New business: Zaytoon, Middle Eastern Kitchen

Osborne Village has an extremely diverse range of restaurants and cafes, all within a 10 minute walking distance! Thai, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Ethiopian, Mexican, French cuisine and more! And our options keep growing with eleven new restaurants opening up since March of 2020. We recently spoke with Bassma, one of the owners of Zaytoon: Middle Eastern Kitchen about their experience opening a restaurant in the Village.

When did you open your business in Osborne Village?

After eight months and a half of hard work, we finally opened our doors in the late summer of 2021, on August 14th.

Why did you choose Osborne Village to open your business?

We wanted to expose our middle eastern cuisine to the Osborne village area, which is known for being the city's most diverse neighbourhood. We found that there aren't many authentic Middle Eastern restaurants in the community and wanted to add to the culture of this desirable Winnipeg village. Additionally, we wanted to highlight our authenticity in a modern, welcoming atmosphere.

What has been your biggest struggle as a business owner during the pandemic?

Our situation appeared to be very unprecedented. We were faced with several challenges during this troubling time. As a result of the sacrifices, we had to endure for the sake of the business, we were faced with several missed opportunities. Due to the pandemic's restrictions on restaurants and dine-in, we had to postpone our opening several times. Because of the shortfall of deliveries caused by so many delayed tasks, the time it required to obtain our permit was also extended. All of this was prompted by the pandemic, which played a significant role in our restaurant's launching.

What has been your biggest surprise as a new business owner?

The degree of support we received from the community and the inviting environment to which we were exposed amazed us. The Zaytoon family received an overflow of encouraging feedback and social publicity, which was unexpected but gratefully received. Despite the challenges we faced while launching our small business amid the pandemic, we were able to swiftly get back on our feet and share our welcoming environment with others.

What are you most looking forward to?

We at Zaytoon are eager to strive and be the hot-spot middle eastern restaurant in Osborne Village in new and exciting ways. We want to constantly offer new things to the community and continue keeping people engaged for what's to come in the future.

What is your MUST TRY menu item that you recommend to everyone?

Everything on our menu was hand-picked, and the Zaytoon family is very involved in ensuring that we have lots of variety, regardless of dietary requirements.  Nonetheless, the lamb ribs are unquestionably a must-try. This is because lamb plays an important role in our culture's inviting atmosphere. However, there are many other must-try items at our restaurant. Shawarma, zaytoon grills, kunafeh, and, of course, our beloved fresh juices, Turkish coffee and karak tea are must-tries if your diet enables. Essentially, we aim to ensure that everyone has something to enjoy at Zaytoon, while emphasizing our most popular dishes.

Visit Zaytoon 12:00pm-2:00am daily or book a Taste What’s New in the Village Culinary Walking Tour, sponsored by Paragon Living HERE

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Community clean up

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Exploring Osborne Village history: tales from the tour guide