Markaz Café & Shisha Lounge |
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222 Richmond Street West, Toronto, ON M5V
Markaz Café & Shisha Lounge was reported closed or not Halal 8 years ago Markaz Cafe and Shisha Lounge is a trendy new lounge in the heart of Toronto's Entertainment District serving a mix of traditional Middle-Eastern and Pakistani foods such as Shish Taouk, Masala Champein, Lahori Masala Fish, Shawarma, Papri Chaat etc. All ingredients used in the preparation of the food are Halal and fresh. A variety of mixed cold drinks such as Mango Lassi, Pina Colada, Zaara Cocktail and fruit juices are offered. Moroccan Mint Tea, Turkish coffee, a variety of green and black teas, hot chocolate, and Starbcks coffee are also available. Herbal and Traditional Shisha served. Flavours include double apple, strawberry, peach, grape, raspberry, and blueberry. Up to 40 people formal dining capacity, 40 people lounge capacity, 75 people outdoor patio seating capacity. Added on December 27, 2009 and last updated 10 years ago
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A halal sign is clearly visible on the premises of this restaurant.
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NR This establishment has been closed for a long time Posted on December 20, 2015 |
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NR Is it closed? Posted on April 27, 2012 |
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★★★★☆ We were visiting from across the border, another place (which was empty btw) refused to accomodate us so we googled Markaz and glad we came here! my wife ordered the Papri chaat and its JUST like back home! amazing food, ambience- not a big fan of the herbal sheesha- but we will definitely be back next time we're in Canada! Posted on February 26, 2011 |
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★★★☆☆ The steak we ordered was absolutely delicious, however, there were no sides offered, i.e. salad, fried or even rice. It was a 7 ounce piece, with grilled veggies. No gravy, some sauce. The hot chocolate and green tea were absolutely amazing. Cost around 50 bucks for two. Posted on October 25, 2010 |
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★★★★☆ Wow, I just read the rant below by fellow reviewer AliZ. Tell us how you really feel? haha. Seriously, there must have been some specific incident that offended him deeply because most of his review about Markaz is pretty positive until he makes his feelings for the owner clear. Granted, if an owner is ever rude or condescending to a patron for something small, that is unacceptable. As for my take on the owner, we'll come back to that. Visit the heart of the city, and there is no shortage of lounges to party it up with friends and drink the night away. Now, what is harder to find is a classy setting in downtown Toronto that does without the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol. This could be a risky business move for a downtown establishment if you have no alternative cashflow. This is where the sheesha comes in. It's the herbal kind, but it's quality stuff. Those that gasp at the price or scoff at getting more than a single pipe for the whole gang should remember this is a DOWNTOWN business with DOWNTOWN expenses. Where do you expect them to cover their costs with the ABSENCE of beer & vodka money flowing in? If you like the idea of more muslim-friendly places to hang out, you need to adjust your perspective and support it with your wallet. People also need to adjust their food expectations. Don't come looking for your papri chaats à-la Gerrard Street here. What you'll find are dishes with its own unique take on things. Though the menu selection was limited at this late hour, the food was very good. However, one area that needs improving is the service and staff. With little traffic and the patio closed, you'd expect a certain level of attention to detail (like aluminum foil in your shawarma). Although not terrible, the front & back staff do need some polishing up. As for the owner a.k.a. The Sheesha Nazi (joke!), he seems like a nice enough guy. But, even though someone owns a place, he should never make you feel like he does. The problem is for Mr. Ehtesham everything is personal. But for the client it's just another place out of many. If he is to continue to have his hand in the day-to-day work, he needs to look past the small stuff and mellow out. After all, it is a place to chill. UPDATE: Patio was closed again due to weather, so we had to make due with the inside lounge. It's fine for a few people, but not the best layout for groups. Posted on September 20, 2010 |
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★★★★★ Great place! I loved the atmosphere, had great service, good food, lovely decor and the herbal shisha was one of the best I've had, try the blackberry flavor which was different but good. No alcohol being served is also a plus and they do have a nice roof top patio which I cant wait to try next time. Without a doubt I'll be returning here for more and hopefully the weather will stay warm so I can try the patio. And if the patio is packed they do have a vip patio option for $5 more, check out the pics on facebook. Posted on September 6, 2010 |
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★☆☆☆☆ Just so all of you know -- I’m not a restaurant owner, and I’m not out to ruin the place, for some of the reviews I have read online the owner always replies to the reviews as being competition and what not. I wouldn’t be surprised if he marks this as abuse.
When this place first opened, I was very excited it was close to my apartment, school and work...with all the hype thought found my new it place... at first the place seemed welcoming, sofa's seemed very cozy the owner very inviting- young guy traveled the world, his great concept and him wanting to have a upscale place where young Muslims can bring and show their non Muslims some of their culture and religion. Even promoted this place to my friends, via face book and so on. some of them loved it other hated it. Been there 4-5 times and am already fed up with it. Now I just feel cheated.
Food- average..... Lentil soup bit spicy, paapri chat…well not what you expect…love some of the other food though….will miss the wrap…
Service--- it seems like every time I go there, they have a new/ different server….the south Asian girl- very nice….the European girl—moody but nice… the middle eastern/south Asian girl— very friendly and talkative-didn’t notice the wait time, gave great service—few of my school friends actually went back the same week because they well loved the service (+ the student discount), the middle eastern guy—also very nice..Well you get where this is going…just hope the owner (got served by him twice) doesn’t serve you unless you have a nice suite on and will be spending money.
For the Vip area- the sofas imported from India/Pakistan- well the pricing seems to constantly change, does anyone know how much it costs?? Some of my friends were told minimum $75 cost others up to $250?
You are allowed to pray- my cousin even did her evening prayers there but she complained that they had jazz music playing while she was praying, didn’t turn it off or even turn it down.
Not sure if there is a security guard now (have not been there in a month or so) because late at night they have drunk club goers walk in; felt sorry for the waitress….among other things I have heard about this place include their washrooms flooding, being ignored by servers- group of my friends went to check this place out after much recommendation from me and the only response I got from them was that their waitress was missing her bra, defiantly not place for those who want to try shisha- with their no more than 2 ppl per pipe rule- no exceptions, being yelled at for spilling something on the sofas- very cramped space if you have 4-5 ppl, putting your foot on the sofas or the small tables ( definitely not a family friendly environment) , even though they have the student discount, students are just not treated as well as others; and music is different every time. Haven’t been to the patio yet so can’t comment on that.
The owner as nice he seems at first can be very insulting and just plain rude, talks down to you as if you have never been to a restaurant before and are a complete imbecile- for a new place you would think he would be a bit more accommodating but god this guy does not know how to run a business. To be honest, he’s the only reason I don’t want to go back to this place. Being born and raised in Toronto, and having been to many many restaurants in 28 years, this is by far the worst. The halal hot dog stand guy on collage and McCaul gives you better service and doesn't make you feel like an insect. I seriously feel cheated.
May be if the owner ship changes I’ll give it another chance. I just hope that whoever buys it can present a better and more welcoming image, and represent actually what this place is suppose to represent.
But for now wouldn’t even recommend it to my enemies or mother in-law. Posted on July 1, 2010 |
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★★★★★ I have been coming to Markaz for a while now and it never fails to impress. The shisha is excellent (the specialty shishas are particularly nice), the mint tea is the best I have had anywhere - and I've been to many Moroccan places too, and so far all the food items on the menu have been outstanding. While a bit pricey for a student (despite the 10% student discount), this is a perfect place to relax with friends in a halal environment. They do not serve alcohol and that means that even late Friday night this place has a calm atmosphere. Posted on June 7, 2010 |
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★☆☆☆☆ Insulted by owner...Worst resto experience ever!
The booth area is very cramped, so our friend moved the sheesha out of the way, in doing so, sheesha tipped over and water spilled on the floor(nothing broke). The owner freaked and ran over. In doing so he(owner) dropped a glass, and it shattered. Instead of asking if we were ok he yelled at us,said it was our fault he dropped the glass and demanded we pay for damages! His approach was completely unjustified! We werent a some rowdy club-goers, but 3 30-sumthin yr old business professionals. Our bill was $45, the cost of the glass was $3.50, but we paid $60- well over the cost of damages. Instead of thanking us, he said "I hope we can make it up to each other in the future". We will never go back. Posted on April 19, 2010 |
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★★★☆☆ I was here on a saturday night. The place was relatively busy, but they only had one person waiting tables and serving food. It seemed like there was only person in the back as well; the food much too long to get to the tables. Although the food was pretty good, it just took too long. We then waited 40 mins just to smoke shisha. In the end we got so tired of waiting that we cancelled the shisha. It then took another wait just to get the bill. We got there around 9:45 and finally left at 12:15, after only food. Posted on March 21, 2010 |
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★★★★★ Wonderful concept! And thankfully, we were not disappointed! Great food; the quality of the ingredients was suberb. Amazing atmosphere, polite and efficient service. A perfect dining experience!
The portions were reasonable, we were able to share one appetizer and one main between us (husband and i). We will definitely be visiting this place again, and recommending it to friends/family! Posted on January 16, 2010 |
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★★★★★ Great restaurant! The entire menu end-to-end, from appetizers, main course, to the desserts are well presented and tasty. The ambiance in this place is very nice and relaxing. Great place to hang out with friends and enjoy shisha. The first place of this kind in downtown Toronto. Posted on January 10, 2010 |
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★★★★★ Delicious food from the appetizers straight through to desert. The Morrocan Comfort and fresh authentic tabouleh were amazing. Great atmosphere and very relaxing as well. Posted on January 10, 2010 |
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NR ASA
Thank you LR112 for your kind words. My name is ehtesham and I am the owner of Markaz Cafe & Shisha Lounge. I have worked hard to bring to our community the first halal environment of this kind and InshAllah we can all make this a success together.
I am convinced that as Muslims we can still socialize with our friends without distractions like alcohol, drugs and everything else.
I look forward to hosting your next social event regardless of size. we have a full Halal menu including a good selection of Mezze, and great choices for mains and halal desserts and of-course our most popular Mint Tea!
W'salaam Posted on January 3, 2010 |
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