Los Angeles-based Lebanese bakery and restaurant chain FurnSaj opens in San Diego

Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef Charlie Succar and his brother Mel opened the original FurnSaj Bakery in late 2013 at a mall in Los Angeles’ Granada Hills neighborhood, and the diner now has four locations. Before starting his own bakery, Charlie worked in product development at Sara Lee and Nature’s Harvest. The name “FurnSaj” refers to a real “fur” oven, which bakes thin Middle Eastern flatbreads known as “saj”, which are the basis for many dishes in the restaurant.

As with three other operating establishments, the San Diego branch of Furn Saj ​​Bakery offers a menu based on Lebanese bread baked daily in the oven, as well as pizza, grilled dishes and sandwiches from oven-baked tortillas with toppings. such as shawarma and falafel. . Visitors will watch shawarma skewers slowly spin in an open kitchen where falafel patties are hand-cooked to order. There is also a bakery filled with products such as manaish vegetable and cheese pies, Kafta hummus pie, and sarukh, a bread stuffed with cheese and spices. For dessert, expect dishes like rice pudding, custard, Nutella pizza, and tahini bread sprinkled with sugar. Building on the success of the first location, more Furn Saj ​​outposts may open in San Diego in the coming years.

The Furn Saj ​​bakery and restaurant is now open at 3888 Fourth Avenue in the Hillcrest neighborhood of San Diego. For more information, visit furnsaj.com.