Middle East Market

(It’s on the other side of the strip mall that’s being renovated until mid-March) I’ve been a fan of this store since I moved to Jacksonville. They always serve delicious food - fresh, clean ingredients, and the best pita bread! They have a nice showcase for baklava, cookies, and Dubai chocolate! The staff are super friendly and kind! My phone died while I was taking a picture, but the cashier, Layla, was so sweet and let me use her charger. I was able to take a picture again after that. I I can’t wait to go back when the original store is fixed.

Bought a Dubai chocolate bar, 1 small piece of pistachio baklava, a minute sliver of halva and a small pre packaged frozen lemon sorbet with Asian writing on it. The bill was $31.64 which surprised me bc she didn’t hand me a receipt and the prompt asked for a tip. It was more than I expected to pay but I reasoned that the treats would be worth it. Boy was I wrong. The chocolate was ok, but the pistachios were dry and flavorless, the halva wasn’t edible, it tasted old , same with the baklava. Old, stale, flavorless. The lemon sorbet was good. The store itself is dirty. The woman helping me used her bare hands. No sink or gloves. Long fake nails smooshing the halva as she wrapped it up for me. Ugh. A waste of time and money. And I urge the health department to give them a visit. Nothing was labeled with dates and unwrapped items were just sitting out.

Happy we found this place and stopped by for lunch. We stopped by the temporary location across the way while the main location is being renovated. The owner and his family were super warm and inviting, and the food was fresh and tasty. Everything we tried was delicious and this is a true gem. They also have Dubai chocolate, Dubai strawberry cups, and the Japanese Mango and Peach ice creams as well. Will definitely be back.

Don’t walk—run! The Dubai Chocolate Cup with strawberry is absolutely on 🔥! I also tried the regular Dubai chocolate, and the quality is outstanding. The chocolate has such a rich flavor, and the combination of knafeh crunch and pistachio cream is incredible. I could honestly eat this non-stop!

Came for the Dubai Chocolate that is home made and it was good, they also have the mango and peach ice cream and I also got baklava too. I will be back again next time I’m in town.