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Al-Sham Sweets & Pastries
- Nearest Transit:
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Astoria Blvd (N, Q)
Astoria - Ditmars Blvd (N, Q)
- Price Range:
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$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
29 reviews for Al-Sham Sweets & Pastries
Review Highlights
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"that perfect baklava should have an array of textures..." In 12 reviews -
"...must after a very filling meal at Little Morocco next door." In 3 reviews -
"Especially the little pistachio ones." In 8 reviews
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29 reviews in English
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Review from Jack X.
Just... amazing
Growing up I always hated Baklava and the sort of Mediterranean desserts that were made of overly drenched syrupy filo dough. Just thinking about them gives me a diabetic shiver. This place however has changed my mind forever about Baklava and the like...
The place is open pretty late and it just looked like a run of the mill bakery with a small counter area for eating if you want. The owner is incredibly friendly and you can usually find a small crowd getting pastries in front or in the store itself. While the friendly owner is a plus, the real draw here are the amazing pastries...
The best description :
Lets start off with the standard pistachio baklava; it is incredible when you bite down you can hear the filo dough crunch and the soft flaky texture break, then you get a hint of pistachio that is sprinkled on top, followed by a delicate sweetness that blends in with the nutty and buttery taste of the filo and nuts together. The strong currents of nut and honey with hints of butter from the dough make this place a treasure.
Honestly all their pastries are great but the pistachio baklava described on top is just incredible and will redefine what Baklava is and the place it has in your lives.
Some other interesting items that they offer are the:
Kanafeh - looks like noodles with nuts and honey
Coconut with Mixed Nuts - MIxed nuts over a coconut paste
Pancake thing - uhh... hard to describe it is like having sweet crispy dough over melted cheese topped with pistachio
Note that it is street parking only so that is a hassle, I think they only take cash Im not too sure and that the fresh things come out I think on Monday - Wednesday. -
Review from karen h.
New York, NY
2/4/2012
The window has cookies and more standard American/Italian items but inside you'll find the sweet honeyed nut pastries of the Middle East.
Pretty little things - like green and gold petit fours. $1 each for the treats I tried.
I'm allergic to walnuts and yet enjoyed all the pistachio items. Some places, like Damascus, mix their nuts too much to be safe. I wouldn't risk Al-Sham if you have a life-threatening allergy, but I couldn't even taste walnut crumbs or oil.
Al-Sham is about 10 minutes from the subway, off the south side of Steinway, which is split in two here. -
Review from Charles B.
New York, NY
1/13/2012
Half of my family is Greek, which means that I'm 100% snobby about baklava. After all, Greeks invented baklava.
OK, fine... Greeks probably didn't invent baklava, but if I admit otherwise, I'll be haunted forever by my snobby Greek ancestors.
Jordanians didn't necessarily invent baklava either, but the friendly Jordanian dudes at Al-Sham bakery have perfected it. They offer a mind-boggling array of baklava variations, including a deliciously feisty cinnamon baklava, some baklava stuffed with pistachios, and a traditional walnut baklava that beats anything my talented Greek uncles can make.
(Oh crap, I think I just earned another ancestral haunting just for writing that.)
Some of Al-Sham's other goodies are equally amazing--try the little squares of honey-soaked mixed nuts atop a thin crust of shredded phyllo dough, or the coconut-pistachio cake. Prices are completely reasonable--most of the goodies cost $1 or less per piece. Whenever I'm in Astoria and need dessert, I skip the Greek places and head straight to Al-Sham... no matter how much it pisses off my Greek ancestors.Listed in: 160 meals from 160…
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Review from Florence K.
JAMAICA, NY
12/6/2011
If you want to give your local dentist good business, refer people to Al-Sham Sweets & Pastries.
These super sweet and delicious bakalavas will definitely give that horny molar of a sweet tooth the satisfaction that it wants... and that it deserves. Why deny yourself of these sinful treats? Go ahead, live a little, let that molar bust a nut! Then have that cavity filled. -
Review from Mohammad B.
Manhattan, NY
4/27/2012
I went in and tried the halawa-bil-jibn. It tasted okay, but nothing special. The price though was exorbitant...10$/lb. As I was walking around steinway, we passed Laziza, and I asked about the price for the same dessert, and it was 5$/lb. Talk about daylight robbery! Be very careful when you're ordering here.
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Review from Ravi J.
3/29/2011
Al-Sham should be a stop on any dining experience in the North African section of Steinway. Why? Because it's sweets are way better than anything that you'll get in the restaurants. All said, the verdict is still out on who makes the best baklava in NYC. I am convinced that there are better options.
The good: Beautiful display case of nutty baklavas, dense halvas, and overflowing kanafeh. We sampled a little bit of everything. The one thing that will make me a loyal customer (other than being a quick bike-ride from my apartment in Jackson Heights) is the sweet quotient: the emphasis here is on the nuts, not on the syrup. And that is a rare thing to nail down in these types of honey-filled desserts.
The could-be-better: texture steered more towards chewy, less towards crispy. I whole-heartedly agree with Atif I. that perfect baklava should have an array of textures -- crispy and soft layers. Perhaps one must time it to get a fresh batch at Al-Sham (fresh = crispier?) to really evaluate texture. I dunno. But I happily volunteer to come back at all times of the day for a little "quality test".
Must tries: kanafeh is supremely good with beautiful strands of shredded wheat on top. Walnut baklava had a strong nutty taste, and the pistachio on coconut was an amazingly unique item. -
Review from John N.
Manhattan, NY
2/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Out of the Astoria neighborhood, this is proably the best middle east dessert places and they have all kind of dessert to baklava to exotic treats that I can't pronouce or spell hehe
They charge by weight here so just choose whatever you like and they will put all of the desserts on a scale,. Personally I like the one with the coconut and pistachio nuts. Anything nuts is tasty to me.
I am coming back here whenever I need something sweet. -
Review from Cecilia S.
Manhattan, NY
3/9/2012
Okay, I used to not like baklava, because they were either unbearably sweet or had unctuous consistency. Everything changed when we accidentally walked into Al-Sham, and now we are hooked. It is very difficult not to stop by if we are driving through Astoria. Their baklava is not too sweet with just enough fillings and the dough is crispy and flaky. I was told that they make their own filo dough! What a sweet delight!
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Review from taiyyaba q.
Apex, NC
4/28/2011
Best part about walking in is the smell - butter and sugar and crisp pastry.
The desserts here are not too sweet. I'm a sugar demon, so I love things dripping in syrup, but these taste delicious as well. We tried the kanafa (ishta style), the shoa'ibiyaat, the baklawa, and a few other things. They were all very well done (though I wish I would've gotten there while the kanafa and shoa'ibiyaat were warm!).
I wish there was seating - it's just a grab and go place - but definitely great for lovers of Shaam-style desserts. -
Review from Atif I.
5/11/2010
Yummy... Middle Eastern sweets.... No idea what they are... mystery honey desserts.... can't pronounce.... All delicious.... cheap
That would be the essence of the 5 star reviews at yelp.
Who are these people? They weren't speaking Arabic (for a Middle Eastern shop) and while I judge mainly on food quality, indifferent service is always a factor in my evaluation.
I have been here multiple times, and whether on account of language difficulties or plain disinterest, there is no intent on the part of the servers to engage in a dialogue. On one occasion, the server was more interested in going back to surf the web than explain how the two versions of Kanafeh (Ossmalleya and Khnishneh?) differed from each other. (They are both equally insipid and, for me, suffer from the cardinal sin of being served at room temperature).
Serious Eaters might confer the title of best Baklava in the city to Al-Sham sweets, but I am in no rush to join them in that verdict. I agree that they do have more than a competent version - buttery, not too sweet, or syrupy, and emphasizing nuttiness to the same extent as it contrasts texture in terms of the crisp to soft ratio, however I find the layers of dough as lacking the necessary crispiness for a perfect version. In comparing the Greek and Middle Eastern versions of Baklava available in the city I find that the Greek ones emphasize cinnamon more and have a crispier texture in the upper layers (much like the flakiness of a croissant), whereas the strength of the Middle Eastern varieties is that they aren't drenched in syrup nor are they overly sweet.
Even though I am not a huge fan of Baklava, a Turkish friend did school me on the art of eating Baklava. The culturally aware see the separation of the top and bottom layers with a knife or a fork, as a faux-pas almost on par with "you know, all you need is a little soy sauce" (Joy Luck Club). Instead, spear your fork through the Baklava in a way that one third of the baklava is behind you and two thirds ahead of you (eat the piece in three bites). As the fork passes through the crisp layers of dough, one must hear the crunch of the layers and if there is no crunch, the Baklava is stale. Well made Baklava should melt in your mouth, but NOT because it is abetted by excessive syrup and is thus too sweet.
But, beyond the Baklava I struggle to find anything that makes me want to come back to Al-Sham. You can't serve Kunafa/Kanafeh at room temperature, and you will also find better versions of Kataifi or Revani (Semolina sponge cake with Honey - the Arabic version is called Basbousa) at nearby Greek/Cypriot establishments.
Even though Michigan may not be the first name that comes to mind when it comes to culinary excellence - you won't find better Middle Eastern sweets than in Dearborn. Comparatively, Al-Sham {the name in Arabic means Syria, and it's not unfortunately named, Jeff :)} has a long way to go! -
Review from Matthew W.
Astoria, Queens, NY
1/9/2011
This place is great. Talk with the owner to learn about his commitment to using organic and all natural ingredients as much as possible. It's delicious. It's better than Lazziza (though not by much), and it's probably the best middle eastern pastry place in New York City.
The owner and I had a fifteen minute conversation about the food and about the names of the treats the first time I went in here. I've been coming back ever since. It's great. Come here and eat all of the delicious food even if you don't necessarily know what it is you are ordering the first time. -
Review from Jeff O.
8/15/2009
Next to one of my favorite take-out counters/restaurants, Little Morocco.
Such a glorious spread, it is difficult to choose. Everything is made in-house.The baklava is nasty good and the cakes are doable. They are open until 1am on weekends. Wait, a bakery open til 1am?? Yes... Astoria!!Listed in: Astoria!
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Review from Angelique A.
Ozone Park, NY
8/16/2011
I was satisfied with the sweets at Laziza so it never occurred to me to try this place. Then one night I was at the mosque and I really wanted some baklava, but I was afraid I couldn't make it to Laziza before the prayer started. Of course I could have waited until after the prayer....No I really couldn't wait haha. I decided I could definitely run across the street to Al Sham and make it back in time though so that's what I did. O M G. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about the pastries. I got some ata'if (like deep fried pancakes covered in honey) both the cheese and nuts variety. I also got something else that I thought was baklava but when I bit into it, it was this amazing cream filling, a happy accident for sure because I think I like it better than baklava. Tonight I'm going back for sure. Of all the Middle Eastern bakeries, this one is my favorite!
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Review from David H.
Astoria, NY
10/31/2010
This spot is halfway between good and bad. The pastries are mostly good. If i get 6 different things usually 4-5 are good. There is always one that sneaks in that is oversaturated with butter or syrup and has a weird aftertaste.
The service is usually bad, counter person kind of rude but within the norm for the city. I used to go and ask for an assortment and they would pull 10 pieces from the windows with all the goodies and now they just hand me a saran wrapped pre made one. I have not been back since then.
Overall it's worth the stop if your close, it's probably not worth the trip if your far away. -
Review from Mike B.
4/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
"as if we need more goddamn food at Easter...oh, screw it."
for some reason, I got the brilliant idea in my head of buying baklava for Easter. I figured it was something different, but not something overly exotic, which my straight-off-the-boat Italian family would enjoy.
[look, it's a miracle they'll even eat Chinese food once in a blue moon, these are not the enterprising types we are dealing with here.]
anywho, I swung by Al-Sham on Saturday and beheld a spectacle: many various types of baklava arrayed for my enjoyment. the guy working there told me one rack was $12/pound, and the other one was $20/pound. acquired a 2-pound mix off the $12 rack, wrapped in several layers of plastic wrap on a styrofoam platter.
I liked that they were NOT drenched in syrup, and while they were all sweet, they weren't "hurt your teeth" sweet. overall, they were more chewy than crispy.
a nice mix of baklava varieties on the platter: pistachio, one that looked like beef Wellington (in shape, not in taste), walnut, one that was dipped in chocolate, one that looked like a sushi roll (in shape, not in taste).
the price may be a little steep, but for this quality it was worth it.
my family seemed to enjoy it. the old people complained about it being sweet, but my cousin Joe and I pretty much demolished about 1.5 pounds between the two of us.Listed in: Be the King of Queens
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Review from Katey G.
5/25/2009
New patisserie opened up shop, so went in to check it out.
It's full of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean desserts that involve honey, phyllo dough and deliciousness.
You can get a hunk of baklava on the cheap, or a platter of mystery honeyed desserts on the less than cheap.
Too small to stay and eat, but has a small beverage selection, both cold and hot. Hot being tea and coffee, of course. -
Review from Lara G.
11/8/2009 6 Check-ins Here
I've always been fascinated by that corner of the world that is Steinway, between 25th and 28th Avenue. So when a friend ask me to bring dessert for an Indian dinner, I decided to try out Al-Sham to round out the international experience.
The people behind the counter were friendly and patient as they explained the choices. I finally settled for a pistachio covered dessert with coconut (I should have written down what they called it) that was light , sweet and perfectly complement the Indian dinner.I get a kick knowing that Al-sham is just about ten blocks from where I live. -
Review from Olivia C.
Manhattan, NY
6/12/2011 1 photo
This place was awesome!!! The cookies in the window lured me in, plus the Yelp sticker they had on their door! (They also had credit card stickers on their door, and I saw one lady using her credit card). Got an assortment of items they were all weighed and it came out to $16.00. The guy at the counter was SO friendly, he told me what was in everything and pointed out his most popular items. I loved the crispy ring shell with pistachio in the middle, soooo good!!! (It's on the bottom tray). The coconut cake was not my favorite, maybe because it wasn't as sweet as I hoped it would be, but it was perfect for my diabetic mother. Next time I'm in Astoria, I'm definitely coming back and getting a whole baklava tray!
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Review from I. L.
Astoria, NY
1/30/2010
My first introduction to these Lebanese sweets were in Alexandria, VA, where there is a sizable Arab population. The ones in Al-Sham are simply the tastiest I've ever tasted.
Al-Sham's date cookies melt in your mouth and the pistachios are fresh and crunchy. Once you've tried their sweets, you'd never go back to eating those gooey baklavas in the Greek bakeries a few blocks away.
I wish they sell these in Kalustians... coz Manhattanites just don't know what they've been missing. -
Review from Sam Sam N.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 7/17/2011
I was here a few weeks ago and I'm totally sold on all the yummy middle eastern desserts! I loved not knowing what everything was, pointing at all the random things and in the end having the lady say $3! I just wish they had something like this in Oakland, CA.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/5/2010
I was here a few weeks ago and I'm totally sold on all the yummy middle eastern desserts! I lobed… Read more »
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Review from Diane T.
Astoria, NY
6/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place had me change my mind about baklava. Soooo good. Especially the little pistachio ones. Best baklava I have ever had hands down.
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Review from Derek L.
Forest Hills, NY
1/18/2011
Very nice!
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Review from Shameena P.
South Ozone Park, NY
6/16/2010 1 Check-in Here
Well Well!! So we were actually on a hunt for Falafel that day....( SATURDAY ) and i came on yelp as usuall to do some browsing and and made my mind up on Naomi's( closed ) dammit!!!! Came back on yelp and started calling all the next beat thing...all I got was closed closed and closed for most places! LOosing hope HEre;( Then came the brilliant idea to take a drive to Steinway!!! PERFECtO!! So We pull up to Hmm Hmm good Lil' Moroco!! Got 4 of em!! Lolz yeah I had no clue they would have been that big...me expecting the typical mamoons pita! But anyways walking to the car....bf's nose pick up a sweet honey pistachio smell..... And automatically like a spell we were in there! CLUELESS of course...first time having Arabic sweet....One of my favorite question follow...what's the most popular one? Points to the silver trays! We tell him..Load it up! So Freakin TASTY!!! Oh my! I never thought that honey, pista and dough tasted that good!!! deLiCious ;) CHEAP AND YUMMY!! that's all yah need after a killer falafel from lil morocco! A MUST IF YA LIKE SWEETS AND PASTRIES!!
P.S: I did come on yelp to check if there was a sweets shop better than this one and the had Laziza....went back to give it a try.....All I have to say is Al-Sham SHOULD be number 1 on the yelp list! In my opinion al sham has a lot more flavor and better looking( meaning in color and freshness) than laziza! But it's cheap so try both like I did and be the judge;) -
Review from Nikki j.
Queens, NY
2/23/2010
I have to say this place is the best when it comes to arabic sweets.My husband and I love all the sweets...:) I drool over the sweets in this place.I used to go to laziza down the street,but when this place opened up their was no turning back.You can taste the love they put into everything.....LOVE IT.
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Review from Kat m.
Astoria, NY
2/21/2010
A must after a very filling meal at Little Morocco next door. The baklava here are to die for; I've known so many baklava haters who've converted to baklava lovers here...
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Review from Jaime Z.
Queens, NY
3/26/2011
I am so glad I tried this place out. I have no idea what I got. I just asked for a mix of the baklava type pastries. High quality. Very very very very good. Visually attractive as well. Cash only. Take out.
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Review from Tom T.
Poughkeepsie, NY
2/6/2011
I just finished eating some of their baklava, walnut & pistachio... both were very good, walnut was a little better & it was INCREDIBLE. And it's not at all expensive! The guy must carry about 30 diff kinds.
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Review from Ms. R.
Rockledge, FL
12/2/2009
The perfect last-stop on a dinner-and-dessert run; Little Morocco for sandwiches, Al-Sham for amazing gooey sweetness that I can't pronounce, what more you could ask for? They use all natural ingredients and hand-make nearly everything, and it really shows in the taste and texture. There's a similar shop across Steinway a ways south, and even though some of the items have the same name, you would never know they were the same in a blind taste test. The quality of Al-Sham is incomparable to it. I've tried about a dozen different options, and they've all been amazing, but my biggest recommendation is the stuff in the shallow circular pans covered in what looks like crunched-up brigh orange shredded wheat. I'm embarrassed that I never remember the name. There are two pans, holding two varieties -- cream & cheese. The cream is good, but the cheese will change your life. If they forget to ask, don't be shy about requesting a brief warm-up in the microwave and a drizzle of honey syrup. As a dessert junkie, it remains one of the most unique and satisfying things I've ever tried.
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Review from Tami W.
Forest Hills, NY
1/29/2011
Great pastries; good variety. Highly recommended!
