Fifth Avenue in Bay Ridge has a new place for kunafa. Yaffa Coffee & Kunafa, a coffee and dessert shop whose first location is on Crooks Avenue in Clifton, New Jersey, has opened its second location at 8405 Fifth Avenue, between 84th and 85th Streets.

The company announced the Brooklyn shop on its own social accounts as its second location, the first outside Clifton, inviting customers to bring friends and family.

What kunafa is, and what Yaffa makes

Kunafa is a dessert from the Levant made of fine shredded pastry or semolina dough layered with soft white cheese, baked until crisp and soaked in sugar syrup, usually finished with crushed pistachios. The version most associated with Palestine comes from the city of Nablus, and Yaffa describes its signature kunafa as rooted in Palestinian tradition and made fresh.

The brand's menu lists four kunafa styles: a classic Nablusi soft kunafa, a crunchy cheese kunafa, and two crunchy cheese versions topped with Lotus cookie spread or Nutella. On the company's published menu, a single classic or crunchy kunafa starts at $8.49 and the Lotus and Nutella versions at $9.99, with larger trays running up to $59.99. The menu also has hot coffee drinks, desserts and pastries. Prices at the Bay Ridge counter may differ from the New Jersey menu.

A late-night counter

The Clifton shop stays open until 11:45 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 12:45 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, which is the model for the brand: a place to go after dinner rather than only for a morning coffee. Check the shop's own pages for Bay Ridge hours before a late visit.

Getting there

The shop is on Fifth Avenue between 84th and 85th Streets. The R train's 86th Street station, at Fourth Avenue, is a few blocks away, and the B63 bus runs along Fifth Avenue.

The details

  • What: Yaffa Coffee & Kunafa, its second location
  • Where: 8405 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11209
  • On the menu: classic Nablusi soft kunafa, crunchy cheese kunafa, Lotus and Nutella kunafa, coffee, desserts and pastries
  • Prices: single kunafa from $8.49 on the brand's menu

Sources