Ma Belle Baklava is a Turkish bakery-cafe that specializes in sweet, flaky pastries.

Housed in a beautiful white and gold space, replete with hanging lights and decorative ferns, this restaurant is the second to bear the Ma Belle name. The first, located on Wilson Avenue, has been open since 2011.

Bakery owner Bulent Oksuz tells us that the second location was a product of more than a year of continuous work. Not only was he determined to make the dining room an appealing space for customers, he wanted the kitchen to be properly furnished as well.

Bulent explains that the most important part of baking traditional Turkish pastries, aside from the ingredients, is the type of appliances used to cook them.

As a result, Ma Belle's kitchen is equipped with special stoves, specifically designed for dishes like kunefe.Since the bakery has only been open since September 2024, its menu is still in flux. Bulent tells us that his goal is to eventually bring appetizers, entrees and drinks to the table, though he’s unsure when he'll be able to roll them out.Until then, Ma Belle's sweets are the stars of the show. Each item is priced by weight and can be purchased in singles or in bulk.Walnut creams are cannoli-shaped pastries, filled with — you guessed it! — creamy walnut puree.

A light dusting of powdered pistachios gives the dish a slightly earthy flavour without overpowering the walnuts' natural sweetness.Despite its name, the carrot slice baklava doesn't actually contain any carrots. Rather, this long, thin dessert is shaped like a carrot and filled with chopped nuts.Kadayif is a thick, squarish pastry made from finely shredded wheat dough.

This dish is suffused with syrup, which helps it maintain its shape, and garnished with chopped nuts, which give it a crunchy texture.

Turkish bagels are among the few savoury treats available at Ma Belle.

These bagels are larger and thicker than their North American counterparts, but pair just as well with coffee, tea and other warm beverages. Some of them are even filled with cheese, potatoes and black olives.

Turkish delights are small, roll cake-like desserts that come in a variety of flavours and colours. One of the most unusual types was filled with chocolate and cream and covered in dried rose petals.Classic baklava is a dish that needs no introduction. These expertly made pastries have everything you could possibly want from a Turkish pastry: flaky phyllo, finely chopped pistachio and sticky sweet syrup.My personal favourite item was the cold baklava, a variation on the classic baklava made with sugar, milk and cocoa powder. Kunefe is a round, flat pastry stuffed with cheese and cream. It can be topped with many different ingredients, including almonds, pistachios and powdered sugar.As tasty as kunefe is to eat, it’s even more fun to watch it being made. Ma Belle's chefs, who are all trained in traditional Turkish cooking techniques, toss cheese and dough all over the counter in order to give the pastry the proper consistency.

Once the kunefe has been assembled, it is then placed on the stove top, which melts the cheese and makes the dough nice and crispy. The finished product is then cut into slices and served on a circular platter, similar to a pizza.

Be sure to try some of the cafe's complimentary tea before you go. Each serving comes in a glass beaker that puts the beverage’s beautiful orange hue on full display.Ma Belle Baklava is located at 2131 Lawrence Avenue East.