📍 Kismet Turkish Restaurant – 782 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4M 1H4
🌍 Country: Turkey  
🔥 Must-try dish: Chicken Doner Plate
🎭 Dinner guest: Dancing Queen, Hilly & Pornstar Sam
🪑 Seating: Indoor seating with a back patio for warmer months.
👍 The high: The Kunefe has to be the best in the city.
👎 The low: Their large, stunning back patio is under-utilized and marketed. 

Is there a story behind Kismet? We aren’t sure yet, but what we do know is that the food and the space, especially the charming outdoor seating area, are pretty awesome. Whether you’re in the east end or feel like making the trip to Queen and Broadview, it’s worth a visit.

While Kismet can easily handle takeout for those on the go, it’s the large indoor and outdoor dining areas that encourage you to slow down, enjoy a longer meal, and take advantage of the free Turkish tea they serve to all guests. Speaking of freebies, when you order a main plate, you’re treated to a homemade Ezme Salad, a finely ground blend of tomatoes, onions, and spices served with warm bread. There are other dips on offer, but with so many enticing mains, we recommend sticking with the fresh Ezme and heading straight to the meat.

Chicken Shish Kebab
Chicken often gets a bad rap as a boring protein, something you make at home or toss into a stew. But in Middle Eastern cuisine, it’s anything but dull. At Kismet, the chicken is juicy and bursting with flavour, thanks to slow cooking on a rotating spit. 

The result: tender, moist meat with a crispy, fiery flavoured skin. This was our favourite dish of the day. Our whole group agreed we’re coming back to try the wrap version next time. It comes with warm bread, house made sauces, and fresh vegetables.

Beef Iskender
A Turkish classic. The Beef Iskender is layered beautifully: pita bread on the bottom, chunks of beef in a spiced tomato sauce on top, and a side of thick, creamy plain yogurt. Served with fresh vegetables, this dish hits almost all the food groups in one go. It’s hearty, flavourful, and totally satisfying.

Adana Kebab
A staple across Turkey, the Adana Kebab usually features ground lamb, but here it is made with beef and done really well. The seasoned beef is shaped like a sausage, grilled over an open flame, and served with buttery bulgur pilaf and fresh salad. The bulgur, in particular, was a highlight for us, rich with cumin and paprika that elevated the entire plate.

Lahmacun Pide
Think of Lahmacun as Turkey’s answer to pizza but lighter and more delicate. The Lahmacun is a very thin flatbread topped with minced beef, diced vegetables, herbs, and spices, then baked until crispy. If you’re tempted by the more cheese heavy options, resist. This is the traditional way to experience it. Great for sharing or as a lighter solo meal.

Beef Doner Plate
Ordered on a whim after we devoured everything else, the Beef Doner Plate was another hit. Like the Iskender, it features pita, shaved beef, rice, and vegetables. Though the beef was slightly less juicy than the chicken, it was still packed with flavour. A solid choice, but we would recommend the Chicken Doner plate or Adana Kebab first for newbie diners.

Fries
We usually wouldn’t go out of our way to mention French fries, but these deserve a shoutout. Thick cut, perfectly crispy, salty, and addictive. They’re everything you want fries to be.

Kunefe
No Turkish meal is complete without Kunefe. This beloved dessert is like a cross between cheesecake and baklava: stringy, warm cheese wrapped in crisp shredded wheat, topped with pistachios and drizzled with honey. No rosewater or orange blossom in Kismet’s version, just pure, melty cheese goodness.

If you’re new to Kunefe or just looking for a solid version in Toronto, Kismet delivers.

There’s really no going wrong with Turkish food as long as the restaurant knows what it’s doing. Luckily, Kismet definitely does. Whether you’re grabbing a quick wrap to go or settling in with friends over plates and tea in the backyard oasis, we highly recommend it. The cozy patio just off Queen Street might even become your new favourite spot for a quiet tea and dessert break.

However you spend your time at Kismet, we hope you love it as much as we did.

Eat with you soon,

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)