Providence, RIMiddle Eastern

Aleppo Sweets is a Syrian bakery and cafe on Ives Street, stocked for an outdoor picnic with chicken kabobs on Syrian bread, marinated olives and a baklava counter. The traditional pastry is made with chopped pistachios, walnuts or almonds tossed in orange blossom water, and the shop draws a steady stream of regulars for it alone.

Jahunger cooks Uyghur food on Wickenden Street, a cuisine that sits at the crossroads of Chinese and Middle Eastern traditions because the Uyghur people live in the northwestern corner of China. Hand-pulled noodles and lamb dishes carry the Middle Eastern side of the menu, giving the restaurant a genuinely distinct place on the street.

Sonia's Market and Deli in Cranston stocks a Middle Eastern deli case built around Armenian and Lebanese staples, including a babaganoush wrap made with Armenian cracked wheat salad and Kalamata olives. It functions as a neighborhood grocery as much as a sandwich counter, with shelves of imported pantry goods behind the deli case.