Middle Eastern Sweets in Mumbai

Middle Eastern sweets have gone from unfamiliar to sought-after in Mumbai in a very short time, and most people arriving at them now have seen one thing online and have no map of the rest. This page is the map.

Start from what you already like

Rather than listing everything, here is the shortest route in:

If you like cheesecake or anything with a warm cheese pull – start with cheese kunafa. Crisp pastry, soft salty-sweet cheese, warm syrup. It is the dessert the whole category is famous for.
If you like nutty, crisp, not-too-soft things – classic Turkish baklava. Layered pastry, chopped nuts, light syrup.
If pistachio is the point for you – premium pistachio baklava or havuc dilimi, which is denser and much heavier on pistachio.
If you came here from Dubai chocolate – the kanafeh chocolate bar. Pistachio cream and toasted kataifi inside a thick shell.
If you want comfort rather than crunch – Egyptian umm ali, a baked milk pudding with nuts and raisins.
If you are buying for a group and cannot decide – the 4 in 1 kanafeh box or an assorted baklava box.

The traditions, briefly

The categories overlap far more than the labels suggest, and the arguments about ownership are older than any of the modern countries involved.

Levantine – kunafa’s home ground. Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan, built around cheese and kataifi. Turkish – baklava country, leaning pistachio with lighter syrup and many thin layers. Egyptian – umm ali and the softer, milk-based end. Gulf – where the newest additions come from, including the filled chocolate bars.

We cover each in more detail on Arabic desserts in Mumbai and Turkish sweets in Mumbai, and kunafa vs baklava settles the question most people actually have.

What separates good from ordinary here

Almost all of these desserts depend on one ingredient: kataifi, the fine shredded phyllo used for kunafa, bird’s nests and the crunch inside filled chocolate. Nearly all kataifi in India is imported frozen and arrives weeks after it was made, by which point the strands are brittle and break into fragments instead of separating into threads.

We manufacture kataifi dough in Mumbai and supply it to restaurants and bakeries across the city. Everything we sell is built from that same fresh dough, which is the practical reason ours behaves differently from most versions sold here.

What keeps and what does not

This matters if you are buying ahead or gifting. Baklava and the chocolate items keep for several days in a sealed box somewhere cool and dry – do not refrigerate them, the cold softens the pastry. Cheese kunafa does not keep. It is a warm dessert and is best the day it arrives.

Ordering across Mumbai

We deliver across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. For festivals and functions see Ramadan and Eid sweets and kanafeh for parties and events. Prices are on the shop, and what kunafa costs in Mumbai explains what drives them.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as a Middle Eastern sweet?

Broadly, the syrup-soaked pastries and nut desserts of the Levant, Turkey, Egypt and the Gulf – kunafa, baklava, tulumba, umm ali and their relatives. The traditions overlap heavily and the boundaries are argued about.

Which one should I try first?

Cheese kunafa if you want the famous one, baklava if you want something that keeps, and the kanafeh chocolate bar if you have seen Dubai chocolate online and want to know what the fuss is.

Which of these keep well?

Baklava and the chocolate items hold for several days in a sealed box. Cheese kunafa does not – it is a warm dessert and is best the day it reaches you.

Are these very sweet?

Properly made ones are less sweet than people expect. Oversweetness usually means too much syrup was used to cover thin pastry or a low nut ratio.

Do you deliver across Mumbai?

Yes, across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. Call with your area and we will confirm the next slot.

Order Middle Eastern sweets in Mumbai

Browse the full range in the shop, or call +91 89289 05912.