So I’m gradually figuring out the best places to eat in Riverview, New Brunswick. And Moncton. And Dieppe. I live in Riverview, but it’s right across the river from Moncton and Dieppe.

Here’s one place I like so far:

Alto Restaurant. Just down the strip mall from Cover to Cover Books, the used bookstore here in Riverview.

From the Altos Restaurant Facebook page:

We are a local restaurant that serves a variety of cuisines: Korean, Japanese, Canadian, Greek

~Alto Restaurant

I cleaned that up a little for them. If you actually visit their Facebook page don’t let the faulty grammar and eccentric punctuation put you off. It’s not about that. That’s not their specialty. I don’t care how they spell and punctuate. English is not their first language. I can’t even speak their language let alone spell or punctuate in it.

I only care how good their food is.

Now, I’ve only ever eaten one type of food at this restaurant so far. Frankly, it’s all I need to eat there. Perhaps I will try more eventually. But right now it’s all about their donairs.

A friend visited from Toronto recently. I said, “What do you want to do while you’re here?”

He said, “I need to have a donner.”

“A what?”

“A donner! I know they have them in Toronto but there’s no point in having one there. I want to have a real donner from the maritimes.”

It took me a second to realize that he was talking about donairs.

“A doh-nair,” I corrected. “No prob. I know just where to take you.”

Of course, I took him to Altos.

He was satisfied. More than satisfied.

Donairs date back to either Greek or Turkey, apparently. A Turkish immigrant by the name of Mahmut Aygun started making a version of them in Berlin in 1971. Shortly afterward, Velos Pizza in Bedford Nova Scotia started making them too (I don’t know the connection between Velos Pizza and Mahmut Aygun, if there is one). Donairs consist of spiced ground beef, tomatoes, onions, sweet garlic donair sauce wrapped in pita bread. They taste like nothing else, in my experience. Soooo good.

And Alto Restaurant makes them perfectly.

I don’t know if the donairs from Altos are the best donairs in Riverview, Moncton, Dieppe, New Brunswick, the maritimes, or the world. I haven’t tried all the other possibilities out there.

But I wouldn’t be surprised if they were.