This hidden Akron gem may not be in the most aestetically pleasing neighborhood, but don't let that stop you from savoring fresh authentic Lebanese fare! I found this place by chance as I was looking a healthy option for lunch. I parked in the rear of the building and walked inside. I was greeted by the owner, a friendly lady who was very helpful in making suggestions as to the items on the menu (e.g., spinach pie, meat pie, hummus, baba gannouj). Seating is limited to a few tables however the store has ample space with a variety of imported products such as olive oil, cheese, beans, seasoning, and even bottles of soda! After viewing the menu posted on the wall behind the counter, I saw that red lentil soup was available and quickly made up my mind! The soup came out hot in a styrofoam cup and was a balanced savory cascade of flavor - not too thick while not watery. After finishing it not only was I satisfied, but more importantly I was spared the guilt of eating lousy. If you like Middle Eastern food and live in Akron, stop over to Sanabel Bakery and be amazed! read more

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I heard about this place from a friend and had to check it out! It's a small location with a few tables inside but it seems like most take food to go (that's what I did). To echo the other reviewers, food was amazing but it really was pricey. I totally understand things are expensive and prices are going up but I was a little aghast when she gave me the total. Menu said it was $13.99 for the lentils and rice special but I was charged $14.99 and it was $2.50 for a small side of hot sauce! That and three spinach pies brought my total to $25. That's a bit outrageous for the amount of food received. That said, everything truly was delicious and the owner was friendly. At least now I know what to expect for next time! read more

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The place is only open for a few hours a day, with only 1 employee working. She takes the orders, goes and prepares the food, then rings you up and moves onto the next order- so don't expect things to move quickly. The food is good but definitely overpriced compared to what i'm used to in the greater detroit area. The meat and chicken pies are preprepared, so i'd recommend taking those to go and heating them. The lentil soup is good although it was lukewarm. There are a few tables inside which is a nice surprise given the staff situation. Overall i'd say it's worth a visit, but not somewhere i'd frequent often. read more

While visiting the area for work, I wanted to get something I liked instead of the normal catering by chains. I love Middle Eastern Food so wanted to check this out since it was only a 10min drive. 3* is probably being kind since the service was so awful. The lady is a 1 person shop so she'll take one person's order then go back to cook it then bring that person their food. Then take next order. So there were only three people in front of us but we were inside 20min before we had our order even taken. The food was good but pricey for what you get. Let alone how long it takes to get it. Very strong garlic taste, which for me was a positive. Definitely won't be coming back since when I am in the area, I have limited time for lunch. Not the type of place if you only have 30min for lunch. I got the Spinach & Feta Hand Pie plus the Chicken & Garlic Sándwich. All tasty but for $17 you would expect more filling. read more

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It is just as the owner has gone on record saying, "Nothing fancy, but everything is fresh" (my paraphrase). I ordered a falafel sandwich from the menu. I didn't count the number of falafel in the wrap but there were maybe 3 inside the wrap. It wasn't fancy, but it was fresh. The freshness and how perfect the falafel were cooked is what stood out to me a made the visit a worthwhile visit. It also transported me back for just a moment to eating falafel in the Middle East a half a year ago. The baked goods and grocery food items looked interesting and delicious. I wasn't sure of most of what I was looking at but I recognized some food items. It all looked like very good homemade food. The store was very well maintained and clean. The owner was very nice to me and went out of her way to be hospitable. From her interaction with others it seems like she has a very strong and loyal customer base. read more

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The food is great and I can pick up tahini and sheep's milk cheese in the store. I like the tomato and feta pie with hummus. You may have to wait but it is worth it. It is a gem in the neighborhood. read more

I'll start out by saying that the food could not be better. I've lived in areas around Detroit with endless middle eastern food options and she still has the best hummus and lentil soup I've ever had. That said, the prices have gotten ridiculous. She charges almost $20 for a quart of lentil soup! Lentil soup is so cheap to make as there are no expensive ingredients. Obviously I could just not get it, which is what I've done for a couple of years now. She also doesn't put the price of the quart of soup on the menu. This seems deliberate to me as she has to know how egregious the pricing is. Oh well, people from the suburbs will continue to come in and buy hundreds of dollars worth of food at a time without blinking an eye. This is how she gets away with the pricing on some of her stuff. read more

Wonderful fresh Lebanese food made daily! The best around!! The owner is wonderful and the prices are reasonable considering the quality of the food. read more

Don't underestimate this local favorite. The Wednesday and Friday special is Lentils and Rice. Don't forget to pick up some of their fresh made hummus and a bag of soft pita! read more

Sanabel Middle East Bakery - Lentils and Rice - Bakeries Near Me - Akron, Ohio

This place is amazing--who knew we'd find it in Akron. We ordered falafel pitas and then went back in to order hummus, pitas, and Zataar to bring home. read more

Have returned to this place and yet again blown away by all of the delicious food. Basically tried everything on the menu and the zatar bread and rice pudding was delicious. The woman who runs this place is always a delight. We sat and stayed for a while and it was nice not being rushed. Definitely will try and return soon. read more

BEST LEBANESE FOOD AROUND !!!! I would order from her every time I can . The pita bread and hummus is so fresh read more

I've been going to this place since my grandma was still around. Authentic middle eastern. So fresh and delicious. Anytime I'm in town I have to go here abs stock up on my cheese bread and pita. LOVE LOVE LOVE!! read more

Stopped in for a shawarma sandwich. Left with meat pies. Spinach pies, taboli and cheese bread. Delicious,!!!! read more

Authentic and awesome! Awesomely Authentic!! A true "hidden gem" I found this place to be fantastic. Clean Fresh I'll be back! read more

Sanabel Middle East Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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Norma's cooking is exactly like my grandparents and parents. Sanabel Middle East Bakery is the place for delicious and fresh Lebanese cooking and fresh pita bread. read more

I was only in Akron for a month, but the amazing food and incredibly friendly staff kept me coming back every few days.

Lots of vegan options! Falafel sandwich, spinach pies, lentils and rice, za'atar, hummus. Everything I've tried so far was very good. Friendly service. Clean environment. And the largest bottle of tahini! read more

Sanabel Middle East Bakery - Spinach pie - Bakeries Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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Best kibbeh I've ever had!!!! And the baklava is amazing as well. My husband says everything is on par with his grandmas cooking. Definitely a must try read more

This is the absolute best Middle Eastern bakery I have EVER been to. I drive from Columbus, Ohio just to get food from this bakery. Everything is delicious- the hummus, grape leaves, naan bread, and spinach pies. I would recommend getting their early to get what you want because they sell out quickly! read more

This little place is a gem! Friendly little mom and pop place with great food and reasonable prices. Sort of a bakery, grocery and restaurant all in one! It is a little off the beaten path. I had the Falafel Sandwich and my husband had chicken shawarma. We shared the humoos and fresh pita everything was delicious! I highly recommend it if you like Middle Eastern food. read more

This place is WONDERFUL. Do you know how hard it is for a hungry Lebanese girl around here? I love getting carryout, and they even have a little grocery section. The food has such a great homemade, fresh taste. Amazing pita, and being a bit of a falafel critic, I can only rave about theirs. They have specials daily, and personally I love the mujadara (Fridays?). Don't be put off by the surrounding neighborhood. This place is a gem. Go! Go now! read more

This is my favorite place in Akron! Best pita I've ever eaten. I've been several times now and gotten the falafel sandwich, hummus, baba, tabbouleh, meat-topped pita, rice pudding, grape leaves and I never leave without an order of fresh pita to take home. There's also a decent grocery item selection with the cheapest tahini I've ever seen and a lot of items you would never find elsewhere. Arguably the best part of coming here is catching up with Norma, the owner of the business. She is seriously the nicest woman I've met in Akron and she loves her customers just as much as we love her! my only complaint about this place is that they're only open during business hours and for a short time on Saturdays. I wish I was able to come by after work to pick up dinner. Although if I could I would probably be here every day so maybe it's for the best! read more

Sanabel Middle East Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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Everything here is homemade. The pita , hummus and tabouli are the best. I got my first falafel today and oh man. Awesome. I wish I could go back in time, all the falafel's I missed here. And it's vegetarian. Can't go wrong here. read more

Sanabel Middle East Bakery - Falafel - Bakeries Near Me - Akron, Ohio

Nice little mid east bakery and grocery on South St near Grant. Fresh pita, meat pies and kibee. They have different specials each day. Shwarma,on Thursday. Only two tables so it's mostly take out. Very nice lunch option in Akron. Not many people take advantage of this place. Big oversight. read more

DO NOT EVER ORDER UBER EATS FROM THIS RESTAURANT!!! I order 8 items - 2 orders spicy meat pie, 1 spinach and feta pie, 1 order tabbouli, 1 order Kibbi, 1 order wheat pita, 1 order baba ghanouje, and a rice pudding. UBER driver shows up with an order of Tabbouli, kibbi, and FROZEN wheat pita. I am charged $27.70 for food and delivery with promo code. I called the restaurant they told me I could pick up missing items later if I wanted to. I explained I don't get out of work until AFTER they CLOSE. They kept insisting they only got 3 items over from app, but the app clearly showed all 8 on my end. I am calling my bank and stopping payment for the food and the delivery. UBER driver refused to go back to get the rest of the order because the last time he had to drive double and didn't get paid for both trips. Now he is not getting paid at all! read more

I've lived in Dubai for 12 year and I know what the real deal is and Sanabel Bakery is the real deal ! One of the best Lebanese / Mediterranean food in the US. The Baklava is to Die for. Great Falafel, Shawarma, Hummus, Baba ghanouje. And the lady makes her own awesome pita bread. If you go there you myst try the pita bread with cheese or the plain pita with the Hummus. She also make wheat pita's for the health nuts......... but if you know Lebanese food you know you don't want the wheat Pita ! Really awesome pricing. Great place for take away and she does bulk orders too. You do have to give some advance notification for that though. read more

Yes, yes, yes. Stopped in here for lunch today and what a treat! The owner couldn't have been nicer and the food was delicious! We tried the falafel pita and house salad. It was fresh and light! Loved it! read more

My sister raves about their pita bread so I purchased some. Wow, nothing like fresh! I didn't order anything else, but if the rest is as good as the pita...we ate the entire package by the time we got to Cleveland. read more

During lunch break from work, I zipped over here to check out the food options, and I was really pleased with the homemade food options and the service. My sandwich really hit the spot and was clearly made with care and attention. This is an order-and-pickup place, and the seating area is in the middle of a small Mid-E grocery store selection. I would definitely go back here if I had the chance... this was great find! read more

Simple, no-frills, family run bakery and restaurant. They make their own pita bread and freshly prepared cheese and meat pies. They don't have a large or complex menu, but anything they do, they do better than anyone else in town, hands down. Get there early for lunch or they'll run out of their daily specials, especially the chicken and rice on Tuesday (which is quite possibly the best lunch ever) read more

This place would have to be my favorite spot in Akron hands down, hence why i chose it for my Bumble Date. i wanted something authentic and delicious, and being Lebanese i wanted a taste of home. The place is extremely inexpensive and amazing, and it's also a very cute spot where we sat and talked and really enjoyed it. the owner, Norma, took so much care of us, and made sure everything was perfect, and also told us we had great chemistry. definitely recommend! read more

Food is excellent. Love their humus, fresh baked pita bread, homemade lentil soup, and their chick shwarma is a big hit. Owner is very nice. Just wish Sanabel's was a wee bit closer and I'd stop there more. read more

Sanabel Bakery is the absolute BEST middle eastern bakery in the area. The food is prepared to order or you can take ready to eat pies to go that are made daily. The rice pudding is unmatched! The wide array of groceries and beverages are convenient as well. read more

Went here for lunch after hearing how great the food is. This is not really someplace you would want to sit down and eat at. I had the falafel, a small side of hummus, and pita. The falafel and hummus were average. They made me buy a full bag of pitas as the hummus didn't come with any. Ironically, the pitas turned out to be the best thing I ate. Makes for an expensive lunch though. I'd buy the bread but never eat there again. read more

You want to taste authentic Middle eastern food? This is the place to go. It's absolutely mouthwatering delicious. That tabouli and hummus with the baked Kibbe is phenomenal. And the absolute best pita bread in Ohio! My lord Norma is one heck of a cook. Stock up on bread and put in freezer people! I just can't say enough about the taste! read more

Do not be fooled by the neighborhood or the front of this place. We got the falafel, baba, other salads, their homemade fresh pita bread, rice pudding and baklava! All of it was really good. Worth the trip and we live far away. read more

this place is great. but i am sick of businesses that dont update their hours! i just drove here only to see that the place closed at 3pm. i could have come on my lunch break but i saw on here that it was open til 4:30 so i thought why rush. please update your hours it is not considerate to your customers. it has been two years covid is no longer an excuse. read more

I have been going here for years and the food is awesome. I have shared this favorite spot with other employees through the years and everyone always raves about how good the food is. Recently we had them prepare a catered lunch and it was excellent. read more

This cafe/restaurant /bakery is the best kept secret in Northeast Ohio! It features some of the finest variety of middle eastern and Mediterranean food. The owner bakes fresh bread and pastries. The quality of the food is excellent. I tried the falafel, pastries, soup, shawerma, "Babaghanoug" and they were all. delicious. The prices are very reasonable compared to any other place, makes it worth it for us to drive from Canton for a great meal and for buying bread of come quality and taste. The owner has waited on us the four times we went, she is a classy lady who makes sure that you leave satisfied with the food and with the service, and always with a friendly greeting and a smile. A truly awesome place, just wishes that she opens one close to Canton, but until then we will continue to drive the distance, it is worth it. read more