Heritage recipes, hand-crafted rituals, and Emre Ongurlar’s vision for making Hafiz Mustafa a Dubai sweet habit
Walk into any Hafiz Mustafa in Dubai and you feel the same quiet confidence: glass cases piled high with pistachio-rich baklava, copper kettles steaming for tea, servers in traditional dress moving with well-rehearsed ease. That sameness is not by accident. “All stores deliver the same standard experience… authentic products, handmade desserts, and identical hospitality,” says Emre Ongurlar, Deputy Chairman of Hafiz Mustafa.
The brand’s Dubai footprint now spans five locations, with more on the way. Ongurlar confirms Festival City is next on the local wishlist, alongside Abu Dhabi and international flagships such as London’s Oxford Street and Istanbul Financial Centre, evidence of demand that has already fast-tracked multiple Dubai openings.
Site selection follows a simple brief: prestige and people. “We look for locations with high footfall… Each store is around 200 to 250 sqm with a 100-seat capacity,” he says, noting the thousands who stream past the Dubai Mall branch daily.
If the scale sounds ambitious, the ownership model is even bolder. “All our stores are company-owned… We receive huge franchise requests but refuse to compromise quality,” Ongurlar explains. The reason is operational as much as emotional: “Every Hafiz Mustafa outlet requires its own factory to meet our production standards; if that’s not possible, we don’t open a franchise.”
What anchors the brand is the craft. “Hafiz Mustafa has preserved its heritage and identity for over 160 years,” says Ongurlar. “Everything is still made by hand, focusing on natural ingredients and traditional production methods that define genuine heritage.”
Some recipes are lifted straight from history, like the rice pudding, where rice is crushed by stone for starch, while others nod to modern tastes with flavours such as matcha and passion fruit. The sourcing remains purist: ingredients come directly from Gaziantep, and Hafiz Mustafa is “the largest buyer of Turkish pistachios,” an edge you can taste in every bite.
The cup matters as much as the tray. Turkish tea and coffee are “never made by machines,” Ongurlar says. They are brewed by hand in copper pots, poured the authentic way, and served with Turkish delight—a small ceremony that doubles as a hospitality lesson.
That theatre extends to the floor: servers in fez and traditional outfits, giant pistachio baklava crowned with a scoop of ice cream, and plating that feels like a little stage each time it arrives.
Consistency is guarded behind the scenes, too. Each Dubai store runs its own kitchen, but processes mirror Istanbul, with Turkish master chefs supervising daily quality control. Training starts early and runs deep: servers spend around three months learning Hafiz hospitality; pastry chefs train for years in Turkey before “becoming masters.”
First-timers asking where to start get a classic answer: Pistachio Baklava, Rice Pudding and Turkish Delights, three signatures that showcase the brand’s “handmade craftsmanship” and pistachio prowess, with regional touches like saffron appearing in select desserts and coffee.
If you are sprinting between errands with Dh50 and ten minutes, Ongurlar points to the Turkish pudding as the perfect snapshot order.
Plenty of Turkish patisseries have landed in Dubai, but Ongurlar argues the Hafiz Mustafa edge is the sum of many small, stubborn choices. “Unlike others, we own and operate every store, ensuring absolute control over quality, presentation, and service,” he says. “This combination of craftsmanship, consistency, and heritage gives Hafiz Mustafa an unmatched credibility and emotional connection with guests.”
That is why a quick tea stop often turns into a ritual. You come for the baklava, watch the copper pots, and leave with the feeling you have tasted a piece of Istanbul, carefully transplanted, zealously preserved, and unmistakably the same no matter which branch’s door you push open.
Images: Supplied
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