Restaurant Reco: The most unique seafood experience in Mississauga

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Published September 10, 2021 at 3:03 pm

In Mississauga’s food scene it’s always seemed to me that fish and seafood tend to get overshadowed by other meats and cuisines – which is a shame, because there’s nothing quite like delicious, expertly prepared seafood.

Case in point: Samaka Mediterranean Seafood, which opened back in 2019 at the corner of Dixie and Eglinton.

Unlike most other restaurants where seafood is just a side option on the menu, seafood is at the core of everything Samaka offers, and it shows on their extensive menu. The restaurant serves a wide variety of fresh catches including sea bass, calamari, salmon steak, tiger shrimp and more, cooked in a variety of different styles: Fried, with lemon and herbs, or singari (grilled in a Mediterranean style and seasoned with the restaurant’s signature blend), among others.

Samaka also has a variety of soups, salads, fish and chips, sides including samosas, fries and hummus, and shareables that are great for sharing with a group, such as the stuffed mackerel and lobster spinach dip.

THE DISHES:

For this review I decided to try three of Samaka’s most popular menu items: The grilled sea bass cooked in singari style (with rice, salad and tahini), and the stuffed mackerel and lobster spinach dip off of the shareables menu.

If you’re looking for an authentic seafood experience, this is it – that was my first thought as soon as I saw that full plate of sea bass topped with assorted vegetables, and the taste definitely lived up to the visuals. The fish was deliciously tender and flaky, coming apart perfectly onto my fork, and the juicy taste was made even better with the singari style: Butterflied, seasoned with Samaka’s signature blend, grilled and garnished with assorted sautéed vegetables which added a nice texture and flavour to the already flavourful fish. The rice and salad were also great and helped round out the meal, as well as the tanginess of the tahini sauce.

I’d never had anything like the lobster spinach dip and it absolutely blew me away. The dip – comprised of lobster, spinach, and four cheeses – was extremely rich and creamy, and the overall combination of tastes was delicious. If you’re a fan of chips and dip of any kind, I would definitely recommend trying Samaka’s take on a classic shareable snack.

Lastly, the stuffed mackerel came out looking amazing and tasted just as good. The fish is stuffed with shrimp, tomatoes, shallots, peppers and garlic butter, which combined for a nice, tender texture and a very flavourful taste.

THE UNIQUE:

Samaka puts a lot of care and quality into the fish they prepare and it definitely shows, not just with the taste but with the presentation. Everything tasted fresh and perfectly cooked, and each dish that came out was plated and arranged in a very aesthetically pleasing way, so you can tell the restaurant puts a lot of thought into both taste and visuals. If you’re dining in you also get to enjoy Samaka’s interior, which is colourful and elegantly designed.

THE VERDICT:

Restaurants dedicated entirely to an authentic seafood experience aren’t very common, so Samaka is definitely a gem in that regard and one you don’t want to miss out on. My favourites were the grilled sea bass and the lobster spinach dip, both of which I heartily recommend.


  1. Samaka Mediterranean Seafood
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