A new restaurant for Palestinian food just opened in Toronto
Published January 20, 2025 at 9:48 am
A new restaurant celebrating Palestinian cooking and community has opened its doors in Toronto.
Louf is named for the Arabic word for Arum Palaestinum, a wild medicinal plant native to Palestine that’s considered a delicacy.
“Combining local, indigenous, and Palestinian ingredients with centuries-old techniques, Louf is first and foremost about bringing people together to share exceptional food,” reads the restaurant’s website.
“The restaurant serves as a celebration of this illustrious yet under-represented cuisine and is a place to gather with events that enrich and support the Toronto arts and culture scene.”
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Louf is the brainchild of Nicole Mankinen and chef Fadi Kattan, who hadn’t even met before coming together to create the restaurant. Mankinen actually initially reached out to Kattan to request his recipe for hilbeh cake, a fenugreek-semolina dessert, which led them to discuss opening Louf.
From there, Louf signed on to be a part of Black Creek Community Farm’s annual fundraiser as a kind of sneak preview of the restaurant and what it’s all about. The restaurant officially opened its doors in November 2024.
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Expect dishes like pan-seared akkawi or nalbusi cheese with zaatar oil, labaneh with micro sorrel and sumac, braised lamb shank, roasted palestinian dumplings, chicken pate inspired by the Palestinian dish musakhan, and kibbeh nayyeh, a kind of palestinian tartar with bulgur. They also do Palestinian brunch, and even plates and bowls are made by Palestinian ceramicist Nur Minawi.
“The menu at Louf will honour Palestinian and local farmers and their ingredients through bold and creative interplay of tastes and textures,” reads a post on the restaurant’s social media. “Think GTA-sourced laban jameed and sumac, and Palestinian-sourced freekeh and dead sea salt.”
Louf is now open at 501 Davenport Rd.