We’ve seen it all in Toronto when it comes to gold-covered food, from ice cream to cheesecake to burgers, but now you can get gold-covered Egyptian donuts in Mississauga.
Zalabya is named after their signature treat. Zalabya, somewhat similar to Greek loukoumades, are tiny bite-sized pieces of fried dough that are also sort of like mini donuts.
The spot’s Instagram bio self-identifies as a place “where traditional dessert is revolutionized,” and covering something in gold is certainly one way to do that. They actually claim to be the first dessert place in the world to incorporate edible 24-karat gold into their zalabya.
As anyone who’s tried other gold-covered treats knows, gold leaf has no actual taste that it contributes to any food when applied, though it’s safe to eat and sure is shiny.
The donuts also come with all kinds of other drizzles and toppings including signature options like Ferrero Rocher, Banana Chocolate Boat and “Nutella Creamy Way.”
Signature flavours start at $7.49 for eight pieces. You can also build a box of zalabya starting at $7.99 for a 12-piece box with two flavours and one topping.
They also make rice pudding ($4.49), regular mini donuts with holes in the middles and “freak” shakes ($8.99, which you can also get in a Ferrero Rocher variety, or even topped with an entire slice of cake).
In Egypt, rice pudding is actually called roz bel laban which translates to “rice with milk,” and you can get it with custom toppings at Zalabya.
Gold-covered zalabya and mini donuts are $5.99 each, or you can get a box of zalabya dusted with gold flakes starting at $24.99.
Zalabya is open every day at 5700 Eglinton Ave. W., Unit 56 in Mississauga.
