With a swift arc of his arm, Danny Dubbaneh slaps disc-shaped dough on the hot metal dome of the Middle Eastern saj grill. After a minute, he delicately pries it up with his fingers to check its progress, then flips it over to reveal a golden griddling. His goal: “a crispy bottom, but a pillowy top,” he says.
The dough spends a few moments on the other side, then Dubbaneh, 32, passes it to his younger brother Johnny Dubbaneh, 28, who deftly spreads on za’atar – a savory-nutty-tangy Palestinian seasoning made with wild thyme, sumac, toasted sesame seeds, and sea salt, which is all mixed with Tunisian olive oil. The slightly puffed up round goes back on the saj for one last blast of heat, helping unleash the za’atar’s aroma and unlock its complex flavors. Less than five minutes after the process began, the manoushe is ready. The Levantine flatbread is the specialty of the brothers’ Z&Z Manoushe Bakery, which they opened in Rockville at the beginning of October.
“That’s iconic in the Middle East,” says Johnny as he hands me the piping hot round to sample. “You can find it at every corner bakery, and everyone grows up eating it.”
Comparable to pizza and pita, manoushe is its own proposition. Made fresh every day in small batches, the yeasted dough takes only four hours to rise before its ready to be grilled. For the last five years, the brothers and their family earned a diehard fanbase selling them at area farmers markets. Their packaged za’atar built its own cult following; it now graces bagels at Call Your Mother, is highlighted in dishes at Maydan and Daru, and earned rave reviews from the staff at Bon Appetit.
Z&Z Manoushe Bakery is an homage to their beloved flatbread. There are eight manoushe on the menu, starting with the one simply schmeared with za’atar. The Classic Plus adds on tomatoes, cucumber, and mint. The next level up from that is the Toum Raider which supplements the Classic Plus with a zigzag of toum, a whipped garlic sauce with similar texture to freshly made mayonnaise.
Most popular is the Lebanese Bride topped with tangy house-made labneh (a creamy yogurt cheese), za’atar, tomato, cucumber, and mint. The Jibneh features three melted cheeses: akkawi (salty brined cow’s milk cheese from Middle East), kashkaval (Bulgarian sheep’s milk cheese), and mozzarella. Can’t make up your mind? The Cocktail is half za’atar, half cheese. “It’s our black and white cookie,” says Johnny. “Traditionally, people in Lebanon will fold it in half so you get cheese and za’atar in every bite. It’s the best of both worlds.”
The Hot Halaby Honey includes the same three cheeses, as well as sujuk, an Armenian beef sausage, Aleppo pepper, and honey. Another meaty option is the Lahm Bi Ajeen topped with spiced ground beef, parsley, tomatoes, pickled sumac onions, and a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice.
Opening Z&Z Manoushe Bakery marks a homecoming for the brothers. Not only did they grow up in Rockville, but their location in the Woodley Gardens Shopping Center was once home to Chicken Tonight, a fried chicken and sub shop owned by their grandfather, Fayez Khawaja, and uncle, David Khawaja, for nearly a quarter century until 2006. On a whim during the pandemic, the brothers connected with the owner of the pizzeria that had taken over the space. Their timing was perfect. She was looking to retire, so they scooped up the spot.
The space still held echoes of their grandfather’s business, where they used to celebrate birthdays and hold family gatherings. When they were pulling up the flooring, they found a photo of the two of them and their three siblings. “It was the craziest coincidence ever,” says Johnny. “I didn’t believe it at first.”
The small 630-square-foot restaurant is currently only open for takeout. Though they may eventually add indoor seating, there are tables out on the patio. A market area in the front offers Z&Z’s packaged za’atar, sumac, Dead Sea salt, and Aleppo pepper, as well as freshly made labneh and toum.
Just like at their farmers market stands, the entire family pitches in. It’s not unusual to see their father or their mother, Muna, assisting in some way at the shop. Their brother, Ronnie, does backend work; their sister, DeAnna, helps at markets; even their sister, Ronia, who lives in Los Angeles, proofreads web copy for them sometimes. Danny generally handles operations, while Johnny oversees social media, marketing, and brand partnership outreach. “It’s a little messy, because it’s a family business, so everybody has their hands in everything,” says Danny.
Though their parents are happy with their success, they had mixed feelings about their sons getting into the food business. Their father owned a restaurant when they were kids, so he was away from the family most of the time. “They knew exactly how grueling it is, how you have no life,” Danny says. “They said, ‘We made the sacrifice, so you didn’t have to. Why are you doing the same thing?’ We’re hoping to do it in our own way. While it is hard work, it’s very rewarding. We’re just doing what we love to do.”
Z&Z Manoushe Bakery is located at 1111 Nelson St., Rockville. Open Tuesday-Saturday 4 p.m.-8 p.m., Sunday 5 p.m.-8 p.m.
This story has been updated to correct a geographically incorrect reference and with the correct spellings of Muna Dubbaneh’s and Ronia’s names.
