People's Bakery & Lebanese Cuisine

In a word: Where can a young couple, who are having an evening out, not too much money, and they want to have a decent meal, you know, a decent kebab and a nice bit of donut, where can they go and get it?

The specs: #0478  
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at 77Square, Yelp and

Latest People's Bakery & Lebanese Cuisine news and reviews

JM ate the lamb kabob.
John ate the chicken wrap with shish taouk and a Jarritos.
Nichole ate the tan tan chicken.
We took a rapid dozen for the office (ahem).
The bill was $17, or $8.50/person, for 2 meals and the donuts (thanks, Bucky Book!)
JM and John gave People's Bakery & Lebanese Cuisine an A-; Nichole gave People's Bakery & Lebanese Cuisine an A (see our grading rubric).

Tucked behind El Pescador, People's Bakery is one of the few places to get a real donut in Madison. They also make excellent Lebanese dinners and lunches. Check out this tan tan chicken:

Half a bird, falling-off-the-bone tender. Homemade aioli with fresh garlic. Cool, sweet red onions. And lovely presentation with liberal dashes of deep magenta sumac.

JM's lamb kabob also featured tender meat. Presumably roasted on a stick, here it was served tossed with tomatoes, roasted red peppers, onions, and a few beans. A side of cucumber yogurt and a bed of yellow rice topped it off. This food was that which you wouldn't mind eating again and again.

This was the first asynchronous A to Z meal we've had, too. Bit of a scheduling snafu had us leaving before John arrived (sorry, John). He got a chicken wrap anyway, which he says was very good. He also got a piece of bakery which he enjoyed with relish.

The bakery case holds up its half of the marquee with a huge selection of donuts even at 5pm. Madison's lack of donut options makes this a welcome experience even sans the great food before. We got a rapid dozen - we appreciated how easy it was to order and trust the assortment to the experts - and boy, was it an armload.

Thirteen treats total, including 2 that easily passed for 4 servings each. These monsters were perhaps a letdown, the big cinnamon swirl being none too cinnamon-y. The big plain swirl was even less interesting. That said, the others, whether filled, fried, or cake, were all satisfying. As the sign says, it's a welcome time for donuts.

Comments

[Kyle]

I will comment on behalf of the wife (and, in fairness, myself) and tell you that the chocolate French crullers (the little pinwheel ones) are nothing less than magical.

[Brett Myers]

People's is within walking distance of my house. Pretty darn good donuts. Will have to eat dinner there soon. I've eaten their kebabs at Willy St Fair before.

[Timmy]

I never even realized that they served dinner here! Going to have to try that amazing-looking chicken.

[Sean]

Is putting relish on donuts a typical Lebanese thing?

[hm]

I've been wishing I could get falafel on the north or east side forever and don't know how I didn't know about this place! Thank you - it was SO good: cheap and delicious! And great donuts!

[Elizabeth]

I wish they were open later. I can't get there before 6 p.m. I enjoyed their falafel at the Great Taste of the Midwest. The line for their food was the longest so I wasn't the only one.

[Jeff]

I ate here for the first time this week - I visited their stall at Taste last year and was blown away by their food (I always assumed it was just a, well, bakery). I ordered a lamb kabob and was underwhelmed by the meat. However, the rice, the veggies, and especially the cucumber sauce were all quite good. I got different veggies than JM did - I'm pretty sure I had carrots + cauliflower in mine (no tomatoes, peppers, or, sadly, onions).

I'll definitely go back for pastries, but next time I'm craving kebobs I'll stick with Kabul.