Dar Rafiki's is a small bakery shop located in a corner of Dudley Plaza. Its windows are very colorful, Enter, and you come right up to the counter. There is a bench inside, and just enough room to walk around other customers without touching each other. They have croissants in two sizes (small and extra large), and a variety of shapes (croissants, cube, danish, bavarian puff). Seeing as whatever I purchased would have to sit in my trunk for a few hours, I avoided the dessert case with its tempting treats, and picked up one of their two cube offerings (Dubai Chocolate), a large Almond Croissant, a pistachio bavarian puff, a lemon danish, and two chicken pastillas dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon. I read that another Yelper suggested freezing some treats, so one chicken pastilla and the lemon danish are currently hibernating. I toasted the other chicken pastilla up and discovered that the crisped up phyllo sheets made the powdered sugar jump everywhere, so my suggestion is - cut first into bite size pieces, toast, then put a piece entirely in your mouth before chewing, in order to avoid the mess. It was good, but I have a first ever core memory that this version did not hit. The bavarian puff, almond croissant and cube were all well filled, yet none were too sweet. The croissant dough was tender at room temperature, and warm and buttery when toasted for a few minutes. *** When toasted back up from the deep cold, the lemon filling had the sweet-tart I was expecting, while the pastry was terrific. read more

Before going whale watching in Newburyport, I decided to finally try a fruit pastry. My co worker warned me that there are flavors that run out quick, so I made sure to be there early. It was in a plaza and in a much smaller space than l imagined. However, it was enough space to fit three cases worth of elaborate pastries including gourmet croissants, slices of cake / breads, and fruit pastries. They were playing Christian music when I walked in which made me so happy and made my morning. I ordered a mango pastry and my friend ordered the hazelnut one. The mango one was filled with an even ratio of mango mousse, cake, and mango chunks with a white chocolate like shell. The outside resembled a mango really well, with intricate detail of shading and colors. The hazelnut one tasted a lot like biting into a softer Ferrero Rocher chocolate - it was chocolatey, it tasted like hazelnut, and it had crispy tiny pieces of something. Each one was $6.99 which seemed fair considering how detailed they are and are decently sized. read more

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10 "Hell Yeah" stars!! What a find. Let me start by saying I was in line with 2 other couples, both of whom drove over an hour specifically to come to this bakery. And I understand why. The pastry chef is a genius. He has mastered the ability to balance flavors and keep everything light. Even the savory items are perfection, I had the spinach & feta and ran back to buy 3 more to go. The food is also excellent, not too overpowering, not too salty, just perfect. There is no seating and the plaza is a dump. The benefit is that the cheaper rent helps keep costs down, everything is reasonable read more

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I came up from Richmond, VA to visit family and this was the first stop we made. We arrived around 8am on a Friday morning and had the place to ourselves, no line! The variety of pastries was honestly overwhelming and it took us a while to decide. We ended up getting a raspberry cube croissant, small pain au chocolat, large almond croissant and the following trompe l'oeils: blueberry, pear, mango, lemon, strawberry and almond. The raspberry cube croissant was one of the most delicious croissants I've ever had. It was flaky and buttery with a light raspberry mousse filling. We're still working our way through the trompe l'oiels, but they've all been delicious so far. The pain au chocolat and almond croissant were kind of bready, with the pain au chocolat having very little chocolate inside, so I'd probably skip those next time. I would definitely recommend getting whatever cube croissant they have as they are so unique and delicious. I now understand why my family drives an hour to get pastries here! read more

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Finally came here on the weekend and there was about a 15 min wait which wasn't too bad but I felt bad for my daughter but she's a trooper and it was worth it she said lol. This is my second time coming and it didn't disappoint and I knew what I wanted to order. Once inside this small bakery you'll see Middle Eastern decor all over and it's mostly from Morocco. Now let's get to the goodies.. I highly recommend anything and everything honestly. I've tried their Dubai chocolate cubes which were amazing and nothing is overall sweet which my family loves. I also tried their strawberry filled croissants which was suburb! Like I said anytime I come here I also try something new and it's always good. Never a disappointment at this bakery and I highly recommend it. You can't go wrong with anything in here so be sure to give them a try. They won't disappoint! read more

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The little shop was super cute and cozy with the way it was decorated. The people behind the counter were very sweet and were okay with me and my friend taking close to 20mins to really consider which ones we wanted to get, which was nearly impossible with the wide selection. I ended up getting a berry croissant, a mango dessert and a raspberry dessert. Each one was SO GOOD!! Real fruit in the middle of each one with the mousse and cake inside flavorful but in a way that was light and complimented everything so well. I definitely will be back to try some of the others!! read more

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Finally got to try this bakery! I didn't know they had some savory dishes like, like chicken shwarma sandwiches and platters. I ordered the Chicken Killer, which has fries in it, garlic sauce, tomato, green olives, onions, rice, lettuce, and of course chicken! It was very good but I wish the garlic sauce was stronger. The falafel were awesome nice and fluffy! The croissant cube was better than expected- lots of cream and not dry at all! I also enjoyed the key lime danish and the little blueberry triompe! I thought it was interesting they also sold orange blossom yogurt and pomegranate yogurt! I got a cup of the pomegranate yogurt. Service was very nice - no place to eat there so make sure to take it to-go! read more

It seemed to be a very popular place with a long line at 9 AM when I arrived. Staff were super friendly and greeted me with a smile. They have a large number of options and I decided to go with some pastries and a turkey and cheese croissant. When I went to pay, I noticed that I was charged $2 more than the price listed for one of the items. I'm going to assume that they recently updated prices as some items had new prices written over old prices. They probably forgot to write over the item and they honored the price listed. Pastries were good and we ate them but I can't say there was anything outstanding about the flavors. I was surprised the croissant had some blue and red coloring inside. It didn't affect the flavor but it was odd to see. read more

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The most divine trompe l'oeil pastries I've ever had the pleasure of eating. Lines get long in this little gem of a bakery, but the wait is 100% worth it. Their pastries are absolutely heavenly! read more

Dar Rafiki’s - Trompe l'oeils: mixed berry, blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, and apple. - Bakeries Near Me - Haverhill, Massachusetts

I finally tried the strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry Trompe L'oeil and blueberry cube croissant today, and they are all fantastic! The presentation at Dar Rafiki's Bakery is simply stunning, and their pastries never disappoint. My favorites is still the mango, but I also got coconut and mixed berry that I haven't tried yet -looking forward to those! With my birthday coming up, I'd rather have these delicious treats than a traditional birthday cake. Truly the best desserts for any occasion! read more

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If you do not like to be treated with love and respect, as well as greeted with a smile, don't go here. If you do not like to wait in line for the most amazing pastries, don't come. If you are on a diet, skip it. Please do not hold up the line taking picture near their amazing flower wall...it's pretty. We get it. If you drool at the sight of the most amazing creations, don't go. This place is amazing. I am happy to live close enough to stop whenever I want. I do love that they have notes or instructions near the register. The recent one was not to leave the trompe near you in the car, and to refrigerate it for 15 minutes before eating for that "crunch". I am sorry to have read that late, cause I ate that trompe before I got into the car. If you can, please come by this place. It is the best. I hope they stay small, because their food is always fresh. I went by today at 12, and their was a nice line. I would wait in line during a snow storm for their pasties. read more

Dar Rafiki’s - Do not be deceived, these are huge. Ate half. The other half... tomorrow. - Bakeries Near Me - Haverhill, Massachusetts

Delicious, unique sweet and savory pastries PLUS Moroccan sandwiches, salads and appetizers? And great prices? This place is a gem. I enjoyed the cheese roll and spinach & feta pastry. The iced Americano was great, too. Friendly employees who were helpful. No indoor seating - get your fix and take it with you. read more

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We've gone to Dar Rafikis a couple of times and really enjoyed it each time. The pastries from there are so delicious! The trompe l'oeil pastries have been our favorites. They are so fun, refreshing, and full of flavor. We also really enjoyed their flaky and buttery croissants. Each time, the staff has been so friendly. The most recent time, the person at the register saw us admiring the foreign money on the wall and started telling us about them, which we really appreciated! The place is pretty small, which means sometimes the line goes outside when it gets too long. Also, the parking lot is fairly small with a 7/11 as well. My biggest disappointment was that their Instagram has a pinned post that they start serving trompe l'oeil at 10:30 AM. We arrived at 10:15 AM and went inside to check it out, and many of the trompe l'oeil were already sold out or had very little remaining on their trays. (i.e. in the picture attached you can see only one lemon and 1 cocoa bean remaining, and the peach, bananas, raspberry, and peanuts are almost sold out). Lastly, some of the pastries are a little pricey. The trompe l'oeil make sense for the amount of work that goes into them, but it seems like the prices of some of the other pastries could be a tad cheaper. Be prepared to really spend when you go here. Overall, we enjoy it here and will absolutely be back. Thank you for delicious pastries! read more

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Delicious croissants!!! Highly recommend going here to try the viral cube croissants I got the: -Dubai chocolate croissant; the filling was so creamy and delicious. I LOVED it! I highly recommend this. I wish I bought 2. -Cheese danish: I loved the cheese dollop and it wasn't too sweet. -Pain au chocolate: this was HUGE. So delicious. Store is small but the staff gets everyone in and out quickly read more

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We drove over an hour to this place to try their fruit shaped desserts. They did not disappoint! They were sooo good. A nice, thin chocolate shell with delicious real fruit inside. I can't explain how good they were, you just need to try them. My personal favorite were the raspberry, peanut butter, and hazelnut! The young girl behind the counter was very friendly and helpful. Even after leaving and going back in for more 10 minutes later (that's how good they were). The place is small, and I'm sure easy to miss with all of the other businesses nearby. It was very clean and all of the other pastries were beautiful. We will be planning another trip for more! read more

Dar Rafiki’s - Trompe L'oeil - cocoa, orange, peanut, coffee, hazelnut, raspberry - Bakeries Near Me - Haverhill, Massachusetts

Almond croissant was t nearly as good as most people commented. It was average at best compared to almond croissants at French bakeries

Absolutely in love with this bakery and it's staff. Everything is amazing. Very friendly and very yummy. read more

Dar Rafiki’s - Bakeries Near Me - Haverhill, Massachusetts

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Its worth the hype! Probably the best croissants and danish i have ever had. They have a great selection. Some of the croissants are filled with various creams like strawberry, blueberry, chocolate etc. everything is fresh with great flavor. If you go on the weekend expect a line. If you go early morning during the week they usually have low inventory before 10 am and you may not be able to get everything you want. read more

My new fav bakery! Do you see how big and fat these croissants are?! My personal fav was this nutella square one. I've already come twice in one week. The bakery is great for grab and go. They also have food as well! I enjoyed the falafels here so much too. Come thru read more

Dar Rafiki’s - Assorted croissants and lemon danish - Bakeries Near Me - Haverhill, Massachusetts

Small shop with stunningly good food. My favorite so far was the Marrakesh peanut-butter croissant. Chocolate cube was delicious and fun - everything we've tried has been good. Friendly staff were helpful with selections and seem to be dealing well with their crush of popularity. They have food too like falafel and shawarma - we tried to go on a Tuesday for lunch but sadly found they are closed Tuesdays. If the meals are as good as the pastries (and I hear they are), I need to get back for lunch. Note this is mostly a take out only place. I gather there is room for maybe two to sit though I don't remember noticing that. I would love to see them expand one day. Parking is easy, btw, as they aren't right downtown but a little up Main St with their own (shared) lot. I was thrown by the address which sounds like it should be in the middle of town, but the way Haverhill streets are set up it's far enough out to be easy (also far enough out that it's not really a "walk over for desert" place from most lunch places unless your looking for a walk). read more

Dar Rafiki’s - Marrakesh peanut butter croissant - Bakeries Near Me - Haverhill, Massachusetts

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I think this peace is insane. Everything is super fresh and great price for the value. The choices are fantastic. Go there and you won't regret! read more

Dar Rafiki’s - Bakeries Near Me - Haverhill, Massachusetts

Not pictured, but best Danish I've ever had!!! Everything is so fresh and service is great read more

Dar Rafiki’s - Deserts - Bakeries Near Me - Haverhill, Massachusetts

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I had to stop in here as this local bakery has been blowing up the local internet as of late. I went early on a Sunday morning. From the outside, it appeared closed and dark. I was not even sure they were open. When I opened the door, it was very busy, people shoulder to shoulder at the counter. Many said that they were "waiting for the cubes to come out". The staff here are quick and efficent! I went for a few slices of fancy cakes (lemon, chocolate, strawberry, salty caramel) . ABt $5.00 each. We enjoyed the cakes , some more than others and hope to return to get some of the famous cubes. read more

While they have an amazing array of pastries, I ordered the falafel wrap and was bowled over by how delicious it was! Probably the best falafel I've ever eaten Tiny storefront and easy to miss--but don't--you'll thank me later! read more

Dar Rafiki’s - Pastry cases - Bakeries Near Me - Haverhill, Massachusetts

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It's a hidden gem of Haverhill. Its small shop is tucked in the corner, and unfortunately, busy signage makes it hard to recognize it. I went in because of the FB posts. I had a chocolate Dubai cube, turkey croissant, and almond croissant. I wish I had bought more. They were awesome. The cube is really up to the praise given on FB. It's a croissant dough in a square bread container filled with pistachio something, whatever it is delicious! Almond croissant great too, the turkey is a let down even though it was a massive. Oh! I had their eggroll, too. It was okay, a bit greasy, but it's still good. I am coming back today to get more stuffs read more

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Great bakery. You will not believe it is in Haverhill. This kind of a place you'd expect to find in Boston.

Incredible bakery! Eclairs, pan chocolat, Mille-feuille, puff pastry with fruit... all fresh and tasty. And rose water/pomegranate ice cream. Coffee worth drinking. I wanted one of everything! read more

Dar Rafiki’s - Sign on door - Bakeries Near Me - Haverhill, Massachusetts

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Phenomenal food! This local establishment is a fantastic addition to Haverhill's small business scene! The lines seem to be out the door for this place, and for good reason! So far, we've tried a mix of the sweet and savory, some patties and the shawarma. Will definitely be going back here again. read more

Dar Rafiki’s - Bakeries Near Me - Haverhill, Massachusetts

Everything is amazing. I've gone back twice now. Each time trying different items. The lemon danish is amazing. The almond croissant is amazing but ever so light on the filling. You gotta try this place! read more

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The staff were very friendly and sweet and asked immediately about any allergies we might have (we don't have any). My boyfriend got the raspberry danish and the mango tromp loeil. I got the lemon tromp loeil and a chocolate cake pop. The mango had real fruit pieces and my boyfriend isn't usually a fan of creamy things (besides ice cream), but said it reminded him of ice cream and was nice. He said the raspberry danish was excellent and that he should've gotten more. The lemon was good and just what I had expected (I've seen some of the videos online of similar desserts). I love creamy treats and it tasted like a lemon meringue pie. The cake pop was super rich, fudgy, and dense. EAT THE TROMP LOEIL FIRST! (they melt and would become hard to eat) I only was aware of this because I've seen the videos, just a psa read more

Everything was delicious. I checked this place out after seeing a review from "What did you eat today Sir". My mouth was watering watching them try the different pastries. This place definitely lived up to the hype! Atmosphere: the staff are very friendly and helpful. The patrons waiting to be served or to pick up their orders were friendly and provided great suggestions for my first visit. There isn't any seating, it's a carry out establishment. I bought a Strawberry Cheesecake Croissant, Lemon cake slice, Blueberry cake slice, Spinach and Feta pastry and Berry Açaí smoothie. Strawberry Cheesecake croissant: nearly the size of my head. I shared it with my hubs over 2 days. It was delicious and the cheesecake was decadent but not overly sweet. The pastry was flaky, and complemented the filling beautifully. Lemon cake slice: moist, flavorful not overly sweet and hit the spot! Blueberry cake slice: not overly sweet, same moist and flavorful like the lemon cake, no artificial taste. The blueberry shined. Spinach & feta pastry: delicious! Berry Açaí smoothie: delicious, not overly sweet, tasted like berries and not sugar. A slight but pleasant tang which was the perfect balance. Highly recommend! Will definitely be back again very soon! read more

OMG...Banana Cube & almond croissant were amazing. Saw these posted on Facebook and I just had to try them... Will definitely be back read more

Dar Rafiki’s - Almond croissant - Bakeries Near Me - Haverhill, Massachusetts

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Pastry was very good. Tasty, not too sweet and always fresh. You can tell each one is made with care and precision. A+++

always love coming here! the fruit pastries are some of the best i've ever tried and not too expensive based on size and quality. the other baked desserts and tiramisu are amazing too read more

Wow - to say I felt blessed to live 12 minutes from Annarosa's in Salisbury is one thing, but to now say I feel doubly blessed to live 12 minutes from another incredible bakery in the other direction is entirely another. I had worried that the pastry cubes were a gimmick (they're definitely not - the pastry is light, buttery and the filling flavors have a very fresh, natural and balanced flavor). The croissant are not just some of the best in the North Shore, they're some of the best that I've had outside of France. We had some of their savory pastries, and only the filling in the leek and parmesan lacked flavor. But I can't subtract a point because the pesto, tomato and mozzarella tart nearly made me cry it was so good. I can only review the patisserie and baked goods, but I will be back to try the carefully curated savory menu of Mediterranean chicken shawarma and falafel plates. It's a very narrow space - you line up basically where the few stools are by the window - I can't imagine wanting to eat-in during busy hours... But with Winnikenni Park so close, who needs seating? On the subject of lining up for service, everything moves quickly and efficiently, and yet it doesn't feel rushed, the staff are friendly and will help you make decisions without making you feel hurried or that you are wasting their time or holding up the line. You can tell everyone there takes pride in what they do and it shows in every part of the bakery. read more

This place is such a great vibe from the moment you walk in. It's clean and well organized with a beautiful bakery aromatic that hits you immediately. The oversized pastries speak for themselves and are just as delicious as they look! Service is not pushy, they are very patient and kind, looking to please so very accommodating and sweet! Not a large space so make sure you get in line and order at the register, as they will check you out then build your box of goodies!!! Savory and sweet options available so make sure to read all the tags so you choose accordingly! read more

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i enjoyed the pistachio croissant but my stomach seemed to be bothered after several hours. could have been coincidence or something didn't agree with me or it was just too big! loved the pear, apple and mango. the parm and leek pastry was really good! i didn't care for the cannoli. but i am italian so high expectations there. read more

Dar Rafiki’s - Bakeries Near Me - Haverhill, Massachusetts

Fabulous new pastry shop. The best croissants and almond croissants. Lots of beautiful sweets available. I'll be back. read more

Dar Rafiki's is a little hard to find, but look for the deep yellow and orange sign in the Dudley Plaza. You'll be glad you found it! When you walk in, you'll be amazed by the gorgeous pastries in clean, well-lit display cases. WOW. We had a couple of savory pastries (tomato & olive, leek & parmesan). They were flaky and flavorful. Then we had a Schneck croissant (what I'd called a pain au raisin), which was fabulous--buttery pastry wasn't as dry as many I've tried. Then we bought a strawberry cream-filled croissant. It must weigh 2 lbs.! It's not too sweet and has great strawberry flavor. This shop is a gem! read more

PHE-NOMINAL! The double cookie/croissant topped with chocolate... delish. The pastries were fresh and artsy. And open late !!!! For anyone local, go! My only complaint ? It's long distance for me. I'm in Natick. Being in events I know the diff between Just Ok and Love! Can ya ship ? LOL. read more