From College Dorm Pop-Ups to a Brick-and-Mortar in Fishtown, Manna Bakery Finds a New Home
From College Dorm Pop-Ups to a Brick-and-Mortar in Fishtown, Manna Bakery Finds a New Home
Manna Bakery, a Levantine- and Palestinian-inspired bakery from chef-owner Saif Manna, opened its first permanent location in Fishtown on Thursday, July 30.
The bakery began as a pop-up operation run out of a college dorm room and grew into one of Philadelphia’s most popular pop-ups, regularly drawing long lines before expanding into a permanent storefront. Manna, 27, has built a following at farmers markets, where his team has reportedly sold up to 800 pastries within a three-hour period.
Menu
Manna’s pastries draw on family traditions and personal memories, blending traditional Levantine techniques with seasonal ingredients. According to the bakery, Manna grew up in a close-knit family where food played a central role, including shared meals, weekend breakfasts and recipes passed down from both sets of grandparents. That background informs a menu that combines a Palestinian point of view with local ingredients.
“My purpose in baking has always been rooted in sharing Palestinian traditions and telling our story through food,” Manna said. He added that opening the Fishtown location gives him the chance to share the flavors and hospitality he grew up with more broadly, noting that every pastry draws on family recipes and cultural traditions.
Signature menu items include:
- Hummus – made from scratch with hand-peeled chickpeas
- Muhammara – a dip made with roasted red pepper, walnut, cumin and pomegranate molasses
- Kaak Al Quds (Jerusalem Bagel) – softer and airier than a mainstream bagel
- Chicken Sumac Bun – cinnamon-spiced chicken with slow-cooked onions in olive oil, finished with sumac
- Herby Cheese Fatayer – made with herbs, cheese and labneh
- Seasonal manakeesh – a traditional savory pastry served throughout the Levant, similar to a flatbread or pizza
- Basque cheesecake – caramelized on the outside with a creamy, gelato-like interior
- Seasonal cake slices – paired with Palestinian and Levantine-inspired flavors such as cardamom and saffron
- Brioche Maarouk buns – a hybrid of brioche dough and Palestinian enriched dough, filled with seasonal creams and jams
- Cardamom bun – laminated with cardamom butter
- Cookies, including an Extra Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie named a “Best of Philly” pick by Philadelphia Magazine in 2026, along with Pistachio Chocolate Chunk, Honey Sesame, Olive Oil Chocolate Chunk (vegan), Arabic Coffee Olive Oil (Qahwa), a Pistachio Passionfruit Cookie Tart, and Ghraybeh (rose and pistachio shortbread)
Manna Bakery is currently open Thursday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Expanded hours and additional offerings are planned for later this fall.
