Sumaq, Scarborough
27 people recommend, 10 warn against itcounted across its outletsvia r/askTO, r/FoodToronto, r/Scarborough30 comments cited below
The comments cited below are a sample of the full tally across 7 threads.
What people say, in short
Recommendations span Sumaq's Toronto outlets, including the explicitly discussed Scarborough restaurant. Individual diners highlight veal shawarma on tanoor bread, lamb shank and chicken tikka, without always naming a branch. Opinion is divided: complaints include queues, dry or inconsistent chicken and poor service. One diner found the Scarborough food too salty on three visits.
Address
Sumaq Iraqi Charcoal Grill - Scarborough, 1961 Lawrence Ave E, Scarborough, ON M1R 2Y8, Canada
At a glance
- Signature dishes
- Veal shawarma on tanoor bread, Lamb shank, Chicken tikka
- Opinions divided
- Yes
The evidence
Every point below is paraphrased from a real public comment, ordered by how much the community engaged with it. Caveats and negatives are kept in — follow any link to read the original for yourself.
- Recommendsu/esperanto42 in r/askTO · Aug 2026
Lists Sumaq among top shawarma picks.
- Recommendsu/ShmloosTheShmloss in r/FoodToronto · Jul 2026
Says they love this place and names it among their favourite shawarma spots.
- Recommendsu/yawetag1869 in r/FoodToronto · Aug 2024
Names Sumaq Iraqi Grill as a pick with no further detail.
- Recommendsu/jgrizzy in r/askTO · Aug 2026
Names Sumaq as the go-to Iraqi spot.
- Caveatu/silentviper123 in r/askTO · Aug 2026
Finds Sumaq somewhat overrated and ranks it below other spots.
- Caveatu/jzach1983 in r/FoodToronto · Aug 2024taste
Waited for the hype and found the food just okay, well below the buzz.
- Caveatu/ahsm in r/askTO · Aug 2026service
Describes the service there as very poor.
- Recommendsu/fireflies-from-space in r/Scarborough · Aug 2025taste
Liked this place more than Ghadir.
Show all 30 cited comments
- Recommendsu/Odd-Calligrapher6852 in r/askTO · Aug 2026
Names Sumaq on Lawrence East as a top pick.
- Recommendsu/Kogre_55 in r/FoodToronto · Aug 2025
Lists it among Toronto spots worth trying.
- Recommendsu/Beautiful_Pianist490 in r/askTO · Aug 2026taste
Says the Scarborough Sumaq is comparable and good.
- Recommendsu/hesh0925 in r/askTO · Mar 2026
Names it among the strong shawarma places on that Lawrence stretch.
- Recommendsu/QuietStorm734 in r/askTO · Aug 2026
Names Sumaq Iraqi Grill as a top pick.
- Recommendsu/Interesting-Goal19 in r/FoodToronto · Aug 2026taste
Says they love this place's veal shawarma served in tanoor bread.
- Recommendsu/BungeeKabab2000 in r/FoodToronto · Aug 2024
Names Sumaq as their pick with no further detail.
- Recommendsu/zapatista234 in r/Scarborough · Sep 2026
Names this as one of their regular go-to spots.
- Recommendsu/GilbyGlibber in r/askTO · Aug 2026
Likes Sumaq most among the options mentioned.
- Recommendsu/GreatZucchini8 in r/askTO · Aug 2026
Calls Sumaq very good.
- Caveatu/delrey668 in r/askTO · Aug 2026
Strongly disagrees with the Sumaq pick.
- Recommendsu/RedRev15 in r/askTO · Aug 2026taste
Praises Sumaq's bread and pushes back on the dry-chicken point.
- Mixedu/JohnnyShadows in r/askTO · Aug 2026taste
Toppings are good, but chicken sometimes misses, likely overcooked after carving.
- Mixedu/justmememe55 in r/askTO · Aug 2026taste
Says the shawarma is okay but the chicken tikka is much better.
- Caveatu/Hiraaa_ in r/Scarborough · Aug 2025taste
Would choose the other shawarma over this place any day.
- Recommendsu/TheMusicAly in r/FoodToronto · Aug 2025taste
Recommends this shawarma joint, which has grown quite popular.
- Recommendsu/TOkidd in r/FoodToronto · Aug 2024taste
Praises the lamb shank dish with three rice types as delicious.
- Caveatu/Spirited-Toe-4549 in r/FoodToronto · Aug 2024
Calls Sumaq overhyped compared with Ghadir, apologizing for the dig.
- Caveatu/bleeetiso in r/FoodToronto · Aug 2024wait time
Warned others off after a bad experience.
- Recommendsu/UnsolvedParadox in r/FoodToronto · Feb 2024
Calls Sumaq solid, in a reply about Iraqi food.
- Caveatu/impurfection in r/askTO · Aug 2026taste
Visited the Scarborough branch three times and found it overly salty each time.
- Recommendsu/catmark0 in r/FoodToronto · Aug 2024taste
Suggests pairing Sumaq with samoon bread and calls it a go-to spot.
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Details last checked 4 Nov 2026. Recommendations reflect what people said at the time; confirm current details before you go.