Antepli Baklava 2 — Restaurant in Paterson

Absolutely Amazing! A Sweet Heaven on Peterson!

If you’re craving an authentic Turkish dessert experience in Chicago, look no further than Antepli Baklava on Peterson. I’ve tried Turkish sweets in many places, even back home and across different cities in the U.S., but this place is on another level. Their künefe and Maraş ice cream completely blew me away!

Let’s start with the künefe – this is not your average dessert. Freshly made to order, it arrives sizzling hot, with the perfect golden-brown crisp on the outside and the gooey, stretchy cheese melting in the center. It’s soaked in just the right amount of syrup—not too sweet, not too bland. The texture was spot-on, and you can really taste the quality of ingredients. It reminded me of the künefe I had in Gaziantep – rich, authentic, and unforgettable.

Now the Maraş ice cream – wow! I had heard about its famously stretchy texture and creamy taste, but this was the first time I experienced it made this well in the U.S. It’s dense, rich, and has a slightly chewy texture that makes it stand out from any typical American-style ice cream. They even serve it traditionally, using a spoon with some flair. It pairs incredibly well with the warm künefe – hot and cold, crispy and creamy. Absolute perfection.

The shop itself is clean, inviting, and full of beautiful trays of fresh baklava and other Turkish pastries. You can tell they take pride in what they do. The staff were also warm and helpful – they explained the menu, offered samples, and made me feel right at home.

I’ll definitely be coming back to try the full range of baklavas and perhaps even some Turkish tea to go with it next time. Highly, highly recommended. If you haven’t been here yet – go! Your taste buds...

We stopped at this place yesterday, Thursday, May 4, 2023 around 5:30pm to buy some baklava after driving almost three hours from Massachusetts. We've been at this place before and our experience was nothing short of good. Nevertheless, this time felt utterly different. We were the only customers in the store. There were three staff. We ordered two boxes of baklava. We politely asked the guy serving us if we could try one kind of baklava so we could make an informed decision. He quickly shut us down without smiling and said no. My wife and I were really disappointed. But we kind of understood. Then my wife wanted to use the bathroom. The kind of looks I was getting from the staff was something I never experienced in my entire life. Then the staff started talking and I could sense they were talking about us. Not sure what we did wrong that merited this behavior of the staff. We're seriously kind people and treat everyone with kind and respect. We were very sad and disappointed at the lack of hospitality shown by these guys. I was not sure if they owned the place as they could easily deter customers from coming back. If they ran the place I hope the owner of the shop can see my comment and take necessary actions to stop this behavior. I hope this was a one-off situation. Unfortunately, we will never go back and will advise our friends accordingly. I've given this store two starts just so I am not discounting all past good experiences to this very...

I used to enjoy this place years ago when they focused solely on baklava and kadayif varieties, so I was excited to return after about six years. However, my recent experience was a bit different from what I remembered.

The baklava and kadayif options seemed to have shifted away from the handmade quality I recall; it feels like they might be sourcing from larger producers now, which is common with many similar spots. It’s noticeable in the appearance and texture, where the unique touch seems to have been replaced by a more uniform look.

The richness of clarified butter, which gives traditional desserts their authentic flavor, seems to be missing here, and the alternative oil (likely margarin) used affects the taste in a way that doesn’t quite match up with what I was expecting. It’s understandable as a cost-saving approach, but it does impact the flavor and authenticity.

Additionally, I noticed that the kunefe is served with a plastic spatula, which feels a bit out of place for such a hot, freshly prepared dessert. While I appreciate the effort to serve it nicely, I think a more heat-resistant utensil would enhance the experience and match the quality of the kunefe itself.

It’s a bit disappointing to see these changes, but I hope the management can consider a few refinements to bring back some of the unique qualities that made this place stand...