Top 5 Shawarma Joints in Mississauga – 2015

There are probably more shawarma joints per capita in Mississauga than any other city on earth. We went to dozens of different shawarma joints and some places put Tupperware-stored chicken in my pita while others used chicken from the spit and then grilled the shavings with seasoning — the way a good shawarma sandwich/wrap should be made! 

Here are the top 5:

5 – Paramount

Welcome to Paramount — one of the best places for Middle Eastern Food and the most confusing place on earth if you are a first timer. We were at the original location that is tucked away in an industrial area by Dixie/Eglinton. You enter the restaurant and you order in the middle of the facility. Because we were ordering takeout, we had to pay at a secondary location by the exit. Then we had to walk to another area to pick up our food. Oh, and this place isn’t small. That said, the walking you have to do to get your shawarma is worth it. Everything from the hot sauce to the garlic sauce is made in-house and everything is so fresh. The Paramount I always prefer is the original one at Crestlawn.

Time it took: 8 mins (off peak hours)
Chicken Shawarma Price Index: $6.49

4 – On Z Rocks

On-Z-Rocks is Streetsville’s 5th shawarma spot and the newest one on this list. Located off of the main strip along Queen St. at the corner of Queen St. and Tannery St. in the old Piazza Pizza spot. Local entrepreneur Jason El-Attar believes that Mississauga is a great city to start a business in. El-Attar marinates his shawarma for a few days, then slowly roasts it on the spit for hours — just the way it’s made “back home.” The meat is cut to order and he’s excited to show locals what he believes is the best shawarma in Mississauga. The menu consists of Shawarma, Souvlaki and Shish Tawook, house made sauces including garlic sauce, tahini sauce and hot sauce and three kinds of rice including basmati, lentil rice with fried onions and a regular rice blend with vegetables. 

Time it took: 5 mins (off peak hours) 
Chicken Shawarma Price Index: $7.00 (Large)

3 – Lazeez Shawarma 

Lazeez Shawarma is located in the No Frills plaza at Creditview and Britannia. When I first walked in it was busy, but it’s always nice when the person working behind the counter acknowledges you and just says “I will be with you in one minute” with a smile. Needless to say, the service was the best out of all the shawarma joints I went to. The shawarma itself was absolutely delicious. It was sliced off the spit, grilled and seasoned. The toppings were super fresh and the sandwich was a good size. They have great daily specials, so if you head over just look for them. Two chicken shawarma wraps for $8.99 on Mondays? I’ll take it!

Time it took: 5 mins (off peak hours) 
Chicken Shawarma Price Index: $7.52 (Large)

2 – Pita Boss 

The interior has a modern feel to it with wood finishes and a bar area for eating. The owner said that everything is made in-house, from the hummus to the garlic sauce. The chicken shawarma was delicious and it was cool to watch the owner make it by slicing it off the spit, grilling the meat, wrapping it and throwing it back on the grill to heat up the pita. This place will be here for years to come if they keep making shawarma like this.

Time it took: 5 mins (off peak hours) 
Chicken Shawarma Price Index: $6.50

1 – Osmow’s Grill 

With Mississauga locations at Lakeshore, Courtney Park and the OG in Streetsville, Osmow’s is the best shawarma in town. These guys know how to do it right. When you order your shawarma, it is shaved off the spit and grilled for some extra seasoning before going in the pita. They have a pretty cool way of setting up the pita bread, too. It’s like they take two pitas and combine them together to give you the super wrap. Origami with pitas! At the end of the day, the chicken shawarma was the best tasting in the city with a perfect balance of seasoning in the meat, fresh toppings and heat. It does get pretty busy at lunch, but I would rather wait for a great shawarma than one from Tupperware anyday. 

Time it took: 8 mins (off peak hours) 
Chicken Shawarma Price Index: $7.97 (For the Super)