Mediterranean Bakery is a Middle Eastern food lover’s paradise. It’s easy to spend an afternoon here roaming the store and sampling the Lebanese delicacies that are cooked and served in the back. The store itself carries cheeses, olives of all colors, various kinds of za’atar, pastries, dried herbs, harissa, candies, rose- and orange-blossom water, grape leaves, yogurt, homemade pita, a dizzying array of olive oils, Indian spices, anchovies, tuna, soap, tobacco…the list goes on and on. Perhaps most enchanting is the fact that the owners and relatives of this family-owned business are always around, cooking, ready to help recommend a product or advise on the use of an ingredient, such that the unfamiliar quickly becomes the familiar.

Aside from the cornucopia of groceries, Mediterranean Bakery has a café in the back that is frequented by a diverse crowd of in-the-know foodies. Our favorite dish here is probably the menoushi, baked pita doused with tangy za’atar and fruity olive oil. Warm and earthy, it is truly wonderful (not to mention addictive). The spinach pizza is another treat: here, the pita is topped with cooked spinach, sumac, lemon juice, onions, olive oil, and cheese. Labne (thick yogurt), hummus, and baba ghanoush are all authentic and homemade accompaniments to the pita bread and the few meat sandwiches.

Everything here is simple, homey, and comforting. Even a chicken-breast sandwich—often such a throwaway—is flavored with olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice. Other Lebanese classics abound, such as lehm bi-ajeen, tangy ground beef atop—you guessed it—pita. But no meal is complete here without a pastry (we recommend the katayef, maamoul, and knafeh) and an impeccable Turkish coffee.