Pasaj

We went for brunch excited and happy , definitely had expectations from Pasaj since it’s Turkish and looked promising. The entrance is refreshing greenery and the interiors is nicely done with ceiling chandeliers and mirrors. The menu seemed very limited , would have liked way more options , but definitely had a unique Turkish twist to the dishes. Everything was ok, not bad but nothing that really stood out either. The pancakes were alright, not at all sweet. What gets me most is there seemed to be no airflow inside the restaurant, it was so hot and I felt like I’m boiling in my chair.

I’ve been here a couple times and the food is what keeps me coming back. The ambiance is quite nice, tables aren’t too close together and there’s a ton of natural light which makes the place feel light and airy. The Shakshuka is my favourite dish by far, and the main reason I’ve gone back. However, the pancakes are a close second. I haven’t received the best service, my last visit I waited almost 20 minutes just to have my drink order taken, never mind food. Servers don’t seem to be the most attentive but they are friendly when they are around.

I’d heard the hype about Pasaj in Leslieville, I tried a couple of times to get a weekend brunch reservation—no luck. It’s that popular. Eventually, I booked three weeks in advance just to get a table. Pasaj offers a creative take on Turkish-inspired brunch, mixing traditional flavours with a modern twist. We kicked things off with the Mücver (zucchini fritters). They were really tasty—crispy on the outside, soft inside, and full of herbs—but the portion felt a bit small for the price. We followed that with the Shakshuka and Grandma’s Pancakes, and split both dishes. The shakshuka had deep, rich flavours and just the right amount of spice, though I would’ve preferred the eggs a little softer. The pancakes were thick, airy, and topped with pistachios, which added a nice texture and depth. A great mix of sweet and savoury. The staff were attentive and kind, despite the busy pace, and the whole experience felt well managed. One thing to be aware of: the space gets very loud. The interior design looks cozy, but with all the hard surfaces and a packed room, the noise really builds. If you’re sensitive to sound, it can be a bit overwhelming and may take away from the enjoyment. Overall, I’d recommend Pasaj for anyone who appreciates flavourful, well-executed dishes and doesn’t mind a bustling, energetic vibe. Just be sure to reserve well in advance—and if you value a quieter brunch, you might want to visit on a weekday instead.

The atmosphere is a bit loud inside. It’s not necessarily that people are being overly noisy, but the acoustics make the voices bounce around in a way that feels almost overwhelming. Still, we were lucky enough to snag a table for two without a reservation. For food, I ordered the Poseidon, and honestly, it was a mixed bag. The bagel that came with it was tough—definitely on the stale side. The smoked salmon, capers, cucumbers, and other toppings were decent enough. If only the bagel had been softer, the dish would’ve been much more enjoyable. I also tried Grandma’s Pancakes, and that was a disappointment. The pancakes were cold, soggy, and sitting at a tilt like they had been sitting under a heat lamp for too long. It just didn’t seem fresh. I had the middle pancake—left the top and bottom ones behind. It actually tasted good, but I’m sure it would’ve been great fresh. Probably lost a bit of its magic sitting around. Still, not bad at all!

Came here for brunch. The inside is like being in a greenhouse. Simply beautiful if you like plants. The food was good but was shy great. Had the shakshuka, the salmon Benedict, and the pancakes. The shakshuka was a bit small and not slightly overcooked, but the flavour was good. The Benedict was interesting with the zucchini fritter but they could have infused the sumac into the hollandaise rather than have it on top. The packages were cakey and perfectly cooked but the cherry sauce was lacking something and the use of unsweetened yogurt was unusual. I would recommend people try this place once but I wouldn’t come back for a second time myself.

From the moment we stepped in, it was such a vibe. The ambience, the service, and finally the food looked incredible. We were disappointed that the egg Benedict’s were mid, the potatoes were like barely warm, it tasted like it was kind of pan fried. The showstopper were the pancakes.. or so it seemed! First bite, the cream on top tasted like sour cream!!!! No sweetness at all. The pancakes itself was pretty dry. It was so beautiful, but we didn’t order the right stuff that day!

Solid 3.5 stars but I’ve rounded down. To start with the good - pancakes were as good as they looked, excellent! Labneh was rich and creamy with creme fraiche vibes, the pancakes were cakey and tender, the blueberry syrup was just right and they were generous enough with the toppings that they lasted for the full stack. It’s very filling and huge. However, food was a bit hit or miss as I didn’t like the lentil kofte at all - both the balls and the dip were way too sour, very off balanced. It was also soggy even though it should’ve been deep fried with a crispy crust on the outside. Do not recommend this item. I suggest they increase their brunch time windows to 2 hours if they’re going to be so strict about it. We were told upon seating that the reservation was for a strict 1.5 hours. I was waiting at the table for a couple minutes at the end while my friend used the bathroom, and I was asked to please stand up and clear the table because the next reservation “had been waiting”. It was 8min past the 1.5 hours. Truly, brunch should be a relaxed experience and most other restaurants I’ve been to either don’t do a time limit, or have a longer one. Especially with such a short window, they should not book so back to back without even allocating time for the restaurant itself to clear and wipe the tables in between. It was especially odd since there were several empty tables in the front section of the restaurant. Finally, while I love the ambiance with the plants, there was a mishap with my seat where their large plant was fully coming into my seat and pushing against me. I had to move both the heavy planter itself (risking crowding the table next to me) and the marble table to try to make it more manageable. Still the full meal the plant was covering my left arm and I couldn’t really move my arm, making even slicing the pancakes difficult. I was also worried I was crushing/damaging the plant. They need to check this and make sure plants are not covering the seats.

Disappointing. Friends wanted to check out this brunch spot so I tagged along. Lovely looking place, warm service but oh man what I ordered was rather disappointing for the price I paid. Friend and I both ordered the Kofteh and Piyaz which looked promising but what we ate was not enjoyable at all. The beans that overthrew the entire dish for some reason and became the main ingredient were raw and hard.. like straight out of the tin hard. I was struggling to get it down but the portion was so tiny that by the time I realised I should definitely not be eating that, I felt too guilty to send it back. The three mini kebabs that arrive sorrily on the side were not bad but also not enough to save the dish. The pancakes were decent, iced lattes were nice. Sweetest server so that one star is for her. Plenty of nice brunch spots competing for attention, no reason to go back here!