Sabaya Hut (Fresno)

[hyperbowler]

Sabaya Hut distributes Yemeni pastries to a few SFBA locations, and their namesake, a beef pastry, is one of several items they serve exclusively at the Fresno bakery. It’s a show stopper. Beef juices and spices suspended in the sabaya’s craggy bottom pack a punch when it hits the tongue. Great texture contrast between the flaky top, ground beef center, and chewy, partially whole wheat, crust. You can special order a sweet, honey-based sabaya.

The other pies, like the beef pie with egg and cheese have a puffier style dough, more in league with the bieroks sold a few doors down at Bread Basket. At times of day I’ve been to both places, I’d give Sabaya Hut the edge for freshness, YMMV.

The regular cream-cheese filled honeycomb is a crowdpleaser. The dusting of garlic powder-on the spicy comb (cheese and jalapeño) is a nice touch.

I’ve not sampled many of the sweets due to some nut allergies, but others I know vouch for them.

[StephanieL]

Those look great! I wonder if they supply to the new Yemeni coffee shops around, like Delah, because Fresno is a long drive.

[hyperbowler]

In one of those, “I’ll have what he’s having “moments,” I overheard a regular customer order ful and ordered the same.

Ful, served with a large flatbread for scooping, leans more toward savory than spice, and I found that mellowness to pair well with the cardamom-potent coffee.

The owner gave me a small sample of fatah, which was delicious. He makes it with crumbled sabaya dough, honey (you can buy a jar), eggs, and nigella seeds.

@StephanieL the owner said he distributes to Sana (SF SoMa), Haraz (SF Pac Heights), and Heyma in Berkley. Looking at some online photos, Yemeni coffee, and pastries, are a bigger thing in the SFBA than I’d realized!