Manna Bakery — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I bought a couple of things from one of Manna Bakery's pop-ups. The quality and the taste don't justify the price and the long wait. It's just HYPE, nothing else! The products have very little to do with Levantine. There are more authentic Middle Eastern baked goods available around Philadelphia than in Manna.

Where exactly in Palestine do they make chocolate chip cookies?! Honey cake happens to be a Russian dessert!!! How is a cheesecake a Middle Eastern dessert?! There is no manakeesh with feta cheese; Arabs don't consume feta but Greeks do.

Where in Levantine can you find donuts as a traditional dessert–except in Israel?! Is maritozzi and bombolone from Palestine?! How is focaccia from Levantine?! I didn't know that Spain and Italy are considered Levantine countries. You "borrowed" from Italy, Spain, Russia, the U.S., and other places and claimed to be making unique Middle Eastern products.

I'm not coming back to buy anything from you again, simply because there are more authentic options available in Philadelphia.

Reply to the owner:

First and foremost, you need to relax and not argue with customers, which seems to be the thing you do whenever someone posts a review you don't like. You accuse customers of lying, being aggressive, impolite, and making things up, which is a projection from your side. Not everyone is in the business of faking!

What you must understand is that you need to be more respectful to people like me who have given you their hard-earned money. As stated before, there are much better and more original options available in Philadelphia.

You said (assuming it's you who is writing the replies) that the products bought by me are not offered at pop-ups. I did buy your products, which I regret now! I didn't want to mention it in my previous comment, but since you're rude and aggressive then I'll tell you straight up. I took a bite out of each item I purchased and threw the rest in the trash because it was garbage.

Another reply:

When you state, "I clearly was not your customer," is something you repeat to everyone who writes a negative review! You cannot accept anyone who dares to criticize your products. You have to learn to accept feedback.

The customer is always right, even when you disagree. I don't think you comprehend the situation correctly; you're not doing customers a favor, it's customers who are doing you a favor by spending their money buying what you make.

Again, there is a difference between customer feedback and hateful speech. I'm not sure that you know the difference. You might think that criticizing the products I bought equals hateful speech toward you and your team, but in reality, it's not! I bought what you're selling, and with it, I have the right to express my opinion about what I purchased. It's...

I saw this place advertised on a TikTok and I was very interested in the idea as I think it shows a great deal of ambition and creativity! I placed my order easily through the Google order form I found through the bakery's Instagram and I quickly received a message from the bakery explaining when I could pick up my order. They were very prompt and super helpful in explaining everything via text and it felt like I was texting a friend. I went to the location on the day to collect my order, it was ready at the time I had arranged and everything was packaged very well. They even sent me reheating instructions.

My full order was the focaccia w zaatar, the pistachio cardamom chocolate chip cookies, the sesame cookies and the cardamom buns. I got to try everything a few hours after I had ordered and it was all still really good without even needing to be reheated. The cookies were incredibly unique, way more flavorful than your average chocolate chip, and delightfully chewy! I did reheat the focaccia bread which was amazing toasted and used it to make caprese sandwiches over the next few days. The cardamom buns I shared with others.

I had a great experience with this new upcoming business and all I can say is, Manna I gotta go again!

Edit: I've gotten cookies from Manna again, they're always great. Also they were willing to mail cookies to someone for me,...

I “discovered” Manna doing a Google search of where I might find maritozzi, Roman brioche buns, in Philadelphia. For someone like myself who loves food and especially the flavors of the Levant region, Manna was a gem of a find.

I had some difficulty on my end with the Google doc but I messaged Saif on IG and he could not have been more helpful. While I didn’t sample the vegan cookies because they were for my daughter, the spinach pies (that resemble a bagel but were more delicate and delicious) boasted just the right amount of lemon, pomegranate molasses and spinach. They were so light I could have managed 3 of them but needed to save some calories for the brioche donuts. I think they are too good to be described as a donut. These light and airy pillows were filled with just the right amount of a vanilla cream that was perfect in its flavor and consistency. Other worldly delicious!

The next time we order we are going to venture into trying the honey cake and other varieties of the brioche donuts. Manna was well worth the trip from Center City and the pick up process was...