The ultimate Lebanese manakeesh
This bakery has two things going for it: the ridiculously good manakeesh and the ridiculously low prices.
Manakeesh (مناقيش) is a round, Middle Eastern flatbread with toppings. It goes by slightly different spellings because there is no standard transliteration for Arabic. The classic topping is za’atar, a mixture of dried thyme and oregano, brushed with olive oil. At Al’deewan, you can find this and a respectable range of toppings.
The food
What sets this bakery apart is that the manakeesh is made to order, like pizza napoletana. In a giant flaming oven. Open flames lick the bread dough, giving it a nice char.
The manakeesh was ready after 5 to 10 minutes. I was intrigued. The dough was very thin, which is not typical of a manakeesh. It was more like a lahmajoun, a similar Middle Eastern flatbread. The base was crisp and almost cracker-like. Not that I mind. In fact, this is my new favourite variation of manakeesh.
There was a good amount of meat mixture covering the dough. I didn’t have high expectations because it looked dull and ordinary. I was pleasantly surprised to find it well-seasoned. Gobbled up in a few seconds.
Besides manakeesh, which is their specialty, they also have other Lebanese snacks like fatayer (meat pie). Lebanese imported goods line the aisles.
Pro tip: Za’atar manakeesh is $1.13 on Wednesday.
The place
The bakery is tiny and only has a few tables. It doesn’t score high on ambience but there is a friendly family-run feel to it. Their interior is reminiscent of a roadside teahouse. Most orders are for take-out.
Verdict
Paper-thin, crispy, flavourful manakeesh baked to order. Rock bottom prices. 8.5/10.
Practical information
- Name
- Al’deewan Bakery
- Rating
- 8.5/10
- Recommended dishes
- Za’atar manakeesh
Ground beef manakeesh - Prices
- Za’atar manakeesh: $2.83 ($2.50 excluding tax)
Ground beef manakeesh: $3.39 ($3.00 excluding tax) - Address
- 1415 Kennedy Road, Unit 9
- Hours
- 0800h – 1930h
- Date of visit
- November 2019