Baklava From Gulluoglu Turkish Bakery In Midtown, New York

Midtown's source for amazing baklava

A quick stroll from Turkish eateries Sip Sak and Taksim, Güllüoglu Baklava & Café is the sweet spot of a burgeoning Little Turkey in midtown.

The bakery is the second U.S. outpost of a 135-year-old family-owned baklava empire based in Istanbul (the other location opened in Brooklyn in 2005).

Its baklava is made in Istanbul, frozen raw and shipped to Brooklyn, where it's baked and delivered daily to the Manhattan shop, which opened during the summer.

What makes its baklava so good?

The company prides itself on stellar ingredients: prized "Boz" pistachios sourced from the ancient city of Gaziantep in Mesopotamia, a blend of cow's- and goat's-milk butters, sugar and water. That's it, plus 35 layers of crispy, thinner-than-paper phyllo.

There are more than a dozen varieties of baklava on hand–including versions stuffed with walnuts, chestnuts and hazelnuts–and kandeyifa, shredded phyllo with pistachios inside. Our favorite is the visneli, filled with sour cherries.

Güllüoglu Baklava & Cafe, 982 Second Ave. (at 52nd St.); 212-813-0500 or gulluoglubaklava.com