Proudly Family Run

Chef Ali is the founder of Daata Grill and has been in Canada for over 30+ years. When Ali immigrated to Montreal, his first job was as a dishwasher in a Greek restaurant. As he immersed himself in the Greek culture, Ali learned various culinary ways and styles, working his way from a dishwasher to a sous chef. With experience working in multiple Greek and Italian restaurants, Ali decided to open a grocery store in Laval, QC. Daata Darbar, a place of worship in Lahore, Pakistan, always held a place in his family's and his heart. What better way to express this love than name his store after it? Marche Daata was founded and was the first grocery store in all of Laval to sell halal meat. During his hours home from the store, he would still spend his time cooking all kinds of meals for his growing kids. After many years of success, Ali realized he missed the culinary arts too much, as it had become his passion. He decided he wanted to open a restaurant of his own. Opening a Greek or Italian restaurant made no sense as the competition was too great, and he wanted his culture also to gain some recognition. Ali saw a missing restaurant sector in Laval - Pakistani Cuisine. Ali's new restaurant, Daata Restaurant, was one of the first Pakistani restaurants in Laval, QC.

The success was incredible; however, his kids felt like their future lay in Toronto; for their benefit, he moved. When he and his family moved, they quickly realized how different it was; high property prices and a saturated restaurant industry were only some of the issues. Finding the right place in the right area for a reasonable price was nearly impossible. After long searching, they struck gold in Milton, Ontario, which had a growing Pakistani community. Ali and his now-grown kids quickly went to work to design the restaurant. He gave his kids full permission to develop and handle the restaurant how they wanted so they could learn and grow. Ali's kids wanted to design a Pakistani restaurant with a few Canadian touches and, of course, a twist of Chef Ali. The final question after everything remained was, what would the name be?

Daata Grill is a proud family business. We are always open to feedback and criticism. We firmly believe we can succeed in this saturated restaurant industry by listening to others and improving ourselves. Chef Ali makes his dishes for the Pakistani community and all other communities in Canada with his wide range of experience and spices. Daata Grill has many western approaches to business and cuisine not typically seen in a desi restaurant. Why? We have one goal: to popularize Pakistani food in Canada, making everyone enjoy it as much as we do.