Cedars Bakery is in a Middle Eastern strip mall, near Hillcroft, Westpark Tollway and 59, and it’s the best spot in Houston for Lebanese flatbread – far better than We’re Dough.

This hole-in-the-wall is frequented by Middle Eastern families enjoying a late breakfast together on the weekend. Cedars specializes in Lebanese flatbread, or mana’eesh. The bread is baked in open brick ovens, like a Napoli pizza. Luckily, the menu on the wall has pictures, so you can point at what looks best, even if dishes like sojok or za’atar are at first unfamiliar.

For a Middle Eastern bakery, though, I wish they had better tea and coffee options. Getting a coffee here unfortunately means you just pop a small pod into the Levazza machine around the corner from the counter.

What to get:

• Sojok – spicy Lebanese sausage (think: chorizo)
  • Seriously, don’t come here without getting this.
• Beef shawarma
• Cheese and za’atar – halloumi cheese, with a spice combo of thyme, oregano, sesame seeds, etc.

What is shawarma? 

Its other names, döner and gyro, also connect with the idea of ‘turning,’ as the meat is cooked on a vertical rotisserie. They often come in a wrap, but the Cedars version is a flatbread with a healthy dollop of labne (yogurt) topped with flavorful beef or chicken and long slices of tomatoes and pickles.