Lahmacun, Manakish, Fatteh and Iskender in Calgary: Where to Order Them by Name

People search for these dishes by name: lahmacun, manakish, fatteh, Iskender, shish kebab. So I went dish by dish: what it is, and which halal kitchens in Calgary make it, going by menus and reviews.

One update first: the original Turkish Kebab House on 17th Avenue SE has closed. Its own website says its SE services have moved to Macleod Trail SW.

Lahmacun near me: where to get it

Lahmacun (lah-ma-JOON) is a Turkish flatbread rolled paper-thin. It’s baked hot with a smear of spiced minced meat, tomato, pepper and onion. Add lemon, parsley and raw onion, roll it up and eat it by hand. It is not a pizza, whatever the delivery apps say.

In Calgary it’s a Turkish-kitchen dish, and the list is short. Turkish Kebab House at 9697 Macleod Trail SW is the one whose menu carries it. Lahmacun is on its online menu at around $14, next to the charcoal-grill kebabs. The restaurant is Muslim-owned and says all its meat comes from halal suppliers. No third-party certificate is named.

It’s 4.7 on Google and serves no alcohol. Every dish on the menu has a picture. Portions are large. The one repeat complaint is slow service at the start.

In the northeast, try the Lebanese meat pie (lahm bi ajeen) from any bakery below. It’s thicker, but the same idea.

Iskender kebab near me: the one to sit down for

Iskender is sliced döner laid over cubes of pide bread and soaked in tomato sauce. It gets thick yoghurt and a pour of browned butter. It comes from Bursa, and it’s a knife-and-fork dish.

Again, go to the Macleod Trail kitchen. Reviewers order the Iskender with the ızgara köfte (grilled meatballs) and call both excellent. A regular names the Ali Nazik as a favourite: grilled meat on smoky aubergine blended with yoghurt.

The other Turkish grills are Bereket Kebab House on 37 Street SW in Killarney, and Anatolia on 52 St NE. Anatolia leads with its mixed grill platter. Neither lists Iskender. Bereket is a charcoal Turkish BBQ with halal meat throughout and no certifier named. Its yoghurt sauce is a standout. Ask before you go.

Manakish near me, by quadrant

Manakish (also manakeesh, man’oushe) is the Levantine breakfast flatbread. The dough is pressed flat, topped with za’atar and olive oil, cheese or minced meat, and baked to order. Calgary has more of it than searches suggest; the spelling is half the problem.

Northeast

• Mr. Meat Pie, 21 St NE: the one to start with. It bakes to order. Regulars push the VIP za’atar and the spinach. It’s 4.9 on Google, but its halal scope isn’t stated, so ask what meat goes in the pies.
• Royal Bake Mediterranean Cuisine, 32 St NE: get the cheese manakish on soft dough. The kitchen also makes fatteh and mixed grill plates.
• Well Bake Mediterranean Cuisine, 32 St NE: halal across the whole menu. Manakish and fatayer come straight from the oven for a sit-down Arabic breakfast.
• Damas Cafe, Marlborough Mall: a meat pie manakeesh with mozzarella sticks makes a lunch. Mall hours, so no early breakfast.

Southeast

• Village Pita Bakery, 28 St SE: a Lebanese bakery since the late 1970s. A reviewer calls it the best manakish in the city, made to order. Its meat pies use halal meat, with no third-party certifier named.
• Azar Bakery, Highfield on 11 St SE: small, 5.0 on Google. Za’atar, cheese, meat and spinach pies, fresh from the oven.

Southwest

• Beirut Bakery & Restaurant, 17th Avenue SW: cheese and za’atar manakish baked all morning, plus meat pies and fatayer. It’s alcohol-free, and reviewers keep mentioning a free fatayer. The bakery says all its meat is halal.

Fatteh near me: two kitchens, both in the northeast

Fatteh is a layered bowl. Toasted or fried pita goes at the bottom, then warm chickpeas, then garlicky yoghurt. Pine nuts fried in butter finish it. It’s the hardest one to find.

Pita Basket Sunridge, off Sunridge Way NE, is the answer its reviewers give. “The fatteh is a must,” says one. Go at breakfast. Skip the chicken shawarma, though: reviewers call it dry and burnt.

Royal Bake makes fatteh too, from the kitchen behind the pastry counter, and a reviewer called it a favourite. I couldn’t find anyone else in Calgary who lists it. More in halal Arabic breakfast.

Shish kebab near me: what you’ll actually get

Şiş just means skewer in Turkish, so a shish kebab is cubes of meat grilled on one. But ask for “shish” at a Lebanese or Syrian counter in Calgary and you’ll get shish tawook. That’s chicken breast marinated in yoghurt, garlic and lemon, grilled, and served with rice, garlic sauce and salad.

• Jerusalem Shawarma Shawnessy, Macleod Trail SE: the regulars’ order is the shish tawouk plate. Two chicken skewers with rice, potatoes, salad, hummus and garlic sauce. Grilled to order, so it takes longer than a wrap.
• Arabi Shawarma & Grill, Midpark: 4.8 on Google. Reviewers pair the shish tawouk plate with the mixed BBQ.
• Baladi Shawarma, Sage Hill: one reviewer got the beef kabab and shish tawook plate with Greek salad for just under $20.
• Sallora, 16th Avenue NW: best known for chicken mandi, with the shish tawook plate right behind it.

For beef and chicken shish off a charcoal grill, Turkish Kebab House lists both. Halal Turkish food in Calgary covers the other grill rooms.

Cafe Med on 11 Avenue: reviews, and what it’s for

Cafe Med on 11 Avenue is the newer, larger of Cafe Med’s two rooms. It’s styled for a night out and holds a 4.9 on Google. Reviewers talk about the room and service first: spacious, upscale, “reminded me of back home.” The food is fresh but pricey. Reviewers rarely single out a dish, whether the shish tawook, kafta or the mixed grill. Go for the evening, not a plate.

The older room on 17th Avenue SW is 4.5 on Google, serves breakfast and has a patio. The community halal map’s listing for Cafe Med says the owners have confirmed its halal status and that no alcohol is allowed. If you meant Medina Cafe on 1 St SW, it sits at 3.5. The complaints there are surprise fees and an automatic gratuity.

Before you go

Bakery dishes sell out, and breakfast dishes are often morning only. Crossing the city for manakish or fatteh? Go early or call ahead. Halal bakeries in Calgary covers the rest of the counter.

The short version

Lahmacun and Iskender: Turkish Kebab House on Macleod Trail SW, now the only branch. Manakish Calgary-wide: Mr. Meat Pie or Royal Bake in the NE, Village Pita or Azar in the SE, Beirut Bakery in the SW. Fatteh: Pita Basket Sunridge at breakfast, or Royal Bake. Shish kebab: shish tawook at Jerusalem Shawarma Shawnessy or Arabi in Midpark, and the Turkish grills for lamb and beef.