Mahalab Bakery — Restaurant in Cambridge

Small counter-serve Middle-Eastern bakery offering savory pastries.

Stumbled upon this place while hunting for some light pastries and coffee this past weekend. The store was seemingly dwarfed by the long line at Bagelsaurus next door, but despite its modest storefront, the pastries looked really tempting. They specialize in savory pastries—mostly Sfiha and Fatayer—and some large focaccias. While they claim to be artisanal pastries, they struck me as more simple and authentic.

Along with the Olive & Rosemary Focaccia, I picked up some Sofia and Fatayer. I’m not sure if the natural fermentation made a huge difference, but all the pastries I tried were definitely top-notch. My favorite was undoubtedly the Beef and Tomato Sfiha, a Lebanese meat pie that tasted deliciously similar to a pizza. A close second was the Ajvar Sfiha, with its mix of red bell peppers and eggplant spread, which offered a smoother texture than the tomato spread on the first one. The focaccia was nice and spongy, though I must admit, I have a soft spot for the richer, olive oil-soaked versions from the North End.

While I can’t say Mahalab is one of the best Middle-Eastern bakeries/cafes in the GBA, it certainly carves out a nice niche with its unique offerings. A cup of coffee paired with their beef and tomato sfiha is perfect for mornings when I don't have a big appetite, and I’ll definitely be dropping by occasionally for...

Small but friendly and unique options. I got the butternut squash, shiitake, and leek Fatayer.

I wish wish I could say it was amazing, but I think maybe the mushrooms were bad. Everything else about it tasted delicious, but the mushrooms tasted very funky.

I ended up picking them out and then I enjoyed the rest of the pastry.

I’m not sure if it’s a day or what it is but mushrooms are very finicky, so that might be what happened. Everything about it was really really tasty, but that is kind of a significant issue.

The staff were very friendly and people came in and seemed to know them, and everybody seemed like a small community, which was really nice.

There is limited metered parking on the side streets, and some resident only parking.

There is one or maybe two small steps...

I admit it’s a little pricey but once I tasted the sour dough pita I forgot all about that. Seriously this was one of the most incredible pitas I’ve ever had - flavorful, incredibly soft and pillowy, so fresh. It makes you wonder if you’ve ever really had real pita before. Also, amazing service - when I bought the pita the woman at the counter accidentally gave me one that was merely a day old instead of fresh that morning but she literally ran a whole block to track me down and give me the fresh bread and let me keep the old one too! Seriously made...