Every pastry at Manna Bakery tells a story—one of heritage, flavor, and a journey from a college dorm room to a Philadelphia storefront.
Growing up in a close-knit Palestinian family, Chef Saif Manna spent many of his early years in the kitchen. Weekend mornings were spent around the table enjoying breakfast made by his father, while both of his grandmothers passed down generations of culinary knowledge that would later shape his approach to baking.
Today, those memories serve as the foundation of Manna Bakery. Following Temple University's temporary closure during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the chef launched Manna Bakery from his Temple Nest apartment about a year later. The online entity officially opened, offering cookies, breads, cakes, and vegan baked goods.
Drawing on his family's traditions, Manna crafted bites that honor his Palestinian heritage alongside seasonal ingredients and local influences — only now, locals can nab them from a full-fledged storefront when it opens in the Fishtown neighborhood this Thursday, July 30.
"My purpose in baking has always been rooted in sharing Palestinian traditions and telling our story through food,” says Manna. “Opening Manna Bakery in Fishtown is an opportunity to bring the flavors, memories, and hospitality I grew up with to a wider community. Every pastry is inspired by family recipes, cultural traditions, and the belief that food can connect people across backgrounds. We’re excited to create a space where guests can experience Palestinian culture in a way that feels both authentic and welcoming.”
Savory standouts include hummus made from hand-peeled chickpeas, roasted red pepper muhammara, airy Jerusalem-style ka'ak, herb-and-cheese fatayer, rotating manakeesh, and a chicken sumac bun layered with slow-cooked onions and warm spices. On the sweeter side, guests can expect seasonal Basque cheesecakes, fruit-forward cake slices infused with flavors like cardamom and saffron, brioche maarouk buns filled with rotating creams and jams, and soft, buttery cardamom buns.
The bakery also offers an array of signature cookies, including its Extra Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie, alongside pistachio chocolate chunk, honey sesame, vegan olive oil chocolate chunk, Arabic coffee olive oil, pistachio passionfruit, and rose-pistachio shortbread varieties.
The beverage program is just as thoughtfully curated as the bakery's food offerings: Manna partnered with Princeton-based Seekers Coffee, a small-batch roaster known for its single-origin beans for the new storefront. Alongside espresso staples like lattes, cappuccinos, cortados, and matcha, the menu also features a rotating selection of traditional Palestinian and Levantine-inspired beverages.
Signature drinks include rose cardamom and tahini date lattes, cardamom saffron coffee, and Kumda Kahve, a coffee brewed using a 16th-century Ottoman technique on hot sand. Guests can also enjoy iced lattes topped with seasonal-infused cold foams or Teta's Orange Blossom Lemonade, a floral, citrus-forward recipe inspired by Manna's grandmother.
Beyond the bakery counter, guests can browse a curated selection of Levantine spices, pantry staples, and Seekers Coffee beans in the in-store "souk." There's also a separate backroom in the space designed to host future workshops, classes, and private events.
Together, the spaces create more than a neighborhood bakery—they establish a welcoming gathering place that transitions seamlessly from a quiet morning café to a lively community hub throughout the day.
Manna Bakery (110 W Berks St.) will be operational Thursday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit mannabakeryphilly.com
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