Popular Arab bakery Reem’s is opening up its third brick-and-mortar space in the iconic Ferry Building in San Francisco.
Led by award-winning chef Reem Assil, Reem’s bakery has grown from a street pop-up in Beirut in 2010 to its flagship store in Oakland’s Fruitvale Village, which launched in May 2017. They then found another brick-and-mortar space called Reem’s Mission at 2901 Mission Street in San Francisco.
Unfortunately, the two locations were shut down; one during the pandemic and another because of an oven explosion. Still, Reem’s continued operating through pop-ups and in farmer’s markets.
Reem’s California is founded with a passion for Arab flavors and bakeries. The bakeries are built at the intersection of Assil’s three passions — food, community, and social justice.
With the new space, Assil is taking forward her vision to create the experience of home through the Arab street corner bakery flavors and aromas.
“On a soul-searching trip to Lebanon and Syria, I decided to bring this experience to the Bay. I wanted to bring more than just a bakery. I wanted to recreate the sights, sounds, tastes and aromas of the streets of Damascus and Beirut, and at the same time a space that feels familiar and inviting to all cultures. I wanted to create a sense of home,” says Assil on their website.
The new space will open up in late September and will be serving baked goods like mana’eesh, pita, fatayer, and sabanikh. They will also serve dishes served exclusively at the new location.
