Sofra Bakery and Cafe, a Middle Eastern eatery in Cambridge, is truly a road trip for the tastebuds. From sweets to snacks, everything here is just delicious. Chef Ana Sortun’s other Boston culinary endeavors include Oleana, a much-heralded Mediterranean restaurant also in Cambridge.
The bakery has been on my ever-expanding list of places to visit for years. A recent write-up in the New York Times in its annual restaurant list encouraged me to bring the family for a late morning visit to Sofra.
My visit to Sofra
The address is 1 Belmont Street, which, although technically in Cambridge, is right on the Watertown border. Being a suburbanite, the ability to locate city parking with two little kids can be challenging. Luckily, Sofra has its own parking lot next to the bakery.
On the Sunday morning that I visited, it was crowded as expected. Even though it was a freezing winter day, there were a few folks sipping coffee and eating pastries on the outside patio.
Time to eat some sweets!
I knew I wanted to try a few different menu items while I was there. Choosing a few pastries and cookies for the kids, I also picked up a package of grape leaves, baba ganoush, and pita chips to go.
I tried two donuts, both incredibly tasty. The Tahini Brown Butter Donut is covered with a milk chocolate ganache. I typically do not associate tahini with sweets but thought I’d give it a try. It is simply heaven! Imagine the most unbelievable Boston cream donut and there you have it. But instead of being syrupy sweet like many cream-filled pastries, this is only slightly sweet. The chocolate ganache also complements the tahini filling perfectly. The texture is pillowy and, quite honestly, just fantastic.
I also tried the Persian Spice Donut. This was also very enjoyable. In most situations, this would take the cake, I mean donut. The consistency is dense, similar to a large apple cider donut. The sugary flavors work with the cake to make a one-two punch. My kids had chocolate chip cookies which they gave two thumbs up to. I also brought home a bag of Earthquake cookies. These are chocolatey and chewy with powdered sugar sprinkled on top, very addictive!
Savory Bites
Of course, my culinary adventure couldn’t stop at sweets. After enjoying our donuts, we took a quick spin through Mount Auburn Cemetery which is located right across the street.
Getting back to the house, my lunch consisted of their homemade grape leaves. They were very well executed with lots of taste all packed into the small grape leaf. Talk about taste, the baba ganoush was full of flavor and was complimented nicely by their scoopable pita chips. The breakfast and lunch smorgasbord at Sofra Bakery and Cafe certainly did not disappoint!
Inside Sofra
Sofra is small, with a line leading toward the cashier. The pastries are all conveniently displayed, easily tempting the customer. There is also a market with to-go meals such as the aforementioned grape leaves and baba ganoush. Other items such as sandwiches are available as well. A well-curated selection of specialty grocery items is also for sale at Sofra.
