Halifax Donair, Burlington, ON

I had a meeting in Burlington this morning and had lunch today at Halifax Donair.  It is a take-out restaurant with a small eat-in part against the window.

I ordered a large donair.

What is donair?

Donair is a Middle Eastern dish made of roasted meat cooked on a vertical spit. In a prepared dish, seasoned meat is stacked on a vertical spit in the shape of an inverted cone. It is turned slowly, cooking against a vertical rotisserie. A tomato, onion or pineapple may be placed at the top of the stack for additional flavouring. The meat is cooked by an electric burner.

The rate of roasting can be adjusted by varying the strength of the heat and the distance between the heat and the meat, allowing the cook to adjust to varying rates of consumption. The outside of the meat is sliced vertically in thin, crisp shavings when done. While cooking, the meat is shaved off the stack with a large knife.

Donairs are a big thing back home in Nova Scotia so whenever I come across them on my travels, I try them (amazingly I wasn't a fan of them until just a couple years ago). This was an okay donair. The meat was spiced nicely but a bit greasy.  It was messy and I ended up eating it with a fork rather than as a sandwich.

The staff were friendly.  It was a popular spot at lunchtime.

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