Sofra Bakery & Cafe in Watertown

Dish Mom came into the city one day to meet me for lunch. I had been dying to try Middle Eastern-cafe Sofra in Watertown, but knew I needed a car to get there, so I figured this was the perfect time.

Sofra has one of those menus where I wanted to try EVERYTHING. In fact, the party I'm planning for tonight, filled with different Greek-style "meze," was inspired by my trip to Sofra by their meze sampler, where you can buy a few different appetizers like beet tzatziki or Moroccan carrot salad. They all looked amazing. 

Dish Mom and I were swayed by their selection of stuffed flatbreads, though, folded and cooked on a saj, a griddle commonly used in Lebanese cooking. I went with the lamb shawarma with pickled cabbage, tahini, and yogurt (pictured left) while Dish Mom tried the creamy eggplant, goat cheese, and leeks. We shared both.

While on the smaller side (these are not Hot Tomatoes/Au Bon Pain style massive sandwiches-- thank God), these were PACKED with flavor.  The lamb was maybe the best sandwich ever (I know, I've been saying that a lot. But let me clarify: Mike & Patty's serves the best "standard" sandwiches, while Sofra let's say has the best "different" sandwiches). The braised lamb literally melted in your mouth, and the pickled cabbage added a sassy tartness that I loved. 

We couldn't leave without trying one of the decadent-looking pastries. And then when we were ordering, we decided we couldn't leave without TWO of the decadent-looking pastries. 

We tried the chocolate hazelnut baklava with cocoa honey and the "bee-sting", a flaky pastry with honey and nuts. Both were out of this world good. 

Looking at the menu again right now, I'm actually getting anxious that I need to get back and try some of their other options. That's how good it was. 

Walk. Drive. Run. Segway. Do whatever it takes. But definitely go visit Sofra ASAP for a unique twist on the classic pastry-and-sandwich cafe.