Alexa R.
Yelp
I'd definitely recommend trying Buba Bureka! Burekas are savory pastries, and this spot came highly recommended. Two friends and I visited around 1 p.m. on a Saturday and were happy to find that there were only a few people in line and all the flavors were available.
We'd heard the best things about the spinach artichoke and potato burekas ($18 each), so we decided to split those two and order more if we were still hungry. After placing our order, we managed to grab one of the few "seating" spots (an outdoor small bench with a table rest and a standing table).
The burekas came out hot about 5-10 minutes later, cut into four pieces each and served with pickles, olives, three sauces (schug, tahini, and tomato amba), plus two halves of an egg sprinkled with flaky salt. I really appreciated all the accompaniments -- they made it feel more like a rounded meal . My favorite sauces were the schug, which had great flavor with a little kick to it, and the tahini. The tomato one was a bit watery.
I expected the spinach artichoke to be my favorite bureka, but the potato one actually ended up winning that spot by a narrow margin. The spinach artichoke was tasty but the flavor of the spinach and artichoke filling was milder than I'm used to. I believe the potato filling came with subtle caramelized onions, which was a nice touch. The pastries were perfectly flaky -- hearty, yet still light. I just wished there was a bit more filling since the edges were mostly pastry. I enjoyed the filled bites plain and used the sauces for the outer, flakier parts.
We also had the chance to meet the lovely owner, Ben Simon Tov, who kindly treated us to their new sweet bureka -- a brown butter sweet corn custard with blackberry compote ($7). It was smaller but delicious! Again, I liked eating the center with the custard plain and dipping the edges into the compote.
Overall, I enjoyed the experience. I'd say if you're hungry or coming for a full meal, it would be best to get your own. If you're coming for a lighter breakfast or snack, then sharing works well! While I probably won't come back often since I tend to eat on the healthier side, Buba Bureka is absolutely worth trying at least once. I'd consider coming back to try different seasonal flavors!