Istanbouli Shawarma House

Really enjoyed this shawarma place. Got delivery, and it was fast and still warm when it got to me. Online ordering was easy. I had a chicken shawarma wrap platter, with potatoes and salad. The garlic sauce was really good, and the wrap tasted great. Will definitely order from here again.

I went to the restaurant this year in January and posted this review then but for some reason it kept on getting deleted… anyways here is a re-​post of the comments I had earlier.
This is by far the filthiest food preparation I have seen from all the restaurants I’ve visited. The chef, or the person in charge of prepping all the food and making the sandwiches, collects and dumps the garages and sweeps the floor with bare hands, and then went back to making food right after. Not only for one instance did this person wear gloves or clean his hands thoroughly. The cashier who handled all sorts of money also cleans and wipes the food trays or plates with bare hands without washing or cleaning of the hands… it was just unbearable to watch all of this especially after having already eaten all the food. And just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, I went to the bathroom to wash my hands after the meal and only to find that the water tap was broken and there was water over-​flowing out from the pipes, and it was like a pond on the floor. I didn’t end up using the bathroom at all. It was really mind-​boggling how a restaurant can be run like this… I am definitely never going back to this place again, ever.

Worst Shawarma sandwich in town! In a city known as the world capital of Shawarmas, there’s really no room for mediocrity, but Instanbouli’s surprisingly manages to make missteps at every possible turn. From bland meat and garlic sauce, to ridiculously meager portions (resulting in a sandwich the approximate diameter of a flashlight), to the customer never being asked whether they want anything like hot sauce or sesame sauce before shoving it in the grill plate (netting you a bone-​dry shawarma), it’s just a sad sad experience overall.
Well worth the walk up the stairs next door to the infinitely better (and friendlier) Les Grillades. Try harder, ‘bouli’s! Just a LITTLE bit more effort, and you wouldn’t be an embarrassment.

For the price, I haven’t found a better shawarma place in Ottawa. The food is delicious (I favour the chicken salad), the prices are very reasonable, and the owner /​staff are always friendly and willing to have a chat.
The restaurant itself is clean and nicely furnished, especially compared to other shawarma places in this city.
Istanbouli sets the bar high. Keep up the good work, guys!

Moved to 81 Holland quite some time ago. Huge fan.

A good place to get a great schwarma. Ottawa is lucky to have so many good schwarma places and this one in Hintonburg is a good one. Friendly service, spacious and with its own parking, Istanbouli is my neighbourhood stop for a schwarma in a hurry.