Saide's Kitchen - Guelph

I ate at Saide's Kitchen twice this weekend. Dinner on Friday night where I had the vegetarian platter with hummus, falafel, pita and some pickles and tomatoes. My wife had the burger. Mine: the falafel were done well - not over cooked and were still moist and flavourful. The hummus could have used a bit more garlic and lemon (I'm biased as I make my own hummus from scratch) but everything else was tasty and to be expected. My wife commented that her burger was average but still made for a good meal. At breakfast this morning, my wife ordered the blintzes with blueberry topping and a side of turkey bacon. The portions were huge and once she dived in, she was savouring the flavour. It is high praise as she said that Saide's kitchen staff added a little more lemon zest than her grandmother mother used to ... the first blitzes she has had in years!Overall, both of us like visiting Saide's Kitchen - it makes a very nice change from the usual other dining places in Guelph. The service has been excellent every time we have eaten there and they are one of the few places open for breakfast on statutory holidays.

Ordered a shawarma plate. The meat tasted like it was pan fried, not cooked the traditional way. Sort of disappointing, but was still tasty. One in our group had a blue cheese burger which looked great.

I am going to be honest, I love middle eastern food with the spices and the layers of flavour. For me, Saide's just misses the mark. Some of the dishes are good and some are just ok. The dips are good. The problem is inconsistency. Portion sizes are all over the place. The first few visits the portions were generous.... but sadly the portions have dwindled considerably. The most recent visit I had the chicken shawarma and there was maybe the equivalent of 1/2 a chicken breast and it was not filled with the flavour I expect in a shawarma dish. I left disappointed. Service was just ok, my husbands entree came to the table missing items. This was corrected, but again, this falls under inconsistency. I love Arabesque (just 20 minutes west on Hwy 7). I suppose I am comparing and maybe that is unfair, but if you want tasty, middle eastern food that is always consistent and portions are generous, it is worth the drive to Kitchener. In order for things to improve this place needs to work on improving consistency with flavours, portions and service. You never know what the meal will be like, hit or miss, and that will lose customers fast!

We were there at the same time as the reviewer below and from the sounds of it, sat in the table behind them! We both ordered the chicken swarma meal special and it was fabulous! Spicy, juicy chicken resting on yummy basmati rice. Loved the hummus and wished I could've licked the plate. Good mix of veggies in the garden salad, but it was rather odd to receive packaged dressing. Excellent, efficient and friendly service rounded out a great experience. First timers at this restaurant and we will definitely return.

Arrived 6:46pmSat 6:47pmOrdered 6:49pmFirst time visit since the location switched from that overrated greasy spoon restaurant.I live downtown where there are 3-4 Shawarma places and I've tried them all, the best being Moe's Gourmet stand in the St. George's square, then Manouche at Gordon and Wellington rd, and the other 2 aren't worth mentioning. IMO.7:03pm food Arrived.Juicy succulent marinated chicken, yummy moist rice, delicious hummus and crispy salad. The waitress forgot my salad dressing, though. When I asked for some I was brought single serving Kraft packages, which I don't feel right about. Am I being sensitive? I was going to take away a second point, but the salad has romaine and radishes, so I won't.Over all a delicious, filling meal!