Although French and Italian bakeries seem to be the most well-known in Manhattan, there are dozens of Asian and Asian-owned bakeries across NYC. Most bakeries in Chinatown are long-standing, family-owned operations and generally offer a serve-yourself format: grab a tray and a pair of tongs, and pick out several freshly-baked pastries, buns, and breads from rows upon rows of options. Outside of Chinatown, newer Asian-owned bakeries have emerged and typically serve pastries that feature both Asian and European flavors and baking techniques. To celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, here are some of our favorite Asian-owned bakeries in NYC.
THE SPOTS
The best egg tarts in the five boroughs come from Xin Fa Bakery in Sunset Park. Don’t be intimidated if the line is out the door when you show up—they’re extremely efficient here. Get more egg tarts than you think you need. Especially if you’re getting a fresh, warm batch, you’ll want to carve out a few minutes to eat one (or three) on the street and ascend to a higher plane of existence. It’s also worth trying their sponge cakes and other pastries.
Kam Hing Coffee Shop is a landmark of Chinatown. It opened its doors about 35 years ago and is famous for its light, fluffy, and moist sponge cake. Chinese-American owner Liz Yee and her family opened Kam Hing Coffee Shop as a way to pass down memories from generation to generation. Besides the original sponge cake version, you can find a multitude of flavors such as pandan, matcha, ube, black sesame, and coconut. We like to stop by in the mornings and start our day with at least two sponge cakes. And of course, we have to get a milk tea as well.
Moul Kim and Lawrence Wai Keki set up Keki Modern Cakes in Chinatown after traveling through Asia and seeing how popular Japanese cheesecakes were overseas. They recruited Kevin Kim as their executive chef, who spent time at Per Se and Nobu, to help bring this cheesecake sensation to New York. Keki is famed for its “bouncy” cheesecake, where the consistency is more spongy than cheesy. While we prefer the ube flavor, the cheesecakes come in an original flavor as well, and these have a slightly bouncier texture.
Prior to opening Patisserie Fouet in Union Square, owner and executive chef Yoshie Shirakawa had already won awards as a pastry chef, taught classes at a culinary school in Tokyo, and worked as the executive pastry chef at Dessert Cafe Luxee and Bohemian in New York. At Patisserie Fouet, Shirakawa’s Japanese and French flavors really shine in her dessert jars, particularly the soba pudding and green tea tiramisu that work great for takeout.
Two Geese Bakery is located in Gansevoort Liberty Market, and run by executive pastry chef Jessica Lee. They serve boozy cookies (or “boozkies,” as they call them) in flavors such as rum-soaked butter pecan and coffee with whiskey ganache. If you'd rather hold the booze, they also have danishes, croissants, and red velvet cookies.
Formerly a communications major and design company founder, Gary Chan followed his passion for baking and opened Bibble & Sip in 2014 after graduating from the International Culinary Center. Located in the heart of Midtown on 51st Street, this bakery and coffee shop is known for its cute llama motifs and crème puffs, but we're also big fans of their egg tarts with buttery and flaky crust.
Yeh’s Bakery has been around in Flushing for a very long time and is a staple at many birthdays of Asian Americans who grew up in Queens. Though this Taiwanese bakery is best known for its Boston pie (picture a lighter, fluffier, spongier Boston creme), we love coming here for the birthday cakes, which meet the Asian gold standard for baked goods and pastries: airy, delicate, and lightly sweetened. The strawberry flavor reminds us of a light strawberry shortcake, whereas the matcha is less sweet, with a hint of bitterness.
A classic Chinese bakery on the border of Chinatown and the Lower East Side, Kamboat offers a variety of baked goods in addition to coffee, rice rolls, and various other dishes. But we mainly come here for some of the best egg tarts in the city. The crust is a little more crumbly than flaky, and the egg custard center is impossibly smooth. We like to buy these egg tarts by the dozen, save a few for ourselves, and bring the rest to potlucks to share with friends.
After Japanese owner Hiroyuki Takahashi opened his first restaurant, Takahachi, he decided to introduce Japanese bread to New York with the opening of Takahachi Bakery in 2011. This cozy bakery is located on a quiet street in Tribeca and specializes in matcha-flavored desserts. No trip here is complete without getting the green tea crepe, which is strong on the matcha flavor and filled with light cream and red bean. It’s rolled into a wrap and held together by parchment paper designed like a piece of newspaper.
Owned by Japanese-American Ayaka Ando, Tadaima is a bakery currently based out of Industry City specializing in beautiful pastries and baked goods. We love the dense yuzu lemon cake, which has perfect hints of citrus that aren't overpowering. We're also fans of any of the matcha-flavored desserts, which are all rich in matcha flavor and not too sweet. Tadaima serves coffee and tea as well, so you should order a chai latte to help wash down all of the sweet pastries.
Veronica Gan had a hard time finding the colorful, bite-sized Southeast Asian desserts known as kuih in New York City, so she started making them at home. She perfected her recipes, and eventually she and her husband opened a tiny shop on the Lower East Side. Kuih Cafe is open Friday through Sunday serving a rotating menu of kuih, all of which are worth a weekend pitstop. The variety with subtly floral rose custard is our favorite, although if you don't get a slice of caramelized durian cheesecake while you're here, you'll be making a grave mistake.
Opened by husband-and-wife duo Seleste Tan and Mogan Anthony, who previously worked at Jean-Georges and the Four Seasons, Lady Wong is an East Village bakery committed to showcasing Southeast Asian flavors. If you're looking for a snack, there's a large variety of kuih, and you'll also find some elaborate tarts, swiss rolls, and layer cakes. Try any one of these things, and you'll feel compelled to come back once a week. We suggest the silky, candy-coated taro ube tart.
