Popular Toronto Middle Eastern restaurant launches new healthy eating concept — here's why
A Middle Eastern restaurant in Toronto, best known for its pizza, has just launched a new venture that spotlights healthy eats.
Bloorcourt’s Levant might proudly proclaim that their Sicilian-Levantine fusion pizza is not, actually, pizza, but that hasn’t stopped hordes of hungry Toronto diners from showing it the same amount of love they do the real Italian stuff.
Thick, fluffy-crusted pies served with a Middle Eastern flair are the name of the game at Levant, topped with the likes of toum, shawarma, smoked eggplant and seven-spice chicken.
These rich, spice-packed non-pizzas have been Levant’s claim to fame since the very beginning, but now the team is embarking on a decidedly lighter path.
Levant has officially launched a brand-new healthy eating venture operating out of its own kitchen to provide a new suite of its much-loved Levantine cuisine to Toronto diners.
It’s called Canaan Sandwiches & Bowls, and we bet you can guess what they serve.
“We launched Canaan Sandwiches & Bowls out of our kitchen at Levant Pizza to offer sandwiches, bowls, and salads that cater to more of a lunch crowd,” owner Nader Quwasmi tells Dished Toronto.
While at Levant, the more indulgent options, particularly their Sicilian-Levantine pizzas (or not-pizzas, as they call them), rightfully run the show, Canaan Sandwiches and Bowls is all about quick, nourishing lunchtime staples that pack a punch nonetheless.
“We are focused on providing healthier, protein-packed options,” Quwasmi says, “like our Levantine Green Goddess Salad or Beef Brisket & Sujuk Hummus Bowl.”
Indeed, the menu at Canaan, though it shares some staples with Levant like its Sumac Pulled Chicken and Egyptian Shawarma sandwiches, boasts a new crop of protein-packed bowls and salads.
The Levantine Green Goddess Salad, for example, is loaded with chickpeas, pistachios, feta and tahini on a bed of arugula and features 28 grams of protein, while the appropriately-named Protein Packed Bowl, with beef brisket, sausage, tahini and pomegranate molasses, has 41 grams.
A personal favourite of Quwasmi’s is the Halva Bowl, which includes labneh, halva crumble, tahini and a honey drizzle, served with breadsticks.
Here’s the catch: you can’t just walk into Levant’s Bloorcourt haunt and expect it to see it transformed into Canaan during its hours of service. Rather, Canaan Sandwiches and Bowls is an entirely virtual concept.
That means that, during Canaan’s hours of business, which, at the time of publication, are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, you’ll have to place your order online for pick-up or delivery — a decidedly beneficial approach for the hustle-bustle crowd they aim to target.
Canaan Sandwiches and Bowls is currently available for order through its website and Uber Eats.
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With other celebrated Toronto eateries like The Carbon Bar opening new quick-service, lunchtime-oriented ventures (in Carbon’s case, The Carbon Snack Bar), and now Levant, could this signal a growing hunger among Toronto residents for lighter lunches that still pack a restaurant-quality punch?
If so, we’re very much here for it.
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