Heart of Middle East Bakery and Grocery

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. It was just another morning in the heart of Dearborn when an elderly gentleman entered Heart of Middle East Bakery and Grocery. As he reached for his usual loaf of bread, something unusual caught his eye—a small, mysterious package wrapped in brown paper. Curious, he picked it up and noticed a note scribbled in Arabic. Just as he was about to ask someone, a young delivery driver approached him with a smile: ‘Ahmed sent that—said it’s your lucky charm!’ Turning out, it was only a bag of lentils meant for a neighbor's soup pot.

2. A delivery driver pulled up to the bakery one afternoon, frowning as he eyed the huge stack of boxes in the backseat. ‘I hope they’re not too heavy,’ he muttered, stepping out into the warm sunshine. He opened the door wide, revealing a mountain of pastries wrapped in colorful paper. 'Oh no,' he groaned, 'they're heavier than I thought!' But then he smiled, seeing the brightly decorated cookies and freshly baked bread inside. 'At least it’ll be worth it,' he said, imagining the grateful smile on his boss's face.

3. ‘Hey,’ said a regular one day, ‘I keep seeing this old man walking into that bakery with his eyes closed.’ Another time, a delivery driver noticed him and asked, ‘Aren’t you worried about walking into traffic like that?’ The old man opened his eyes wide and replied, ‘Sonny, I’ve been navigating these streets for over fifty years—my eyes are wide open!’ Everyone in the neighborhood now knows not to mention it, but every once in a while someone still teases him gently when they see him go inside. Heart of Middle East Bakery remains a treasured local spot.

4. A customer once asked the cashier, 'Why does that same old car pull up here every Tuesday?' The cashier smiled knowingly. ‘Oh, you haven’t met our regular yet,’ she said. ‘Every Tuesday, an old man drives his rusty van here—same one for years—to buy a special batch of cookies we only make on Tuesdays.’ The customer raised an eyebrow. ‘And what’s so special about these cookies?’ The cashier winked. ‘They’re his wife’s recipe—he forgot to pick them up last week.’