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Chinatown (Orange, Silver)
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If I'd like to get a Chinatown cake then this is definitely my go-to place. Everything is well priced and never disappoints. Nothing is more satisfying than rushing in and grabbing a cheap slice that doesn't put you back more than $2 and wolfing it down as you rush off and do other things.
They also have an assortment of buns and baos that can be purchased there and the people are nice and honest about their buns. If something isn't good and I'll point at it, they will discreetly and very kindly suggest something else to me. There are also plenty of tarts and other baked goods and sometimes, they'll also have cheap candy available for purchase.
My favorite cake has always been one with melon or peaches on them. The melon is nice and round having been (I'm assuming) scooped out with a melon baller, making them the perfect shape and size to be devoured. The peaches are quite clearly the canned kind, but honestly? I don't care. It still tastes great. I also just recently learned that the reason why the cakes are so light and airy like that are because they are not baked, but steamed. That is what makes the Chinatown cake special and have such a wonderful, spongy texture. I normally pick Eldo's cakes over most other cakes in general so it's only fitting that I would pick Eldo when I'm looking for a Chinatown cake.
And don't compare this place to Bao Bao which is just a block away. That would just be brainless.
I have never been to a bakery of this caliber outside of the ones that I remember as a kid, and only one of them is even still open.
The staff is amazing. I was able to browse the vast selection of cakes, pastries, and other treats without being hustled around or pushed to order then when I was ready there was someone ready to take, package and get me on my merry way within minutes.
I was picking up just a few things for myself, my two daughters and my husband. The kids and the hubby were outside and I was left to my own devices with only a $20 bill.
To my happy surprise after choosing a giant chocolate swiss roll for the kids(big enough to more than satisfy both hungry children), a tiramasu for myself(which I am still working on), and a perfect slice of cheesecake for my husband I was expecting it to be at least half of my allowed spending and then the woman asked me politely for $5.05. I handed her the $20, took my change, left a dollar tip in the cute little smoky plastic tip jar and proceeded to share my joy with my husband and kids.
We enjoyed our feast and I am pretty sure this will become a regular stop.
I love Eldo cakes! So light and fluffy. Sweet, but not overwhelming. The sweetness is very delicate.
I've been going here ever since I was a little girl. All of my birthday cakes came from here as a kid. Every time there is a family event we come here to get the cake. My favorite is when it has pineapple filling on the inside. My parents still come here every week to satisfy their craving for milk tea and some pastries.
The only thing is that within the last couple of years the help working the counter has changed and they're not as friendly and helpful as the older women who were working there earlier. The old staff felt like part of the family.
1. The people are always very friendly and patient with you while you make your picks.
2. When their stuff is fresh, it is really nice, light, and fluffy.
3. Almond crusted cream and sponge cake roll, black forest cake, strawberry white cake, coconut pies..yummmmm...still so many more to try...and all from ~ 80 cents to 2 dollars a piece. (last night we had 4 pastry pieces, 2 coffees and a tea for $8.65).
I'm going to write the laziest and crappiest review in existence, but I just had to throw 5 stars in for Eldo:
Seriously? I used to come here as a kid after every doctor's appointment (when shots are involved), dentist appointment, optometrist appointment... you name it. Bad day after school? Eldo. My mom would get me the chocolate cake with the cherry on top (it used to be called something else, and now I don't remember...) and it would make everything better. Birthday cakes? Eldo..
Great, now I've typed myself into a craving for hot dog baos.
So anyway, I found this on Yelp, and just figured I had to throw my 5-stars onto everyone else's. This place has given me more than enough, and I'm just glad it's still there. I hope it never folds under, unlike the now-defunct and much missed dai pai dong.
Somehow, I find myself back here at least twice a month. And I'm never disappointed. Their cha siu baos remind me of the kind I got as a kid back in Oakland Chinatown. Everything looks so good - I am so tempted to empty my wallet on pastries every time I stop by.
Plus, they don't laugh at me when I try to order in my substandard Cantonese.
Thank you Yelpers... This was YUM! We ordered a sheet cake from here for my mom's birthday party. At $40 the price was definitely right. We had a delish fresh strawberry filled cake. The flavors, textures, and everything was just perfect. Everyone in the party was asking us where we got the cake.
Usually, I am not one to like the Chinese style cakes, which are often too light, not sweet enough, with drippy icing (have you had the cakes from Maxim in Boston C'town? yuck.). But this cake was PERFECT! Light sponge cake, but not too light. Sweet, but not too sweet. Icing was a solid consistency that wasn't all sugar or butter.
Loved it! I'll never say "I hate cakes from Chinatown" ever again.
Excellent Chinese Pastries. My all time favorite is the pineapple cake. It is so dense and moist, topped with a jam. Ah man, it is soo good. They also have great sponge cakes (Jee Bao Dahn Goe). If you like Chestnut cake, they make a really good one too!
I had a huge panic attack when the building was under construction. Almost thought they were gone forever. Yikes.
Did you know they make mango sponge cakes here too? You have to call ahead..but it's really good! A cake full of mango slices.
I used to get an egg tart here once a week every week for years, back when I was in my single digits. I haven't come as much in recent years, but every time I have, the quality is the same as ever. It really is So Cheap, So Fresh, So Good.
This is our staple place for sponge cake, chicken tartlets, egg tarts, and sticky rice (wrapped in lotus leaves). We've been loyal customers since my husband and I were dating, and even before that, I used to go there with my mom, when she did her rounds shopping for provisions.
This bakery has been very consistent over the years. When it first opened, it was the only one that did the degree of more modern sinfully lightly sweet treats in Chinatown, all the other competition focusing on the more traditional products. Now, there is plenty of competition, but they have not changed too much. They added a few things since they first opened, like cheesecake and jen ji lai cha. They no longer stock cups of almond jello, but I guess that can be made at home with ease.
Eldo seems like the best modern Asian bakery in the Boston area, the recipes refined over time and the food very consistent. I'd have to go to Fay Da in NYC to find somewhere with better pastries of its kind. My personal favorite there is the pineapple cake. It isn't the northern type with a pineapple paste filling a semi-hard pastry shell, but rather a pineapple jam topping a slightly thicker than normal pineapple chunk-laden cake. The savory buns are alright, my personal preferences toward the beef buns and taro buns. The ham and egg ones there are done particularly well, the egg kept very light and fluffy, not feeling like a rock like a breakfast sandwich in the surrounding places. The bread is of a very even texture. I've never really had bread there that was genuinely 'burnt', just browned enough.
Egg tarts here have been okay, not looking picture-perfect and more homespun, but done well. I just wish they'd churn them out consistently so that I could get them when they're hot... They are not always available, selling out or not getting them out on some days.
Their sponge cake, in its many incarnations, is very lightly sweet and springy, no threat of the cake collapsing like a house of cards to the slightest touch. Swiss rolls are a relative bargain to buy, each the equivalent of 6 slices. They do not overdress the Swiss rolls like some of their competitors, keeping it very simple. Just filling and cake. I have to systematically eat it in a circle, going around the spiral an inch at time from the outside in.
This is one of the few places left that still make chestnut cake, though somewhat pricy, at $24 for a 12-incher. The chestnuts are very tender each time its made, but such a cake tends to be put on the wayside compared to more mass-marketable ones like peach and strawberry. It is however, done very well.
They have breakfast specials involving combinations of things like noodles, pineapple buns, and coffee/tea, but I do not like the noodles there that much, since they seem to be bare bones, spaghetti-thick noodles tossed in soy with bean sprouts.
For drinks, the jen ji lai cha (boba/pearl milk tea) has been hit or miss. The tea itself has always been good, but the pearls themselves have been erratic. Sometimes it's fantastic, being chewy and lightly sweet, other times under-cooked or overcooked, leading to chewing or it feeling like a slush. They sell sei mei lo (a Chinese horchata basically, cream-based with glutinous rice orbs) without taro that's fine for a mild day, but not a hot summer day. I just wish it had some taro in it to give it some offsetting flavor, since it feels a little too smooth, but it is done alright. I generally avoid caffeine due to the effects on my body, so I know not of the coffee and only rarely indulge in the tea.
Dishes to try: Pineapple cake, Ham and Egg bun, Taro Bun, Swiss Rolls, Chestnut Cake, Peach Cake
Bubble tea here, taste really yummy
Bubble tea here, doesn't cost a pretty penny
Cookies, cake, pastries glore
Eldo Cake House I'll be going mmmMORE.
*please note kids, Yelping and wine don't mix
The bubbletea is HORRIBLE. good tea, rock hard tapioca. don't get it.
BUT their eggtarts are fresh and delish. tiramisu in a cup was good too. guess i shoulda tried their cake. hahah oh well... next time.
Best of best birthday cakes ... or any celebration cake!
My fave is the spongy cake with the light whipped cream frosting and peaches in the middle ... I can eat the whole cake! Same with my mom! :)
This is usually where we get cakes for birthdays!
I have a recipe to try that supposed to be the same as their cakes ... I will see how it goes :)
They have other bakery items, but I stick to just the cakes :)
Went there yesterday to pick up a birthday cake and I must say, this place was perfect!
I originally wanted to get cupcakes but since my boyfriend's favorite place was closed (Sweet on Mass. Ave) I decided a small cake for two would do.
I walked in around 6:30pm on a Wednesday and there were a few cold looking people indulging in coffee and almond cake. After that I just pointed to a 6" cake and asked the flavors. Sponge cake with whipped cream icing and strawberries, oh yes! And for only $13.50??? Wow, just wow.
The cake was light and just sweet enough, the icing was yummy but not thick and chemical tasting like a store bought buttercream (ICK!) and the strawberries were fresh and flavorful (which is amazing for mid January).
Service was great, the woman that helped me even squeezed my boyfriend's name on the cake along with a "Happy Birthday" plastic sign.
Great experience overall, I will be back for an almond cake for sure! (They are 80 cents...you can't pass that up!!!)
After being closed for a couple months for renovations, I was so excited to walk by and see the Eldo Cake House open for business. YESSSSS. Even though I stuffed my face at Oishii for Restaurant Week, I knew I had to go and try a slice of Eldo's famous sponge cake. Oh yeah, and maybe an egg tart.
I got a slice of the Strawberry Sponge Cake. Holy God. I've had my fair share of sponge cakes at Chinese bakeries. I THOUGHT they were fabulous, but you know what? Eldo has set that bar sooooooo high now. Eldo's cake is so light, fluffy, and delicious. It's almost like an Angel Food Cake, but denser. The strawberries were just ripe, sliced, and placed between the layers of cake, in with FRESH whipped cream.
This is definetly my newest favorite dessert treat in Boston. I'm most definetly getting Eldo's cakes for my birthday, my best friends birthday, and any other special occasion I have/attend/make up.
I also had an Egg Tart. The crust was awesome... the tart part was a little runny (I prefer it a little firmer), but still delicious.
Can you say, mmmmmm, egg tart. I love those things! However, my first encounter with Eldo's was the day I went looking for boba coffee and that was a mistake. The owner waved me away and screamed "Go to Starbucks!".
That's ok, I'll take that treatment because I love asian pasteries so Mr. Eldo can scream at me all he wants. I like this place because their selection is pretty good compared to other bakeries in Chinatown (however nothing like the selection in San Fran or even San Diego so I guess I have to take what I can get).
My family and I have been going to this bakery for years! Cheap and delicious cakes and pastries. The whip cream and fruit layers in between a light and airy sponge cake makes you want more. They have competition everywhere and I tried to go to other places when it was closed for awhile but I was so happy when it finally reopened because nothing compares to this. My other favorite pastry here are the black bean cakes.
I still love Eldo. What I want to update is that they have completely renovated and expanded their space, so now everything is super shiny, and there's more tables if you just want to enjoy your bao or a slice of cake. The cakes seem to be decorated a lot fancier now, too, but the old way (when it was just decorated with fruit) was just as beautiful.
Today I stopped in to grab a bao for my bus ride back to New York, and I got a yu tou bao (taro bun). This was SO good!!!!! The taro inside tasted very taro-y, definitely had no artificial coloring the way some places do to their taro by adding electric purple-colored crap to them. And the bun had a fabulous pineapple-bun top -- slightly sweet and crunchy and cracked on the top. For whatever reason I'd never had a bun from here before and just loved their cakes, but now I will make sure to regularly get my baos from Eldo.
I will love this place forever. Eldo is SO FABULOUS!! Patronize this place as much as possible! I will.
I've bought a mixed fruit cake from Eldo for two of my friends' birthdays and my boyfriend's… Read more »
I'm not really a fan of cake in general but after a sheet cake from Eldo arrived at work I gave it a shot and fell in love. It is so light and fresh tasting. The combination of the sponge cake, cream, and strawberries was perfect. I am definitely getting cakes here in the future for holidays. A half sheet was supposed to feed 30-40 people but really only got about 20 out of it.
"WHAT YOU WANT?!?"
"NEXT!!"
"YOU WANT WHAT?!?"
If you're a timid person, I would recommend that you stay away from Eldo on the weekends from 9 to noon. However, their pastries blow away the cloying sweet and dense heart attacks in a box that can be found at, say, a North End bakery. Their super cheap treats are light and airy... a perfect match with some hot tea. The cream buns with coconut, almond cookies, and sponge cakes are my favs. They also sell really creamy cheesecakes and black forest cakes by the slice.
However, buns with dried shredded pork sprinkled on top...
!
(O _ ^ )* ...a little too strange for me.
I dream about the cakes from here. Seriously.
I have never been a big fan of Chinese desserts, but I don't think I've ever had a cake as good the white sponge cake that is covered in whipped cream and fresh fruit.
OMG.
Sweet, light, and so delicious. I think they stole the recipe from a bakery in heaven.
One of the better bakeries in Chinatown (Boston). I've gotta hand it to them - they know how to manage their time. You're in, you get your stuff (all wrapped up in a nice box with red ribbon), and you're out. Oh, and the pastries are relatively cheap compared to Bao Bao. It definitely helps if you can speak Cantonese. I recommend the strawberry or mixed fruit cakes (the ones with the white whipped frosting) and the pineapple pastries (which aren't made out of pineapple at all). YUM.
UPDATE:
The real estate that Eldo is located in is under construction . . .
For as long as I can remember I've gotten Eldo cakes (the layered fruit-filled ones) for any occasion that needed a cake. So light and fluffy, with the gorgeous whipped cream icing that perfectly not-so -sweet. So when I got married 9 years ago, I knew I wanted an Eldo cake. Since their wedding cakes aren't the same kind (more like traditional cake) I ended up getting a decorative traditional cake for appearances, then actually served my favourite Eldo sheet cakes.
And then just this summer for Princess #1's 3rd birthday we had a lovely Eldo cake with strawberries and peaches in it, and butterflies on top. It was perfect, as always, a hit on the hot hot day due to its lightness.
This place is awesome - a true Chinatown classic! :) Great bubble tea and the cheapest deserts and meat pies ever. They also have an entire room filled with all sorts of crazy Chinese candy. Truth be told, my favorite bubble tea is at the Boston Tea Stop in Harvard Square because I actualy like artificial flavoring, but if you're a purest this place is for you. Their bubble smoothie is made with actual real strawberries, etc. and you can TASTE it - the pearls have just the right balance of gumminess too - big recommendations from me :)
OK so some of my friends think Eldo's is an ok place to hang out, I guess because they can sit and chat over their tea and stuff. For me, the quality of the pastries are key, and my two favorite pastries are the egg custard tart, which they didn't have last time I went there, and the beef curry flaky pastry -- c'mon, you know what I"m talking about. Well when I got the beef curry thingie, it was just average -- it actually was a little bland AND it had some chewy things in there that I can only guess are beef parts, but here's the kicker: there was a roach crawling along the front side of the pastry tray.
No one is gullible enough to believe that there aren't roaches in Chinatown (and no, I'm not slamming the Chinese -- I am Chinese), or anywhere else downtown, for that matter, but at least use all that hard earned pastry money and hire some freaking exterminators!
Never again.
I have to pass by this store every morning going to class and after trying a few of their baos, I am convinced this place is going to make me fat. That and I have to find another route to class that'll bypass Eldo.
Their baos are happiness packaged into a warm and sweet little edible package. Most of their baos are pretty good. The coconut one had a little too much butter for my liking. The pineapple buns are delicious But their taro buns are so good that they're on the level of life changing food.
This place has been renovated with wheel chair access and a nice seating area that looks a little larger than it was before. The cake displays are spread out a bit more too. It looks like a place where I'd want to eat in! I got some cake slices for less than 2 bucks each. The fruit tart was only $1.50. They open from 7 am to 7 pm daily so check it out whenever you're nearby!
After I take guests to Chau Chow for dim sum, we usually go to Eldo for dessert because it's the… Read more »
Oh my word. While I have yet to actually sample the cakes here, the candy portion of the store is where I do my damage. Here you'll find things like candied ginger and dried plum paired with your regular assortment of sour patch kids and licorice. This is a great place if you like packaging as much as I do. I could be buying a package of sugared dried shrimp and not even know it because all the packaging is so brightly cute and charming. Maybe you want a gold good luck kitty with a tiny chocolate egg in it? Ok, maybe not, but Liz got one, and it was kind of really cute.
There is one candy in particular that I keep coming back for. It's in packaging sort of reminiscent of bubblicious and comes in 3 flavors. Grape, White Grape, and Strawberry. They sort of have the consistancy of laffy taffy and are packaged similarly to bubble gum as well. If I ever find out that it is in fact gum and I've just been swallowing it, I suppose I'll be in for a surprise. FUN! I'll typically pick up enough candy for myself and my ay-baybay StepHen. When I called him to tell him I got him a present he asked what, I told him that I got him some candy in Chinatown and he said "I HATE IT WHEN YOU DO THAT!...It always says it's supposed to taste like fruit and winds up tasting more like beef jerkey". Love it.
Love their char shui (bbq pork) buns, and sesame balls. They sell out quickly, so go early. I haven't tried their coconut buns, but I'll have one next time. Definitely a bargain.
The attached candy store next door has some fun candies - try the peanut-butter filled multi-colored-striped-miniature-candy-canes. Yumm. Mildly expensive, but not too bad.
Known for it's strawberry and peach sponge cakes, I frequent this place for so much more. They have this bun covered with a sweet and savory crumb-like topping. Unfortunately, I don't know what they call it in English (in Chinese, it sounds like the word for "Mexico"--try ordering it like that and see if it works...good luck!). Other bakeries offer it too, but they all pale in comparison. One note is that you won't likely see this in the glass case. They usually sell out pretty quickly so they just keep them on the cooling racks behind the counter. Other favorites here are the egg tart, pound cake with a pineapple-flavored glaze, and walnut pound cake. Mmm mmm good! For a beverage treat, I get their iced yin-yang which is a mix of coffee and tea. They really pack on the sugar so be forewarned, but it's worth all the extra calories.
This place is ok... I have only tried the steamed and baked meat pastries, so maybe I am missing the good part. I would rather get these pastries in a restaurant. But for bakery pastries they are still pretty good.
Their whole cakes look pretty incredible. Last time I was there I saw one where the sides were layered in mango slices. and the top had a white frosting. It looked fantastic... one day I will try it.
For as long as I can remember, my parents would drive all the way to Eldo Cake House from Chelmsford just to pick up birthday cakes for my sister and me. Everything about their cakes is light and balanced - the cream/frosting isn't too sweet or heavy and the cake part is spongy so I'll eat the entire slice (rather than scrape off most of the frosting which is usually too sweet when the cake is made elsewhere).
Their pastries are great too!
In preparation for a farewell barbeque party at my apartment, I decided to order a nice Chinese cake at Eldo Cake House for the first time. My favorite cakes have always been Chinese ones that usually came from the Sheng Kee Bakery chain in California, but this was my first time looking for a cake in Boston, so I headed straight to Chinatown to accomplish the task.
As I was on the phone ordering the cake, I realized how unfamiliar I was with the terminology used to determine the size of the cake, so I somewhat blindly ordered a quarter-sheet cake with a strawberry fruit filling, not really knowing exactly how large a "quarter-sheet" really was. I was hoping it would be enough for 25 guests.
The next daunting task was to hand-carry the cake from Chinatown all the way to my apartment in the South End, via the T. The cake turned out to be wonderful and tasted just like I remembered high quality Chinese cakes to be back in California.
I would not hesitate to give this place a call the next time I needed a cake!
P.S. Their egg tarts are fantastic!
The store owners rarely know what I'm talking about, but usually through frantic gesticulations and doodles, I'm able to convey my desire to have their strawberry short cake. Which from my recollections is about 75 cents or something. I like cheap things.
The cake house is connected to a candy store which houses a big supply of import candies(another review..another day..)
Anyway, this is my favorite bakery in China town, but the cakes come in this little plastic wrapper which always seems to funk up my frosting.
The cakes are fresh and airy, but there are many other options there besides the cake --cookies and pastries, etc.
Whenever I go in there seems to be a grouping of old Confucian clones oggling my bosom, which is kind of awkward,
therefore I usually cake and run. ;_______________;
Delicious and cheap. Get the egg tart, sponge cake, and pineapple bread.
I love Eldo's cakes :) My family get all our birthday cakes from there because of all the bakeries in Chinatown, they make the best fruit filled cakes. The whipped frosting and the fresh fruit topping & filling tastes fantastic with the spongy cake underneath. If you like Asian cakes, you'll like Eldo's cakes.
Like a lot of places in Chinatown, Eldo isn't really a place to hang out at... unless you like talking to old Chinese men... but if you need to pick up a cake or just want to pick up a sweet treat, Eldo's terrific.
Perhaps I walked into this small bakery at the wrong time. Maybe I was cranky due to the fat rain soaking through my coat on the way in. or maybe i've just had better.
i wasn't exactly floored by the selection of pastries they had available at about 11:30 am, but did opt for two pineapple cakes, and two sponge cakes (the kind that is baked in a paper cone). while these two items were pretty good, i didn't see the black bean-stuffed goodies or the sticky rice cakes that i have seen and enjoyed at other bakeries. in their place it looked like this bakery had a number of savory pastries (which i should have tried, and will be back to taste on a later date), and a whole bunch of "americanized" desserts. who knows, the cream puffs and chocolate cake looking thingies might kick some ass, but i wasn't enticed enough to shell out that extra oh-so-precious 80 cents. that's one thing i have to give this place: everything is CHEAP.
will definitely come back to try it again, but it might be better to ogle some other bakeries in chinatown before choosing this one.
I'm absolutely addicted to the little hot dog buns. Authentic Chinese pastry, I'm not so sure, but they're *delicious* nonetheless!
It's a tradition with my mom, sister, and me to visit this place after every single lunch or dinner we have in Chinatown, so Eldo has a special place in my heart. All the memories in that small, crowded, dingy little place...
Mmmmm.... Fruit-filled, whipped cream-covered, spongy, birthday cake...
Yeah, the cake cost $23, and yeah, you got to check the recipient's name for spelling errors (pen & paper are provided), but you will be the hero of the party when you bring in a Mango cake decorated with huge, fresh strawberries, melon balls, and an icing so airy, NASA is studying it.
They make many other things here - those tasty steam buns with delicious meat inside, custards, jelly rolls, candy and plenty more that I don't know about because I bet the really good stuff is written in Chinese on the wall.
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Bakeries
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