Babka Zana

At Babka Zana, you immediately feel like you’re in a place where everything revolves around dough, warmth and that very special sweetness. The aroma is the first thing that hits you – buttery, slightly caramelised, with a hint of yeast in the air – and you immediately understand why someone is constantly pulling a piece out of the bag. The babkas lie close together, shiny, soft, slightly cracked, each variety with its own little story. The chocolate babka is the one that really makes everyone weak, dense and warm, with dark chocolate that is just sweet enough to make the buttery dough seem even softer. Each slice has that perfect centre that’s still a little sticky and hits the spot just when you’ve already decided to have just a small piece. In addition to the chocolate version, there’s pistachio, poppy seed, cinnamon, challah and seasonal varieties, nothing over the top, everything so natural, as if it had to be that way. The service remains calm and friendly, more like people who know that their product does the work for them. Babka Zana is one of those places that you almost unconsciously recommend to others because you know that everyone will pause for a moment after their first bite.