Lahmajoun Factory
Lahmajoun Factory is an Armenian bakery that pumps out fresh-made cheese and zaatar manakeesh and traditional lahmajoun, a Middle Eastern flatbread with minced meat and vegetables.
The word "factory" in the name is perfectly fitting considering everything on the menu is made in a highly efficient production line with the help of some pretty impressive, state-of-the-art equipment.
The five-step process results in hundreds of fresh flatbreads every day, and still, the Scarborough spot has been known to sell out on the weekends due to high demand.
The dough is first mixed in a large, commercial mixer, then the automated machine divides it into the right size for the 8.5-inch lahmajoun and delivers the balls of dough to a six-level conveyor belt to rest and cool.
After dropping off the conveyor, they're pressed flat before being sent through another section to be expanded.
Next up is the only manual part of the otherwise fully automated process.
The round, thin pieces of dough are topped with a homemade mixture of ground beef, red pepper paste, tomatoes, onions, garlic, various spices, and parsley, a trademark of Armenian lahmajoun.
About five people work on this section of the production line, spreading the minced meat and veggies over the dough before moving them through the oven.
The conveyor oven moves about 15 flatbreads at a time through its heated chamber, keeping a constant speed as the paper-thin circles of dough don't require much oven time.
At the end of the line, two pieces are sandwiched together and boxed for the customer.
The traditional lahmajoun is available in boxes of six for $8.99 or 12 for $16.99 and comes as regular, spicy (the heat comes from hot peppers), or vegetarian with mushrooms in place of halal meat.
I can see why most customers don't stop at just a dozen, these meat pies are perfectly crispy yet soft in the middle. Spicy is my favourite as the nice heat level is balanced with the freshness of parsley and lemon.
There is also hot pepper, cheese and zaatar manakeesh, and you can mix and match the flavours. The cheese pie is slightly thicker and fluffier than the lahmajoun.
It's an additional $2 to add on three toppings from the salad bar, which contains tomatoes, onions, peppers, black olives, green olives, mint, sour cream, as well as a few others.
You can turn any flatbread into a wrap but cheese and zaatar tend to be the most popular choices.
Grab a cold bottle of tahn ($3), a savoury Armenian yogurt drink, to wash everything down with.
Large glass windows near the takeout counter offer transparency and a full look into the busy production floor. Make sure to order ahead if you're coming by on a Saturday or Sunday as everyone seems to want a taste of the Armenian pizzas that are always made fresh every day.
Fareen Karim