MARO’S BISTRO

While Oakville isn’t my usual neighbourhood, with my parents in East Mississauga, the suburb’s always been just a block away (literally). When I was invited to check out one of Oakville’s top rated restaurants, I was happy to drive just a little farther for lunch before hanging out with my parents for the afternoon. Maro’s Bistro was located in downtown Oakville with a menu full of classic Middle Eastern dishes and Maro’s own unique creations.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Atmosphere: Stephen and I visited Maro’s on a Sunday around 11am. Plenty of parking was available behind the restaurant. When we walked in, only one other table was taken so we had our pick of seats. Sunlight streamed into the restaurant from the large storefront windows, so of course we opted for a table close to them. The service was friendly and relaxed. I really liked the natural wood tables and the open kitchen.

Food: To start, I couldn’t resist a cup of Turkish Coffee. Spiced with herbs, the coffee was fragrant and velvety smooth. I’d highly recommend giving it a try regardless of how you feel about regular coffee.. As we sipped on our mugs, a platter of dips (the Meza Plate) arrived with spiced pita bread. The four dips were hummus, baba ganoush, tahini maraina and roasted eggplant. Of the four my favourite was the hummus, which was creamy, garlicky and perfectly seasoned. Compared to that, the baba ganoush was much milder in flavour. I also really enjoyed the roasted eggplant that was charred goodness.

Onto our entrees. Stephen ordered one of Maro’s Signatures, the Lunch in Beirut, sauteed onions and peppers with beef marinated in Middle Eastern spices on a bed of hummus. The plate also had a side of pickled beets and fresh cucumber slices. I was waffling between the salad options and our server recommended I try The Veggie Tower, grilled seasonal vegetables on a bed of Moroccan couscous with chickpeas and hummus. To go along with all the vegetables, I added a side of Tandoori Grilled Chicken Breast. The portions were massive. After munching on dips and pita, there was no chance that Stephen and I would be able to finish our mains. We ended up taking away half of each platter. Along with our mains, a bottle of garlic sauce was brought over that we promptly poured over each plate. That sauce was liquid gold.

Both the meat dishes were well seasoned and had a lot of flavour. The chicken was tender and had tasty crispy bits. Stephen found the texture of the beef a bit grainy. My Veggie Tower had roasted peppers, carrots, onions and zucchini, all coated with the couscous. The vegetables were still firm and was mildly seasoned. A few chunks of avocado was included, but I could’ve done without them as they were not ripe.

Our meal ended on a sweet note with a lovely cup of Persian Tea.