Long awaited visit. Posting pics review to follow. Snowstorm won’t stop me to try out a spot 
8 Likes
What a beautiful meal! I was looking at the menu thinking there were at least 3 ways I would like my meal to progress.
The smoked baingan, the samosa and the mash ki daal look really good.
Paneer, beef and lamb each have their attractions so it would be hard to choose.
And I would love to see how the achar tastes.
Great menu and photos!
3 Likes
Menu and food look great.
2 Likes
I don’t think you will like my feedback then as it’s geared towards the queen Street West/ossington crowd IMO let’s just this isn’t rickshaw bar (sadly a casualty of COVID lockdowns)
2 Likes
I’m not local to your area so I’m not sure what you mean by this comment. I’ll wait for your narrative review. From the restaurant name Jamil’s Chaat House I wasn’t really expecting that menu.
2 Likes
@elvisahmed Rickshaw Bar was great. Where did the chef go?
@medgirl, a short stretch of Ossington Ave between Queen St West and Dundas St West in Toronto is a trendy/ hipster area with high prices, geared to somewhat white bread tastes, often not tailored to what people very familiar with certain regional cuisines are seeking out.
There’s also a fancy Greek place, Mamakas, on Ossington that many people like Most Greek Canadians in the Greater Toronto Area find their food meh or overpriced. A few of my non Greek friends who genuinely love Greek food, love this place. I have been 3 times, twice with Canadians who are not Greek, and once with Greek Canadians, including 3 who grew up in the restaurant business. It’s good, but it is tailored to non-Greek Cdn expectations.
Watered down food, posh spaces. Often more style than substance.
2 Likes
@Zoeliculious Noreen moved as an executive chef to a holistic retreat in Colorado. Agree about Mamakas I enjoyed my meals there and can’t wait for them to open up nearby in Summer hill. For authentic Greek I used to visit Palace restaurant in Greek Town which was introduced by folks from that region (now defunct) Volos is similar price wise but I enjoy Mamakas way more especially with the set menu. Their moussaka oh I haven’t had a better version in Greece! Not part of the set menu and comes in and out of rotation so try it if you see it.
2 Likes
I will comment on the setup first as it did effect the overall experience. The space is tight and a lot of counter seating which is tight as well for someone who is slightly above average height for Canada. I was quite uncomfortable during the whole meal and that’s without wearing or holding heavy winter jacket etc. I wonder what was here before maybe a cafe as the space seemed to be geared towards that (more on this later as I didn’t see a stove) Stairs to go down are also a bit of unnerving venture with winter boots. Washrooms hmm need to be lit and cleaned better unless they are part of the theme!
Here is a play by play of the food:
Squash chaat hmm didn’t enjoy this at all. I couldn’t identify much in terms of the taste and the spicing/sauces? didn’t add anything to it either.
Karahi chicken bun a decent take on this street side food with spice not held back. I enjoyed this somewhat the person I dined with it didn’t.
Samosa chaat: again a decent take on this street side dish. The sauces are elevated a bit from what one expects. Decent kick as well and tamarind taste coming through in the sauce.
Roasted paneer: very disappointing dish. I was expecting a lot of taste either from the sauce or the paneer itself. Nope not the case at all. Big chunks devoid of any character.
Beef kebab: hmm ok for what you expect. The charred cabbage was better than the main IMO.
Sourdough naan decent.
The odd thing is they don’t have a stove I could see and the oven was being used non stop to heat up stuff with a blow torch being used as well. I wonder if most if not all items are pre cooked and just warmed up for service. Example no charring on the kebabs unless they are baked version (not as common). While a lack of stove isn’t an issue if one is serving street side food especially for chats. They do have mains that would require a stove or tandoor. Maybe it’s separate?
I can’t really expect Gerarrd street prices here as the neighborhood and overheads wouldn’t allow it. The appetizer (chaat) items are decent but the mains are below average. 2.5 stars out of 5 especially due to the uncomfortable setup.
3 Likes
Volos is good for gluten-free, and they don’t serve pork, so it’s good for customers who don’t eat pork. The same family owns Little Anthony’s. I brought 2 Greek relatives who don’t eat gluten to Volos years ago.
I rarely eat in the Financial District these days. My last meal in that neigbourhood was probably dinner at AloBar on York in Feb 2024. I haven’t been to Volos or Little Anthony’s since 2019. I have probably eaten at Volos 8 times since it opened.
I like Mamakas better as a lunch out or a night out, too. I just won’t go there with Greeks, so I don’t have to hear the complaints afterwards.
I make moussaka at home once every 6 weeks or so.
I have tried most Greek restaurants in Toronto proper. The now defunct Palace was certainly good.
I want to try Pape Village and Masa Buka on Pape. Both are cheap and cheerful and not going to be at the same level as Volos or Mamakas in terms of the atmosphere or ingredients.
A lot of Greeks like Athens on Danforth East of Pape. It’s more no frills and basic than Mamakas, too, but serves some less common dishes that would have been served at The Palace.
