Review The Garlic King - Ottawa

Best Shawarma in town!! Always great service and fresh food. They have a great designated area for Gluten Free options which is great for someone Celiac or gluten intolerant. Great for all the family with a big variety and portion are generous. Oh and the garlic sauce is so tasty!! Definitely worth the drive there.

(Still) The Best shawarma place I’ve ever tried. The food is perfect. Huge selection of sides, salads. The meats are delightful, and the garlic sauce is by far the best one I’ve ever had. They also have my favourite garlic potatoes and rice. The portions are big which is a huge plus, and for the price it’s definitely worth it. I can get two full meals for myself out of a large platter. The only critique I have is that the chicken is a little dry, but the variety of juicy salads and sauces more than make up for that minimal flaw. 5 stars!

5 stars for their service. But, they should improve the portion of the meat. No comparison to what Shawarma Palace offers. Also, the quality. But, Garlic King let’s you add tabuli for free whereas Shawarma Palace and other places don’t. But, the rice is definitely better at Shawarma Palace. Brown rice would be great. Also, potatoes should not coated with garlic. It looked so greasy and not so healthy any more. The service was nice and quick.

I met the guy 8 or 9 years ago one night trying his place. The place was nice (different location), and guy was very passionate of his business and his city. Food was fantastic. Fast-Forward 8 or 9 years, I give it a go again. Location was not as nice. Inside looked like a construction site. The staff were odd to say the least. Unprofessional, yes. Food was nothing like it was. Garlic was still more than decent, but the rest of it really fell flat_ Did see the crown van again.

Been eating here (gluten free) for the last 5 years and I've never been sick once. The owner and the staff are great and follow strict protocols to avoid cross contamination and ensure safety if you are or have celiac disease. Great food and amazing service, would highly recommend as a safe place to eat it you are gluten free!

Right off the bat, super friendly. Everyone there had a smile which was nice to see after so long. I ordered a big monster plate to go. Food was really good, beef was well seasoned and marinated so it wasn't chewy. Spicy chicken was also well seasoned and tasted great. Last few times I've gone to other shawarma shops I was getting fatty chicken. How is chicken fatty? I don't know, but here it was just pure chicken meat, didn't taste or see any fillers. And of course, the garlic. I wanted a strong garlic and this didn't disappoint. Excellent texture, was well done and they were very generous with it as well. Tabouli was also surprising, it had the perfect texture and lemon/salt/oil ratio and you don't feel like you're choking on a big piece of dry parsley. Only thing I would do differently next time is order extra meat because it was so good it flew off the plate. Wish I'd taken a photo of what the plate looked like before it got eaten because there's nothing left of it now.

Came here because I wanted to meet the Garlic King and try his famous shawarmas. I was not disappointed. Met him and he is as exceptional as his food is. I got spicy chicken wrap and a mix wrap and I couldn’t believe how fresh it tasted. Their chicken isn’t as juicy as I’d hoped for but it is still amazing. Their veggies add so much flavour and compliment to the freshness of the chicken. This shawarma place is a must try to all Ottawa residents. They also have a gluten free menu which is so great. And they also offer a big variety of food so don’t only try their wraps.

5 stars all the way! @halimi i was actually there a couple days ago when this happened, i dont remember seeing you but maybe you were hiding behind a mask no one knows these days with covid, what happened is the young lady was closing up plates with almost no meat in them and the King kept telling her please wait dont close the plates yet as he needs to add more food. You have to give credit where it's due. The king will always be king. Thanks again for the best food and service as always !

Service is going downhill drastically. We are LONG TIME customers. For the second time in a row, The Garlic King has cancelled our Skip The Dishes order. According to Skip The Dishes customer support they refused our order claiming they can’t guarantee no onions or peppers (which we requested, not because of allergies). I call BS on you Garlic King. You and I both know the reason you’re declining our orders is because last month half our order was missing and we complained to Skip The Dishes about missing items. Your Skip The Dishes rating has gone from 9.6 to 8.3 in the last two months, obviously we aren’t the only customers you’ve been treating like dirt.

My boyfriend and I went there the day before yesterday and the food gave us food poisoning in ways i much rather not share ( imagine the worst...). Aside from our major concern for our health, the customer service was also questionable. We felt pressured to make an order quick, and to pay before we even got to see our food being assembled ( which i didnt care at the time but found it strange, is it usually the other way around in shawarma places? ). The cashier was helpful in providing us menus, but we were not permittted the time or space to think through what we wanted to eat without getting pressured and pulled by every direction between him and the owner. Aha ordering the food was unresonably stressful! Once we got our food (steak beef and chicken family platter), the steak beef and chicken was dry and some bits where even hard, which come to think of it now must of indicated that it was sitting there for awhile. The potatoes were white, not cooked and appeared like they were soaking in water or something.( ewie!) Moreover, I was really shocked and confused when the owner was rude to me by saying " i'm doing great thank you for asking" in a smug tone when i was just being patient  WHILE my boyfriend was ordering the food with the cashier. Very strange experience. I am a great supporter of privatedly owned business but i felt a responsibility to share my unusual experience. Thought i'd give you guys a heads up! Please, take care of your health everyone 😅

Haters listen up!! <br/><br/>Consistently phenomenal, sides are a creative twist on what we have become use to elsewhere, and you know it goes without saying the Garlic King holds down dat garlic sauce!<br/><br/>Best by far, Haters check YO-self

We go once a week for a couple years and love the food! Great people and great service! Very clean and great food! 👌👍would recommend this restaurant to anyone!

We are customers from garlic king for a good year.. we have 7 children and my husband and i..WE LOVE their service food.. it is extraordinary... the welcome you get makes you feel at home.. very but very kind owner and staff... you can see that they live to serve and see their customers happy.. we go once a week minimum!!! we all love it... it is cheaper them Mc donald and WAY more healthy. the cleanness of their restaurant is awsome! THEY ARE HARD WORKING CANADIANS!! THAT VALUE THEIR CUSTOMERS!! YOU CAN'T GET THAT ANYWHERE ELSE.. WE DRIVE 40 MIN TO GO THEIR AND IT IS WELL WORTH IT!! I WOULD NEVER RECOMMAND ANY OTHER SHAWARMA PLACE IN TOWN.. THEIR FOOD IS HIGH QUATILITY!  WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT! YOU GET THE AMAZING FOOD, AMAZING SERVICE, THE MOST KIND OWNERS I KNOW.. THEY LOVE CHILDREN!!! EVEN THAT THEY GAVE TICKETS TO MY HUSBAND AND I TO GO SEE A SENS GAME WITH THE PARKING PAID...YOU NEVER SEE OTHER SHAWARMA BUSINESS TO DO THIS TO SHOW THEIR APPRECIATION TO THEIR CUSTOMERS.. <br/><br/>EVEN WITH SOME BAD REVIEW.. MOST OF THESE PPL THEY OWN THEIR BUSINESS AND ARE GETTING THEIR OWN STAFF TO WRITE BAD REVIEWS ON THIS PLACE!!! BUT BE ALERT PPL ALL THEY'RE BAD REVIEWS ARE BS..... ANYTHING TO PUT OTHER BUSINESS DOWN...<br/><br/>I AM A BUSINESS OWNER MYSELF! AND I COULD GARANTEE YOU I DO NOT WORK FOR HIM I DO NOT PERSONALLY KNOW HIM!! I KNOW HIM BY THE AMAZING GARLIC KING.... WELL HARD WORKING CANADIAN BROTHER!!! <br/><br/>IF  YOU HAVE NOT TRIED THIS PLACE.. ITS A MUST GO AND SEE FOR YOURSELF!!! YOU WILL HAVE THE BEST FOOD AND SERVICE AND PRICE FROM ANYWHERE IN TOWN!!!!<br/><br/>WE WENT YESTERDAY AND WILL GO AGAIN FRIDAY!!!<br/><br/>THANK YOU GARLIC KING FOR THE AMAZING SERVICE AND FOOD YOU PROVIDE TO MY FAMILY AND I!!!! DON'T STOP YOU'RE HARD WORK... CAUSE YOU ARE AMAZING!!! SEE YOU SOON!!

Been going here for years, love the food. Yes, the decor is tragic and need to be changed but in the end , all I care about is quality food which this place has. "He's the garlic king he can do anything!! "

I think the food is great and I've been going there since the beginning ( they've had 4 locations over the years). The price has gone up but it's still reasonable... It's not fine dining! However I go there less and less because of service. The same redundant jokes and tacky decor ...it gets tiring. It's an easy problem to fix and should be obvious but nothing has changed. If I do go, I get my food and head out as quickly as possible

Not impressed. This place is the biggest joke! Extremely tacky decor and disgusting food. The chicken was bone dry, the potatoes were loaded with garlic grease and very soggy just like my salad. The overwhelming amount of garlic in everything made me feel ill for the rest of the day. <br/>Do yourself a favour and stay away!!

The Garlic King.. It took two days to remove the overpowering garlic from my mouth. As a traveling diner this has actually put me off shawarma for good, what a shame. Poorly prepared, over cooked meats, stupidly overpowering garlic, soggy garlic potatoes and the tackiest of decor. <br/><br/>I now know why they call him the garlic King,as whoever eats this filth will spend the evening upon the throne.<br/>What a shame, keep on driving.

The Garlic King... more like the garlic jester! What a joke. Food is doused in overpowering garlic, decor is tragic and the food is overpriced. Dry meat and soggy garlic slathered potatoes. With so many options for shawarma in town I am amazed this place is still in business. The only thing sadder than this place is the way I felt after eating my meal. Deary me.

i loved this placed , until that guy at the cash ruined it for me , i used to go there on a weekly basis but the insult of giving me a 1/4 of our regular food for the same price was just unacceptable. i hope they get rid of Dave , their business would flourish ...until then i'll go somewhere else, Good luck Garlic King i will miss  you.<br/><br/>BTW THE FOOD IS EXCELLENT THERE 10 OUT OF 10 <br/>DAVE A BIG 0 OUT OF 10

Worst beef donar ever!. Beef donar meat was dry and crispy from being over cooked. Never go here save your money.

Stay away!! Unless you like dry food and horrible service!!!. This place is just a disaster. I would not suggest this to my enemies. Anyone who writes good reviews about this place is either under their payroll or clearly hasn't ate REAL Lebanese food. This place is garbage and over priced. It used to be amazing ten years ago, hence the awards on the wall they fool you with. But now you are better off if you ate at McDonalds.<br/><br/><br/>-----26 Jun, 2014-----<br/><br/>Stay away!! Unless you like dry food and horrible service!!!. This place used to be amazing. I don't know what happened to this place but the food is simply not digestible. The chicken is dry and tasteless. The portions have been minimized. The service...let's just say they don't look happy to be there...They have a bunch of awards from 15 years ago, when the restaurant was phenomenal. I would not go back or recommend this establishment to anyone who cares what they put in their bodies.

Not Your Average Shawarma Joint. I live in Kanata so today was my first time eating here, and I was very impressed. The Garlic King treated me to a sample plate with his various homemade meat and sauces and I had a small shawarma and potatoes. The big difference between their shawarma is it's all breast meat (no skin) so it's not greasy like most places. Same goes with the potatoes, they are freshly sliced and are garlicky and lemony. Great service and great food, I'll be back.

Great fresh food. I go to Really Lebanese whenever I can. Especially if I want a tasty nutritious meal and don't feel like cooking at home myself...<br/>Either eat-in - large space and very clean - or bring home and eat on my own china.<br/>Pleasant staff.

Rude service, average taste. Tried a large chicken sandwich. I believe the owner took my order (he was pleasant enough) but the girl who served me down the line was not. The quality was o.k. and seemed a bit more expensive than other places.

Was good once...dedpite the annoying service, now in the larger location the service is just as irritating but the food is brutal now went twice I will not go back.

My favorite Shawarma in Town.. I go to the Garlic King almost every week. Best Garlic sauce in town and I love their turnips that are freshly made in house. The newly added spicy chicken is delicious and their portions are generous.

While the food is decent, especially the garlic sauce the service is awful. Some of the staff is quite rude and coupled with decent meal it does not leave us with the feeling of wanting to return. Visited three to four times and the service constantly remained subpar. Sometimes the food can trump the bad service but at the Garlic King this is unfortunately not the case!

Tried ordering, but failed. I went to the Garlic King back in February 2013. There were no menus in sight, and no wallboards advertising specials or photos of their food anywhere. There was a huge line-up for takeout, but I couldn't see how customers knew what to order. After roaming the inside for a few minutes looking in vain, I started heading for the door. The owner yelled that he could serve me, but i told him that I couldn't order without a menu as I didn't know Lebanese cuisine that well.<br/><br/>Interior was clean, can't comment on the food as I've never tasted it.

Dry chicken. Had a family chicken platter. The garlic sauce was nice (although very very strong) Everything was OK but the chicken was SO dry, it was barely edible. For the price, there's so many more options for Shawarma in Ottawa.

I would go to Cedar Valley any day before going back here. Service was bad and confusing and the food was horrible.

This place sucks!!! I had 2 trainees working on my 2 plates which took 20 mins. The owner's wife was getting upset with them, but not really helping them. The chicken was so dry!!! The humus was stuck to the top of the box. I paid 26$ for these 2 plates and most went i the garbage. I am never going back because there is just too much choice when it comes to shawarma. Not to mention the shameless self promoti g....take it down a notch buddy. Your not " the wiz" and everybody beats you.

Aweful. Barely Edible.. I've been driving by the new location daily since they opened wanting to try it. We finally did today. $10 for chicken over salad + hummus + side. I have to admit the hummus is nice. The salad and chicken were barely edible. The chicken was dry to the point of almost being chips. We will not be going back. Cedar Valley is still the reliable standard in this neck of the woods.

Nope. I'm a schawarma lover and this ain't it. The owner was at the cash taking our order and said he had a headache because of his four wives...um. okay. Two sandwiches took at least 15 minutes, since an employee was teaching a new person how. To. make. A. Sandwich. Ingredient. By. Ingredient. The drink fridge had boxes of pop shoved in, with no organization; it looked sketch. The resto looks sketch too. All would have been forgiven if the food was good. But it wasn't. The garlic sauce wasn't garlicky, the meat wasn't seasoned as well as it should have been and the whole thing was a mess to eat. Schawarma Prince and Cedar Valley have him beat hands down.

I love it. The staff ARE friendly, the food IS fresh and is affordable. BTW to the Girl who complained her rolled sandwich wasn't grilled - you choose - rolled OR grilled :)

Never again!. Let's start with the service! Rude and unpleasant! Now the portions! i asked for some extra garlic sauce on my sandwich and the first thing i was told is that i have to pay for it. I replied that it was not a problem. Little did i know that i was being charged for $2 for a teaspoon worh of garlic sauce! When i asked the lady (who i understood later on to be the wife of the owner) why i was being charged so much for such a ridiculously miniscule portion, she nearly jumped at me and told me that i was saying that she was cheap! i insited that thisnwas not what inwasnsaying but to no avail. next came the husband who told me that his food wasnthe best and that i would never find such a service anywhere else. i disagreed and told him that his stafff was rude and highly unpleasant (no one was smiling!). the food? i ordered the beef shawarma, it was very dry and tasted old. The salad and fries were just ok. I will never again go to that place. Overall very bad service, mediocre food and very tacky decor.

Although the new location is really nice, the food is totally underwhelming. Bland, dry chicken; soggy potatoes; and the "rolled" shawarma sandwich isn't grilled at all. Service was also slow even though the restaurant was not busy. Sadly, I won't be returning.

Great food! Great people!. My husband and I have been fans of The Garlic King for several years. The food is consistently fresh and tastes amazing. Their fatoush and garlic potatoes are the best I've had anywhere. The schwarma sandwiches are very flavoursome and the chicken is juicy and never dry or fatty. On top of the food being great, the owners are genuinely nice people who do a lot for the community and will go above and beyond for their customers. For example, our old car had issues with its starter and Adel came out and helped to get it started and saved us getting a tow! I recommend the food and while the jokes can sometimes be over the top and corney (although I really actually enjoy that), these are good people!

Bad changes. Now a greek and shawarma house??? Not impressed with the staff and greek juicy potatoes with a dry shawarma. Save your time and money for another place! Never again.

EXCELLENT Gluten-free. THE BEST gluten-free chicken shawarma sandwich ever.<br/><br/>THANK YOU.

Food was barely medicore. Chicken was dry and nothing was worth returning for. The annoying man who runs the cash, thinks he's funny......is enough to keep us away let alone the bad food.

He can do anything. A lot of people get turned off by The Garlic King's over the top persona and advertisements. I am not turned off and actually find the whole thing rather humorous. Regardless of the whole persona, the "Garlic King" is a genuine, friendly person. I go there because I actually like the food, but I love that I also like the owner and his business. <br/><br/>One time I saw the "Garlic King" in his van with the crown, and his full royal outfit helping a woman jump start her car in the winter. He really can do anything!

But I honestly do like the food and I feel that, as long as the reader is aware that I have a personal connection with the restaurant, the review can still be of use.