Small delicatessens are among the greatest culinary finds, like diamonds in the rough. "Smyrna - Laz Bakkal" is one of these diamonds. An unassuming shop on Pape north of the Danforth, I was greeted with a smile and enjoyed foraging around the diverse collection of tahini, olives, freekeh bread, tomato paste, nut snacks and other items of Turkish provenance. As with most places, I like to practice different languages, and the cashier generously obliged as I employed whatever Turkish language skills I had accumulated from friends or from the Duolingo phone app.
As is the case everywhere, the human connection outweighs the actual thing(s) being purchased. The visit to "Smyrna - Laz Bakkal" was lots of fun, not only for the delicious products, but for the warmth of the staff. When I am out of tomato paste, I'll be back. Teşekkür ederim, ve iyi akşamlar!
I have been searching for a shop that sells Zeytin Ezmesi (olive paste) in the east end for a long time until I stumbled upon references online to a great Turkish store near Danforth & Pape. The store is small but quite tidy and has plenty of dry goods, canned goods, as well as frozen foods. The lady behind the counter is friendly and helpful, and prices are reasonable with a great selection of goods. My only suggestion to the store owner is have some type of branding on the windows telling passersby what they're selling, because I would have walked past it many times without every knowing it's a specialty store that sells Turkish & Middle Eastern food. By the way, the simit is fantastic. I was unsure how the frozen semi-baked simit will be, but after baking it the air fryer for 5 minutes, it had the fresh baked texture and taste, the outside with the sesame seeds was somewhat firm and crunchy (just how I like it) and the inside was soft and tasty, dipped in Labne with Zeytin, a delicious meal. Highly recommended.. Thanks for the great service. I will be back!
Hands down the BEST turkish store in Canada!
Summary: The owners of the store are really kind and professional. They were extremely helpful and fast in delivering our products. All of the items were received within 24 hours. Amazing service as well as really fresh, delicious, and top notch quality products! You cannot find such high quality authentic Turkish products somewhere else! This is now our favorite Turkish store, aka our new "Bakkal" (which means neighborhood store).
Details: This review is regarding our first online purchase from Smyrna Laz Bakkal that we placed yesterday. Within 12 hours, surprisingly, we received the delivery. We had a question regarding our delivery and contacted the owners of the store. They are AMAZINGLY FRIENDLY and helped to resolve our questions regarding the shipment. All of the products are amazing. Here are the ones we had a chance to try out:
1) Simit (Tukish Bagels) are amazingly fresh and taste like the ones you would get in Istanbul. Put some butter on it and enjoy a visit to Heaven!
2) Olives were amazing as well
3) The pastries are also really delicious and fresh.
4) The sucuk tastes SO good! Would definitely recommend it.
5) The lahmacun (Turkish pizza) is much better than the ones you would eat at a Turkish restaurant in Toronto. Really well made!
Overall a really pleasant purchase. Most importantly, the owners are AMAZINGLY friendly and kind people. I could easily say that their kindness is such a good reflection of true Turkish hospitality!
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John Patlakas
3 months agoGreat little spot! Laz Bakkal has amazing Turkish snacks, fresh pastries, and super friendly staff. Always a pleasure to stop by!
Michael Camarda
a year agoSmall delicatessens are among the greatest culinary finds, like diamonds in the rough. "Smyrna - Laz Bakkal" is one of these diamonds. An unassuming shop on Pape north of the Danforth, I was greeted with a smile and enjoyed foraging around the diverse collection of tahini, olives, freekeh bread, tomato paste, nut snacks and other items of Turkish provenance. As with most places, I like to practice different languages, and the cashier generously obliged as I employed whatever Turkish language skills I had accumulated from friends or from the Duolingo phone app. As is the case everywhere, the human connection outweighs the actual thing(s) being purchased. The visit to "Smyrna - Laz Bakkal" was lots of fun, not only for the delicious products, but for the warmth of the staff. When I am out of tomato paste, I'll be back. Teşekkür ederim, ve iyi akşamlar!
Adv Decals
a year agoI have been searching for a shop that sells Zeytin Ezmesi (olive paste) in the east end for a long time until I stumbled upon references online to a great Turkish store near Danforth & Pape. The store is small but quite tidy and has plenty of dry goods, canned goods, as well as frozen foods. The lady behind the counter is friendly and helpful, and prices are reasonable with a great selection of goods. My only suggestion to the store owner is have some type of branding on the windows telling passersby what they're selling, because I would have walked past it many times without every knowing it's a specialty store that sells Turkish & Middle Eastern food. By the way, the simit is fantastic. I was unsure how the frozen semi-baked simit will be, but after baking it the air fryer for 5 minutes, it had the fresh baked texture and taste, the outside with the sesame seeds was somewhat firm and crunchy (just how I like it) and the inside was soft and tasty, dipped in Labne with Zeytin, a delicious meal. Highly recommended.. Thanks for the great service. I will be back!
Ubi
5 years agoHands down the BEST turkish store in Canada! Summary: The owners of the store are really kind and professional. They were extremely helpful and fast in delivering our products. All of the items were received within 24 hours. Amazing service as well as really fresh, delicious, and top notch quality products! You cannot find such high quality authentic Turkish products somewhere else! This is now our favorite Turkish store, aka our new "Bakkal" (which means neighborhood store). Details: This review is regarding our first online purchase from Smyrna Laz Bakkal that we placed yesterday. Within 12 hours, surprisingly, we received the delivery. We had a question regarding our delivery and contacted the owners of the store. They are AMAZINGLY FRIENDLY and helped to resolve our questions regarding the shipment. All of the products are amazing. Here are the ones we had a chance to try out: 1) Simit (Tukish Bagels) are amazingly fresh and taste like the ones you would get in Istanbul. Put some butter on it and enjoy a visit to Heaven! 2) Olives were amazing as well 3) The pastries are also really delicious and fresh. 4) The sucuk tastes SO good! Would definitely recommend it. 5) The lahmacun (Turkish pizza) is much better than the ones you would eat at a Turkish restaurant in Toronto. Really well made! Overall a really pleasant purchase. Most importantly, the owners are AMAZINGLY friendly and kind people. I could easily say that their kindness is such a good reflection of true Turkish hospitality!
Oktay ışık
a month agoCommunication with the customer was very good and your products are also of very high quality. I wish you continued success.