A Middle Eastern snack shop on Queen West from the owner of the Gourmet Bitches truck

Rose City Kitchen, the latest snack counter to hit Queen West, hopes to do for shawarma what nearby Banh Mi Boys did for Vietnamese subs: transform a familiar snack staple into a trendy culinary commodity. Opening in late January at 406 Queen Street, the 15-seat restaurant is a new venture from foodie entrepreneur Shontelle Pinch, one half of the two-woman crew behind healthy food truck Gourmet Bitches. Unlike the truck, Rose City will stick to Middle Eastern dishes like falafel, flatbreads and slaws—a welcome departure from the strip’s ever-intensifying burgerfication.