Tabet's Bakery

Tabet's Bakery on Sydney Road in Brunswick calls itself Melbourne's first Lebanese bakery, and it has been going since 1991. It's a family-run place, small and easy to walk past, but locals who know it keep coming back for the manoush, the Lebanese pizzas and the pies.

The food is the draw. Dough comes fresh from the oven, hot and soft, and the toppings get plenty of praise. People talk about the zaatar manoush, the lahm bi ajeen, the meat and cheese pizza and the olive pizza, along with spinach pies, cheese pies and halloumi cheese pies. One local who has been travelling to Brunswick for their Lebanese baking for more than thirty years says the quality has held up, and another reckons the zaatar manoush here beats every other place they've tried. There's a sweet option too, with a Nutella pizza that gets a mention as a good way to finish a meal.

Portions are generous and the prices are friendly. One couple said a shared pizza order left them with leftovers, which is the sort of value that keeps a small bakery busy. Coffee gets a good word as well, and it pairs nicely with a manoush at breakfast or a quick lunch.

Hospitality is the other thing people mention. The staff at the counter come across as welcoming and chatty, and more than one visitor who stopped on a whim ended up chatting with the family and leaving happy. We've heard the odd grumble too, with one long-time customer disappointed by the tabbouleh on a single visit, but the pies and pizzas are where the praise lands.

You can dine in, take away or have it delivered, and they also do catering and custom cake orders. There's free street parking nearby, and card and mobile payments are accepted. They're open most of the day, every day, but check the hours before you head in. If you're after a Lebanese bakery in Brunswick, Victoria, this is a good place to start.