Shawarma Moose, located on College Street just by Dovercourt, is a warm and friendly local spot for Turkish-style shawarma.  

Whether you order a wrap, bowl, plate, or even a loaded poutine, you'll get a taste of proud Turkish hospitality and community.

Since opening in October 2022, partners Taylan Toprak, Omer Hacipasalioglu, and Murat Hacipasalioglu have been cooking up a passionate take on shawarma.

After moving to Canada, Taylan worked in a restaurant where he met his friend turned business partner Omer. Motivated by the chance to add their own ideas to a menu, they partnered up to bring Shawarma Moose to life. 

Walking into the shop, you're greeted with the sight of the chicken and beef shawarma rotating on vertical broilers. Just one look tells you this meal will be delicious, with the meat so juicy it's literally dripping.

Taylan takes me through the careful construction of a Chicken Shawarma Wrap ($11.99). It all starts out with that juice: he takes the tortilla and rubs it on the spinning chicken shawarma, getting all that extra flavour into the wrap.

Another Shawarma Moose staple is adding tomato paste to the cooking process, which he says is key to making shawarma "Turkish style".

Then it's time to load the wrap up with sauces and vegetables. I opted to put on a little bit of everything, from pickled vegetables like turnips and red cabbage, to fresh and bright options like tomatoes and cucumbers. 

For sauces you can choose from garlic, pomegranate, hot and shawarma sauce. And of course, no shawarma wrap is complete without a healthy sprinkling of crispy fries on top.

Taylan then carves the meat and takes it to the kitchen for a toss and grill. The chicken is carefully layered onto the wrap, and the whole thing is tightly rolled up.

A swift cut down the middle of the thick wraps reveals all of the tasty goodness and it's once again dripping with juices and flavour. 

Besides chicken shawarma, you can order the wrap with beef shawarma ($12.99) or falafel ($10.99). There's also the SAJ wraps which come in chicken ($12.99) or beef ($13.99).

I also tried out Falafel Plate ($12.99 for a medium and $13.99 for a large) that comes with falafel, Greek salad and rice. You can choose between plain rice and cinnamon rice for the base. It's a filling meal for a decent price.

You can also get your shawarma-topped rice in bowl form if you like your flavours mixed together. Just like the wraps, you get your choice of vegetables and sauces, making everything just to your taste.

I topped my Chicken Shawarma bowl ($14.99) with pomegranate sauce which adds a tangy flavour.

The last item I tried was the Beef Poutine ($17.99). Here, it comes with crispy fries, cheese curds, a thick layer of gravy and then loaded with shawarma meat. Hearty and dense, it would make for an excellent sharing plate after a late night out with friends. 

Shawarma Moose is located at 898 College St. The restaurant is open until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and midnight the rest of the week.