my room, the tantalizing smell was instantly detectable from all corners.
The cheese was mild and browned to the right degree. It was salty on its own but when paired with the sweet donair sauce, the flavours balanced. In fact, I liked this donair sauce better than those from donair specialists. It was made thinner so that it’s better for dipping. It didn’t have a lot of garlic because there was already plenty of it on the bread. If the pie wasn’t swimming in butter, it would have scored higher. 8/10.
Lobster roll
Lobster from this province gets a lot of hype, so I had to try it for research purposes. Honestly, I am not crazy over lobster because its taste is too mild to justify its price. When I choose lobster dishes, I want something that involves advanced culinary skill. Not lobster boils because I can do that at home. Lobster rolls involve a modicum of flavour wizardry, so I went with that.
Classic lobster rolls are kinda boring. It’s just poached lobster on a buttered bun. It’s a good thing Halifax has other options.
Acadian lobster roll: Evan’s Seafood
Acadian-style lobster roll is not well-known. It’s a lobster salad in a bun. Chunks of poached lobster are tossed in a dressing, along with celery, lettuce, chives, and other vegetables. Evan’s Seafood is a convenient place to try this, just a minute’s walk away from the Dartmouth (Alderney) ferry terminal.
The bread was buttered on the outside, giving it a shiny appearance. It was soft but held up to the filling. As I bit into the roll, I remembered why I don’t go for lobster. I could barely taste it. Even with the light application of herbs, I mostly tasted celery and butter. Occasionally, a larger chunk of lobster gave textural interest. It was decent, but I would rather have the same roll with shrimp or crab. 7.5/10.
Modern lobster roll: The Canteen
This contemporary seafood restaurant gives the world the crobster roll: a mix of lobster and crab with truffle aioli, dill, and grainy mustard. I was excited for this as the flavours worked on paper.
It wasn’t so much a roll but a folded slice of toasted white bread. The bread was over-toasted by 20 seconds, leading to large black patches. However, the seafood was all right. Soft shreds of crab meat contrasted well with the firm lobster chunks. The mustard and truffle dominated. The shreds of iceberg lettuce were limp and sad to look at. I wished they added other vegetables like arugula or kale. On the bright side, the pickled cucumbers were crisp and bright. Points for creativity but concept can be improved. They’re on to something. 7/10.
Other places with Nova Scotian specialties
I didn’t get a chance to try these but have heard good things about them.
- Johnny K’s: For those who can’t escape downtown and need a donair.
- Rinaldo’s: Cross between garlic fingers and pizza.
- Joe’s Lunch: Venerable seafood shack.
- Hopscotch Dinner Club: Possibly the most creative take on Nova Scotian cuisine in the province.
EatThisTown has a comprehensive section on Nova Scotia. I relied on it heavily during my trip. It’s clearly written by foodies.
Where to get donairs in Toronto
Donair restaurants have opened and closed over the years. Options are limited. The only one worth recommending is Jessy’s Pizza. Shh, don’t tell Haligonians who look down on this chain restaurant–it’s actually quite decent. (April 2022 update: Jessy’s Pizza has closed in Toronto).
If you don’t mind going further afield, try Halifax Donair in Milton. It’s pretty close to the best in Halifax, just that the sauce is missing a special zing.
Verdict
I preferred the bread and assembly at King of Donairs. However, taste-wise, Tony’s edges it out. If they put more thought into packaging, Tony’s would be a sure winner.
I am indifferent about lobster rolls, so I don’t have a recommendation.
Practical information
King Of Donair
- Rating
- 7.5/10
- Prices
- Donair (regular): $8.61 ($7.49 excluding tax)
- Address
- 6422 Quinpool Road and other locations
- Hours
- Monday to Thursday 1000h – 0100h
Friday to Saturday 1000h – 0300h
Sunday 1000h – 0100h - Date of visit
- October 2021
Tony’s Donair
- Rating
- 7.5/10
- Prices
- Donair (regular): $8.91 ($7.75 excluding tax)
- Address
- 2390 Robie Street
- Hours
- Monday to Tuesday 1100h – 0200h
Wednesday to Thursday 1100h – 0300h
Friday to Saturday 1100h – 0400h
Sunday 1100h – 0200h - Date of visit
- October 2021
Kit Kat Pizza
- Rating
- 8/10
- Prices
- Garlic fingers (9 / 12 / 16 / 18 inch): $6.75 / $8.95 / $11.95 / $13.95
- Address
- 2314 Gottingen Street
- Hours
- Daily 1100h – 0100h
- Date of visit
- October 2021
Evan’s Fresh Seafoods
- Rating
- 7.5/10
- Prices
- Lobster roll: $25.30 ($22.00 excluding tax)
- Address
- 2 Ochterloney Street, inside the indoor market by the ferry terminal
- Hours
- Tuesday to Thursday 1100h – 1900h
Friday 1100h – 2000h
Saturday 1100h – 1900h
Sunday 1100h – 1800h - Date of visit
- October 2021
The Canteen
- Rating
- 7/10
- Prices
- Crobster roll: $24.15 ($21.00 excluding tax)
- Address
- 22 Portland Street
- Hours
- Tuesday to Thursday 1100h – 1430h, 1700h – 2100h
Friday 1100h – 1430h, 1700h – 2200h
Saturday 1000h – 1400h, 1700h – 2200h - Date of visit
- October 2021