Jerusalem Bakery

Fantastic little Middle-​Eastern bakery with classics like grape leaves, hummus, tabouli, falafels, etc. Their bread and pies are worth stocking up on. If you prefer to cook these dishes at home, they have all the basics to finish your meal (beanns, rice, tahini), especially those hard to find ingredients (baharat, curries, citric acid). The proprietors are a kind Palestinian-​Arab Christian family that regularly makes typical dishes that might not always be on the menu, so it’s worth asking if they have any specials. I can’t get enough of this place!

This place is wonderful it’s like a tiny Hidden Gem in Lansing. They have the best fluffiest Pita it’s like a little angel pillows, and the spicy hummus is to die for. I usually try to just run in to get pita and hummus, however I end up coming out with grape leaves and Falafel and anything else that the owner is cooking or has baked for the day and it never disappoints it’s all amazing. The location is a little awkward in the middle of Michigan Avenue but I’ve never had a problem parking, there is a small parking lot in the back of the building and there’s some side parking on the side road. The owner has also been very nice to me every time that I’m in there, she’s explained anything that I’ve ever asked and they also have some grocery selections, so if you’re looking for a certain ingredient or Mediterranean ingredient you can generally find it there or they can help you with it. I’ve never had a bad experience there.

Fantastic deli with a decent sized menu for lunch. The place is clean, informal and the service is friendly. I ordered chicken shawarma with fattoush salad, hummus and pita. I also had a Raspberry Laziza to drink. All for under $ 10. Fantastic lunch spot. I would recommend to anyone.

literally the best hummus and pita ive ever had in my life and all others are no longer worthy to be in my mouth. holy cow. if you go here and don’t grt the pita or hummus, you’re wrong.

Very good authentic food. Great for a quick drop in to grap a pita or sandwich.

Great authentic middle eastern food. All made fresh on the premises. Super nice service!

I had heard such wonderful reviews about this place, so I was really excited to try it… but unfortunately it didn’t really impress. I’ve ate at my fair share of «takeouts-​inside-​grocery-​stores», so that didn’t bother me at all. It was more so that the food was all pre-​prepared so you pretty much had to take it home and re-​heat it. We ordered: Chicken Schawarma combo (came w/​hummus and tabouli), Falafel combo (came w/​hummus and fattoush salad), and Samosas. All of the food was either cold or lukewarm at best. I will give them kuddos on the flavor, everything was tasty (after having to warm-​up most of it before eating). Prices are also very reasonable.

Great falafel sandwich. Hummus and pita bread can’t be beat. Also, get a spinach pie AND a samosa (they have beef, chicken and vegetarian — all of them, delicious. guaranteed.)

Great fresh food decent price ran by a happy family would recommend to most that enjoy Middle Eastern food

great prices and great food… family owned place… chairs to sit down and enjoy

I love the pita bread that they make. They’re cute little rounds of bread that are soft and delicious when warmed in the oven. Their falafel sandwich wrap is delicious and huge, with all the fixings (turnip pickles, tahini sauce, lettuce and cucumber salad). Friendly service too!

The baba ganoush was amazing. But it cost $ 3.99 for a half pound. Hummus was good, but nothing to write home about. Tabbouli was good but a little soggy. Both the hummus and tabbouli were $ 2.99 for a half poind. Also got a huge bag of fresh pita chips for $ 4.99 which was totally worth it. I got a veggie samosa for $ 1.49 and it was delicious.
Overall, everything tasted great, bit was a little bit expensive for my grad-​student tastes. It definitely has a family-​owned business thing going on which I love. I definitely will be a repeat customer on occasion.

Fresh and family owned! This is one of the best places to eat in Lansing. I have to get the fattoush salad at least once a week!

If you can get there in the morning for the fresh naan, you are in for a super treat. Great place, great food.

I’m a vegan and I’ve had a lot of falafel. Some awful falafel. This was not it. This restored my faith in that beloved fried chickpea delight.
The falafel was crisp on the outside, moist inside and soft inside. The pita it was wrapped in was flavorful, warm, stretchy. BUT THOSE PICKLED ONIONS, oh my goodness, those made it. I still think about them.
I also grabbed some garlic hummus and a bag of medium pitas, which I ate about half of on the trip back to Milwaukee.

This place is hidden jem. It’s a small store. They have a small grocery selection. Most of the items you can’t find at Meijer or Kroger.
They do have chicken kebabs, falafel tabouli, and hummus and more. However, my favorite is the beef samosa. These triangle meat pockets are so addicting. They are packed with beef, veggies, potatoes, and have the best flavor. You can get samosa in beef, chicken, or vegetarian.

It’s one of Lansing’s little treasures– Jerusalem Bakery has the best falafel wrap, but get it spicy! The samosas are bomb-​diggity, and there are a lot of great foods and supplies on the shelves. It’s a small, dingy store, but that’s part of its charm. The people who work here are always really friendly!

Before today, if you had asked me «Do you like falafel?» My response would would have been something unenthusiastic like «sure» or «It’s OK.» That is no longer the case. I apparently LOVE falafel! — at least when it comes from Jerusalem Bakery. The outside was crispy and not overly oily, based on the condition of my napkin after I finished. But the inside, oh, the inside! To me falafel is generally this kind of bland, gritty, almost dry dough that is deep fried. This still had that nice grit but was rich and flavorful. I want another right now. They were fried to order when I got there so were piping hot as I headed out to pick up DH. I ate one on the way and almost jumped out of the car to grab another from the backseat but DH was too quick and we had to pull away from the curb. But I really thought about making him (and the traffic behind me) wait.
Beyond that one rave review, there are other things I liked. The Hashwi was tasty — well spiced with the chicken mixed throughout unlike Sultan’s where they put it on top. The chicken shawarma sandwich was good — much better than Woody’s. The babaganoush was good with a nice roasty flavor. It was a little chunky for my taste — usually I like the eggplant a bit smoother but that is just a preference. I’d still get it again. I didn’t love the thick pita I picked up — more like something out of a grocery store but they had several varieties of flatbreads, so I’ll try something different next time.
Because I’ll be back — did I mention the falafel?

I’ve tried a few things now and am not overly impressed; perhaps, my experience is just an anticlimactic response to the rave reviews that persuaded me first stop in.
So far, the sandwiches seem to be the best menu item, but a tad pricey in my opinion (e.g., $ 4.95 for a shawarma). I can get 2 awesomely delicious sandwiches for under $ 7 in Dearborn. A (filling) complete meal would probably be over $ 10 here (and note you’re not paying for service or ambiance).
The homemade pitas: good, but it is a very different type of bread than the traditional pita (which they also carry, but do not make). There was no distinct flavor and I found the texture to be more like white bread than the pita I grew up on. Note on the freshness: I was told they were made that day, and they were pretty soft, but I’m not sure… purchased Saturday, the pitas we didn’t finish had mold growing on them by Monday night. That might speak to a lack of preservatives, yet I’ve never had wrapped homemade bread go bad that quickly.
The hummus (or hummous or hommos or…) was decent, probably better than most of the restaurants in the area, but again lacking any distinctive «edge». I did not like how these prepared items (e.g., hummus, tabbouleh, grape leaves) were sitting, quite lonely I’m sure, in the refrigerated display case. Some items were marked with dates of almost two weeks into the future! Individually prepared foods should never exceed 7 days, and I won’t go over 2 – 3 days on most foods. (Check your health dept guidelines!) On that note, I was concerned that I couldn’t see the kitchen; the dirty shop area suggests lacking cleanliness standards elsewhere. The grocery area had dusty cans/​jars and jumbled shelving with foodstuffs next to cleaning supplies.
Once, I ordered the «best around» falafel. I would like a ½ dozen please. «No, we only sell one dozen.» Okay, I understand you need to make it worthwhile to cook them… but how many are in one falafel sandwich? «Three.» So, can you make me two sandwiches without any of the other ingredients and charge me a bit more than ½ of the full dozen price? «No. We only cook one dozen at a time.» Oh, boy.
So, unfortunately I was stuck with 12 falafel. Stuck, because they weren’t that good… Actually, they had a nice flavor and seemed rather rich, but it was hard to discern much more as they were apparently fried in cold (or old) oil. They were dripping! And the yogurt sauce was so runny, the oil-​laden balls couldn’t soak up any of the dip.
I also did not share in the friendly atmosphere that others have described. Specifically, the clerk/​owner did not seem patient or helpful. On one visit, everyone departed to the back room for the duration of my wait. I had some questions on other goods, but was unable to ask them until my order was ready. I presume it’s a family operation (which I support), yet the vibe to me just wasn’t there. As it is, it’s no better than closer Middle Eastern places, and thus unfortunately not worth going out of my way for…

A great little spot. They definitely seem to know their customers and have a good reputation in the Lansing community. Unfortunately, I found the store layout left a lot to be desired… If you didn’t know what you were looking for and if they carried it, you’d spend a lot of time scanning the shelves that line the establishment. I found my pita and hummus without too much issue, but I looped the store another two times trying to see if they had anything else that might suit my fancy. I didn’t see a well displayed menu of their hot food items (which they seem to have, I think?). A local came in and asked for something which I didn’t see advertised anywhere and they seemed to be retrieving it from the back, which makes me think there is more to this store than what meets the eye.
The quality of the hummus and pita were great! Apparently a cousin of mine has asked them to add a spice to their hummus before and the addition got rave reviews as well. I’d definitely come back, but there is still room for improvement here.