CrowdedHouse Restaurant – 1161 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4M 1L3
Country: Israel    
Seating: Indoor seating with a charming side patio. 
Dinner guests: Pornstar Sam
Must-try dish: Skordalia dip 
The high: The staff/owners make you feel like you’re at home. 
The low: There are a lot of leftovers unless you’re kindful in ordering. 

Although the dynamic duo that own CrowdedHouse both hail from Israel, the menu reflects more of the Middle Eastern, North African, and Mediterranean regions rather than Israel itself. The concept of the restaurant is to give the impression of being at home, in a crowded kitchen with family and friends. It’s successful is doing exactly that.  

The feeling of being at home in a restaurant is often lost, but the atmosphere at CrowdedHouse is comfortable and familiar, without overcrowding. They’ve established the perfect balance. The open-kitchen flows into the seating area that surrounded by windows that overlook on to Queen Street East. In the warmer months, there’s a pretty epic patio on the quieter side street to enjoy a meal and a couple of drinks in the sunshine. 

There’s an extensive menu that stretches throughout the Medditterannean, and many of these dishes were new to us. It was an excellent time to explore new recipes, and to be guided by the owners in what to order over a lengthy Saturday lunch. 

While pursuing the menu, a Sampler Platter of three cold dips is strongly recommended. Depending on the size of your group, your appetite, and love for dips, there’s also the option to order individual dips and a platter of six mezes. 

The Calita is a textured dip made with cannelloni beans, onions, and garlic, then topped with fried onions. Onion and garlic are the base to everything amazing, so this dip is easy to love. Skordalia was the second dip in the trio, which consists of a smooth but thick blend of potatoes, garlic, almonds, wheat, and olive oil. This was also the favourite of the dips because of the unique flavour profile along with the unparalleled consistency. The Matbucha is a chunky blend of seasoned cooked tomato and roasted bell peppers. Our first impressions were smashed out of the park, many of these dip were new to us, and we would certainly return to eat them again. All the dips are served with warm Laffa bread. 

In balancing out the cold mezzes, there are also hot ones, such as the Hummus with Foul. Foul is eaten across the Middle East – cooked and smashed beans filled with Middle Eastern spices. The creamy hummus was placed on the plate with a well in the middle which is filled with foul, topped with fresh herbs, accompanied by a hard boiled egg, and served with fresh laffa.

Falafel balls are a must. This variety is made with chickpeas, herbs, and spices, and then fried to be served with tahini sauce for dipping. They were crispy on the outside and warm and fluffy on the inside. It’s the perfect snack to transition from one course to the next! 

In the Crowded Plates section at the bottom of the menu lies the larger dishes. The majority of them come with meat or fish with a chopped salad on the side. All the plates are generous portions and are meant to be shared with everyone at the tables. The Mititei Kebabs are minced beef and lamb meat skewers that are grilled on charcoal. The meat is tender and expertly seasoned making each bite delicious. 

Our order is only a fraction of the dishes on the CrowdedHouse menu. Going with a larger group, or with hungry bellies will allow for a familiarity with dishes from the Middle East and North Africa. This restaurant offers a terrific introduction to the flavours, and stories of each dish will be provided if asked. This history of cuisine from this ancient part of the world is fascinating, and CrowdedHouse encourages education through tasting without having to leave Toronto. 

Apart from the food, another highlight of dining at CrowdedHouse is the interaction with the owners. They make an effort to chat with each table to make them feel at home. 

To many more crowded meals! 

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)