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    Sofra Bakery and Cafe

    4.1 (35 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Sofra Bakery and Cafe Photos

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    SOFRA BAKERY AND CAFE ATMOSPHERE

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    Angelina R.

    This has to be one of my all time favorite bakeries/cafes, not just in Boston, but in general! The staff is extremely friendly, and the manager is an absolute sweetheart, making you feel at home from the moment you step in the building! The cafe occupies a beautiful corner spot with lots of bright natural light to illuminate the spacious sitting area. It feels like such a fresh atmosphere, perfect for getting your day started or keeping it going strong! I consider myself quite a foodie, but the traditional mediterranean flavors brought to the table at this spot are unlike anything I've ever had, and they're just filled with a deliciously authentic taste that will surprise and inspire your palette with every bite! I didn't try a single thing that didn't impress me! Sofra is a MUST visit!

    Lamb shwarma
    Darian C.

    They have such a large pastry selection it was so hard choosing what I wanted. My boyfriend and I went in the morning and it was full of people it was so hard to find seats. We got the lamb shawarma and the walnut baklava. The baklava wasnt the best I had it was a bit denser than I liked. The lamb shawarma had good flavor but was a little bit mushy. You order first and the workers were nice and the service was fast.

    Pastries
    Stephanie N.

    3.5. Didn't quite live up to the magic of the original location. We are very hopeful that these are just growing pains, as avid devotees of the original location. Pros: The locatjon is quite nice and spacious, and service was quick and friendly (though there were a few small kinks). Cons: Overall, the pastries seemed a bit stale and/or like they were made with some lower quality ingredients (maybe the fat?). Of the four we tried, the savory pastry (pogoca) seemed to be the best, although it too seemed a bit stale. Something (the fat?) about the morning bun left a subtle coating in my mouth that tasted a bit odd. The chicken shawarma was okay, good flavor on the chicken inside although it was cold and the garlic sauce on top had an oddly goopy texture. The Gino's egg sandwich was more of a disappointment, with very little flavor overall, very unlike the original sandwich. Again, this location is still fairly new so we are hopeful that there are just some kinks that need to be worked out.

    Deborah C.

    I was excited to try out Sofra's second location, since the first is a little out of the way for me. We came on a weekday morning and it was pretty busy. You order at the counter, where you receive a number to bring to your table and they bring your order to you. The ambience got a little too loud for my liking, which is obviously a personal preference. We ordered the shakshuka, a pastry, and two drinks. The food came out pretty quickly, but it seems they forgot about our drinks because someone came to check on what we were still waiting for and I saw them make our drinks and bring them over shortly after. It felt like they were still figuring things out with being newly opened. I probably wouldn't come back to this location, but if I'm ever in the area I'd give their original location a try.

    Winter B.

    Thoroughly enjoyed my visit to sofra today! The food menu was extensive, a little bit overwhelming trying to decide what to get. My mom ordered an egg sandwich with halloumi which she loved and I got the mezze platter which was also great. You could choose the 5 sides you wanted on it. The beet tzatziki and tahini hummus were my favorites. It doesn't come with anything to dip so you do have to order a pita on the side. A must get was the Black Sea cornbread, I really enjoyed this. Different than your typical cornbread. Would definitely get that again. The desserts we got were good as well but nothing super standout. Nice restaurant. Very cute place to sit and do work or to bring friends. You order at a counter and then they bring the food out which came pretty fast. I will definitely be back here!

    Sarah S.

    I'm new to Boston and live in the Allston, so sometimes I feel I'm left out on my side of the Charles with coffee and pastry shops. I happened to stumble upon an article about Sofra and was excited to check them out. I went on the weekend, and the place was BUSY by mid-morning. Even though this is a bigger location, there doesn't seem to be enough seating to fit the need, so I took some pastries to-go. The line does move quickly and the staff are friendly. I think the pastries and food is reasonably price where it won't cost an arm and a leg to enjoy. I've enjoyed all the pastries I ordered (the orange blossom morning bun, the pistachio and saffron roll, saffron sugared cookies), but my favorite has been the ginger molasses cookies. (I loved them enough that I order 2 dozen to bring to Thanksgiving this year). I have also tried the orange blossom lemonade which balances sweet and tartness nicely (on a busy morning the drink did take about 10 minutes to reach me, but I was forewarned when I ordered). I do eventually want to try other foods, but will need to come earlier in the morning in order to grab a table.

    Zatar
    Alice Z.

    My favorite brunch place serving Mediterranean inspired pastries. Great drinks although slim on seating on the weekends due to popularity. Order at the register and service is pretty good, but recommend getting stuff to go and eating at a park or at the outside tables.

    Annie G.

    I have been looking at this bakery for a while and finally got to come and try. There are so many canned seasonings and specialty items featuring middle eastern food, which is super exciting. The service is nice, you can see the cooking line in there, and pick which ever meze you want to assemble a plate. I wasn't very hungry so just had the hummus. The flavor was great, but I felt that it wasn't that much different from what I get from grocery store... I was more looking for a taste with lots of tahini and creaminess in there. Didn't try other things, but seems other customers also like the baked items. Would like to give it a try next time.

    Stuffed "flatbread"?

    So exited to hear about this second location of one of my favorite cafes! The space is really bright and airy with excellent service. No more strategic maneuvering just to get a table! But the stuffed flatbread was very disappointing. It was served on a thin cold cracker that looked premade from the fridge, nothing at all like flatbread. It was impossible to eat as the cracker broke apart, dumping the filling everywhere. Soon the cracker got gummy with the beet tzatziki so it was even hard to even use a fork and knife. Seems like an odd mis-step for one of their iconic dishes, next time I'll verify what they term "flatbread" before ordering.

    Cilbir
    Neha P.

    The selection of food, dips, and pastries was so amazing and had tons of variety! Loved the cilbir, whipped feta, Black Sea cornbread, and Shakshuka. This location is large with a good amount of indoor seating. Quick and friendly service. Recommend going with a group and sharing plates family style

    Sweets

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    11 months ago

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    6 months ago

    I love Sofra! The food continues to blow me away. Parking can be difficult and the space can also get crowded quickly

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    1 year ago

    This is a lovely cafe with great food options and friendly staff. I definitely want to come back for lunch next time.

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Kind staff, but pretty rare for a cafe to not have public WiFi these days. Food was good, but expensive for small portions.

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    1 year ago

    Always a sure bet! Theres almost always a line but they are definitely worth the wait

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    Bar Vlaha - Paidakia Tray

    Bar Vlaha

    4.4(172 reviews)
    1.7 mi

    First time at Bar Vlaha with a friend- overall, solid but not life changing…read more We started with spreads and bread and we got the trio: Kopanisti (whipped feta), Melitzanosalata (charred eggplant), and Taramosalata (carp roe). The dips were all good. The whipped feta was creamy, the eggplant had that nice smoky depth and the taramosalata was super interesting, very briny in the best "yes, this is definitely roe" kind of way. Only note is that the Horiatiko Psomi (house bread) could've been warm/toasted for my preference especially given the price of the dips, I expected the bread to be a little more elevated too Then we got the Lahanodolmades (cabbage stuffed with beef and pork, rice, mint, avgolemono). Well seasoned, the cabbage was tender without falling apart and that lemony avgolemono sauce tied everything together- it was bright and savory. For mains, we shared the Moschari me Damaskina (red wine-braised beef cheeks with prunes, trahanas) and Arni stin Souvla (slow-roasted lamb leg). The beef cheek was ridiculously tender- like barely touch it and it falls apart. Rich, slightly sweet from the prunes, with that warm spice note of the cinnamon that balanced the tomato acidity really nicely. The lamb was cooked well and definitely tasty but nothing super extravagant compared to other Greek lamb dishes I've had. Still really yummy especially with the onions and a squeeze of lemon cutting through the lamb. Portion-wise, the pricing felt a little high for what you get but the ambience is beautiful, definitely a great date night spot. Low lighting, cozy, feels elevated without being stuffy

    Excellent service and food taste and presentation. The beet ginger beer and mezcal negroni were…read moreoutstanding. Our plates were constantly being cleared, not necessarily a bad thing given the amount we ordered, but it was clear we were being timed to turn our table over. We purposely went as 4 people so we could enjoy more plates and not feel as rushed given the table time limits.

    Photos
    Bar Vlaha - Ambience at 5pm

    Ambience at 5pm

    Bar Vlaha - Dessert sampler

    Dessert sampler

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    Cafe Vanak - Hummus

    Cafe Vanak

    4.4(116 reviews)
    2.0 mi
    Halal
    Kosher

    Great for a tasty Persian lunch or dinner! Highly recommended. The staff is super friendly too…read more Sofia was great. Also check out their store and the greek market on the opposite corner. Fun couple of blocks.

    I was genuinely looking forward to trying Cafe Vanak today, especially because I've enjoyed Persian…read morefood for years through close friends and had heard great things about this place. Unfortunately, my first experience did not reflect the many positive reviews. When I walked in, the first thing I was asked was "pickup?" I politely said no, that I wanted to place an order. I had to repeat myself several times, and the older woman at the counter either seemed frustrated, distracted, or maybe just having a rough day. There was little direction given to a first-time customer, and I found myself awkwardly trying to figure out where the menu board was and how the ordering process worked. Eventually, I stepped aside to look over the menu. The older woman continued helping the customers in front of me, which was completely understandable. What confused me was that the younger employee made eye contact with me, nodded toward me as if acknowledging I needed help, then asked if anyone had helped me yet. I explained that the other employee was probably about to, but needed a moment. Before I could even finish, she cut me off and said, "Oh, she can help you then," and immediately went back to scrolling on her phone while I continued standing there waiting. That was the disappointing part for me. If you ask who's next at the register, acknowledge someone is waiting, and another employee is already busy helping others, it creates a poor first impression when the available employee chooses not to assist and instead goes back to their phone. It came across as a lack of urgency and customer service. Maybe it was just an off day. I'm not writing this to attack the business because the food may very well be excellent, and clearly many people love this place. But first impressions matter, especially for new customers walking in excited to try your establishment for the first time. I truly hope the service experience improves because I wanted to like this place a lot more than I did today.

    Photos
    Cafe Vanak
    Cafe Vanak - Saffron Chicken with Barberry Rice

    Saffron Chicken with Barberry Rice

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    Sofra Bakery and Cafe - bakeries - Updated May 2026

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