Restaurant Review: Sunbake Pita Bakery

SUNBAKE PITA BAKERY 10728 134th Avenue Instagram: @sunbakepitabakery Co-Diner: Tim Golem

I love when I have the opportunity to try something completely new that I've never tasted before. I seek out this experience as much as possible! Up until recently I had never heard of manakeesh, a Middle Eastern flatbread that is served quite a lot like a pizza. The place to try it in Edmonton? Sunbake Pita Bakery in Rosslyn. CBC Edmonton's Best Restaurants 2019 named the bakery as one of the Best Restaurants North of the Core. I looked forward to venturing to the north side to taste something new! The bakery itself is a very casual establishment located in a strip mall. I was quite pleased to see that every single business in the strip mall was a Middle Eastern shop or restaurant - a very good sign that this is the right place for the most authentic cuisine offerings. The store is large and unmistakable with its bright yellow and red signage. Inside you'll mainly find a counter to order from and you'll likely be dazzled (like I was) by the extensive nut bar to the left of the room. The space is clean and neatly organized with bright green walls. I visited the beverage cooler to the right of the the counter first, always interested in finding imported beverages. With a wide array of choices, I settled on a Vimto, a drink that I have enjoyed in the past.

I like this carbonated beverage because it tastes like fruit punch except fizzy. What's not to like? It's super popular in Middle Eastern countries and therefore is a perfect match for the food that I was about to consume. The menu is presented on screens and I wanted to do my best to order a good sampling of their food. The main thing at Sunbake Pita is the tannour pita bread. Sunbake Pita can produce 3,000 loaves per hour and they claim to be the only bakery in North America capable of doing so. Using this specific type of flatbread they make manakeesh, which is certainly the main thing on their menu. This popular item consists of tannour pita topped with various combinations of meats, cheese, veggies and spices. (Of which Sunbake only uses Halal meat and fresh vegetables.) It can be sliced or folded. It's similar to a pizza but with a different type of bread and without sauce. The main one that I was excited to try was the Zaatar Cheese Manakeesh ($5.25) because I'd heard that it's one of their best ones. Upon ordering, the man at the counter (who was very helpful) asked if I would like my manakeesh sliced (like a pizza) or folded in half. I inquired which was the best way to eat it and he recommended folding it - no arguing with that!

Served piping hot straight from the oven, this pita situation was incredibly oily because of the cheese - but in the best possible way. The soft, fresh dough was crisped in an oven, creating the perfect combination of chewiness and crunch. Inside was a simple yet delightful combination of melty and somewhat caramelized cheese (which I'm pretty sure was just a marble cheddar) and za'atar spice. This spice mixture is typically made up of dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, toasted sesame seeds and salt. Incredibly fragrant and flavourful, I loved the zingy kick from the spices and detected something almost citrus-acidic about the combination. The spice is quite dense, more or less made into a paste, which really stands up to the cheese and pita, never allowing any of the flavour to be lost. I found this to be an incredibly special item unlike anything that I've ever tasted before. Apparently this particular combination is typically eaten for breakfast and I can see it being an amazing way to begin the day. The menu consists of different categories of manakeesh; meat, veggie, ultimate, and chicken. I figured that ordering something from the meat section would help to round out my experience. So I chose the Meat Pie Manakeesh ($3.99), which sounded like their most straight-up meat version. Again, I had it folded in half as per the recommendation.

I have absolutely no idea what kind of meat is used. Possibly lamb? The pita itself was just as perfectly baked as the previous one however this one contained a very flavourful mixture of meaty goodness. It tasted almost sausage-like and was well seasoned. This manakeesh was heavier and bolder. I enjoyed it as something that could serve as more of a meal. I was surprised to find a Chicken Shawarma Wrap ($8.50 for regular) on the menu. Chicken shawarma is widely available in southern Ontario, however is less so in the west. Especially in Edmonton where the donair reigns supreme, you don't come across chicken shawarma all that often. So to find it on this menu was very exciting for me and I had to try it. Upon ordering, I was not asked which toppings I wanted (which is typical practice in most shawarma shops). Nope, Sunbake Pita was going to make this shawarma their way - and I were going to like it.

Made with the same delicious tannour pita, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. I personally loved that I wasn't given any choice in the toppings because I honestly prefer when something is simply made the "best way" or the "right way." And this shawarma was topped perfectly. I found tomato, red onion, pickles, pickled purple turnips (most important!), and healthy amounts of garlic sauce. The flavour profile was excellent and exactly what I look for. The chicken itself was okay with some nice caramelized crispy bits, however it was unfortunately a bit too far on the dry side. I'm not sure if it had been spinning on the spit for too long or what. If the chicken had been better this could've been near-perfect. All in all, it wasn't the best shawarma that I've ever had but it was quite good and exceeded my expectations. I simply could not leave until paying a visit to the beautiful nut bar! Piled high into pyramids just like in Middle Eastern spice markets, Sunbake Pita offers an impressive array of fresh roasted nuts. I requested the Assorted Mix ($2.89/100ger) and the friendly man filled up a small paper bag for me.

These things are gloriously addictive!! Included are pistachios (salted ones and lemon ones), cashews, almonds in various flavours, peanuts, red melon seeds, pumpkin seeds, melon seeds, kri kri, corn nuts, hazelnuts, and chickpeas. They're all freshly roasted and are positively lacquered in flavour. The mix is salty, spicy, and utterly delicious. I don't think I'll buy nuts anywhere else ever again. Sunbake Pita Bakery is special. They've brought something unique and incredibly authentic to Edmonton. The prices are impossibly low and the flavours are big and interesting. If you're like me and you've never experienced anything like these foods before, it is certainly worth a try. I know that I will be a repeat customer and would love to try some of their other manakeesh combinations.