Tov-Li Pizza & Falafel North

Best falafel in the city. Freshest ingredients. Amazing shakshuka also. You will never feel heavy or gross after a meal here. Open kitchen in compliance with being kosher and all. I’ve been coming here for years and the people behind the counter here have been working there forever, they know what they’re doing.

Really good cheese pizza slices, well worth the drive. The spicy fries are also worth it, a must try. The cookies on display looked scrumptious, but maybe I will try them another time.

Awful food and awful service in awful surroundings!!!
There are few kosher restaurants so unfortunately anything goes!!!

Top picks: vegetarian poutine, mac&cheese, plain pizza
Other good choices: kol bol salad, split pea soup
I’ve been going here my whole life. The food is consistently satisfying. To those who don’t appreciate certain aspects of the service, you can’t expect Canadian style service at ethnic restaurants. Part of the fun is getting to know the quirks and idiosyncrasies of another culture. I always appreciate visiting. It’s refreshing to go there for the food and experience.

Had two slices of pizza which were good but a bit oily. Table was’t that clean and I didn’t see anyone cleaning tables. You are at the mercy of the previous customer.
Line was long but it moved and seemed to be running efficiently.

This restaurant is often very busy, particularly around noon. There is no meat but they do serve fish items. The faffel here is great and often quite stuffed. While there is seating available, it is limited and very basic. It is mainly a take out restaurant. Most items are within 10 dollars and very filling.
For what it is, I think it is a good choice for a quick bite if you are in the area.
Tip: Try the deluxe faffel. Also if you are in a rush call ahead of time to the avoid the line up around lunch.

The best falafel I’ve ever had. I haven’t had anything else here do I can’t talk about the rest but if you choose to only eat one falafel in your life eat it here!

This place has the most amazing tomato zucchini pizza. It has a thin crust with the nicest cheese on it. I’ve eaten at both the north and south locations and am never disappointed. Everything is a bit pricier because it’s kosher, but the portions and taste make it all worth it. I recommend their pizza, falafel sandwich, spicy fries and the Cobb salad! I know… I’ve eaten here way too much!

This place has the most amazing pizza I’ve ever had in my entire life and I am a pizza aficionado. Definitely coming back again, and again. Onto Menchies!

I’ve had the falafel pita twice now and disappointed both times. The falafel did not taste good nor was it the proper consistency. Very good coleslaw though!

Yup. Still the worst service. Called in a takeout order and they hung up as soon as they got the order. So I called back to ask how much it would be and how long, she said it will be $- and then hung up! (Mind you this was a different person who answered the second time) I called a third got the same person as the second and asked her how long and she said «I don’t know what’s your order? How am I supposed to know sheesh» I told her our order and she gave me the time and then hang up.
Not once did they say goodbye. Rude

I Love this place, they have a great Falafel! Fresh and Delicious.

Tov Li’s north location does not have the same ambiance as the south location. It reminds me of a small town road side café. Not a dinning room for those looking for privacy. Very open, basic room.
I suggest this location as a GREAT place for take-​out.
Tov Li is Hebrew for ‘Good for me’. The name really does say it all! This kosher, Cholov Yisrael dairy restaurant does pizza, dessert, veggie burgers, sandwiches, all day Israeli-​style breakfast, falafel, ice-​cream, soups and fish.
They make a fantastic pizza and offer crusts with white, whole grain or spelt flour. They cheese is generous as are the very fresh toppings. You will not be disappointed.
I found the service to be very good and the counter-​based ordering system seemed to make sense.

I avoid Tov Li when I can.
The service is unreliable and disorganized and the food is barely acceptable.
The last few times I ordered a falafel, the pita was sliced all the way around and caused everything stuffed in to fall out. I get that they want to offer a lot to their customers but when half my sandwich lands in my plate, then there is a problem. I’ve also requested that they don’t open it as much but have been ignored.
The pizza is OK to say the least, There are worse kosher pizza places in Toronto.
Ask for a receipt next time you go there. It’ll piss them off.

Complaining about Toronto’s kosher restaurants is a bit of a hobby of mine.
I’m fortunate to be friends with a few members of the Orthodox Jewish community. I’m even more fortunate that we share a love of food that bridges our different philopsphies and often provides the canvas for enertaining and informative conversations. While my friends’ dining options are somewhat more limited than mine, I can easily get by, and kasruth itself becomes part of the conversation.
Bound by ancient laws and traditions, simple prohibitions against eating pork or seafood, or boiling a kid in it’s mothers’ milk have given rise to a series of increasingly restrictive rules which speak not only to the food that ends up on one’s plate, but the plate itself, the kitchen that prepares the food, and the whole supply chain from farm to table. Supervision and scrutiny are required at every step of the way, and different sects may interpret the same rule differently.
Done right, Kosher food comes closer to the organic, local ideal that foodies espouse. Done poorly, it turns food into bureaucracy, drained of colour and taste as business owners sacrifice quality in order to pay the freight for the gatekeepers of the kashruth process.
There are some very good kosher restaurants in the city, but for the most part you pay a significant premium to eat healthy, tasty food. Combined with further laws that prevent a certified kosher spot from opening during days of observance, and it’s a wonder that anyone makes a go of this kind of business.
Here endeth the rant.
Because Tov-​Li is awesome whether or not you claim membership in the Tribe.
A mini-​chain with locations in the heart of Toronto’s Jewish community, Tov-​Li offers it’s own take on (Middle) East meets West. The menu promises everything from Italian to Israeli, with soups and sandwiches thrown into the mix. Said mix does not include meat. Don’t try to order pepperoni on your pizza.
Do order the pizza, with any number of fresh or roasted vegetables. A plain cheese slice is closer to New York style than most. Toppings are fresh, sometimes more abundant than others. Sauce is bright and more flavorful than most. Cheese is surprisingly light on the palate. I suspect it’s because true Kosher cheese uses a different kind of rennet (sheep aren’t Kosher).
Salads are similarly fresh, though traditionalists might be offended by the substitution of iceberg for romaine in the Caesar (which traces back to the expense of inspection-​Romaine has more nooks and crannies, apparently). Those who are offended by the lack of bacon should move on to another review. A mixed salad plate opens a world of possibilities; eggplant, carrot, beet, turnip, hummus ‘n’ tahini and other options could unclog the arteries of the most hardcore carnivore, especially when scooped up with fresh, fluffy pita bread. The same fillings, along with tuna, egg and other dairy standards are available as submarine sandwiches. With the exception of a roasted vegetable version, they’re worth a miss.
Put bluntly, Tov-​Li makes the single, absolute best falafel that I have ever tasted. Falafel preferences are intensely personal and often associated with one’s political identity. I prefer the Israeli chickpea-​only style, though primarily because I like thetaste; it’s a brighter, less beany falafel and a better showcase for garlic, cumin and cilantro. Tov Li’s falafels are fried to a firm crispy golden brown, with soft yielding centres. The pita is fresh and pillowy, and the sandwich is stuffed with an array of fresh and pickled vegetables. Hot sauce is a smoky sharp kick to the back of the throat. Ask nicely and they’ll balance it withh a schmear of creamy eggplant dip.
Service is perfunctory. Order at the near corner and pick up at the back. Balance your overstuffed pita in a paper plate as you make your way to one of several fast-​food style tables. Eat quickly, and leave. It’s not a place to linger with a sweetheart, especially if you’re not the marrying type. Tov-​Li caters to a modest crowd, so PDAs are best avoided.

Greattttt falafels. $ 5 for a massive, eggplant, hummas, veggie filled falafel sandwich which is literally bursting out of the pita. Be sure to get lots of napkins and a fork, because you’re going to need to plan out how to attack this thing.
I’ve never experienced a long wait (as Dan G. points out in his review) but I do agree the service isn’t extraordinary. The ones taking your order seem indifferent and bored, but given the (lack of) ambiance here, it doesn’t affect me much.
Tov-​li is kosher and doesn’t serve any meat (save fish), so its not your thing for you carnivores out there. But for anyone who enjoys a falafel, I encourage you to give Tov-​Li a try.

I have a long history with Tov Li. I have been a customer as early back as I can remember, mostly because I live down the street. The food has always been above average, but oily. However, I avoid going there at all costs. Allow me to explain. Upon entering Tov Li, you are immediately greeted with a line of disgruntled customers. Then you reach the order taker/​cashier, who is often in a foul mood. She takes your order and scribbles it down on to a little piece of paper. Then you have to wait in the next line to hand this piece of paper to another rude worker. Finally after you wait in 2 lines your food starts to get made. Sounds like a very efficient system doesn’t it?

when i saw that falafels were being featured on Unilocal this week, one word came to mind… TOVLI.
luckily i work in this neck of the woods, otherwise it would be pretty heroic (but SO worth it!) to come up here for lunch from downtown! there is another location just south of wilson on bathurst, but i think that’s it.
i love falafels, and i think that TOVLI has the best in the city. and yes it’s those sexy falafel sandwiches that i adore…
the falafel balls alone are pretty fabulous, but the sandwiches rock! stuffed full of their salad (a kind of coleslaw) and your choice of pickled turnips (my favourite) and such, they are HUGE and wonderful. definitely not for first dates or for in the car, these require 2 hands, lots of napkins and a good appetite!

just had food from here this morning, last night, earlier in the day yesterday, just after a first breakfast yesterday morning and im hoping to polish off the remnants over the next couple of days.
hows that for committed?
like all great middle eastern places, i only have them when i am north of eglinton. this is not a frequent occurrence, for good reason. however, when im there, i delight in their robust falafel balls that crunch on the outside and warm your mouth with the softness of a pillow on the inside. this holds true even when they are cold — except for the crunchy part, but NEVER are they dry like virtually all falafel places south of there.
the salads are fresh, tasty, albeit a little oily — but i cant resist the eggplant salad even though its bathing in oil. the pita is the only kind i enjoy — a big circular pocket thats fluffy and fresh. the hummous and tehina are perfect in their consistency, and spice.
the only thing that i dont like from this place, is when you go inside and order a falafel sandwich… its gargantuan… so much so that you have no idea how to approach it… and you want to approach it… its like a hot sexy big assed, big breasted, big lipped woman.
(not quite sure if that metaphor worked but, i gave it a go at least.)