Simit Bakery Cafe — Restaurant in Vancouver

I have been to Simit Bakery a number of times and we recently hired them to supply baklava for our wedding. My heritage is Turkish and baklava is probably my favourite dessert. I've eaten a lot of baklava over the years, whether it be homemade, from famous bakeries in Turkey, or store bought. My parents have similarly eaten a lot of baklava over the years and we all really wanted to ensure that the baklava at the wedding was the best we could find locally. After trying baklava from four different places, Simit Bakery's baklava was the clear winner. As a self-proclaimed baklava armchair expert, there are a few things that Simit Bakery does particularly well with regards to their baklava that sets them apart. First, they achieve a wonderful balance of crisp throughout most of the baklava, while having a syrup-enriched base that maintains its structural integrity. I've had baklava before where the bottom layer becomes mushy and I really don't like this. Not the case at all with Simit Bakery's baklava - crisp, appropriate amounts of syrup, careful layering of yufka, and not too sweet (which is a common criticism I hear about baklava). Second, they use an appropriate amount of pistachios. I've found that some places are rather sparing with the pistachios, and I hypothesize (and have heard from people who are not just armchair experts like myself) that it's because pistachios are one of the more expensive ingredients in baklava. Simit prioritizes quality and is liberal with their pistachio use. Per piece, the baklava is a bit more expensive than other places that we tried, but I assure you, you get what you pay for and Simit Bakery's baklava is far superior to its local competitors. Finally, continuing with the theme of prioritizing quality, Simit achieves that beautiful buttery golden exterior, with a wonderful richness that reflects the ingredients that they use. I've noticed that some places use oils instead of butter and it makes a big difference. Again, you get what you pay for, and if you want good baklava, I would recommend paying for what Simit produces. To wrap up this long review, I will simply say that Simit Bakery is producing exceptional baklava that rivals what I've had in Turkey. No other baklava that I've purchased in British Columbia comes close. We received countless compliments on the baklava at our wedding, including from people who previously didn't like baklava. The service they provide is also excellent....

Simit Bakery is pretty busy so it might be hard to find a table during peak hours. My Turkish friend took me here to try some Turkish pastries. They also have breakfast and lunch plates too.

The San Sebastian Cheesecake was SO LIGHT and CREAMY!!! I feel like I could've eaten 2 pieces. The Baklava was also deliciously flaky and sweet!

The bourek with spinach and cheese was EXTRA flaky! The pogacha with feta cheese and dill was a smaller, denser type of pastry. The stuffed bagel with sucuk and mozzarella was quite soft on the inside and sucuk is like a beef pepperoni. All the pastries are heated up for you.

The Gozleme was like a flaky and flat stuffed pancake. The Manti (Turkish dumplings) were a lot smaller than I expected and filled with beef. Just imagine really tiny tortellini underneath all the creamy yogurt sauce.

It was also my first time trying Turkish Coffee (served with Turkish delight)! I had mine with a bit of sugar and it was very rich and smooth?

Overall it's a great place to stop by for some coffee and pastries and definitely get...

This place has changed owners and there is definitely an improvement since the old owner in the atmosphere of this cafe. The baked goods are good. Tea is great. The turkish coffee is unfortunately much milder than before. The other things on the menu are sometimes hit or miss for me, but I know many customers like their food and cheesecake. I will say the new owner is very attentive, friendly and overall fantastic. However, I haven't always had a great experience with the other staff there. I used go to this spot quite regularly for coffee/tea and baked goods, but unfortunately don't know if I will be going back.

Edit: I think the new owner is putting effort into improving the customer service customers get from the staff and I think I start to see that improving. The people there now are definitely a great improvement. I'm hoping...