Located just west of Boston and Cambridge, Watertown is home to one of the most concentrated Armenian communities in the United States. In Watertown, there are several Armenian community organizations in Watertown, as well as the Armenian Library and Museum of America.

Watertown is also a wonderful place to find Armenian and Lebanese food and goods; on the eastern end of the town in the Coolidge Square area, there are several Armenian markets that sell all sorts of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern fairly-priced foods and products, from baklava and other baked goods, to spices, Lebanese wine, hookah paraphernalia. The markets also have fresh produce, so you can do all of your food shopping while you’re there. Located on Mount Auburn Street, these markets include Arax Market, Masis Bakery, and Sevan Bakery, all of which are in close proximity to each other.

When you walk into any of the three bakeries, you are immediately struck by the delicious aroma of baked goods and spices, as well as the amount of great food and products available. We recently went to the markets to satisfy our craving for baklava and to buy some baked goods and ingredients for a celebratory dinner we were preparing. We first stopped at Arax Market and bought some great manaeesh (bread baked with zaater and olive oil on top), goat cheese, eggplant, and zucchini. Although we probably could have bought all of what we needed at Arax, we decided to continue to Masis Bakery, where we picked up lots of baklava, and a pastry that looks like baklava but has cream in the middle and drips with honey. At Sevan Bakery, we bought Turkish coffee, dried apricots, and olive oil. We wanted to buy more food – different cheeses, spinach pies, nuts, Turkish delight, Lebanese wine, etc. – while we were there, but had to restrain ourselves. You can also find CDs with music by famous artists such as Umm Kulthum and Fairuz, as well as evil eye keychains and bracelets in most of the markets.

There are also a number of places to eat in Watertown that are definitely worth trying, including several Greek, Persian, and Middle Eastern restaurants. Located at 5 Spring Street in Watertown, Molana has great Persian food and moderate prices.

Getting to Watertown from Boston isn’t difficult – although it’s probably easiest to drive, you can get there on Bus Route 71 from Harvard Square. If you drive, there is metered parking available near the markets and parking spots aren’t usually hard to find.

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