Luxor Emporium Cafe

Casual atmosphere with friendly staff.  Tasty dishes and suitable for a group lunch. Vegetarian friendly place.  Coffee is good.  My friend from Egypt said it tastes good and the flavour is pretty authentic.

Yummy Mummy Wrap. The first time I went I had a kebob platter that didn't really convince me to come back. The kebobs were taken from the display case and reheated so they were flavourful, but somewhat dry. I did appreciate the generous amount of pita and the plain rice with veggies (frozen mixed variety) actually had a lot of flavour. The tabbouleh was fresh with a nice kick. But the meal was pricey and I felt I could get more someplace else. But I decided to come back and try the mummy wraps that other reviews raved about. It was so good! I loved the entire thing and when I was done I wished I had another wrap. A pita, delicious chicken with a homemade sauce and a bunch of fresh veggies. Some parts of the sauce tasted so familiar, but whatever they put in it is definitely tasty. At $8 it isn't a cheap wrap for the size, but it's very tasty. I definitely want to try other stuff, but I may just default to this wrap the next time I pop in.

Casual, tasty. Before I go on: if you must have fresh-made food, then this may not be for you (nor would Kaffe Stube at Edelweiss Village... which is a shame). The food you get here, from what I could tell, is made ahead and heated up, but I could be wrong on the odd item. Judge for yourself.

My husband and I needed some quick-ish good, filling dinner downtown after work, so we stopped in (I'd eyeballed it many times from the train). He got the Luxor Biftek and possibly the Fatouche as his accompanying salad, while I got the Koftas with babaganouj (sp?) as my side salad. I also got a very tasty mango juice (I was on a mango kick...).

His biftek was very good - this was some marinated marvel served over a humble rice with mixed veg (I think it was mainly a frozen mix of carrots & peas and possibly corn... that's fine, I wasn't up for fancy & overdone that night). He seemed to enjoy his salad as well. My koftas were a bit of a drier affair, but it's basically spiced ground meatballs (over the same rice). I liked 'em well enough, but this is what made me wonder if they were made-ahead (probably, really). The babaganouj was flavourful and just the right thickness for me (and there was plenty of it), and the pitas were plentiful enough to eat up my babaganouj and then some. I'll admit I've had tastier pitas, but then I'm more a fan of soft pillowy Greek ones or naan (like they make at Mango Shiva!). So yeah, I'm 'harder' on middle eastern-ish pitas.

Service was simple - drinks came with your meal (rather than before... so either get up to ask for it or be patient) and the server (owner?) was quite polite. There's a wee dining area off to the right if you want to eat in, which we did.

This dinner fit the bill for me anyway: tasty, casual, filling, and reasonably priced. I'd go back to try other stuff (like their lentil dish... Kusheri).

Tasty Egyptian Fare! A bit pricy though.. Entering this small corner cafe, you will notice the vast selection of Mediterranean and Egyptian products in a market style atmosphere, then tucked around the corner is the simple relaxing dining area. Great decor representing their culture and a well rounded clean area.

On one occasion, I tried their Chicken Shawarma pita and I appreciated all the nice flavors and tenderness of the meat. There was a good portion of veggies that complimented the pita. Compared to many, they have their own spiced meats, which I was able to notice the difference. Only thing was that it could have been larger for their price.

Recently, I ate their Lamb Kebab platter. It came with 4-5 small lamb chops served on a bed of rice, along with a bag of warmed pita, and your choice of salad or dip. The lamb chops had nice flavors with the various spices that was used. I enjoyed the hint of blackened taste with the chops. The rice was a bit on the drier side if taken alone, but I used my choice of dip- hummous to compliment the rice. Very tasty. The hummous was great --lots of garlic and a rich smooth taste. A generous amount of pita was provided as well. I enjoyed the whole platter and it was quick to eat - as I was time pressed. Again, for the priced charged, a bit high for the portion.

I would definitely return because all the food was tasty and I felt it to be authentic food with great friendly service. The only adjustment can be reflected in their prices or increase the portions a bit.