Osmow’s brings Mediterranean cuisine to town

Tanju Wadhwa, left, and Samdisha Arora are the owners of the new Osmow’s location that opened at the Northgate Plaza on Broadway. The restaurant offers a modern take on Mediterranean cuisine. (Jeff Helsdon Photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

The opening of Osmow’s Shawarma in the Northgate Plaza brings a Mediterranean option to town.

Opening recently, the restaurant specializes in shawarma, plus has many other unique menu items.

This is the first business venture for owners Tanju Wadhwa and Samdisha Arora. They started working in a restaurant in the chain in North York after moving to Canada from India.

“Once we got to know Osmow’s, we really liked it and decided we wanted to own one,” Wadhwa said.

The couple went through the process of applying for a franchise and ended up with the new location in Tillsonburg.

Osmow’s is inspired by Egyptian cuisine. Owner Sam Osmow opened a sub shop after moving to Canada in 2001. He transitioned to Egyptian food at the original location in Streetsville. It was hit and there are now 201 locations in North America.

The chain specializes in a “modern take” on classic Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes. A shawarma is a wrap with a difference. Offered in chicken, beef and lamb, Osmow’s shawarmas are mainly cooked on a rotisserie and are made to order.

“The main thing about this restaurant I like is the food is always cooked fresh,” Wadhwa said. “It’s cooked on the rotisserie. There is no oil in it. It’s healthy.”

Customers can then choose the vegetables or sauce they want on their shawarma.

“Osmow’s has the best garlic sauce, which makes all the difference,” Wadhwa said.

There is also humus sauce, vegan options and gluten-free options.

Looking at the “modern take”, Osmow’s offers the option of its shawarma served on Stix – or fries – and on the Rocks – or rice. There are also shawarmas with crispy chicken bites. Some of the other unique items are poutine, and Osmow’s take on a combo, which is the Oz Box and the Wrap Box.

Even the desserts are unique at Osmow’s, and mouthwatering. There are three options: baklava, baklava cheesecake and the Dubai crunch. The latter is a brownie base with chocolate ganache and pistachio cream.