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131 reviews for The AA Bakery & Cafe
Review Highlights
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"they have savory and sweet ones, and their egg tarts." In 25 reviews -
"AA Bakery is my other go-to bakery after Golden Gate Bakery." In 20 reviews -
"They even make cakes for all occasions." In 36 reviews
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131 reviews in English
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Review from Chau T.
San Francisco, CA
5/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
I've been coming to AA Bakery since moving here last August.. and I haven't strayed. I think the egg tarts here are great. The shell is nice and flaky and the custard is the perfect proportion of sweet and creamy. I know Golden Gate Bakery is supposed to have the best egg tarts... but I've heard that often times, there's a line there and to me... why stray from something that's already good?? (and, Golden Gate peeps are on vacation) :D Plus, at $1 a tart, not bad at allll. Needless to say, I'll be sticking to AA's egg tarts.
Oh, their custard bun is also pretty good. -
Review from Derek N.
San Francisco, CA
Their coconut buns are good.
Although, not the greatest ones I've had.
Still, the buttery/coconutty innards satisfied me on a lackluster day.
Grabbed six in a plastic-bag.
...and, not a single episode of line-cutting to be had.Listed in: Sweetz!
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Review from Christine F.
San Francisco, CA
4/28/2012 12 Check-ins Here
I only go here because of their off the hook egg tart! Hell yea! Perfect for breakfast or for an early dessert! Yuuum! Ooey gooey, tasty, warm goodness! Excellent that they're open super duper early in the morning - around 6:00AM before I start off my day. Just don't look at the big rig trucks handling the piggies...something I caution you of - BEWARE!
REALLY affordable. One of the better/best bakeries in Chinatown I can handle.
I'm not too sure about the cakes in here, hmmm. Something to question.
Toward the end of the day, around 6-7PM they start givin' you extra goodies b/c they want to get rid of the goods. -
Review from Virginia Y.
Baltimore, MD
5/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
$1 egg tart! Out of all the bakeries I've stumbled upon, this place has the most appealing egg tart. Other places it looked hard or the egg wasn't mixed well enough. Not at AA bakery, it was shiny and smooth. The crust was crunchy and had just the right amount of flakiness. The egg part was not too sweet and it was creamy. I've had better egg tarts in hong kong and NYC but this one ain't too shabby! me likes.
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Review from Judy L.
Sacramento, CA
5/20/2012
Took a trip to SF to purchase a wedding cake. Decided to try AA Bakery. After waiting for about 15 minutes after a commotion of a lady buying $11.50 worth of pastries trying to pay with her credit card and was told they only took cash. She went out and came back in with the old $20 bill grabbed the box of goods and left saying keep the change because she was in a hurry. The counter lady turned back and said the 20 was a fake.. She took off looking for the customer. Anyways I had the picture of the cake I needed to feed about 20 people. The guy 1st said it would cost $499. Then he came down to $350 after I told him I only wanted a 2 tier. Then I told him it's to feed 20 people he came down to $100. A bit pricey for me to feed 20. I left without ordering the cake.
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Review from Alice Z.
Rosemead, CA
5/13/2012 1 Check-in Here
Since Golden Gate Bakery was on vacation, we opted to come here in desperation for egg tarts. Good sized bakery with many cakes, breads and pastries to choose from. I only tried the egg tarts, not too overly sweet or oily. Not bad for $1 a piece and they were absurdly larger than normal dim sum egg tarts in Los Angeles.
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Review from Liv K.
Fremont, CA
3/14/2012
I love bakeries and used to think this place was the bomb, but I've since been introduced to Good Mong Kok Bakery across the street. There is no line system here. The pushy customers really turned me off. Even when the employees see you have been standing there awhile, waiting patiently to order, they will help the twenty grannies who came in after you first, because they are already yelling out what they wants and are waving cash in the air!
But, if you come by and there is no line, you are in luck. Most of the cakes and buns I've had from here are delicious.
Egg custard tart - flaky buttery crust made with lots of lard, good alternative to Golden Gate Bakery
Hot dog buns
Onion and chive bun - salty buttery flavor
Baked BBQ pork bun - more fat chunks than I would like...
Pineapple bun - yummy crust, the bread - meh.
Cocktail bun - overly sweet buttery coconut filling
European style cakes - lightly sweet
Swiss roll - lightly sweet, several varieties - mother prefers plain sponge cake with lemon jelly, I prefer espresso sponge cake with whipped cream.
Paper-wrapped sponge cake - moist, fluffy and lightly sweet
Coconut macaroon - dry.
Full-sheet cakes of whipped cream and fresh fruit in light sponge cake
Lots of seating. Lots of photos on the wall of the cakes they've made and decorated.
Just be prepared to yell out the name of one food item, so at least the employee can start working on your order instead of passing you over. Good freakin' luck! -
Review from Ix B.
La Jolla, CA
3/28/2012
I actually really loved this place and want to put in a good plug for it. So of course I came because I was in town for vacation and Golden Gate was closed (again) and my inner egg tart craving monster was screaming, now, right NOW. And I walk into a crazy line of old ladies trying to nab the last few tarts and jostling and does that turn off this beastie yelling "egg tart" in my stomach? Of course NO. I push myself to the front and signal 4, no 5, no 6 tarts please!! In a frantic bid because, my monster assures me, you will save these to share with friends at dinner tonight. The lady ponies up 6 hot fresh tarts after some language-related confusion enhanced by shouting over at least 10 bobbing heads, and I go down the hill munching one tart. Two tarts. Three tarts. Four.
No I didn't have any left for my friends after all. Figures. Dang they were good. -
Review from Cassie J.
San Francisco, CA
1/24/2012 3 photos
I'll be completely honest, I came here because the lines at Golden Gate were horrendous. I had a terrible egg tart itch on this particular day and when I saw that I'd have to wait to get a tart, I left in search of another. Sure Golden Gate does make some of the best tarts in the City, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that AA's egg tarts were just as good.
As per typical Cassie, I ordered my egg tarts in bulk as one is just never enough. The crust was perfectly buttery and flakey. The custard was sweet, and eggy. The texture was softer and a bit that I would've liked but overall, AA's egg tarts satisfied my craving.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
I also ordered the Fruit Tart in a Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate cup. AA is very generous on their fruit portion size, and I very much liked that they used a sweet bed of custard that the fruits lay on. I'm not a fan of places that use whip cream with their fruit tarts. The Chocolate cup was also perfectly crispy, which made it so much fun to bite into, and have all of the sweet custard just oozing out. Haha.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Overall, I'm glad that Golden Gate was crowded on this particular day because then I wouldn't have tried AA, and enjoyed their egg and fruit tarts. Worth a visit when in Chinatown.Listed in: Desserts, Pastries, Ice…
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Review from Mei C.
San Francisco, CA
1/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
Here I am reminded of the true cost of Chinatown: To get the most out of the goods and services here, you HAVE to speak Cantonese and/or have wads of the appropriate amount of bills out in plain sight. Sometimes even that isn't enough.
I walked in for coffee and one of their wide assortment of delectable looking desserts, and to take advantage of what appears to be new seating. Had the bad luck of competing with 8-10 other customers in a cramped space, and a long counter area filled with baked goods behind a glass as high as my head. Had several misunderstandings with the people behind the counter which ended up with me walking out frustrated.
Ugh... Another time. Sometimes the counter is empty and business is slow. I WISH they would put into place a number/ticket system, or at least have the baked goods in a display case along the walls so customers can just choose what to buy themselves and bring it up to the cash register to pay for it.Listed in: Weight Gain Guaranteed.
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Review from Miss K.
San Francisco, CA
3/11/2012
The worst sachima ever. Super stale & not sweet enough (well, not much flavor at all really.) Considering it's just deep fried flour bits w/o any raisins even, at $1.50 for 2 gnarly tasting cubes, definitely not worth it.
Walnut cookies not bad. Crispy but heavy w/ that palm oil feel (?) tho most Asian pastries are like that I think. But this has an especially oily aftertaste that just lingers... -
Review from Tim T.
2/2/2012
Got the coconut tart and it was not that good. It was hard to eat because it makes my mouth dry, it was like eating too much saltine crackers. I suggest them to make it a little more moist.
The tapioca jelly cake was good though. I wish i knew what it was called in canto.
$1.60 for 1 coconut tart and 1 tapioca jelly cake -
Review from Jay S.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 4/16/2012
Still one of my favorite bakeries in Chinatown . Onion bacon bun is still a favorite. BBQ pk bun is meatier than most other bakeries. Curry beef and red bean paste is an option if you want to try something different. And if you want to hang out with the locals, there are quite a few tables for sitting. Make sure you get the attention of the ladies behind the counter first or else the little old lady behind you will quickly call out her order and cut in front of you without you even knowing it.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/6/2009
Love this bakery. My favorite is the 'bacon green onion' buns. They are about $0.85 a piece.… Read more »
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Review from Lily Y.
12/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
The egg custard tarts are really good! They are a great alternative to golden gate bakery when they are closed. Warm, flaky and delicious! :)
My family and I always stop by this place on our way home to LA. We like buying the pineapple buns and the long buns with coconut filling inside (gai-mee bao?).
Very cheap too! -
Review from Shirley N.
San Jose, CA
Good egg tarts, i find them tasty but not the best. My first choice would be Golden Gate Bakery (egg tarts come out fresh and hot every time) and this place would be a good alternative when the lines are unbearable at GGB. This bakery is bigger, has more dessert options, cleaner and has tables for you to enjoy your dessert there!
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Review from Sara P.
San Francisco, CA
9/8/2011
I swung in yesterday on my way home to check out their selection of mooncakes. I love that they have a table set up outside for quick purchases (albeit no mooncakes).
Mooncake festival is my favorite time of year because well, there's mooncakes. Yes, I love them that much.
I walked into the store to a whole table setup of different flavors of mooncakes - they must have about 20. This is the best selection I've seen. And you can select the ones you like rather than being stuck with flavors you don't like in a premade box. After I started grabbing some, the lady told me to get a box of 4. Okay lady, you've convinced me.
I accidentally went overboard and got 2 boxes...
My favorites are: red bean paste, green tea paste and mixed nuts. I hate the ones with egg yolks but that's just personal preference.
Since the festival is on the 12th this year, I still have time to eat the ones I have and buy more! YES!
I'll definitely be back to check out their other items!Listed in: SF Lovin', Sweets & Treats
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Review from Venesa C.
Los Angeles, CA
11/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
THIS REVIEW IS FOR THEIR DAN TAT (EGG TART) ONLY!
Wowowow. I finally know what an orgasm in my mouth feels like. The egg tart was still a bit warm when I got it, I was gonna take a picture but could not wait...had to devour it. SO. FRICKEN. GOOD. It was $1 per tart.
The egg custard is sooo sweet and smooth and creamy, and has a very fragrant smell. Melt in your mouth! The tart crust is very very flaky, and has a bit of saltiness to it, which is the PERFECT complement to the sweet custard. One of the best egg tarts I've ever tried, even better than some cafes in Hong Kong.
They have such a big selection of other pastries, but unfortunately I did not get to try anything else!!!! Their pineapple bun looked soooo daaamnnn gooooooooooood.
I regret not trying anything else, but next time i'm in SF i will definitely come loaded with cash, ready to eat until I pass out. -
Review from Hasan S.
6/1/2011
What a ridiculously amazing selection here, it's kinda mind-boggling really. All kindsa neat treats to satisfy that insatiable sugar craving of yours.
I usually do a weekly shopping trip to Chinatown and AA is always my last stop on the way out. I tend to pick out whatever looks good at the time so I couldn't tell ya' the names of the lil treats. But I can tell you that I've yet to be disappointed in anything I've tried.
The owner is such sweetheart too. She's got a great smile and is always there to make sure everyone is well taken care of.
Not just good for the small delights, you can also come here for celebration cakes as they do a wonderful job and have a great variety to choose from. All at rock-bottom prices.
This is the only bakery in Chinatown you will ever need to go to.
(THEY DO ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS) -
Review from John B.
Novato, CA
8/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
2nd best dan tat (egg tart) i've had ever. EVER!
The crust was flaky yet somewhat moist and the egg custard was creamy and delicious. I really enjoyed them! Moreover, I was pleastly surprised that the tarts were still warm.
The flipside: I only went here to get egg tarts because Golden Gate Bakery was closed. I wouldn't mind coming back here though. -
Review from Vicky H.
Updated - 10/19/2011
diappointed.
lao po bing and the lao gong bing were not very tasty here compared to Golden Gate Bakery.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/3/2010
hmmm not bad not bad.
My heart will always go to GG BAKERY. My friend took me here with his family… Read more »
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Review from Victor T.
Arcadia, CA
9/2/2011
Frankly, a bit disappointed in this bakery, but the lao po bing and the lao gong bing were good. I brought home maybe 4 of each, and my grandma loved them, so that's a plus for me :)
If I visit SF in the near future, I'll be sure to come here again to pick up some fresh Chinese pastries. Til then, Golden Gate Bakery, please come back!!!
Still, AA is a decent bakery in its own right. -
Review from Katia T.
San Francisco, CA
7/12/2011
I LOVE this place. I walk up here on lunch once in a while, and am always happy.
1) the food is delish!!!
2) it's ridiculously cheap!!! (1 slice lemon/coconut cake, 1 savory hot dog pastry, 2 custard tarts = $4.30) Yes, I pig out on their stuff. But it's just yummy.
Cons (but not enough to ding the stars for me):
-- cash only
-- no line system so you have to be assertive (try to resist the urge to push the persistent/obnoxious old lady that came in a few minutes after you and is now trying to order first).
Do I recommend this place? Yes!!! Chinatown may be a clusterf***, but this place is worth going to once in a while.
I'll probably be back next week or week after that. -
Review from Tram N.
Cash only.
Huge language barrier.
They sell individual moon cakes (some I've never seen before), rolls, cakes, various types of pastries/danishes.
I looked and saw a hamburger-looking type of thing and they said it's pork. There's another one that kept enticing me and it was a sandwich-look-a-like, it was ham and a fried egg.
I bought the ham and the fried egg pastry and took just 3 bites.. it was good but there was really nothing exciting about it. Perhaps this pastry is missing cheese.. it only cost me $.80 so should I complain? No way.Listed in: Sweets for my Sweets.. ME!
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Review from Anna C.
Seattle, WA
8/29/2011
I decided to try this bakery out as Golden Gate Bakery was closed that day. The cocktail buns are huge, but it was too much bread and too little coconut for my taste. The pork buns seemed to be good as it was the first thing to disappear once I got home.
The prices are unbeatable! I bought about 10 pastries for under 7 dollars!
They offered so many pastries and desserts to choose from, it would of been nice to have some signage up. There were a few signs but incorrectly placed.
I would come back to try their cakes and egg tarts...there seems to be a lot of good reviews about them!
I always love coming home with a pink box full of yummy goodies! -
Review from Toeknee T.
San Francisco, CA
8/17/2011
My family have been eating here for as long as we've living in the City. Love their selection. Coconut Pudding is pretty good. Good Egg Tarts. Not as greasy as the other "Place." No long lines. Can't beat that when you need to fill your tummy.
Pretty sure they have better stuff than GGB except for the Lo Por Ban and Egg Tarts. -
Review from Tina A.
Updated - 10/14/2011
i take it all back.
i came back 2 times, and they gave me the left over dried out baos from the day before.
then on my last try, i walked in and waited for service. i smiled and tried to make eye contact with the 2 older ladies behind the counter. they made eye contact with me and immediately turned away and ignored me. they helped the next customer. i realized they were trying to avoid me because they probably thought i wasn't chinese. so i had to bust out some mandarin on them. at this point i got some service. i asked if there were any fresh bao's or egg tarts lately and i got a snappy reply back of "no!" . however i clearly saw that a new tray of dan tat had been carried out as our conversation was going on.
basically i have gotten leftover crap from the day before and i was treated like dirt by the older ladies for being young and american. if i ever come back here again, it will only be when that nice younger girl is working.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/16/2011
Dan Tat (Egg Tart):
- well executed - crispy, flakey pastry on the outside, yummy soft egg custard on… Read more »
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Review from Sarah C.
Had a 10 dollar gift card. At first I thought "whoa, that is a lot of pastries!" but it really isn't and I thought they only sold Chinese stuff. They offered a wide variety! I wanted everything!
The service here was pretty good. Maybe cause it was slow. Normally you have to be aggressive and flag down their attention. Kind of like when you are a busy bar.
We got 10 dollars worth + 5cents out of pocket. Two cakes, mango pudding, and some typical Chinese sandwiches. Not bad. The mango pudding is good. I am sure their cakes are delicious too. My friend ordered her birthday cake here once and I remember it since.
Don't eat here though. -
Review from Pauline D.
Gilroy, CA
11/9/2010 1 photo
THIS bakery should be on the 7x7 Things to Eat Before You Die list for egg custard tarts. Remember, you heard it here first! ;]
At 90 cents a tart, the crust is super flaky, crisp and buttery... Paula Deen would surely approve. It's slightly thicker than anywhere else I've had ECTs, but it's so tasty, I'm glad to get more of it.
The custard is light, flavorful, smooth and almost creamy... almost perfect, but I have yet to find the coveted five-star egg tart in SF. This comes pretty darn close, though.
Not a fan of egg custard tarts? Not to worry, there are tons of other options for every palate, including: gorgeous fruit tarts, Japanese-style sponge-like cakes with airy-light cream, and deep-fried dough-encased thousand-year-old eggs.
The storefront is bigger and way cleaner than Golden Gate, plus there's plentiful seating to eat in, or at least set your things down for a second to double-fist your sweet treats. Hip hip hooray! -
Review from Vicky L.
When I was in San Diego, a quarter bought me 30 minutes of parking time. In San Francisco, a quarter will get you 5 minutes of meter time.
Thanks to my lack of quarters and a severe increase in general living expenses, I was forced to stop by AA Bakery and Cafe to buy something in hopes of getting some change back.
Since it was almost closing time, their items were more limited, but I was still able to get a fresh soft flour cake for $1.50, an egg tart for 90 cents, and a quarter and dime for the meter.
I haven't had a bad egg tart yet, so this was good. Maybe not the best in Chinatown, but I've yet to find that as well. The soft flour cake wasn't as densely packed as I usually like them, but it made for a good after-work snack.
Another CCG pick in the heart of Chinatown on Stockton Street. I would totally be down to go back and try their other stuff when it's stocked in the morning.Listed in: CCG Approved, Oh Hai Chinatown!
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Review from Mona W.
10/28/2010 1 photo
This is a review for their egg tarts and mooncakes.
Egg Tarts - A lot of people turn to AA Bakery when the legendary Golden Gate Bakery is closed for vacation. The egg tarts here did not disappoint although they are still not Golden Gate standard. The crust is not as flakery and the egg custard filling is less flavorful. I can assure you though, these egg tarts are still of excellent quality.
Mooncakes - I was very impressed. I have never seen any mooncakes with a crust as thing as these. In that department AA is definitely better than Golden Gate or any other competitors in the area. The pineapple mooncake is my favorite. The paste was not as tasty as I would like but I do find myself craving for more when my mooncakes were done.
When mooncake season comes around again next year, you might find me here instead of lining up at Golden Gate. -
Review from Alex C.
San Francisco, CA
5/1/2011
This and Sheng Kee is perhaps one of the best Chinese Bakeries in the city, Napoleon Super Bakery being the other within the same vicinity.
I come here several times a year to get fresh birthday cakes; there's just something about light and airy sponge cake adorned with fresh fruit in the exterior and interior with light creamy frosting; which is basically a blend of heavy cream and tapioca pudding (so much better than the typical butter creme frosting...EWW).
My mom comes here often for their custard tarts (similar to those of Golden Gate Bakery).
It's all about their cakes and delicious pastries! -
Review from jennifer w.
Milpitas, CA
8/23/2010
I was very excited to go to Chinatown's Golden Bakery for their famous dan tat (egg tarts), but happen to be that the bakery was closed for vacation. T__T so random too! on a SATURDAY! oh wells.. so my mom decided to take us to AA Bakery & Cafe on Stockton to get some dan tat and bolo bao (pineapple bun). As we walked towards the bakery, there was someone standing outside with a table of packaged dim sum and other baked goods. The baked goods that were on the table didn't look fresh or appealing.. so we decided to walk into the bakery. Little did we know the lady that was standing out there got pissed and scolded us for 'hitting her with our cart.' uhh lady, we didn't touch you. yeah that little doorway was tiny but even if it did touch you we didn't mean it. we apologized to her but she just kept yelling and making a big scene. omg..
so we walked in and noticed that not that many people were there buying buns and pastries. we were still looking around to see what to buy...seriously this place is a first come first served deal. Even if you are first in line, it doesn't matter... someone will eventually cut in front of you and the lady behind the counter will give her full attention to whoever is ordering. O_O anyways.. we bought 3 dan tat ($1 each) and 9 bolo bao (3 for $1).
okay so the dan tat just came out of the oven. it was huge and the egg part was a vanilla yellow color. not what i expected because usually the ones i get are yellow. the yolk was a bit too sweet and made me thirsty. the crust part was not harden so it was a bit on the soft side. -_- it was not moist or juicy. it was lukewarm even though it just came out of the oven. o_O
the bolo bao was okay. there was enough sweetness on the top but the bun was not as soft.
CASH ONLY! -
Review from Ed L.
11/22/2010
If you're looking for pastries and cakes that are delicate and light, no need to look pass AA. I love the lightness of their whip cream and the moderate sweetness of the cakes. You definitely won't feel the cholesterol, calories or sugar here.
My parents got me a mango birthday cake and it was beautifully done. The entire cake was wrapped with thin slices of mango entirely and decorated with fruit on top. It was so artistic and nice I almost felt bad eating it...until I realized how delicious the cake was! -
Review from Marti L.
1/28/2009 ROTD 2/4/2009
This is a frustrating tale with a happy ending.
--MondayMorning--
Found out its uncle's birthday
Called the bakery for a birthday cake
Was placed on hold 3 times
Was told to hurry up
Ended up ordering mixed fruit (yuck)
side story: grew up eating chinese birthday cakes. soggy fruits, thick layer of cream. have always hated it.
--MondayEvening--
Went to the bakery at 7:15pm
Conversation in Cantonese with the lady behind the counter:
Lady: *stares* what do you want?
Me: i need to pick up my cake.
Lady: *stares* what cake?
Me: a birthday cake.
Lady: what?
Me: i ordered a birthday cake.
Lady: *still staring* what's your last name?
Me: *says last name*
Lady: what's your number?
Me: *says number*
Lady: *pauses* *looks confused*
Lady: *walks over to cake display*
Lady: what does your cake say?
Me: ummm...happy birthday????
Lady: *finds a cake with 'happy birthday'*
Lady: *pulls out an invoice under the cake*
Lady: is this your cake?
Me: i think so. it has my name and number...
Lady: *brings cake to counter*
Lady: where's your receipt?
Me: what receipt?
Lady: your ordering receipt
Me: you have the invoices
Lady: no, the yellow copy, when you ordered
Me: *pretty annoyed* i ordered through the phone
Lady: oh.
goshdarnit ladyyyy!!
--despite the cake being all foo foo looking with its pink and orange roses, it tasted pretty good. the cake part was light and fluffy. fruits were fresh. everyone raved about it. especially the two year old who started jumping and saying 'cake cake cake' and ate happily with cream all over her face.
definitely worth the trouble.Listed in: Bakeries! Pastries! Cakes!, Yelp Frontpage
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Review from Moua L.
7/12/2011
Just called to make a huge order, but they don't speak English? The lady practically hung up on me. Why don't they just hire someone who knows English to handle the phone?
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Review from Tammy C.
Updated - 11/12/2008 1 photo
(See pic)
1 Asian milk tea
3 rice rolls
3 flake pastry style egg tarts
3 pineapple buns
1 deep fried shredded meat bun
1 deep fried sweet red paste bun
2 shrimp dumplings
1 sweet coconut cake mixed with red bean
1 veggie pan fried dumpling
1 coconut whipped cream bun
All for $11.65 and will satisfy my 3 breakfast meals, 1 lunch and 1 dinner!!
They also have a tremendous variety of colourful icing cakes that look fairly attractive.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/23/2007
Looove the egg custards because of the flaky / pastry style custard that is most likely made out of… Read more »
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Review from J S.
San Francisco, CA
1/22/2012
lunar new years is never good for the figure.
the food starts off slightly before new years for my family. we used to make the fried dumpling with the coconut, granulated sugar, and sesame seeds a week or two prior to new years in addition to the green dumpling. we got lazy... i mean more health conscious so my mom and aunts only made the green dumplings this year.
grandma's birthday is another marker and a stronger marker that new years is approaching because her birthday is based on the lunar calendar and is two days prior to new years. there had always been a super hearty dinner to celebrate whether it was at home or restaurant.
my aunt, grandma's daughter, and another aunt's husband's birthdays are the day after grandma's. this year it happened to be on the end of the year dinner, so it was another hearty meal.
anyway enough of me packing on pounds. let's get to the meat of the review.
the piped flowers on top of the cake was different than the other chinese bakeries i've come across. they looked like pine cones. each petal had two shades of color airbrushed onto it. the standard rose had a very fine pink and yellow line on the edge of the petal. the circumference of the cake had slices of strawberries going all the way around the bottom.
when you cut into it, i noticed that there were three layers of cake, but only one thin layer of fruits. about an inch of space from the edge is usually left empty so filling won't gush out. in that space the upper layers of cake fell down. the only reason it looked leveled before cutting was all the whipped cream covering it up including the flowers and fruits. the decoration basically drew the eye away from any imperfections.
the fresh sponge cake was very light and airy, and probably one of the lightest i've had this year. -
Review from phillip w.
San Francisco, CA
9/10/2008
Ive never had the cakes here...
the only things Ive had are the sponge cakes, egg tarts, and the walnut muffins..
those muffins are quite tastey..but its sometimes a win and lose..try to get them when their fresh of course..otherwise they wont taste taht good~
the egg tarts are somewhat comparable to Golden Gate..(that place is way overrated)
overall its a good bakery which has a lot of items to choose from with low prices of course~ -
Review from Erin S.
2/9/2010
This place is a feast for the eyes.
Sesame balls, custard tarts, fruit tarts, Chinese "bagel dogs", little flaky pies stuffed with all kinds of gooey goodness. They even make cakes for all occasions. Be sure to check out the photos on the walls of their tacky cakes. It made me want to get married all over again just so I could have a 10 layer, multi-level cake connected with little plastic staircases & a dozen brides & grooms cascading from the top. -
Review from Esther Y.
8/23/2010 2 Check-ins Here
I was trying to go to Golden Gate Bakery for egg tarts, but they were closed for vacation (does anyone know when they're back?). I still wanted to get egg tarts, so my brother and I walked around and tried to go to several other bakeries (New Hollywood, Broadway Dim Sum, You's Dim Sum), but they were either all closing and not letting people in, or they didn't look that great.
Almost defeated, we turned to Yelp (thank God for iPhones!). Thanks to the "Open Now" filter feature, we found AA Bakery (the AA made it sound Asian) that was just a block away and was closing in 10 minutes. We pretty much booked it over there and nearly got run over, but when we got there, there were egg tarts, and they looked pretty good! So we got 6 egg tarts at 90 cents a pop, and also a couple filled pineapple buns. We got a bit of a discount since they were almost closing, and we paid $6 for all 8 pieces. Not too bad, and both the egg tarts and the buns were delicious!
