What you’ll find at the new Sofra in Allston

The most important thing to know about Sofra Part Deux is that it is about twice the size of the original. It seats around 40 people and there will also be outdoor seating in the warmer months.

“The pendulum swung,” says Sortun. “We have built something really big.”

Still, on a recent late morning visit, the place was almost full. But I have time to browse the shelves filled with spice blends, granola, and cookbooks, ogle the prepared foods and pastry cases, have a friendly chat with a staff member about the good stuff, and place my order at the counter before slipping into one The wooden tables waited for my flatbread with red lentils and my halva latte. The audience is international; Eavesdropping is great (every other conversation seems to be about whether to leave the country and where to move instead). When I’m ready to leave, it’s difficult to get a seat, and two friends, with little cries of excitement, grab the table I’m trying to vacate. Arrive a little before the lunch rush: highly recommended if you can manage it.

The space is light and bright, with spring green walls and lots of light wood, the counter where you order is covered in tan and white geometric tiles that reflect on the glossy floor below. Tables extend along one wall to the back, and there are communal hightops in the middle of the room. Diners walk down the long counter and order baklava, date-almond ma’amoul, Black Sea cornbread and other baked goods. then breakfast dishes, flatbreads and meze; then tea and coffee drinks. They will be given a number to post on their desk so a staff member knows where to take them.

The great thing about visiting the new Sofra is that you rediscover the dishes you love in the original. The menus at the Middle Eastern-inspired bakery cafes are virtually identical, focusing on foods and flavors from Turkey, Lebanon and Greece.

“I felt that Sofra belonged to everyone in Cambridge. It doesn’t belong to us, it belongs to our guests. It’s part of the neighborhood,” says Sortun. “My big fear was that people would be nervous that something would change and that one would be less than the other. We try to keep them the same. We are currently focused on being consistent across the board.”

All your favorites are here. The counter is full of baked goods: the famous morning rolls with their floral, slightly golden glaze; delicate almond rose cakes with mastic glaze; Sour cherry crumble bars and pear and almond Bostock; a range of cookies including jam-filled Syrian shortbread thumbprints and powdered sugar-dusted chocolate earthquakes. Sweets include rye focaccia with preserved lemon and rosemary, za’atar-topped Mana’eesh flatbreads, flaky spanakopita triangles and carrot pogaca, feta and dill Turkish rolls. The triangular Turkish mosaic cake made with bittersweet chocolate, pistachios and candied orange beckons from behind the glass of a pastry box and is a perfect treat for the season. It shares shelves with yogurt parfaits, chocolate apricot halawa, chocolate tahini tarts and various types of baklava. You should take a selection home with you for later.

First is meze time. Half the customers seem to order platters of five cold mezes, including hummus, pepperoni labne, grape leaves, Moroccan-style carrot salad and the irresistible giant beans with green olives, lemon and coriander. Various types of bread and crackers can be added for dipping.

For lunch there are soups and salads, kebabs, filled flatbreads and cakes. The spinach falafel with beet tzatziki, arugula, cucumber and tahini is a long-time favorite, and sausage with cumin, orange and olives is also delicious. But I think the red lentil kofte wrap with brown tomato butter, cabbage and pickled peppers is the sleeper’s dish with its rich, contrasting flavors and textures. If you come here for breakfast, Shakshuka is a must, but don’t forget the egg sandwich with haloumi cheese, the cereal bowls, or the classic Turkish breakfast with soft-boiled eggs, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, olives, labne, etc. and preserved fruit. Enjoy Turkish coffee or tea, homemade chai, Red Dragon iced tea (made from green tea and sour cherry), or orange blossom lemonade. At the end of the counter you look into the spacious, tidy work area with shiny stainless steel shelves, where no one steps on anyone else’s toes.

The new space is the realization of a long-standing dream. Sortun and Kilpatrick had been searching for something bigger, a search that was paused during the peak of COVID and then resumed. The limited space in the original Sofra made it difficult to offer fun specials or holiday treats; With Allston now baking centrally, there is room for more production and finally room for the Cambridge chefs to move. “It doesn’t help customers much because it’s still small and crowded,” says Sortun. They hope to expand the Cambridge digs into the adjacent space that housed Violette Wine Imports.

According to Sortun, the expansion also offers long-term employees new opportunities for professional development. Pri Paige is now executive chef at both locations; Amber Gouveia, who was sous chef in Cambridge for five years, is executive chef in Allston. And Feyza Bayrakcioglu Ozden, another five-year employee, is now head pastry chef. With more space, Sofra can also offer more courses. Upcoming offerings include a root vegetable cooking class from Paige, a spices and sauces class from Sortun, and a Valentine’s Day pastry class from pastry chef Nik Mastalerz.

Bigger isn’t always better, but two sofas are better than one. (The large new production space doesn’t mean more Sofras are on the way, however.) The new location and additional seating make morning rolls, shakshuka, meze, and red lentil flatbread much more accessible. “We can reach and feed so many more people than in a restaurant,” says Sortun.

210 North Harvard St., Allston, 617-870-7915, www.sofrabakery.com. Breakfast $7.50-$12, Lunch $11-$14, Meze $2-$12, Baked Goods $2-$5.

Devra First can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @devrafirst.