Two Austin Restaurants Baklava House and Taste of Home Handmade Dumplings Open - Eater Austin
"Baklava House opened on 10205 North Lamar Boulevard in March, chock-full of Mediterranean sweets. Baklava owner Mohammed Tabbaa told Chronicle that he wanted to open a bakery dedicated to Arabic desserts back in June. There’s the namesake item: the baklava, consisting of layered phyllo dough, pistachios, and syrup. Then there are so many other phyllo dough-stuffed and nut-laden sweets. The znoud el sit consists of cylindrical phyllo dough doused in rose and orange blossom waters and cream. There’s an array of knafeh, which are soaked layered pastries available in cheese, bin narin (cream and cheese), and one with crispier dough bits. The madloukah is a chilled semolina pudding made with either rose or orange blossom water topped with nuts. The dumpling-like katayef is a sweet pastry filled with either cream or walnuts. The cashew fingers are cylindrical doughs filled with the nuts. The fun-shaped mabrouma is a crispy nest-like round dessert filled with syrup and nuts. Cookies-wise, there are maamoul (almond cookies filled with dates, walnuts, or pistachios), barazek (sesame seed cookies), and ghraybeh (shortbread cookies). And oftentimes, there are samples available. The savory menu centers on the manakish, a round flatbread topped with za’atar, lamb and cheese, spinach, muhammara (red pepper spread), and more. Baklava House’s hours are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. There are indoor dine-in areas, to-go orders can be placed in person or through DoorDash, and there are Uber Eats deliveries available." - Nadia Chaudhury
