Winnipeg's Middle Eastern food scene: shawarma, falafel, and manakeesh

Winnipeg's Middle Eastern food scene is spread across the city rather than clustered in one strip, which means most visitors never stumble onto it by accident. It is mostly Palestinian and Lebanese owned, mostly family run, and mostly built around shawarma, falafel, and the flatbread called manakeesh. The four spots below sit in four different parts of the city, so treat this as a shortlist to plan around rather than a single afternoon's crawl.

The Falafel Place

The Falafel Place, on Corydon Avenue, has been a straightforward counter-service option for falafel and other Middle Eastern staples for years, with everything made fresh on site rather than shipped in. It is a simple room with a handful of tables, better suited to takeout or a quick sit-down meal than a long dinner, and it is the closest of the four to the Corydon Airbnb.

Les Saj

Les Saj sits on St James Street near Polo Park and leans Lebanese, with shawarma wraps and platters, saj bread made to order, and manoosha topped with spinach and cheese or za'atar. The beef and chicken shawarma, dressed with garlic sauce, pickles, and fries tucked right into the wrap, gets singled out often enough in reviews that it is worth ordering on a first visit.

Yafa Cafe

Yafa Cafe, further out on Portage Avenue in St. James, is run by Rana Abdulla, who built the menu around recipes passed down through her family. It specializes in Arabic street food: manakeesh, tabouleh, hummus, spinach pies, and baklava, with a warm, communal room that reads more like a neighbourhood living room than a typical restaurant.

Ramallah Cafe

Ramallah Cafe, on Pembina Highway near the University of Manitoba, is a Palestinian halal cafe known for its mashawi platters and wraps, with a menu that also pulls in some Mediterranean and Indian-influenced dishes. It has since added locations elsewhere in the city, but the original Pembina spot remains the one most reviewers point to first.

Hours and menus shift, especially at smaller family-run spots, so check each restaurant's own site or a delivery app before heading out. All four also offer delivery and takeout through the usual apps if a sit-down meal is not the plan.