Arbequina serves bold, hyper-fresh Levantine cuisine that's familiar yet entirely new.

A place where warm hospitality meets chef Moeen Abuzaid's exceptional culinary chops, this modern, polished room in Roncesvalles Village is already becoming the talk of the town.

In February 2024, the first customers slid inside Arbequina's warm space. Designed by owners and husband-and-wife team Moeen Abuzaid and Asma Syed-Abuzaid, the room is minimalist yet chic.

"Moeen loves Nordic inspiration," explains Syed-Abuzaid. "I lived in Copenhagen for four years. We wanted Nordic but we wanted it to feel infused with elements of the Middle East."

Named for a type of olive native to Palestine, the restaurant's décor contains several nods to its namesake — from the table garnish and wall decorations to the deep green hue used throughout.

A long-term goal for the couple, Arbequina brings chef Abuzaid's extensive years of study and training to a Toronto audience.

"Moeen is from Amman, Jordan," says Syed-Abuzaid. "He spent many years working in some of the best hotels in Jordan, under really great chefs."

After this, "Moeen spent years in New York meeting chefs and just establishing a name for himself," adds Syed-Abuzaid, listing off a who's who of culinary leaders who her husband learned from and worked with.

Driven by passion — as Syed-Abuzaid says, laughing, her husband, "reads cookbooks on airplanes. Who does that?" — chef Abuzaid honed skills, from how to run a farm-to-table spot to what it takes to prep, cook and plate Michelin-calibre food.

The goal was always to open a place of his own. "I wanted to apply what I've learned to Levantine cuisine," he says.

At Arbequina, Middle Eastern standards are viewed through a swank lens. Spicing and ingredients may be familiar but, in chef Abuzaid's hands, the process is exacting and the plating is beautifully refined.

"His cuisine," gushes Syed-Abuzaid, "it's a new cuisine. It doesn’t exist." As diners have been quick to point out, "I don’t recognize this food but my mouth knows it."

A zero-waste spot powered by seasonality, sustainability and locality, Arbequina's concise menu adapts based on ingredient availability. There may have been lamb on the menu yesterday but that's no guarantee it will be there tomorrow.

Still, chef Abuzaid's pillowy Za'atar Bun with house-whipped labneh flavoured with lemon zest, chives, za'atar and honey ($9) is a starter that's likely to stick around.

Warm and tender, topped with herby za'atar leaves, this is a stunning entry point to any meal at Arbequina. As you swoon, just remind yourself that there's plenty more of this calibre of food to come.

Layered onto thin crisp bread, Preserved Tomato Muhammara ($18) finds tomatoes from chef's own garden enriched with roasted pepper, cumin, pecans, walnuts, olive oil and winter greens.

A verdant Kale Salad ($22) may look like a simple, if hulking, pile of winter greens but dig deeper and uncover a wealth of hidden gems.

With bulgur and chervil, pickled winter radish, kohlrabi and a garnish of fried kale, this starter makes a brilliant case for making veggies the star of the show.

In a dish with the feel of a vegan meatloaf — Butternut Squash, Cashew, Jerusalem Artichoke ($27) — the team again puts produce in the limelight. During a Toronto winter, seasonality may sound like a challenge but chef Abuzaid makes it work, exceptionally well.

Sweet and savoury, the dish is blanketed in cashew cream, then crowned with sunchoke chips. The final garnish is a zippy drizzle of olive oil, lemon and roasted squash seeds.

With myriad textures in every bite (plus proof that the team's zero-waste claim isn't all talk), this is a dish well-deserving of a spot on every table.

Move onto Arbequina's heartier mains, and you'll meet halal meats, like Angus Short Ribs ($60) and Djaj Mashwi ($45) along with Sea Bass ($52).

As sexy as designer goods, chef's Angus Short Rib is sleek and supremely glossy, thanks to a glaze made from reduced beef trimmings (natch), dates and spices.

With saj bread, pickled onion and mint, tahini and roasted tomato salsa, this one disappears in a fraction of the three days it takes to prepare.

A stunner available in half or full ($75) portions, chef's Djaj Mashwi is a four-day recipe that involves brining and marinating, smoking and roasting. Licking your chicken-slicked fingers, you'll appreciate every single step.

Deeply flavoured, spiced but not spicy, this bird could easily stand on its own. With chicken bone aioli, house-made hot sauce, fried winter root chips and lettuce to nestle into, it becomes the leading lady in a flawless ensemble cast.

With grilled shishitos, a lush blanket of shaved Brussels sprouts, and fermented grape leaves that are grilled until crisp, Sea Bass is alluringly smoky, fresh and new.

An alcohol-free space, Arbequina's array of vibrant mocktails keep diners clear-eyed and refreshed.

"Everything is hand-pressed, fresh, seasonal," says Abuzaid. "We put so much thought and effort into our mocktails. As much as into our food."

Each relies on hand-pressed juices, house-ferments and syrups, rimming salts made from spent lemon rinds, and more. A program that helps the team stick to its zero-waste ethos, the mocktails also feel right for the space.

"We serve halal so we're staying true to ourselves by not serving alcohol," explains Syed-Abuzaid. "We’re not super conservative but we made a decision that we would be true to ourselves and not serve it. We're just being real."

From the vegetal Green Pristine ($15) and strawberry-sweetened Lychee Pink ($14) to the citrusy Red Ruby ($14) and brisk Mojito ($13), each mocktail is a welcome sipper that doesn't feel lacking in any way.

Flavoured like halva, Tahini Cream Puff ($14) is filled with custard and decorated with sesame snaps. Lush with a velvet core, it's a classic French pastry given a Middle Eastern spin.

A sweet chef Abuzaid remembers eating as a kid, semolina-based Mashbak is crunchy and tender, syrupy and habit-forming.

Accompanying cinnamon ice cream, for dipping, may not be necessary but is so smooth and subtle that it's unlikely to elicit complaints. ($17)

Helmed by a chef who deftly balances his background with his extensive training and a deep respect for ingredients, Arbequina is surprising and relevant, with food that diners won't soon forget.

Arbequina is located at 325 Roncesvalles Avenue.