TLDR: The Shaabiyat was ok, but the cream was a bit hard, not soft and smooth. The cannoli are only filled at the ends, the centre is hollow. I did not find the service warm nor welcoming. Decor is lovely though.
I've had Baklawa King on my list of places to try. It's a chain, so I wasn't really in a hurry, although it's the only location in Ottawa. Most are in the GTA. I'm glad I satisfied my curiosity, but I was disappointed with my experience.
I do not know if the man who served me was having a bad day or perhaps he always has a dour demeanour, and while he did not say anything rude to me, he was not particularly friendly nor warm and I can't say that I felt welcomed.
I looked around and didn't see any baklava with cream inside, which is my favourite type, so I asked the man if they had any. He said he had some in the fridge, but they were made yesterday. I hesitated a bit because I preferred something freshly made the same day. He insisted they were still good and said he would grab the tray to show me. He did and I asked him how much they were. He said it was "by weight" but didn't say how much per pound or kilogram, lol. I said I'll take 2 pieces. I also got a pistachio cannolo for my husband (he's not a fan of baklava).
The 2 cream filled baklava (shaabiyat) were $2.75 each and the cannolo was $4.75.
The shaabiyat were ok, but the cream was hard, and not soft and creamy like I like it. The pastry was also too honey-soaked for my liking. The cannolo was hollow at the centre! They only pipe cream into the ends! The whole thing is not filled. My husband was disappointed. He also commented that the pastry ends were soft and the centre was crunchy. I have had cannoli at other places where the entire pastry is filled yet the pastry remains crunchy.
Perhaps their cakes or fresh baklava in the displays are better.
The man did wear a glove when handling my food, so bonus points for that.
The inside of the bakery is beautiful. It would be a great place for a date or to catch up with friends. The decor is very nice. They even have a patio outside which looked lovely.
They are in a strip mall. There's plenty of free parking in the strip mall parking lot. read more