Sea Of Sweet — Restaurant in Rancho Cucamonga

Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am Lebanese, Beiruty to be exact. I am an avid Lebanese sweets connoisseur from the home land to the U.S. East Coast to the West Coast.

One day a friend I follow put up a picture of the Rio from Sea Of Sweet. Immediately it reminded me of the cocktails that are very popular in Lebanon. So curiosity kicks in and I look up the page. Surprise, another Lebanese sweet shop. So I bookmark and monitor. A few months pass and I am strongly craving a Knafe triggered by a friends post of FB while he was in Beirut. So I look at the list of places that I know that make it and prepare myself to be disappointed as usual. But then I remembered the drink. I said to myself. If this place can make a drink like this and the pictures of the sweets really look tempting so it may be worth the 1.5 hour drive to get this and if they fall through, well at least I tried it. So off I go, sitting through that horrible L.A. traffic as usual.

At arrival I notice it was in a small shopping plaza, kind of inconspicuous. Walk in and the shop is brightly lit and the sweets are on display. I see the Knafe, but I hesitate. I think to myself. How long has this been out sitting there? So I digress and look at the petit four and ask to taste. The Owner was kind and was 100% looking to please. Real Lebanese hospitality. I like the Chocolate covered petit four and Halwaiet il Jibin. So I take a Kilo of both. I wanted a drink and thought to myself that the Rio will be it. But as I walked over to the side I saw the Knafe again. I couldn't hold myself back this time. I asked him if it was fresh. He answered me Honestly with a no, but he did have one currently on if I was willing to wait. I smiled from his gratitude and hospitality. I agreed and had a seat in the far side of the store.

While I wait, In the other corner I see his son and daughter talking. It was fun to sit in this place and watch a family run it. Customers walking in and quickly being greeted by name, these must be the usuals. Return customers means you are doing it right. People tell me that new are key to a good business, but I have to disagree. Though new are important to increase revenue, the return customer will keep you open. A couple walked in. Obvious they were new, just like I was. They looked at the sweets unsure of what to try or do. They didn't look like they knew middle eastern sweets other than the usual baklawah. I knew they were there for the Rio drink and a crepe though since that is what they kept talking about when kept looking at their phone. Owner quickly acknowledged them and told them to taste what they wanted. They both smiled and had a taste of the petit four and ordered the drink and crepe they wanted. Smiling and happily talking and excited. Taking pictures of the goodies. Eventually their drink and crepe arrived and the pictures continued. The looked amazed at the fruit piled high and the first taste was met with a shake of the head with enjoyment like Mark Wiens ;)

I see my Knafe arrive. I ordered it on a plate. So I can have it plain and simple. To really know and taste if it is what i'm looking for without it being covered by syrup soaked bread/Ka'ak.

Using only a fork the cheese is melt away stringy. Perfect. The fine Semolina crust is cooked to a golden crispy crust. Perfect. I dab the syrup and it was simple and a hint of fragrance. Perfect. I raise my fork with melty cheese attached, I am no longer able to focus on anything else. This is it. This is the Knafe that i'm looking for. This is the taste that I miss that used to be at the old Victory Bakery. Just excellent. Not too Soft, just Smooth. Not salty hard cheese. Good texture of chewy mixed with the sweet syrup. The crust just crispy and crumbly enough. Amazing! We now have a Great Knafe place on the West Coast again. Thank You!

Enjoy...

Going to be real honest about my experience, the food & customer service. Dubai chocolate cup is not worth $15.00. It lacked flavor to me & thankfully we shared a cup. But especially after the ignorance & prejudice that was displayed. & all while still taking our money. Save your money go elsewhere or make it yourself. Religion or not you should put that aside & treat others with respect no matter how they come. We were very excited to try it. Unfortunately that was shot down immediately. Some of the remarks the older male cashier said were definitely rude & definitely backhanded to my GF & I both. We’re always unsure how we’ll be treated going out since we’re a lesbian couple but if you’re 🏳️‍🌈LGBTQIA+ don’t bother stopping by. My gf was excited to try this, she’s been talking about it for months. & it sucks that it was tarnished for her! Not surprised by the lack of morals displayed but funny how the owners still want your money after pretty much telling you how they feel about you. It’s still shocking to me that people are homophobic in 2025! Shame on you for taking our $ and treating us so poorly that we’ll never come back. We were happy to try this local spot & to support a small business too especially in this economy right now. It’s terrible how we...

I have been searching for a place that makes fresh and delicious baklava for about a year now. I even tried ordering some online and didn't have any success until I found this beautiful little gem two days ago.

I first tried one of the pistachio and one of the cashew baklava and it was so good. I went back today and ordered an assortment of baklava and each one has been delicious. Not only are they just the right amount of filling and sweetness but they are made beautifully. The owners are also very nice and helpful.

I also tasted the ashta stuffed pastry and it was the best thing I have ever had. It may be my new favorite.

The prices are fantastic and you can see that everything is made fresh from scratch daily.

This is a local business worth trying. I now can end my search for delicious baklava and enjoy trying more of their beautiful and delicious sweet treats.

Thank you, Sea of Sweet you are...