Good news, carnivores! You don’t need to travel all the way to the West Island to get a juicy, charcoal-grilled Lebanese meat sandwich after all! Abu Elias, my latest gastronomic discovery, is right on Cote-Vertu in Ville St-Laurent. Surrounded by Lebanese bakeries, other sandwich spots and an upscale restaurant or two, Abu Elias stands out – the food prepared there is fresh, fantastic and cheap. Tastebuds and wallet, rejoice!

Unlike many Lebanese sandwich joints, these meats aren’t sitting on a skewer, rotating slowly all day long (not that there’s anything wrong with that!) As soon as you walk in, you’re greeted with a display case filled with raw meat kebabs, waiting to be grilled over the coals right in front of you. Sandwich prices range from $2.99 (the shish taouk or the filet mignon) to $4.99, with most items costing $3.99. That’s one cheap lunch! I ordered a filet mignon sandwich, along with a kafta one and a soujouk sandwich. The cook grills the meat, stuffs a pita with all the dressings and meat, then gives the pita roll itself a grill, giving the sandwich a crispy outside.

The filet mignon sandwich is everything a grilled meat sandwich should be. The meat is medium-rare, soft and tender, and still full of juices, tasting of charcoal and marinade (all the meats are marinated there, before being grilled). Stuffed into the sandwich is a garlicky tahini, a strong punch of parsley, and a few strips of crunchy pickles. Simple and straightforward, the meat stands out and is nicely complimented by the other ingredients.
Next up, the kafta. This was my least favourite of the three, but still good. Saltier and a different texture, this meat didn’t carry as much of the charcoal taste with it.

The soujouk sandwich (pictred on top) was startlingly different from the other two, and my favourite. Soujouk is a spicy red sausage, and the sandwich has tomatoes, grilled onions and a garlic sauce that puts the hummus from before to shame. The strong spiciness of the sausage and the tang of garlic is unforgettable.

Abu Elias isn’t just a small sandwich place. It’s also a butcher with a counter full of fresh meats, and a second counter stockpiled with Lebanese treats to take home: prepared falafel, bags of pitas coated with cheese and za’atar, meat and spinach pies, little pizzas, olives, and baklava, just to mention a few. However, I went for the sandwiches.
There isn’t really seating here, so be prepared to eat standing up, or get your sandwiches to go. I arrived a bit before twelve, and the place was pretty empty, but was slowly filling up with orders, so I would recommend calling in your orders for speedier service. Next up for me, the shish taouk, steak and lamb sandwiches!

Abu Elias
733 Cote-Vertu (Ville St-Laurent)
514.747.7754