SemSem

Nice little cozy restaurant with excellent food. We went for breakfast and ordered eggs with sojok, cheese sunflower, Fattah chickpeas with meat. They were tasty, fresh and perfect. Accommodating and welcoming staff, atmosphere was nice for us to talk and staff wasn’t bothering after every five minutes (which is becoming a case in some restaurants)

Ordered. A variety of dishes and I was impressed. Everything tasted great. Prices are reasonable and best way is to preferred different plates and share with a group.

I ordered some food to go and it was amazing, it was my first time trying the Is traditional breakfast food and it did not disappoint. I've had the zaatar × cheese combination many times before but from this place, it is very good because they combine 4 different cheeses. Excellent

One of my favourite breakfast places in Ottawa. Fresh ingredients and large portions for a fair price. The majdoul bread with zaytoon dip is a favourite! The shakshuka was very good, as was the fatteh tahini. Service is always good too.

Very friendly and considerate service, the waiter recommended a different bread to pair with the fatteh and it turned out great The food its self was tasty and the portion was generous, but the tea will be on my mind for a while. Such a perfect milk tea with strong tea and spice notes and just enough sweetness! The coffee was sweet leaning and not too strong

On our visit to Ottawa, tried the food from SemSem. We were impressed with the quality of food, Veg options at a reasonable price tag. Given a chance we will visit again on our next visit….

The experience of this wonderful family restaurant is absolutely worth the bus trek from the downtown core. My friend and I shared the fatteh makdous and the majdoul — so flavourful! The SemSem signature Karak tea is also a must. As a vegetarian, I was so pleased with the variety of options. The staff were lovely and welcoming. We can’t wait to go back!

Food is delicious, authentic taste. The sunflower cheese pastry is so good, especially with their kark tea. A combination that will melt in your mouth. Hummus with meat was really good. Falafel, fatteh, hallomi and all the food we ordered was delicious. We had the pleasure to meet the owner who work there, hands on. It was so obvious that the owner treats her business as her baby. Highly recommended place. Edit after 1 year: Great food and amazing owner. Will come here every time we are in Ottawa

Hidden gem. Cant even explain how delicious this is. You have to go and taste to believe. Make sure you have a reservation so you can guarantee yourself a table. Family run and so so kind. Will be returning as often as I can. Very clean, spacious restaurant.

I REALLY don't want to review this place. I seriously want to keep it all to myself! Have you ever been to a restaurant where the food just took you on some kind of vacation? Yeah, this is that place. Freshly baked delicious bread that tastes as good at it smells. Perfectly fried falafel where the crunch on the outside is followed by a melt in your mouth texture on the inside. The fatteh was a party in your mouth. So here's the deal, if you've ever been to the Middle East, grown up in the Middle East, been in transit through the Middle East - this place will take you there. I don't know where they get their ingredients from but if you told me they fly them in daily, I would believe you! Don't you dare have a meal without ordering the mint tea - that's the bomb. Also, don't leave without a Karak chai. Lastly- make reservations - this place has a following and they will fight you for your spot so maybe call 2 or 3 days before.

Lovely little family owned business.. it's a breakfast spot that's serves great pastries and pies all their baked goodies are so good and stays good for leftovers! Small place not so many tables and now with Covid limitations they could only accommodate 4 tables! So definitely reservations ahead is a must! Service is always nice and they give you the homy cozy feeling ..parking is not an issue as it's situated in a plaza.. if you haven't been definitely check them out and support those small business with a take out for an unforgettable breakfast!

I would go again for the zaatar and cheese pie! Their falafel, hummus and foul are OK!

Our family isn't very familiar with Mediterranean/Middle Eastern cuisine so we took a long time picking what to order, but we were all so impressed with what we got! The sojuk egg dish was great, the grilled halloumi was great, the bread and rolls were great. Friendly service. Very cute restaurant, definitely will try and stop in again! Not your typical brunch place but simply delightful!

This has been a family-favorite for the last two years. The food is always fresh, the bread is always warm and the service very friendly. Our favorite dish has to be the Fatteh Tahini, but we often try other items in the menu. Recently we discovered the Kashkaval - a deliciously cheesy bread covered in sesame seeds (it's one of the favorites of our 5-year old). We recommend coming in early if you're thinking of having lunch, since the restaurant is pretty small and VERY popular.

Came here as a very large group for a family gathering. The place is small, but very cozy. We were provided with SO much food and quite a large variety. Everything we tasted was delicious...manaeesh, fatteh, etc. I personally wasn't a huge fan of the foul, but others seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. Their bread was definitely delicious and fresh out of the oven. The veggie platters were fresh and beautifully done. The service was great and you could tell they did their best to make sure everyone was happy. Great experience overall and I would definitely come back for their fatteh!

Best brunch ever!!! A must try for breakfast or brunch, with family or friends!! Absolutely love it!!

I came for a breakfast and it was above my expectation. The food is really delicious especially the Manageesh. The environment is good. If you like Mediterranean breakfast, this is a good place to visit.

One of the best little secrets in town. Incredible Middle Eastern Brunch. Everything was fresh and made to order. The halloumi cheese bread, the Fateh and the Fava beans were delicious. If you haven't been you definitely need to add this to your list!

Great little lounge and amazing savoury eats. Friendly staff but definitely recommend calling your order in ahead of time as some items are made from scratch and takes a while to make.

It was an amazing experience, great staff, excellent service, super super super good food. Keep up the good job guys. Cheers.

Everything we ordered was obviously super fresh. authentically hand made and freshly baked bread. Service with a smile like this is something hard to find these days, this tells me these people are passionate and love what they do. even the cook looks happy even in this crazy heat. The prices are far and you won't feel like you spent to much. Warning this place has li e ups. You will have to wait. Totally recommend this place.

Great breakfast/brunch place for authentic Middle Eastern food. Tastes like home. Make sure you try the fatteh, fool, and various mana2eesh and anything that comes on or in a dough! Lovely place.

Fantastic food... best bread in town and awesome Egg pie (Eggxelent). The only thing that tops the food is the customer service. This is my second time and I though I asked for another item- my bad- they replaced my order at no charge. Awesome place to visit if you like to taste real Mediterranean food

Love love this place, authentic Palestinian breakfast, the flavors hit all the taste buds, it's my go to breakfast place

The best breakfast ever! A must try! A nice cozy place and friendly staff. Also if you just want to have a nice coffee or tea with some deserts it's the place to try.

This place is amazing. Definitely our new go-to breakfast spot. I really hope they get enough business so they can expand the restaurant because it's a little small right now but it's worth it. The food is absolutely amazing, the staff is so nice and accommodating and the price is not too bad at all. Love it!

Did not have a chance to eat . The Manger need to leave his trashy attitude home when he comes to work. I can understand he is busy but he has to know that he is in a customer service business and not the other way around. after waiting 30 minutes my daughter went to ask him how long we have to wait he yield her and told her that he will call her when he have open table and should wait out side and not bother him I was trying to be nice and talk to him nicely after waiting for an hour I asked him how long we have to wait (at that time he passed some people who came after us); he started as if he want to start a fight saying in an aggressive way I don't like to be told that I am a liar I know my business and how to do my job even though no one told him he is lying or told him that he let some people in before us(the girl at the register got scared) So i told him not to worry and left. Not sure if he works there or his family own the business this guy should not be in front waiting on customer he should be back doing dishes.

Super taste experiences from east to west of the Mediterranean