Looking for a new lunch spot? Come visit Farid at Tasty Donair on 72nd Ave! Opened in 2014, Tasty Donair has emerged as one of Newton’s most popular food spots.

Originally from Afghanistan, owner Farid immigrated to Canada in 2009 to provide new opportunities for him and his family. Transitioning out of university, Farid found himself working in the Finance industry. After 10 years, he felt dissatisfied with working for others and his position; with passion and drive, he ventured on becoming an entrepreneur. With no prior experience in the restaurant industry, Farid found success through his passion for the business and cooking. As a small business owner, managing his own business gives him flexibility in hours. This allows him to be able to spend more time with his family, wife, and especially his kids.

When the opportunity presented itself, Farid took advantage and bought over an unsuccessful donair restaurant. As a business owner, he made sure to be cautious when taking over since the first two owners of the store were not successful. Farid gives credit to his staff and to hiring great workers for the success of his restaurant. As well, taking the time to get to know customers on a personal level has helped him develop a great local customer base. Tasty Donaire’s employees are mostly residents of the Newton community. Farid feels that by hiring members of the community, it gives the restaurant an advantage because this allows the restaurants to be advertised widely by word of mouth. By hiring reliable workers, this helps Farid maintain the same high standards he has for his food and business so that the quality does not deteriorate.

Newton is a diverse community made up of predominantly immigrants. This is important to Farid because being an immigrant himself, the feeling of being welcomed into the community is instrumental for one’s success. He feels that him and his business really fits in with the area and its surrounding businesses.

Dating the dishes origins back to the 18th century, it was not until recently that the Döner kebab began to become popular worldwide. All throughout the world, different countries began to embrace the Döner kebab, while giving it their own cultural take on the dish. In Canada for example, a Döner kebab is more commonly known as a donair. First introduced in Halifax in the 1970’s, donairs have increased in popularity throughout the country and today they can be found all throughout the Canada.

Farid explains to us that the donair, shawarma, and gyro are all synonymous. The Döner kebab is a classic Turkish kebab that is comprised primarily of meat that is cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Sliced right off the rotisserie and onto your plate, the end product is a tender and juicy piece of meat that offers a mouth watering experience. Lamb, beef and chicken are the main meats classically served with this dish. Taken right from the rotisserie, the meat is then stuffed into a pita flatbread and is accompanied by a variety of fresh vegetables and sauces. The combination of meat, vegetables and sauces offer a well-balanced dish.

Tasty Donair takes the time to find and prepare the finest local ingredients. The meats are marinated overnight with nine different spices in a secret recipe, and spends hours in the rotisserie cooking to perfect tenderness. At Tasty Donair, you are able to choose from chicken, beef,  lamb, or a vegetarian falafel to be made into a platter or a wrap. The restaurant’s two most popular orders are the Halifax Style Beef Wrap, and the Lebanese Style Chicken Wrap. For the platters, they come in a Greek, Turkish, or Lebanese style. The magic is in the sauce. Tasty Donaire’s niche is their variety of homemade sauces. With flavours such as garlic, hot sauce, extra hot sauce, hummus, tzatziki, and their specialty Halifax sauce, everything is made in-house. For those who are gluten intolerant, Tasty Donair also provides gluten-free options. Rice platters also come in Greek, Turkish or Lebanese style. Interestingly, we learned about the large Lebanese community in Halifax that created the insanely popular sweet and savoury sauce we know as the Halifax sauce. This Canadian sauce has become so popular in the donair community that it has spread nationwide, and after trying it for himself, Farid decided he had to share it with his customers. With years of history attached to it, you gotta stop by Tasty Donair to try this Nova Scotian delicacy.