Essa Bakery opened in August within the former Stop By Bakery & Deli space at 8243 SE Division Street. The new bakery’s owner, Essa Abdulsahib, is friends with the previous business owner and learned that the space was available after Stop By Bakery relocated to Beaverton. Abdulsahib is a lifelong baker who brought his father’s traditional recipes and techniques from Iraq to his new home in Portland. The sweet shop specializes in baklava, but also offers a diverse selection of other Middle Eastern desserts, with an expanding menu of options.
In early 2025, people began noticing a “coming soon” banner hanging in front of Stop By Bakery & Deli’s door, with window advertisements promoting the new shop’s name. However, the storefront on SE Stark Street remained closed for several months, awaiting an official opening date. Nabaa Altaie, Essa Abdulsahib’s nephew, who manages the store’s social media and oversees the shop, explained that sourcing issues with specialized equipment caused the delayed launch of Essa Bakery. Altaie said his uncle had purchased most of his baking equipment from Turkey, and they discovered damaged components during the installation. “Parts kept breaking and we had to fix that,” recalled Altaie. Replacement part shipping times kept pushing back the opening date, but the commercial kitchen equipment was critical to preserving Abdulsahib’s baking methods.
Quality and variety are essential to Essa Bakery’s owner and head baker. “We make everything fresh in the back of the store with our equipment. We also are expanding our menu. We’re adding, basically, every Middle Eastern dessert you can think of in the future,” said Altaie. He also noted the shop is working on adding Dubai Chocolate bars filled with kadayif and a pistachio-tahini cream. “We use pistachios from California farms, so they’re fresh. We use Bolivian chocolate, which is the best chocolate you can get, on top. It’s a really popular trend,” said Altaie.
Currently, Essa Bakery relies on support from the owner’s relatives to operate. Altaie explained that his uncle is so busy baking that they are having trouble finding time to create a new website, so instead, they focus on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. “It’s only family at the moment. Maybe we’ll need help when we expand it,” said Altaie. They are also looking to offer coffee and other bakery items. “We’re also trying to make bread in the near future,” remarked Altaie. The shop already offers savory options, incorporating meats and cheeses into some of their pastries. However, they remain invested in keeping their baklava the featured product at Essa Bakery.
Altaie said they are slowly earning loyal customers, and offering free tastes of their products is often all it takes to win people over. “When they come, they keep coming back because of how good it tastes. They say that the baklava is up to par with what they would have in good, expensive restaurants.” He also explained that they focus on meeting people’s budgets while still committed to quality baking practices. “We have to make it as affordable as we can for people. It’s $20 a pound, which is basically the best price I’ve seen for baklava. Because I usually buy it from food trucks and pay $4 a piece, and it doesn’t compare to our flavor at all,” said Altaie.
Essa Bakery is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. They want people to stop by often, as they continue to expand the menu with new options that visitors may not know they would appreciate. Altaie also said they would like to learn what customers want to see offered at the shop. He explained they want to be a reliable source for sweet baked goods in the neighborhood and hope people will enjoy what the family-run business has to offer.
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