Two Austin Restaurants Baklava House and Taste of Home Handmade Dumplings Open | Eater Austin

"I found Baklava House, which opened in March at 10205 North Lamar Boulevard, to be a bakery devoted to Mediterranean and Arabic sweets; owner Mohammed Tabbaa told the Chronicle he had long wanted to open a bakery dedicated to Arabic desserts. The namesake baklava is made of layered phyllo dough, pistachios, and syrup, and there are many other phyllo- and nut-laden treats including znoud el sit (cylindrical phyllo doused in rose and orange blossom waters and cream), several types of knafeh (cheese, bin narin—cream and cheese—and a version with crispier dough bits), chilled semolina madloukah flavored with rose or orange blossom water and topped with nuts, dumpling-like katayef filled with cream or walnuts, cashew fingers, and mabrouma, a crispy nest-like round dessert filled with syrup and nuts. Cookies such as maamoul (almond cookies filled with dates, walnuts, or pistachios), barazek (sesame seed cookies), and ghraybeh (shortbread cookies) are often sampled; the savory menu centers on manakish with toppings like za'atar, lamb and cheese, spinach, and muhammara. The shop is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., offers indoor dine-in seating, and supports to-go orders in person as well as delivery through DoorDash and Uber Eats." - Nadia Chaudhury