Khalid F.
Yelp
I'm a big fan of basbousa/harissa, so I was disappointed to discover that my old haunt Albasha Sweets went downhill. I've tried other Middle Eastern dessert places in this area, but can' t say I was blown away by any one place. I do feel that every time I go to Prince Sweets the desserts are pretty good, so I decided to do a fun little experiment. I looked at all the dessert places in the area and found one I had never been to -- Nablus Sweets. I went there and got a couple pieces of basbousa (and my wife got some knafeh). I then went to Prince Sweets and got one piece each of three different types of basbousa: plain, coconut, and nut-topped.
After getting home I made myself a cup of herbal tea and had a basbousa showdown. First I tried Nablus' basbousa. It was nice and moist. It had a nice texture, but it crumbled apart pretty easily. It was sweet enough without being cloyingly so. In short, it was very good. My wife liked it, too.
I then tried a bit of each of Prince's basbousa. I noticed that Prince's version is harder and holds together better, but that it's also sweeter since it's drenched with more simple syrup. Having a variety was nice, but it's hard to say definitely whether Nablus or Prince is better. Both are very good. In fact, I'd say these are the top two Middle Eastern dessert places in this area as of right now.
If you want sweeter, then go with Prince. They have a bigger variety of desserts there, too. But if you want something traditional, sophisticated, and subtly sweet, then go with Nablus. Both offer nice desserts. The parking is tight at Nablus, but the interior feels more welcoming. Service seems friendlier at Nablus, too. Parking isn't great at Prince, either. If price is a concern, Prince is cheaper (average $2/piece vs Nablus' average $3.50/piece).