Family owned since 1990 · 12719 Lorain Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44111

Assad's Bakery & Mediterranean Cuisine

A scratch bakery, a hot Lebanese deli, and Northeast Ohio's Mediterranean import pantry — all under one roof on Cleveland's west side since 1990. Quality ingredients, from scratch. That's our recipe.

Visit Assad's Bakery

Address
12719 Lorain Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44111
West Side Cleveland · between West 117th and West 130th
Hours
Monday – Saturday: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Phone & fax
Phone: 216-251-5777
Fax: 216-251-6523
Social
Instagram: @assadsbakery
Facebook: Assad's Bakery

Cuisine: Lebanese, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Levantine. Price range: $$. Free on-site parking. Cash and major credit cards accepted.

Our story — thirty-six years on Lorain Avenue

Assad's Bakery is a family-owned Lebanese and Mediterranean bakery, hot deli, and import marketplace at 12719 Lorain Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio. The Assad family opened the first pita oven on Lorain in 1990 and has run the business in the same building, with the same recipes, for thirty-six years.

Three "houses" live under one roof: the bakery (scratch-baked pocket pita, spinach pies, meat pies, zaatar, kibbee, and cheese breads), the hot deli and grille (slow-cooked beef and chicken shawarma off the spit, hand-rolled falafel, shish kabob, kafta, and a pastry case of knafa, koullage, and baklava), and the marketplace (Northeast Ohio's Mediterranean pantry — olive oils, olives, regional dairy, spices, coffee, tea, sweets, and hookahs).

Voice and promise from the family: Quality ingredients and from scratch — that's our recipe. The same neighbors who came in for pita then bring their grandchildren for shawarma now. We owe them every loaf. — The Assad family, Lorain Avenue, Cleveland.

Timeline

  • Before 1990 — Carried from the Levant. Family recipes for pocket pita, knafa, koullage, and kibbee carried across continents before there was ever an oven on Lorain.
  • 1990 — The first oven. The bakery opens on Lorain Avenue with a single pita oven and a promise: quality ingredients, from scratch, every day.
  • 1995 — The grille goes live. The hot deli opens — slow-cooked rotisserie shawarma, hand-rolled falafel, kafta and kabob over open flame.
  • 2003 — The pantry expands. Sourcing trips abroad fill the shelves with regional olive oils, dairy, preserves, and spices.
  • 2010 — Wholesale comes online. Grocers and restaurants across the region begin carrying Assad's pita and pies.
  • 2018 — The pastry case. House-made knafa and koullage join baklava and ma'amoul; dessert becomes its own destination.
  • 2026 — The whole family, still. Same address, same family, neighbors bringing grandchildren.

The pita oven — the freshness engine

Scratch dough, a high-heat tunnel oven, and a conveyor that turns out pocket after pocket of fresh pita. Six days a week, before the city wakes up. Bags head to the case, the deli, and grocers across Northeast Ohio by lunch.

  1. Mix. Flour, water, yeast, salt — by the kilo, every morning.
  2. Proof. Dough rests until alive, springy, lightly aromatic.
  3. Sheet & cut. Rolled flat and portioned into discs by hand.
  4. Conveyor. Discs glide into the high-heat tunnel oven on a belt.
  5. Puff. The pocket inflates in seconds against the radiant heat.
  6. Bag. Cooled, counted, and bagged for the case and the trucks.

By the numbers: 1,200+ bags baked before noon · tunnel oven peaks near 700°F · 36 years on the same recipe · zero preservatives, ever.

The marketplace — Northeast Ohio's Mediterranean pantry

Two hundred-plus imports in stock at any moment. Olives by the barrel, oils by the tin, dairy by the case. Walk in for one thing, leave with the week.

Aisle 01 — The Olive Oils

Liquid gold from the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine. Single-source bottles and bulk tins — the shelf the chefs come for. Stock: Nablus single-origin · Palestinian extra-virgin tins · bulk gallons and jugs · pressed-this-season jars.

Aisle 02 — Olives, Pickles & Preserves

House-brined olives, pickled turnip, eggplant makdous, grape leaves by the jar, and regional preserves. Stock: Castelvetrano and green olives by the barrel · pickled turnip · makdous · stuffed eggplant.

Aisle 03 — The Specialty Dairy Cold-Case

Akkawi, halloumi, nabulsi, ackawi-style braids, labneh tubs, kashkaval, and a wall of yogurt-set jars. Fourteen-plus cheeses on rotation.

Aisle 04 — Spices, Honey & Pantry

House zaatar, sumac, baharat, Aleppo pepper, honey-pots, tahinis, pomegranate molasses, rose and orange-blossom waters, syrups and date pastes.

Aisle 05 — Coffee, Tea & Snacks

Arabic coffee with cardamom, Turkish and Lebanese grinds, herbal teas, imported chocolates, biscuits, gummies, and chip aisles.

Aisle 06 — Hookahs, Tobacco & Glassware

A wall of pipes, charcoal, glassware and pots — full hookah set-up under one roof, plus tobacco, enamel kettles, and teapots.

Catering — from a tray of pies to a spread for 500

Corporate lunches, wedding mezze, holiday tables, hospital staff rooms — same recipes, same kitchen, scaled up. Call 216-251-5777 to plan your spread.

The Office tier (10–25 guests)

Hummus + pita, garden salad, falafel platter, choice of one protein (shawarma or tawook), fries or rice.

The Family tier (25–80 guests)

Full mezze spread (hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouli), stuffed grape leaves and kibbee, two proteins (shawarma + tawook + kafta), rice or fries, pita basket, knafa or koullage.

The Wedding tier (80–500 guests)

Full Levantine mezze station, three proteins (shawarma + tawook + kafta), salad and side stations, pastry case sweets, on-site service if requested.

À la carte trays

Call 216-251-5777 for current tray pricing.

  • Falafel — by the 12 piece.
  • Spinach Pies — by the dozen.
  • Meat Pies — by the dozen.
  • Zaatar Pies — by the dozen.
  • Cheese Bread — by the dozen.
  • Kibbee — by the piece.
  • Knafa Tray — by the 12 piece.
  • Koullage Tray — by the 12 piece.
  • Grape Leaves — by the pound.
  • Hummus — by the pound.
  • Baba Ghanoush — by the pound.
  • Beef Shawarma — by the pound.
  • Chicken Shawarma — by the pound.

Wholesale — pita to grocers, restaurants & institutions

Bulk pita, pies, and breads direct from the Lorain Ave bakery. 2,000+ bags baked daily, 40+ active wholesale accounts across Northeast Ohio delivery routes, earliest pickup at 4 a.m. Call 216-251-5777 and ask for wholesale.

Trade products

  • White Pita — 12-bag case (standard pocket pita, 12 / bag).
  • Whole Wheat Pita — 12-bag case (same recipe, whole-grain flour).
  • Mini Pita Pockets — cocktail size, bulk.
  • Spinach Pies (Fatayer) — mini or regular, per dozen.
  • Meat Pies (Sfeeha) — mini or regular, per dozen.
  • Zaatar Pies — wild thyme blend, per dozen.
  • Cheese Bread (round) — provolone-mozzarella blend.
  • Tannour Bread — hand-tossed homestyle.

Pricing: call for trade. Standing orders welcome; pick up at the back door or set a delivery route.

Order online or by phone

Same kitchen, same recipes — pickup or delivery on whichever platform you already use.

Visit & contact

Assad's Bakery & Mediterranean Cuisine
12719 Lorain Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44111
United States
Phone: 216-251-5777
Fax: 216-251-6523
Instagram: @assadsbakery
Facebook: Assad's Bakery

Heart of Cleveland's West Side, between West 117th and West 130th on Lorain Avenue. Free on-site parking. Open in Apple Maps · Open in Google Maps.

Hours: Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.