Shatila Bakery — Restaurant in Dearborn

I always enjoy coming here. The prices on the pastries make for an inexpensive date with my husband (however, the cost of the ice cream and cakes can add up). We often bring visitors from out of town here, and there is always something for everyone, including some sugar-free and vegan options. The smoothies are delicious. In the mood for ice cream? They have it. Baklava is seriously second to none. There are even delicious savory items on the menu, in case you're not in the mood for something sweet. The pastries are truly jaw-dropping works of art and always result in oohs and aaahs from first-time visitors.

With so many beautiful options, it can be overwhelming to make a decision! With that said, I feel the need to address some of the complaints I've read in reviews about customer service and their "take a number" system. I recommend that as soon as you enter, take note of how busy they are. If they are not very busy, don't take a number...look at all the display cases, take your time, decide what you want and then ask one of the employees to help you. If they are very busy, take a number right away and then make your decisions. I have always found the employees to be very helpful in answering questions, but you do have to make sure they clearly understand what you are asking for or about, especially when they are busy, as it can be noisy and they are in a hurry to help everyone. I've found them to really try to get your order right, but you have to make an intentional effort to be sure they understand what you are asking, and watch closely to what they grab for you, as the pastries are very close together in the display cases. Also, listen closely for your number to be yelled or keep a close watch on the monitor during busy times, as they rush through them if no one responds right away. Also, whether your party is small or large, it is much less confusing if you all work with the same employee to assist you in your selections (I mean if there is only one person paying).

One other word of caution, if you like chocolate but not mocha, make sure you ASK if there is any mocha flavoring before you make your selection. I am personally not a mocha fan, and some of the beautiful, chocolatey-looking sweets are really mocha, so I always ask first if I'm unsure. The chocolate bool is amazing!

The dining area is just as beautiful and impressive as the desserts. Overall, this really is a place you must visit at least once. I think...

I've been a patron since they were in the old, tiny building. Best baklava there is! Cakes are gorgeous, however, they taste awful. For the past 10 years or so they all have that weird refrigerator/freezer taste & the cake is dry. The frosting is the worst though. The last full cake I bought, nobody could eat it it was so gross. Tasted like bitter chemicals and the cake itself was dry and tasted weird like a freezer. I was so embarrassed as it was for my boyfriend's birthday & we had family and friends over. Not even the kids would eat it. All those pretty baby blue roses made of frosting they were so excited to eat tasted so bad. So, I brought it back. $40 for a cake to be inedible is unacceptable. They said, "oh, well nobody really eats the frosting flowers, that it's just for decoration". I could not believe what I was hearing. It is possible to have pretty frosting that tastes good at the same time! She then offered 40% off my next cake. I told her I'd never be buying another cake if they, as a bakery, operate under the practice of flavor and aesthetic being on a teeter totter. She said I could use the 40% off on baklava if I wanted to, writing it and signing it on the back of my receipt. That incident was about 6 years ago, maybe 5. I went back in about 6 months later to get 3 large trays of baklava, intending to use the 40% off on one of them, and they would not honor it. I stopped going for a couple years after that. Slowly started getting baklava again which was still the best baklava in all of metro Detroit. My kids have wanted cake and pastries, and their dad has bought them some here and there and they have not liked a single thing. They take a couple bites then it gets put away, not eaten, then thrown out. Idk if their refrigeration has a humidity control, or If it's connected to a freezer, idk.

TL;DR - Baklava is top notch, best in town. Cakes are dry, taste like weird freezer/fridge taste & when told how bitter and chemical-y the frosting decorations on their cake tasted & nobody would eat it at the birthday party I hosted, they said, "oh well, nobody really eats those parts" then they offered a 40% discount which they later...

You would feel amazed to be here, if you have a sweet tooth like me. A middle eastern sweet shop to offer thousands of various sweets, cakes and pastries and ice cream. To start with, let me tell the procedure. I arrived in the evening and it was very crowded. So you have to collect a token and wait until your number is called. Then you go with the token and tell the server lady what you want. And then you pay. We got a trouble. Being outsider ( non middle eastern I mean), I did not know the name for everything. So we had trouble to tell them what we want ( not to mention the accent difference etc). It was busy hour and we wanted so many different stuffs. After struggling a while, we managed to plate them all. Next, we heard that they were taking only cash ( because their system broke down or something happened I don’t know)!!! Luckily one of us had the cash to save the mission! We bought a lot of sweets ( check images) and the entire order was worth of 26$ only. Now, I was disheartened with the kanafeh. I have had much better elsewhere. This one was dry and not tasty. But rest of the things - Baklava, pistachio baklava, layered busbusa, Turkish delight, and another one ( dunno the name, appears like white foamy subtle flavoured cloud like, topped with nuts and nuts) were simply extraordinary. With so many varieties of sweets, if you feel to have something savoury, they have meat pie/cheese pie/ spinach pie to offer. We ate the meat pie which was the absolute yum. I forgot to buy some for my home. But this is a must visit if you love to eat desserts and sweets and...