Diwan

What should have been a lovely lunch with friends was seriously tainted when we EACH had to pay $ 10 flat rate parking fee for a 1.5 hour lunch. We did not tour the Aga Khan museum. We only met there for lunch to try a new restaurant experience during Winterlicious.
Had we known there was such an additional fee then we might have carpooled or made other lunch plans. But there was no indication that there would be this additional fee, not even when they personally called me the day before to confirm my reservation.
Who would expect to pay $ 10 for parking in the middle of nowhere (DVP and Wynford Drive with nothing else in walking distance)? I asked the restaurant if they validate or subsidize the parking for their guests. They do NOT. Whereas many restaurants do offer that.
Food was good. Service was upscale. Ambience is elegant. But I’d only recommend the restaurant if you happen to also be touring the museum. Otherwise, there are other great restaurants just up the street at the Shops on Don Mills where the parking is free (including another one of Mark McEwen’s restaurants Fabbrica).

We came here to celebrate my parents’ birthdays and it was a great experience. The service was impeccable from start to finish and even though our reservation was for 2pm, at the tail end of their lunch service, we never felt rushed.
The highlights for me were the lamb meatballs, the sumac fries, the chicken jalfrezi and the salmon. Although, all the dishes were perfectly and distinctly seasoned. I find that restaurants serving middle eastern/​south Asian cuisine often over-​cook their meats, but that was not the case here. The whole menu here is an elevated version of dishes I’ve experienced before, but with better ingredients and more finesse.
The dessert that stood out was the carrot cake and we also ordered the turkish/​Moroccan coffee, which were good.
Great ambience, service, and food.

Great restaurant. The décor is amazing, staff is very friendly and food is perfect. A bit pricy but hey, you get quality food. You also get a nice view of the Ismaili centre (pyramid style) from inside the restaurant.
The restaurant is always packed but didn’t have to wait too long. The concierge took our cell number and got automated message in few mins.
Highly recommended

Excellent tasting food. Great service and extraordinary ambiance!
The server provided a really nice overview of the artifacts in the restaurant. The view of the Ismaili Centre is beautiful from the west side.

We stopped in here for a light lunch but ended up with three courses. The appetizer and entrée were so good we decided we had to try the dessert! The servings were quite large and good enough to share, so the price was actually quite reasonable even though this is a fine dining restaurant.
The appetizer was just an egg plant spread served with naan but the spread itself has some delicate flavours and no mere spread. The chicken entrée was soft and tender, served with israeli couscous and beluga lentils, with nicely contrasting textures. The chick peas salad that came with it was quite complex — a refreshing mix of chick peas, peppers, onions and radishes.
But the crowning glory was the warm Egyptian coconut pudding — Um Ali. It was the best ever bread pudding we’ve tasted — soft and moist but crunchy on top, perfectly complemented by the cinnamon ice cream and mint leaves.
This is a gem within a gem. For more photos and details, please visit my blog at

Dear Diwan,
With much anticipation a friend and I drove a fair distance to get to the restaurant. We were celebrating something significant and we thought that opting to dine at Diwan would be a fantastic way to commemorate our special occasion… but sadly we were mistaken. It was 12:30pm on a Wednesday afternoon. We parked the car, put money in the parking machine and admired the beautiful Aga Khan grounds as we walked towards the main building. We thought this would be the start of something good. We approached the Hostess that was standing in front of the restaurant and mentioned that we would like to be seated for lunch. She responded by telling us that would not possible because the restaurant was «at capacity». We immediately noticed some empty tables located on the outdoor patio area (we could see though the restaurant’s glass doors) and pointed them out to the Hostess, with a suggestion that we could sit outside. She told us that sitting on the patio was not an option because they only had one Server … so I guess the true interpretation of this is: they were short staffed, which in turn, created a really bad customer experience. I checked Diwan’s website several times and it read: Reservations are only available for groups of 8 or more people, and can be made by phoning 416.646.4670. I decided to phone the number prior to going to the restaurant in an attempt to be pro-​active, thinking that perhaps, on the off chance, they might just accept reservations after all — but there was not answer. I then asked the Hostess if we could put our name on a wait list. She took my name and number and she said that she would call me once a table became available. We then walked around the tranquil lush grounds for about 30 minutes … but there was no phone call. We decided to leave and go to a difference establishment. And it’s now the next day … and still no phone call from the restaurant.
Diwan — the atmosphere is beautiful, the menu seems savory but the structure and organization is without a doubt flawed and definitely needs improvement. This was a missed opportunity and a bad first impression. I hope they will re-​examine their dining processes.

Visited the museum and decided to stop by the restaurant for food. Very upscale and artsy. Getting seated was odd, but the service was quick and the scene is great. Food is good and very ethnic. Mango lassi was very fresh. It is very pricey for the portions but it’s a must when visiting the museum.

Diwan (and Aga Khan) are gorgeous. Not only that, they had delicious vegan options, are wheelchair accessible (during museum hours, accessible stall one level down, not sure about when the museum is closed), and the staff were very friendly and accomodating.
The food was delicious and beautifully presented. A modern take on familiar favourites.
We will definitely try and make it out there again.

Very fresh ingredients. The curry of the day was delicious. Service was quick and attentive.

It’s decent.
Went for lunch. The Berber steak and the tandoori fries were stand out excellent. Pricing was okay. The location and décor as has been mentioned is spectacular.
The real failings are, in spite of the walls they make the place feel generic, that’s a difficult task to do, but they somehow did it.
Secondly, the plating is terrible. It really looked like I was serving guests in a casual dinner party. They really need to work on playing. Portion sizes are a little too small and they look worse with the poor playing. Meat is casually on the side with couscous the focal point of attention. No fine dining restaurant plates like this.
Lastly, the chicken thighs were really bad. Lack of flavour, and I have a Mediterranean background, I know what it’s supposed to taste like.
I’d go back, but I really hope they fixe these things.

I finally managed to come here with some family, and apparently the menu had changed quite a bit compared to previous months.
The décor, and view of the crystal dome of the Ismaili Centre Toronto definitely makes this restaurant experience worth while and adds to the experience. This was also on a gloomy, overcast day, so I’m excited to come back when it’s sunnier and when the park will be open.
We started with the bread with zatar butter and hummus, as well as the cucumber salad. Both were unique and delicious, although I would think the cucumber salad is more of a warm weather item.
For the mains, we shared the sandwich and lamb kebabs. I didn’t try the sandwich, but it didn’t look like anything out of the ordinary, and my family confirmed the same.
The kebabs, however were out of this world! They were extremely tasty and well spiced and the accompanying coleslaw and long grain rice matched it well.
We also had the saffron ice cream dessert which I would not recommend as it has a very cheese-​like taste and texture. their coffee was not bad, though.
The service was great, the music in the background was hit or miss depending on the track (no one wants to hear an old man sing in a high-​pitched tone), and overall the experience left me wanting to return for a visit!

BOTTOM LINE: Whether you’ve come for the Aga Khan (or not), it’s worth dining at.
There’s no way this won’t come across as a backhanded compliment, but Diwan was much better than expected. Call me cynical, but my expectations were super low going in — I mean, how could you not for a museum-​associated resto in the boonies of Eglinton and the DVP?!
The space is beautiful with floor to ceiling windows interspersed with antique wooden panels of yore. The staff are thoughtful and polite. And the prices aren’t outrageous. I came here for lunch after touring the Aga Khan (unfortunately parking is not comped for lunches, but is for dinner) and was pleasantly surprised. I’m also looking forward to their summer season when they open up their 100-​seat patio and move their grilling outdoors.
I would highly recommend starting with their seasonal MEZZE PLATTER, which for us, came with marinated olives, amazingly spiced pastirma beef, fresh slaw and some chicken skewers.
Their PERSIAN OMELETTE was decent, but I couldn’t really figure what was so «Persian» about it. Unless you really want an omelette, you might want to try something else.
Which comes to the MIXED KEBAB GRILL, served with your choice of chicken, lamb, beef or sturgeon. I would definitely recommend the sturgeon — not only is it not frequently served in restos, but it has a very nice meaty texture that does well to survive on the grill. The accompanying rice was also fragrant and delicious.
All in all, my DC and I came away impressed with the quality and value of Diwan. I would definitely like to come back for their dinner offerings and provide an updated review then.

Definitely one of the best museum restaurants I have ever experienced. The décor is a pretty mix of contemporary and antique paneling. The staff is accommodating and patient (my large party had 2 rambunctious kids).
The dishes were all fantastic. The flavors were a mix of traditional spices from the cultures represented in the Aga Khan Museum, but presented in a modern fusion dish. My favorite is an excellent manti dish of lamb dumpling/​ravioli with a spicy sweet tomato sauce, garlic pan fried in brown butter. The mixed mezze was fresh and the breads are terrific.
Even simple dishes like an omelette or a side of rice is incredibly flavorful with unexpected flavors. Lunch is a bargain and worth going to on a regular basis whether you include a museum visit or not.

We got accommodated at Diwan Saturday night after a trip through the Aga Khan proper and without a reservation.
The atmosphere is impressive. The antique paneling and ceiling fixtures are positively beautiful. The music was present but quiet enough that it didn’t interfere with our meal. This meant other diners weren’t ALSO trying to talk over it which leads to this one-​upping of volume that drowns many restaurants. I don’t know why this simple thing is so hard but frankly, if you’re there during prime time, you’re there to see and smell and eat and talk, not listen to music anyway.
The food was beyond delicious. My partner and I had the kebabs for two. The bread plate that prefaced it was impressive and delightful with three different kinds of tasty flatbreads and a few spreads and oil to accompany.
The main was awesome. Great accompaniments, really good ‘falafel crisp’ salad, nice rice. The main reason I don’t rate the place a 5 is because the sturgeon and chicken kebabs were cold by the time we reached them when neither of the lambs were which made for a disappointing finish.
We both had the saffron fried dough with figs to finish. Again, super delicious, great accompaniments, really satisfying. Topped off with a good coffee, great service and the space itself, we were thoroughly satisfied with this experience.

Absolutely beautiful restaurant with a lovely view of the garden /​prayer hall! Have been there for lunch three times and love the food + ambiance.
A few things to consider ordering = bread & spreads, lamb pasta, tuna loin and milk pudding desert. The staff are lovely and knowledgeable (ask them for recommendations). Will definitely be back for dinner and to try more of the menu.
One of the best restaurants in the area! And the museum is a must see.

I finally made it to this place. This is after two failed attempts to dine here (location doesn’t help as getting here during peak hours is a chore, come to think of it can anyone explain is there a non peak hour left on DVP!)
Reservation was easy and done via open table though the place wasn’t very busy for a Friday night. First the space, I found it very nice. Nice intricate setup to go with the theme of the museum. The space is huge with high high ceiling, lots of installations that represent the region along with the cutlery to go with the ambiance as well. Only comment I would make is about the dinning tables they just don’t seem right for this kind of setup. Maybe white table cloth for the evening session. Ah well what do I know about interior design.
I had checked out the menu online several times already so kind of knew what they had to offer.
Here is what we went with
Mezze platter, Turkish pastry platter and Kebab Platter (wait a sec that’s a lot of platters:)
I ordered a glass of Cabernet which was decent.
For starters they brought out a variety of breads along with couple of dips, good olive oil. Good start here as the bread variety was decent.
Mezze and pastry platter were brought in together.
Mezze platter was good. Various pickled vegetables. I liked the zucchini mezze. quail eggs (meh) satay chicken (completely out of place IMO) and bastrama beef (excellent as they didn’t hold back on the spices here)
Mixed turkish pastries in filo dough. This was a weak offering. The fellow diner commented more like frozen version bought from the store level as nothing stood out here.
Kebab platter. This was decent with the spicy lamb being the stand out. Chicken was OK. The Sturgeon and normal lamb were over cooked IMO. The rice one side was OK. The standout was the side of Shirazi salad. The falafel crisps were just right. Not the crisp on the out and soggy in the middle kind, makes me wonder why others don’t do falafel at the this size.
Service was very good though I think they still have a bit of learning curve ahead of them.
Overall for the price point they are hitting for dinner I would say this place is 3 stars. I might revisit this place for lunch/​brunch if I am in the area or visiting this museum.