A new bakery specializing in baklava, kunafa and the viral pistachio-stuffed Dubai chocolate bars has opened its doors in North Phoenix, and it already has a high-profile fan. Mayor Kate Gallego swung by Baklava & Cake Factory for its grand opening, meeting the team, chatting with customers and sampling the treats herself.
Gallego shared her visit in a post on X, writing, “So much fun joining Baklava and Cake Factory for their grand opening in North Phoenix! I enjoyed meeting the team, chatting with customers, and trying some of the great treats they offer. Wishing you many years of success!” according to Mayor Kate Gallego. The bakery operates as Baklava & Cake Factory LLC out of 4263 W. Thunderbird Road, according to the shop's own Facebook page.
So much fun joining Baklava and Cake Factory for their grand opening in North Phoenix! I enjoyed meeting the team, chatting with customers, and trying some of the great treats they offer. Wishing you many years of success! pic.twitter.com/6o2bfzBnzB
— Mayor Kate Gallego (@MayorGallego) September 5, 2026
Photos and video from the grand opening show a bustling interior filled with trays of pastries, with staff wearing shirts branded with the Baklava name and boxes of sweets stacked for customers. The shop's opening menu leans on both tradition and trend, featuring freshly baked baklava, kunafa and specialty cakes alongside the pistachio-and-knafeh Dubai chocolate treats that have swept social media over the past couple of years, per the bakery's Facebook announcement.
A Storefront's Sweet Makeover
The Thunderbird Road address has a bit of retail history behind it. The space was previously home to The Baker Wee Bakery, a long-running, family-owned custom cake shop, according to OverlookMaps. Its transformation into a Mediterranean bakery mirrors a broader shift happening in strip malls across North Phoenix, where traditional American cake shops have increasingly given way to Middle Eastern and Balkan concepts.
The area has quietly become something of a hub for that kind of food business. Nearby establishments include Balkan Bakery on Bell Road and Naoosh Sweets & Market on 35th Avenue, part of a growing corridor of Mediterranean grocers and dessert shops that Hoodline first flagged back in 2020. That trend has continued in the years since, with family-owned spots like Mr. Sweets Bakery bringing Lebanese baklava to the same part of the city.
Why the Mayor Keeps Cutting Ribbons
Gallego's appearance at a neighborhood bakery grand opening is not an isolated gesture. Small businesses employing fewer than 100 workers make up more than 90 percent of all commercial enterprises operating in Phoenix, according to the City of Phoenix, a figure that helps explain why municipal leaders regularly show up for small openings like this one. Gallego created the city's Legacy Small Business Program in March 2023 specifically to recognize Phoenix businesses that have operated for 25 years or longer, a program tied to her broader focus on economic development.
The bakery visit also fits into a busy stretch on the mayor's public schedule. On August 3, Gallego announced a new citywide startup accelerator funded through federal American Rescue Plan dollars aimed at fostering local entrepreneurship, per New Deal Leaders. Just two days before her stop at Baklava & Cake Factory, she announced that Phoenix had become the largest city in the country to earn a Certified Autism Center designation, a certification that involved accessibility training for more than 80 percent of front-facing city staff, according to the Daily Independent. Gallego, who took office as mayor in 2019 and holds degrees from Harvard and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, is the second elected female mayor in city history.
A Volatile Season for Metro Phoenix Bakeries
Baklava & Cake Factory's debut lands amid a churning few weeks for the local bakery scene. Late August and early September brought both high-profile openings and closures, including the debut of Brasserie Melrose's buzzy new bakery and the shutdown of Central Phoenix's Dos Chris' Bakery, whose owners cited mental health reasons for closing. The pattern reflects a market where independent bakery owners across the Valley continue to face shifting consumer demand and rising operational costs, even as new storefronts keep opening in neighborhoods like North Phoenix.
