Al-Sham Sweets & Pastries — Restaurant in New York

I have to be honest, although I am very upset as I write this. Some pastries are exceptional, many of the others you can get it any other pastry shop. However there are some major cons, extremely rude and aggressive management. I had two incidents, one in 2020, another 2021. Also parking situation is bad.

Pros: Their Baklava is good, Cannoli is good, kunnafeh is fantastic. . Been there twice. Cons: 1) Rude and aggresive 2) Cash Only 3) Bad parking 4) area is filthy Extremely rude staff and management, especially to non-arabic customers like myself? speak very nicely and sweetly to their arabic customers, They still accept cash only, I don't understand that in 2021, let me be blunt, are they doing that to avoid paying taxes? other than inconveniencing their customers? One young guy at counter, I said this is 2020, nobody carries cash anymore, he basically tells me take it or leave it (rephrased because I don't remember exact words), but basically rude and aggresive.

2021 Real incident about store owner/manager: There is an orange barricade (city property) next to their store. A guy was sitting on it, and on the other end I put my foot on it and tied the laces on my sneakers. Dude asks me not to do it as he finds it disrespectful because he says it is his store and from time to time he sits on it. I remind him that it is public property, and I also pointed that the barricade is dirty and stained, and people have dumped half consumed condiment packets on it. He says, it doesn't matter because it is about "respect". I am really annoyed by this point and him trying to impose on me, what he thinks "respect" is, and me thinking, "this is nothing to do with respect". I am older and have a grey beard, I am ok with how old I am, I am not asking his daughter's hand in marriage am I?. and he says he is not abusive to me because I am an older man. Long story short, I could tell this person was territorial and he had a lot of guys around him he could marshall to aid him if a fight were to start, and I was with wife and daughter in law, and most importantly at the back of my mind, I don't want to attend a wedding the next day with a black eye. I really wish he tries that with me in neutral territory and to be honest, I don't like violence but yes, for me too it is about respect, and about people treating public property as their own, especially that I suspect the store doesn't pay all the taxes due, which is why they...

On Saturday May 7th around 3 PM, I went to check on al-shams sweets after reading good recommendations about it online. I am a Syrian immigrant who has been living and working in the states for 5 years. I went yesterday to NYC for a visit with a couple a friends, a husband and wife who have been living apart for sometime and started dating to rebuild their relationship. While I was checking on the delicious looking sweets and talking to one of the workers about my options. I was hearing my friends standing behind me laughing and hugging. Another guy with a beard we didn't see came from an inside room and talked directly to my friends and asked them to leave outside as there are kids. There were no kids we could see inside or outside the shop. My friends were really in a good mood and laughed back to the guy that there are no kids around and they are just having fun. The guy insisted and they left. I was surprised and pissed off. I decided to mumble thanks and follow my friends. I find no excuse for that guy reaction to my friends behavior which was not ( in my opinion and from my angle of view) a (Public display of affection). I personally think it was rude and unexceptable. I will never go back and will never figure if Al-shams sweets are...

The pastries were so delicious I went in there wanting to buy one baklawa after twenty years of passing by and never stepping foot in here. Then one week before Thanksgiving I learnt that the father of a family owned Turkish Cafe in Manhattan was deported and to the family’s grief they had all left with him. My heartache as a loyal customer was tear filled. Assuming I would buy one baklawa. Setting my first step into this sham fabulous pastry shop… my eyes began to glow! I felt like a sixteen year old girl with my first paycheck and wanted a piece of every baklawa! Petite baklava with pistachio, another with almonds, another with walnuts and I have no idea if that is saffron but by the praise of GOD I had to have it. Please do not get overly confident about my praise continue to live up to the perfection of your art! My apologies I deleted the pictures I took because I am too embarrassed to share how I devoured the pastries in the most nomadic manner. If you are like me, and you enjoy pastries with pleasure take it home. If you are here to buy pastries for your guests… good luck! Order twice the amount so the other half can be for yourself… or for whoever makes them disappear instantly...