It was another Shabbos gathering at the Aliya Girls headquarters in Crown Heights and conversation around the lunch table was lively.
The topic: hamentaschen! With Purim just around the corner, the debate over which bakery sells the best hamantaschen was heated—until we hit on an idea. Why don’t we try them all and see for ourselves?
And so, the Aliya Girls Hamantaschen crawl was born. We would gather on Sunday and walk from bakery to bakery, taste-testing various Hamantaschen at each stop.
After much research (we nobly took one for the team, you’re welcome!), we’ve presented our findings here for you to enjoy!
Stop #1: Empire Kosher
Chaim at Empire Kosher welcomed us with EK’s individually-wrapped ‘taschen.
Price: $1.59 / 1 hamentasch
Portion size: Large
Texture: A win for those who enjoy a softer, chewier pastry
Variety: 5 flavors. Not bad!
Final rating: 8/10
Stop #2: The Marketplace
The Marketplace introduced us to their freshly-baked-in-house selection.
Price: $6.99 for a box of about 12 small hamantaschen
Portion size: You do get a lot of bang for your buck.
Texture: More crunchy than chewy (which we loved!)
Variety: 4 flavors. Pro tip: go for the caramel!
Final Rating: 9/10
Stop #3: Gombos Bakery
If you happen to stroll past Gombos, take the opportunity to window-shop (and then stop in and buy one or two, of course)!
Price: $0.70 cents / Hamentasch
Size: Medium
Texture: Airy and crumbly. Personally, we prefer more of a crunch.
Variety: 5 flavors. Bonus points: the only store with lemon jam filling!
Final rating: 7/10
Stop #4: Bakerie
Two hours later, we arrived at our last destination to discover Halva-filled hamentashen!
Price: $6.99 (jaw-dropping, but somewhat justified by its size).
Size: Extra-large
Texture: Perfect! Dipped in white chocolate and featuring the ideal crunch paired with a creamy Halva filling, we gave this ‘tasch full points for creativity + execution!
Variety: 6 flavors (4 sweet, 2 savory)
Final rating: 10/10
Special thank-yous go to Empire Kosher, The Marketplace, Gombos, and Bakerie for going along with our spontaneity and allowing us to begin our Purim celebrations a little early!
About Us
Aliya Girls is a Crown-Heights-based organization dedicated to fostering the physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of local teenaged girls. With a full range of programs and resources, including one-on-one mentoring, therapy referrals and more, Aliya Girls fosters skills and relationships that help our members grow, thrive, and embrace brighter futures.
Click here to partner with us in this important work:
Website: www.aliyagirls.com/donate
Cashapp: $girlsloft
Thank you, Aliya gals!