One of Hamilton’s truest hidden gems has announced it is closing its doors.
Tomah, the city’s first-ever Syrian restaurant, was somewhat of a local legend for its authentic and extremely delicious dishes like shawarma, falafel, salads, Syrian-style cheese sandwiches, and much, much more.
The restaurant was owned and operated by Mohamad Tomeh, who moved to Canada as a refugee in 2018, bringing along his family as well as years of honed experience in the restaurant industry.
With those skills and knowledge he soon launched Tomah at 132 Queen Street South in Hamilton and gained quick popularity among locals who readily fell in love with the restaurant’s food.
Two years ago, the Tomah family moved to Hamilton from Syria. They say they always wanted to start a business "that would allow Canadians to experience our food."
Had an incredible meal at Tomah: Taste of Syria today, and can't recommend it highly enough. pic.twitter.com/3kf5d1In5V— Errol Nazareth (@ErrolNazareth) August 22, 2020
Not only did Tomah serve up a sizeable menu of fresh and flavourful Syrian dishes, the restaurant also made its own cheese in house, with varietals like Turkmani, Akkawi, and Shelal on offer.
Tomah shared the news of the closure via social media on Sunday, thanking the Hamilton community for the past few years of support.
“Although it is very difficult for us to say goodbye to this restaurant, we want to thank you for supporting us so much over the past 3 years,” reads their message.
“We opened this restaurant only a year after arriving in Canada, after a long history with food and cheesemaking in Syria and Egypt. In my family, cooking and cheesemaking has been what we have done for generations. It has been so great for my family and I to be able to share this food, and through it, a little bit of our history and culture, with you.”
So what’s next for Mohamad Tomeh? Thankfully, the restauranteur shows no signs of disappearing and expresses his plans to return to the Hamilton food scene after a well-earned hiatus.
“We hope to open a new location in the future, after we take a break, so we can keep sharing our food with you!”
Here’s hoping the wait for Mohamad’s memorable food to return to Hamilton is a relatively short one!
Tomah remains open until February 28th, 2022.
Read the full message on Tomah’s social media.
Lead image courtesy of @tomahrestauranthamilton
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