Sofra Bakery: Ana Sortun’s Middle Eastern Cafe in Allston and Cambridge

Sofra Bakery, chef Ana Sortun’s Middle Eastern bakery and café, now operates in two places: the original shop at 1 Belmont St. in Cambridge and a larger Allston location at 210 North Harvard St. that opened in fall 2024. Sortun and pastry partner Maura Kilpatrick founded Sofra in 2008 as the second venture of the Oleana Restaurant Group, according to Sofra’s website.

What “Sofra” Means and What It Serves

Sofra is a Turkish word for a picnic, a special table set with food or a small square kilim rug used for eating. The café offers sweet and savory takes on the cooking of Turkey, Lebanon and Greece. Menu staples include:

• Meze bar: cold salads and spreads such as hummus and tzatziki.
• Hot food: flatbreads and entrées like lamb shawarma, plus tagine, spanakopita and moussaka.
• Breakfast: a traditional Turkish breakfast and the morning bun with orange blossom glaze.
• Pastry: cookies, including chocolate “earthquake” cookies, almond rose cakes and artisan crackers.

A retail section sells house-made preserves, prepared foods, pantry staples and Sofra’s spice blends.

The Allston Location

The Allston café sits in a stand-alone, 5,000-square-foot building owned by Harvard University, WBUR reported when it opened. It seats about 35, compared with about 17 in Cambridge, and has the same saffron-toned, informal look. A wall displays more than 100 painted wooden spoons from Turkey, a gift from a collector. In Turkey, such spoons are used in traditional dancing.

Sortun told WBUR the original shop, across from Mount Auburn Cemetery, had been outgrowing its space for at least seven years. “Because the other space is really tight,” she said, “we really wanted to get the bakers into a commissary space.”

Why the Bakery Moved Production to Allston

All of Sofra’s handmade baked goods are now prepared in the Allston kitchen, which supplies both cafés. Large ovens can bake 20 racks of cookies at a time, and a dough depositor replaces hand-scooping. Kilpatrick leads the baking program with pastry chef Feyza Bayrakcioglu, who is from Turkey. The Allston location opened with 32 employees.

Sortun told The Harvard Crimson the new café would carry the same menu as Cambridge. “We like going into neighborhoods that are growing and becoming sort of part of the community there,” she said.

Sortun’s Other Restaurants

Sortun, a James Beard Award winner, also owns the flagship Oleana in Cambridge and co-owns Sarma in Somerville. Read our guide to Sarma’s meze menu, and for more local classics, see our best clam chowder in Boston roundup.

Locations and Ordering

• Allston: 210 North Harvard St., Boston, MA 02134, near Harvard Business School and the Science and Engineering Complex.
• Cambridge: 1 Belmont St., Cambridge.
• Ordering: pickup at both locations, delivery, large-party orders and a “Sofra Lover’s” subscription box are offered online.
• Phone: 617-661-3161.

Hours vary by location; check Sofra’s website before visiting.

Additional Details

• Sofra says it is committed to sustainable agriculture and sources from local and international food artisans. Its website also links to the Siena Farms CSA.
• Sofra also sells the Soframiz cookbook.
• The Allston opening waited on fire inspections; Sortun told the Crimson, “We’re at the mercy of the Boston Fire Department.”

Featured image: Sofra Bakery & Cafe in Cambridge. Photo by Daderot via Wikimedia Commons, CC0; cropped.

Sources

• Sofra Bakery & Cafe: About and locations
• WBUR: Take a peek inside chef Ana Sortun’s new Sofra in Allston (Oct. 28, 2024)
• The Harvard Crimson: Sofra to open new Allston location (Oct. 1, 2024)
• Wikimedia Commons: Sofra Bakery & Cafe (image credit)