Safir Bakery & Cafe — Restaurant in New York

I have that common Asian taste of having a predilection for light, subtle desserts but will always try anything sweet enough to make my throat hurt. As such, the fact I enjoyed Safir Bakery is both surprising and unpredictable.

Arrived around 7PM on a Monday. Pretty empty and quiet but with all their baklavas available for purchase. Can order their baklavas and specialties by lb, 3-4 piece sets, or individual pieces. The price for sets and individual pieces are on display inside the bakery (Sorry, got distracted by all the sweets to take a pic).

Ordered: Walnut baklava Pistachio baklava Şöbiyet (baklava with clotted cream topped with pistacchios) I think Sarma? (Has a lot walnuts with filo wrapped around it and topped with pistacchios. It's in the pic with the sobiyet so please correct me if I'm wrong Safir or fellow Yelpers!) Another dessert I forgot but it's large and triangular and supposed to have less/no sugar but still has honey. $3.50 a piece.

The highlight here is their WALNUT BAKLAVA and what shines most is the quality experience you get from a bite: The nicely thin and layered filo on top, delicate enough for a light flaky resounding crunch but not so much that it'll fall or break apart easily, and the flavor and body of the inner filo and walnuts creating an actual contrast of texture and consistency. Light top, dense but not heavy middle and bottom. Has less honey/syrup drench so this is the one to get when looking for interesting texture and something not too sweet. Better than Mamoun's where theirs is sweeter and dense from the top down with thicker layers of filo.

Everything else is a little or a whole lot sweeter than the walnut. That's not a bad thing. Initially tried everything unpaired and walnut just so happens to be the one that can be eaten alone without a drink.Thought the PISTACHIO BAKLAVA would be similar but turned out sweeter than expected with a bit more syrup, a little denser with a little less crisp. This was the case with the rest of the pastries. Similar in color and seem like they'd taste the same in terms of shared ingredients yet in reality there is a range of difference in terms of texture, consistency and sweetness.

For this reason, think about what you like and look for in a pastry dessert. Knowing yourself and what you enjoy is key. In my case, I can't help my lack of a sweet tooth so pairing the more overtly sweet pastries like the large triangular honey one with a black tea helped to tone down and balance out the sweetness. Haven't tried their Turkish tea but this is your chance to! As Samin Nosrat says: "The main point of eating is not to do it the best way. It's to have the most pleasure". So I recommend ordering at least the walnut and pistachio. From there play around with what you add-on to your order purely for exploration like their chocolate baklava. If you have a major sweet tooth, just ignore me and order whatever your heart desires (or whatever sounds the sweetest!). The lovely young woman behind the counter will answer any and all questions you may have, make recommendations, and customize/organize your orders to your liking.

Turns out Safir Bakery is the largest whole sale Turkish bakery in Brooklyn and I can believe that as I've seen their pistachio baklava sold in Sheepshead Bay Fruits & Vegetables. But I'll choose freshness over convenience any day so I'll be back to try the rest of their pastries as well as their...

This will be a hard review to write because over all I like the place but after today's experience, I will not be going back when there are pretty of other decent cafe's in competition to them like Sherpherd's Cup and Mug at walking distance from them.

FOOD: is okay, pastries are good. However, better food is found in the area for a cafe. SERVICE: is poor over all. Not very friendly staff especially their main waitress/worker is a very unhappy slim looking woman. She has long black hair - typically braided. ATMOSPHERE: is decent-- probably the best thing going for them

I leave my reasons for not wanting to come back.

I am very disappointed that the manager/boss would leave my credit card on the top counter accessible to anyone who comes to order or pay. I expressed before stepping away that I was going to the bathroom. They could have politely left it in their register until I returned. I was asked to leave at 1:10pm because they have a sign that does not want past 45 min WHILE EATING AND DRINKING. I was mindful that I had a lot of work to get done and ordered $18.50 worth of food. I didn't just get one cheap item. Yes, I was there since early. I had a lot of work to do. I was quietly doing my work. If they were very busy, out of respect I would have moved to a smaller table and/or would have left. Only half the space was full through out the day. I was not in anyone's way or caused them to lose any business because I used their establishment for about 4 hours.

If need to get work done, do not come here. Otherwise, the place is...

I'm not one to write reviews very often but it's about time that I sit down and write one for Safir bakery. I have been a patron of this fine establishment for almost two years and I have to say it doesn't get any better than this when it comes to delicious food. I work nights and I stop here pretty much every morning for coffee. 4 times a week I order a meal usually consisting of three Gül Böreği aka ‘Rose’ Boreks. These are spinach and cheese filled pastries in the shape of a rose. Listen folks: these are one of the most amazingly good tasting things I have ever eaten. The coffee btw is the best in the neighborhood and also the cheapest @ $1.63 for a large size. In the last 8 months I have been on a very strict diet where these Rose Boreks have been a prime staple. I have lost 80 pounds and I am no longer diabetic! That is in part because this food is wholesome and made with the best ingredients. The atmosphere here is warm, inviting and at times lively, it reminds me a bit of the community pubs [minus the alcohol] I frequented in Europe when I lived there. The staff are courteous and helpful. I'm very often in and out several times a day and I feel like some of these folks are friends and not just people I do business with. Brooklyn was really starting to get me down before my wife and I moved nearby. I am really grateful that such a place exists here. Btw they also have a new location on Kings Highway & E. 18th st. My review applies to this location as well which I also frequent a couple of...