Crushed Almond Bakery Cafe

What it is

A Turkish bakery café on Frederick Street where the ownership bakes what they grew up eating: baklava layered by hand, breads from the in-house oven, salads built with greens from the baker’s own garden, proper Turkish coffee, and shelves of authentic Turkish goods to carry home.

Why locals rate it

The baklava is the headline — local food writers have singled it out, and one bite of the pistachio explains the attention: crisp, honeyed, nowhere near the cloying syrup-bombs that give the pastry a bad name. But the reason people become regulars is the whole package: genuinely warm, proud ownership; a menu that tastes like a family recipe box rather than a food-service catalogue; and prices that treat the neighbourhood like neighbours. It’s the kind of small, sincere operation this site exists to point people toward.

What to order

Pistachio baklava and a Turkish coffee is the essential pairing — the coffee’s bitterness is designed for exactly this job. Go home with a mixed baklava box and a loaf of whatever bread came out most recently; ask what’s freshest and take the answer literally.

Insider tip

The take-home shelf is a quiet gem for gift-giving — Turkish delight, pantry goods and sweets you won’t find at a supermarket — and a baklava box beats a bottle of wine as a dinner-party offering every single time.

Heads-up

It’s a modest neighbourhood storefront with limited seating and a family operation’s rhythms — popular items can sell out and quiet hours vary. Call ahead if you’re driving across town for a specific order.