The Borek Bakehouse — Restaurant in Melbourne

The fillings are so scarce these days (We would normally get the lamb borek or the spicy potato for $5 - but we have tried all of them). And the dough is a lot thicker. We changed to the gozleme options a few months ago ($8) but for an extra $3, it's not worth it. I understand that the cost of running a business has gone up, but there is better value out there. The price of the lentil soup has also increased quite significantly and the soup itself is extremely salty.

From an atmosphere perspective, if you plan on going, I would recommend knowing exactly what you want beforehand as there is no time or space to choose on the spot and you are always greeted with a 'NEXT'. Once you have ordered, it is always a good idea to check how much you get charged as miscommunication sometimes occurs between the lady who serves customers and the lady who charges customers. The third stressful part of this journey is to ensure you pick your actual order and not someone else's:)

We used to start our Vic market weekly experience at that shop, but this has now changed as it's ruining the experience instead. I know that the $1.50 borek days are over, but I think the owners could turn things around if they really wanted to, and make this the experience it once was for so many people...

To the naked eye, The Borek Bakehouse is unpretentious.

The store is frugally decorated, the kapali kizlar (scarved ladies) manning the dough are rather ‘to themselves’, and the prices are near suspiciously low – $4 for a very large borek. What’s the catch?

Under its modest exterior, the Bakehouse vends some of the most earth-shattering boreks in this state.

There’s a process to eating these things. You hand the worker your coins, gently snatch the folded pastry from her grasp, sit yourself outside at one of three tables, and watch the city shuffle along the footpath before you. And then you bite.

You become engulfed in the borek’s warmth, are startled by the subtle sliminess of the spinach, and finally sated by the overwhelming stringiness of the halloumi cheese encased within.

For $4, this is the...

Don’t let the name fool you: calling a “borek” the closed (in Turkish, kapalı) pide this QVM institution is famous for is a misnomer. That said, the flavours are authentic and typical of the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. Particularly recommend the spicy lamb “borek,” the zucchini fritter wrap, and the (wholly underrated) bean salad – a zesty mix of pulses and grains soaked in oil. Have been buying from this place (and its sister shop around the corner) for years and am never disappointed. Edit (03/2025): Minus one star for the drop in quality over the last year and hike in prices. The boreks are now triple the price of what they were ten years ago, smaller, and made with less love, looking poor, burnt, unappetising. Bean salad too now made...